What the dive is like
The top of the seamount sits at roughly 120 feet, so you descend into open blue water with no reef to hold on to, often down a line, and hang in the water column watching for pelagics. Cabo Trek names hammerhead and silky sharks as the most common sharks, with seasonal whale sharks, and marlin, sailfish, dorado, wahoo, tuna schools, jacks and manta, devil and mobula rays passing overhead. Some days are spectacular; some days are big blue and nothing, which is part of the deal.
Currents can be strong and conditions are described as challenging, so operators keep groups small and bottom times short.
Who can go
Cabo Trek requires PADI Advanced Open Water at minimum and prefers the Deep Diver specialty, plus nitrox certification if you dive on enriched air. Every diver must first do a checkout dive in local Cabo waters so the guides can see your buoyancy and air consumption. That is a sensible rule, not red tape: plan a day of easier dives around Land's End before you book Gordo. If you're not certified yet, start with our scuba certification page.
It's not recommended during pregnancy. Deep dives have a narrow margin for error, so skip it if you have not dived recently or are nursing a cold.
Season, timing and price
Cabo Trek runs Gordo Banks from July to December, when the water is warm and the pelagics are around. The trip leaves the Cabo Trek office on the Cabo San Lucas marina at 7 a.m. and is back by about 12:30 p.m.: two dives of about 45 minutes with a 45-minute surface interval. Pricing is quoted by group size and season and includes the boat, a PADI professional guide, equipment, water, juices and snacks. Get the quote in writing and confirm what happens if the sea cancels the trip.
Avoid flying for at least 18 hours after two deep dives, so keep Gordo well away from your departure day.
From Villa 1
The Cabo Trek shop is in the Hotel Tesoro building on the marina, about a mile from Hacienda Beach Club, a short taxi at that hour of the morning. Non-diving partners can do a Cabo Pulmo day trip another day for easier snorkeling on the reef, or enjoy the bay from Médano Beach. Our diving and snorkeling page covers the easier local sites.
