Frequently Asked Questions
If you don’t see your question here feel free to give us a shout anytime!
Cabo San Lucas offers a vast variety of accommodation options to meet every budget and requirement. Everything from cheap hostels all the way up to super lux villas and everywhere in-between are available in Cabo. When deciding on a place we recommend focusing on the downtown or Centro area and using our shop location to give you an idea of where you’ll need to be for your course. Uber, buses, and taxis are readily available in Cabo, but most prefer being able to just walk or ride a bicycle to the shop. Here is a Google map link to our shop location.
Most of our students that are coming for more than a week prefer to go the Air BnB route as there are a ton of options available at great prices with many having special monthly rates. We can also highly recommend checking out Cabo Vista Hotel – the rooms here are all like studios with a kitchen, great wifi, smart TVs, and it’s only 4 blocks from our shop. They usually have a couple rooms they will also rent at a special monthly rate too that is very affordable. There are also quite a few apartment buildings that do short term, month to month style rentals if that’s more your style such as MAIA Condos. If you’re looking for more of a hostel style accommodation check out Mayan Monkey, Sofia Hostel Cabo, Ocean Tigers, or Baja Cactus hostel. If you’re looking for a really nice resort hotel with a kitchen, ocean view balcony, swimming pool, and right on the beach, our guests receive a special discount rate at Casa Dorada on Medano Beach (where our Dive Ninja Dojo shop is located and our heated training pool).
If you have any questions or need some help just give us a shout and we can help point you in the right direction or send you over a list of the accommodations many of our guests and students have enjoyed.
The easiest and cheapest option is to fly into Los Cabos International Airport (airport code: SJD). This is the largest airport in Baja Sur and offers daily nonstop flights from numerous airports in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Most of the big airport hubs in North America have direct flights to Los Cabos International so it makes it very easy and reasonably priced for finding connections to other cities, or even international flights to Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and just about anywhere else. Some of the major airport hubs with direct flights to Los Cabos are Los Angeles, New York, Newark, Chicago, Seattle, Houston, Atlanta, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Mexico City, and Guadalajara. Check out FlightsFrom.com for the full list of cities with direct flights to Cabo by clicking here.
Once you land you’ll have about a 30-40 minute ride to get from the airport to Cabo San Lucas. There are 4 options for getting from the airport to town.
1- The bus, Ruta del Desierto, is the cheapest and longest journey. It will take you through San Jose, along the corridor where all the resorts are, then to downtown Cabo San Lucas. From there you can either walk or hop into a taxi or Uber. Although not the most comfortable nor the fastest, it is the cheapest and picks up just outside of the airport.
2- Private Transfer – there are tons, and they are all relatively around the same price. This would be the fastest and easiest way to your accommodation. We recommend Eliker Transfers. Their staff are great and they’re super dependable. They meet you outside the arrival terminal and will be holding a sign with your name on it. They will help you with taking your luggage to the truck, etc. A roundtrip booking will run you anywhere from $120-170 USD depending on where you are staying (One way would be half) They use big SUVs and vans so no issue on getting your gear in. You will need to book in advance online or via phone before arriving in Cabo. Personally we use Eliker as it saves a bunch of time and is the easiest and more comfortable option – making it worth the slightly higher price tag. Their drivers also usually have a cooler of cold waters and beers to welcome you to Cabo.
3- Taxi. You can book a taxi right at the airport. There is a desk when you come out of customs (past all the time share people). It will be about the same price as the private transfer or more expensive. The price is set by the location you are going to, which they will ask when you book it at the desk in the airport – so no surprises to worry about. They have Vans and SUV’s so lots of space for gear.
4- Shared shuttle with Grey Line, TransCabo or other shared shuttles. This will run about $20-30 USD one way, although you would need to check with them about luggage space if you have more than the normal 2-3 bags. As they take many people at once, this option can be quick and easy or take a very long time to get to your accommodation as they basically group a bunch of random people into a van as they arrive and make stops at each person’s hotel. So if you end up last on the list it can take a while. One other thing to note is that if you are staying at an AirBnB or a private residence you might need to call or email them to book as their online reservations system tends to focus more on hotels. Not a major headache, but just something to remember for when you are booking.
There are also numerous rental car agencies at the airport if you decide you’d like to rent a car for your time in Cabo. Once in Cabo San Lucas you can get pretty much anywhere by walking, bicycle, or Uber. There are also taxis and public transportation options (buses & collectivos) available throughout the city.
Cabo San Lucas lies at the southernmost tip of the Baja California Peninsula. It is one of the 2 cities that make up the Los Cabos municipality, the other being San Jose del Cabo. The 2 cities are connected by an area known as the Tourist Corridor, or just the Corridor for short. The Corridor is named so as it is a highway connecting the 2 cities where most of the resorts are as well as some of Los Cabos’ beautiful beaches. Diving wise Cabo San Lucas is very different than the rest of the region. To start with, it sits at the meeting point of the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean making it incredible for spotting pelagic and big animals. The Cabo San Lucas Marine Protected Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, encompasses most of the Bay of San Lucas. This is our backyard. Our marine park dive sites are less than a 5 minute boat ride from the marina. But what also makes this bay very unique is its depth. In some areas the top of our walls sit only 100 meters (300 ft) from shore and although these walls start as shallow as 8 meters (24ft) underwater they descend down to over 380 meters (over 1200 Ft). The Bay is nicknamed the canyon because of its sheer face drop-offs. It makes the area an incredible spot for technical diving and deep exploring. One of our favorite natural phenomenas in the bay are the underwater sand falls found at a few of the dive sites. Watching the sand cascade down these rocky cliffs is unlike anything else in the world. The bay is also home to an incredible abundance of marine life from sea lions to nudibranchs, massive schools of fish, multiple species of rays, sharks, turtles, and even humpback whales stop in for a visit in the winter & spring!
Cabo San Lucas is a bit different than many other tourist destinations in the world. For one it has an incredible amount of infrastructure from high quality medical care & hospitals to super fast fiber optic internet. The town has 5 very large grocery stores as well as numerous small ones making it easier to find what you’re craving. We also have Uber for getting around town and Uber Eats for when you don’t feel like going out. But what makes it really special is that only a few minutes away you can still find miles of untouched beaches, mountains, and cactus filled deserts. It really offers the best of both worlds, all the comforts of a city with untouched nature right on your doorstep.
When you sign up for your course our team can send you over a packing list of items specific to the course(s) you are taking. But here are some of things you’ll want to bring for any Go Pro course:
- You’ll want to pack a wetusit / exposure protection for the time of year you are doing your IDC or GoPro package. Water temps are warmest in the Autumn at 30C / 86F and coolest in the late Spring at 19C/66F. Check out our FAQ on weather and water temps below for more details.
- We recommend bringing a jacket and/or hoodie for the cool mornings in the late winter. But it’s always good to have a light jacket since it can feel a bit cool in the early mornings on the boat.
- Sun protection – Reef safe sunscreen or a hat, buff, etc.. The Cabo sun is strong all year long.
- A laptop or a tablet for accessing online courses, information, and preparing digital presentations.
- Your cell phone. Most places have WiFi but you can also pick up a prepaid local SIM card in Cabo for really cheap. Or check out Google Fi they offer service all over the world for a great price. Use this link to get $20 USD free credit!
- Your dive gear (Mask, snorkel, fins, BCD, wetsuit, regulator)
- Pocket mask for rescue practice
- Audio and visual signal device are mandatory pieces of equipment needed for GoPro levels. The audio signal device can be a whistle and visual signal device should be a DSMB with its own reel.
- U/W Compass
- Dive computer
- Your previous dive certification cards or credentials (if you are certified already)
- 2 passport photos for DM, IDC or Specialty instructor applications. If you can’t get them at home, don’t stress there are photo stores in Cabo too!
- A Medical Statement signed by your doctor stating that you are “fit for diving” within 6 months of your course start date. Download the form here.
- Any required equipment for your course. This can be found in the PADI Standards Manual, or contact us and we can send you a list. If you don’t have the necessary gear we can also build you a custom kit in advance so it’s ready when you arrive!
- Flip flops, smiles, and your sense of adventure! You are embarking on a new incredible journey – try not to stress out over packing and instead look forward to all the fun and excitement of your course!
The local tagline of Cabo San Lucas is ‘No bad days‘ and rightfully so because of its subtropical desert climate. On average we see about 350+ days a year of sunshine with no rain. So the sun is almost always shinning in bright blue skies here. Cabo San Lucas has what is known as a BWh desert climate and only receives about 25CM/10 inches of rain in an entire year, with the majority of that rain falling in September. August tends to be the hottest month on land, and January the coldest. Average high temperatures during the day range from 25C/77F upwards of 34C/94F throughout the year. Humidity tends to stay very low throughout the year due to the desert climate, except in the months of August and September when we see some rain. At night after our beautiful neon pink and red sunsets the temperature tends to cool down due to our incredible desert landscape. Night time temperatures can range as low as 16C/61F in the mid winter to 27C/81F in the late summer. Our low humidity levels, minimal light pollution, and clear skies make Baja actually one of the top places for stargazing and astrophotography. Water temperatures range from 19C/66F – 30C/86F throughout the year with the coldest months being from late April through late May. The warmest water temps run from mid August through early December. The rest of the year tends to stay relatively temperate with the occasional thermocline.
Let’s start with the borders – Los Cabos and Mexico is 100% open to tourism. The airports are open and there are multiple flights in and out daily. There has been some confusion over misleading news headlines stating the Mexican border is closed – this is not true. If you read into the articles more you will see they are talking about some of the land borders with California and Texas being closed to non essential travel. However the air travel/flight borders are fully open to all. So unless you are planning to drive down to Cabo from US you are fine.
In terms of testing – Mexico currently does NOT require visitors to obtain a COVID test before arriving, they only require you to fill out a quick health screening form which can be done online. But if you will be returning to a country that requires a COVID test for entry the tests are readily available in Cabo. Both the required Antigen (for USA) and PCR (for Canada) tests are available at multiple labs, hospitals and even inside many of the hotels in Los Cabos. Antigen tests cost around $60 and the results are complete in about an hour. PCR tests are a bit more expensive and start around $150 with results in 48 hours. There is also talk that they will be opening a lab at the airport to make things easier. Our team can help clarify any questions you have. Additionally check out the Visit Los Cabos webpage on COVID testing too. It lists a few of the labs as well as explains the regulations for returning to the USA and Canada.
To learn more about our in-house COVID19 protocols to keep our ninja students and team safe click here.
No stress! All the major training agencies have to follow a specific set of regulations to be accredited as a scuba or freediving training agency. This means that a certification with one agency can transfer over to another. For example, if you are a SSI Open Water Diver and want to continue with PADI Advanced and go on to take your divemaster or IDC. Not a problem! With certain levels there are some specific requirements – such as if you’re a Dive Leader with a different agency and are crossing over to PADI for IDC you need to complete a diver rescue scenario with us before starting the IDC. But it’s all pretty easy stuff, so don’t worry. Just let our team know when you sign up so we can tell you if there are any specific requirements. Please do bring your certification cards or certificates with you as we will need to send a scan of them with your PADI Pro application.
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