Snorkeling by the rock
Glass-bottom water taxis and snorkel boats stop here, minutes from the marina 2.
Places · Snorkel spot · Cabo San Lucas bay
Pelican RockRoca del Pelícano, Cabo San Lucas bay
A rocky point at the foot of Land's End, inside the bay and a few minutes from the marina by boat. Brown pelicans perch on the rock, which is how it got its name 1.
- From the marina0.8 mi 1.3 km
- Best forSnorkeling
- ReachedBy boat only
- Charters from2 hours
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
What's there
Above the water and below it.
What lives here
Divers report turtles, moray eels, guitarfish, mobula rays, snapper, jacks, nudibranchs, seahorses and frogfish, and sea lions pass through 1.
People jumping off the rock
You may see visitors jump from the rock, about 30 ft (9 m) above the water, with jagged rock below 3. It is not an organized or supervised activity.
The Sand Falls, for divers
Past the rock the seabed drops beyond 100 ft (30 m), and the Sand Falls pour below 250 ft (76 m). That dive is for advanced divers only 1.
Brown pelicans
The pelicans that gave the rock its name often sit right on top of it 1.
The story
The rock above a sand waterfall.
Pelican Rock sits on the stretch of coast where the Sand Falls were discovered: underwater rivers of sand that pour down rock walls into the San Lucas submarine canyon. A 1959 Scripps expedition first saw them, Robert F. Dill documented them in 1964, and Jacques Cousteau later filmed them 4.
The falls run for about 800 m (half a mile) along the coast, from Lover's Beach to Playa El Pelícano, the small beach by the rock 5.
Protecting them is why the waters around Land's End became an underwater refuge, published on November 29, 1973 6. Today the rock is inside the Cabo San Lucas Flora and Fauna Protection Area, 3,996 ha (about 9,870 acres), 95% of it sea 5.
Photos
What it looks like.
Getting there
On 2 of our 4 routes.
- 2 h · Arch & Land's EndPelican Rock, the sea lions, the Arch, Lover's and Divorce Beach, then back along Médano Beach.
- 4 h · Santa María snorkelThe Arch first, then up the coast to snorkel Santa María Bay, with a swim stop on the way back.
Experiences that stop here
2 h · Arch & Land's End Pelican Rock, the sea lions, the Arch, Lover's and Divorce Beach, then back along Médano Beach. 4.7 miles (7.6 km) round trip
Stops, with distance from the marina
MarinaLandmarkBeachSnorkelWildlifeWhale season area
Typical routes. Your captain adapts them to the sea that day. Coastline © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
By private yacht
What it costs to get here.
Every price is per boat for your whole group, not per person. The captain, the crew and the 16% tax are included. The yacht is yours alone, never shared.
| Route | Time on the water | From | Yacht at that price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arch & Land's End4.7 mi · 7.6 km round trip | 2 h | $519 | Chaparral 28up to 10 guests |
| Santa María snorkel15.5 mi · 25 km round trip | 4 h | $909 | Chaparral 28up to 10 guests |
Good to know
- Wear the life jacket or snorkel vest your crew hands you.
- The protected area has a conservation fee: CONANP lists $125 MXN per person per day, with exemptions such as children under 12 7. On our charters this fee is already included in the price.
- Use reef-safe sunscreen.
Questions
People also ask.
Can you jump off Pelican Rock?
People do. Visitor reviews and videos show jumps of about 30 ft (9 m) 3. No official source allows or bans it, no one supervises it and the rocks below are jagged, so it is entirely at your own risk.
What can you see snorkeling at Pelican Rock?
Divers list turtles, moray eels, guitarfish, mobula rays, snapper, jacks and passing sea lions among the regulars 1. What you see near the surface changes from day to day.
Is there a fee to snorkel at Pelican Rock?
The rock is inside a federal protected area. CONANP lists a conservation fee of $125 MXN per person per day as of September 2026, with discounts and exemptions 7. On our charters this fee is already included in the price.
How much does a private boat to Pelican Rock cost?
A private charter on a route that includes Pelican Rock starts at $519 for 2 hours on the Chaparral 28, for up to 10 guests. The price is per boat, not per person, and includes the captain, the crew and the 16% tax.
See it from the water
Put Pelican Rock on your route.
A written reply within 2 hours, 8 AM to 8 PM Cabo time.
Sources
- DivePhotoGuide, Pelican Rock dive site (January 2022)
- Los Cabos Guide, Pelican Rock
- Tripadvisor, visitor review describing the jump from Pelican Rock
- Wikipedia, San Lucas Canyon and the Sand Falls
- CONANP, justification study for the Cabo San Lucas protected area (2023)
- CONANP, notice on the Cabo San Lucas protected area published in the DOF (March 2023)
- CONANP, Cabo San Lucas protected area visitor information and fees
- CONANP, draft management program for Cabo San Lucas (public consultation)
Photo credits
- Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Thelmadatter, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Thelmadatter, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons