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Pizota snorkeling and swimming tours
Beach in Banderas Bay on Banderas Bay
Pizota sits on the far southern shore of Banderas Bay, 2.4 nautical miles west of Yelapa. Yachts anchor off its quiet cove for a swim and a snorkel in calm, clear water.
Marinas
- Marina Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta
Near Pizota
Yelapa
A village in the southernmost cove of Banderas Bay, in Cabo Corrientes, Jalisco, with no road fit for ordinary vehicles.
- Snorkeling
- Scuba diving
Majahuitas
Majahuitas is a small cove on the southern shore of Banderas Bay, between Quimixto and Yelapa. No road reaches it, so guests arrive by boat.
- Snorkeling
- Scuba diving
Las Caletas
A small boat-only cove on the southern shore of Banderas Bay, below a nature preserve, where the film director John Huston once lived. One tour company runs the beach and grounds as its own day trip, and the sources do not settle whether a charter yacht's guests may go ashore.
- Snorkeling
- Swimming
Quimixto
A small village on the southern shore of Banderas Bay that has no road and is reached only by boat. Palapa restaurants face the water on its beach, and a trail up the river valley behind it leads to a seasonal waterfall.
- Snorkeling
- Swimming
Las Ánimas Beach
A broad stretch of sand south-west of Puerto Vallarta, on the far side of Banderas Bay from the marinas, that works well as a lunch and swim stop on a day out by boat.
- Snorkeling
- Swimming
Playa Caballo
On the south shore of Banderas Bay, Playa Caballo sits just north-east of Las Ánimas, on the Boca de Tomatlán side. No road reaches the sand, so it is a swimming and snorkelling stop that guests land at from the boat or walk to on a trail.
Boca de Tomatlán
A small fishing village at the mouth of the Horcones River, about 17 km south of downtown Puerto Vallarta. Its pier is the main departure point for the public water taxis to the beaches and villages of the southern shore.
Banderas Bay
The Pacific bay itself, closed by Punta Mita to the north and Cabo Corrientes to the south, with Puerto Vallarta on its shore. Its islands, rocks and dive sites sit in this water.
Maps © OpenStreetMap
About Pizota
A small village beyond Yelapa
Pizota is a small village and cove on the southern shore of Banderas Bay, in the municipality of Cabo Corrientes in the state of Jalisco. It lies about 2.4 nautical miles west of Yelapa, a run of around ten minutes in a small boat. Most visitors arrive on the water, and a yacht is the simplest way to reach it. The cove is usually quiet.
Getting there by yacht
Measured in a straight line from the cove, Marina Nuevo Vallarta is about 16.4 nautical miles away, Marina Riviera Nayarit at La Cruz about 16.8, Opequimar about 17.0 and Marina Vallarta about 17.1. At a cruising speed of 20 knots the run from Marina Vallarta takes a little under an hour; a sailing yacht making 8 knots needs a little over two hours each way. With that much time spent under way, we plan Pizota as the turning point of the trip and fill the hours either side of it with nearer stops such as Yelapa, Majahuitas or Quimixto.
In the water
The cove has a short sandy beach. In settled weather the water here is calm and clear, so you can swim off the stern or snorkel near the shore while the yacht lies at anchor. Bring your own snorkel gear unless the boat carries it, and stay close to the yacht when the swell picks up.
What to know
Pizota is a village rather than a resort, so pack food, water and shade on board rather than counting on anything ashore. Sea conditions on the day decide how long a boat can stay, and we'll confirm the anchoring plan and any landing ashore with the captain when you book.