Yachts to El Morro

A rock in open water

El Morro is a small rock that shows above the Pacific at the northern edge of Banderas Bay, out past Punta de Mita in the waters near the Marieta Islands. Under the surface it falls away into deep water, and it is one of the sites that dive centres around the bay name most often. Divers and anglers both come for it, and the only way to reach it is by boat.

Diving El Morro

This is a dive for people who already have experience, not a first outing after certification. The water around the rock is deep, and currents can run. A tunnel passes right through the rock underwater. Manta rays turn up here often enough that dive guides count them as part of the draw.

Fishing nearby

Sport-fishing boats also work the water around El Morro and the Marietas on their way out of the bay, and anglers name the rock among the marks they head for, along with grounds farther out. Sailfish and roosterfish are among the catches reported from this stretch.

The protected area question

Some dive guides describe El Morro as part of the Islas Marietas protected area, while another places it just west of the islands, and the park authority's own page neither names the rock nor draws the boundary. If it lies inside, the park's rules come with it: a daily entry fee for each person aboard, no taking or bringing in animals, and no rubbish over the side. Published descriptions of the park say the islands are off limits to fishing, so whether a line can go in at El Morro depends on where that boundary falls. We'll confirm the park status, and what it allows, for the day you book.

Getting there by boat

A trip can start from any of our boarding points, though the marina at La Cruz and Marina Nuevo Vallarta sit on the northern shore, nearer the Punta de Mita side than Marina Vallarta or Opequimar. No source we trust gives the rock's exact position, so we do not quote a distance or a run time here. The last part of the ride is in open water, beyond the shelter of the bay.