The East Cape is the stretch of coast running north from San Jose del Cabo toward Los Frailes and Cabo Pulmo. Steep beaches, deep water close in, and a reputation earned over decades. We run trips up here as day trips and, more often, as part of a longer package. Cabo Pulmo itself is a park, and we do not fish it.
North of San Jose del Cabo the coast turns and faces east into the gulf. The beaches drop away fast and deep water sits close to shore, which is the reason this stretch has the reputation it has. You can be in blue water without a long run, and the inshore edge holds fish that people travel a long way for. Los Frailes sits at the top of the productive stretch, with Cabo Pulmo just south of it.
It is quieter than the corridor around the cape. Fewer boats, less traffic, longer distances between places to stop. That is most of the appeal and it is also the practical cost, because everything up here takes longer than it looks on a map.
Cabo Pulmo is a no take national marine park built around one of the few hard coral reefs on this coast. Fishing there is prohibited. Not discouraged, not seasonal, prohibited. We will not fish inside the park boundary and we will not take a booking that expects us to.
What we do there is snorkel. The reef came back because it was protected, and the difference between the inside of a no take zone and the water outside it is the single most persuasive thing anyone can show you about fisheries management. If you fish, go and look at it. It will change how you think about the rest of your trip. Access rules, permitted operators, park fees and how many boats are allowed in on a given day are set by the park and are still being confirmed on our end, so a Pulmo day needs planning ahead rather than a decision on the morning.
Roosterfish are the reason many people come. Along this coast they are treated as a catch and release fish, and there are good reasons for it. They are poor eating, they are a slow growing inshore species that a coast can lose quickly, and the fishery here exists because people largely stopped killing them. Expect to get the photo and put the fish back in the water.
The East Cape is exposed to the north. Through winter and early spring the northers blow down the gulf and hit this coast hard, sometimes for days, and they turn a pretty stretch of water into a short steep mess. Those winds are the single biggest reason an East Cape day gets cancelled or moved. Summer and autumn are warmer, calmer and better for the offshore species, and they are also the hot months and inside storm season, which runs roughly June through November.
If you are travelling in the windy part of the year and the East Cape is the thing you want, build slack into your trip. One fixed day up here in February is a coin toss. Three flexible days across a week is a plan.
We are on the Pacific side at Todos Santos and El Pescadero, so the East Cape is a real drive, further than a Cortez day out of San Jose. That is why it works better inside a multi day package than as a single outing, and why some East Cape trips make more sense with a night up there than with a round trip in a day. Which boat and which launch point we use depends on the trip and is still being confirmed. Ground transport and any overnight arrangements are still being confirmed. Trip lengths and departure times are still being confirmed.
Anyone who wants to fish Cabo Pulmo, because that is not happening with us or with anyone else operating legally. People who are not willing to release a roosterfish. Anyone travelling in the winter wind window who cannot move their dates, since we will end up cancelling on you and neither of us will enjoy it. People who want a short morning out, because the driving alone rules that out from our base. And anyone who wants a lively marina scene at the end of the day, because there is not one up there.
Tell us your dates and what matters most, a rooster on the beach or a day at Pulmo or offshore water, because those three want different months and sometimes different boats. A 50% deposit is normally required to hold a date. Cancellation, refund and rescheduling terms are still being confirmed. Licences are not included and guests buy their own, and we will help you get them sorted before you arrive.
Peak months in lagoon. Billfish are released; most of the rest goes in the box.
The short version of how a trip with Indigo Adventures works. Licences, deposits, boats and what happens to your catch. The full FAQ has the rest.
Read the full FAQ→Indigo Adventures is based in El Pescadero, on the Pacific side of Baja California Sur, a few minutes south of Todos Santos. Boats launch from three points: Punta Lobos beach in Todos Santos, San Jose del Cabo, and the Cabo San Lucas Marina. Which boat runs your trip decides where you meet us.
Custom fishing and spearfishing charters, freediving excursions, whale watching from mid December to April, and kayaking. Every trip is built around your group, your dates and the conditions rather than a fixed timetable, and almost every one goes out private.
Book online on the Book Now page, where availability is live and a 50 percent deposit holds the date. If you would rather we picked the trip, send an enquiry with who is coming, when you are here and what you want out of the day, and we will say which trip fits and which one does not.
No. Everyone fishing in Mexican waters needs a Mexican sportfishing licence, and each angler buys their own. We help you arrange it before the day so nobody is sorting paperwork on the dock. The same licence covers rod and spear.
Rarely. Almost every trip goes out as a private boat for you and your group. If a split makes sense for a small party we will say so when you enquire.
Three on the 24 foot Punta Lobos panga, up to four on La Ruca and La Morita, and up to six on Don Pancho and El Wahoo King. Whale watching numbers run a little higher because nobody is swinging a rod.
Yes. The catch goes home with you. Filleting at the dock, vacuum sealing and freezing are available, and most guests fly home with a cooler. Marlin are mostly released, with judgement on the day.
Yes, on fishing days. The crew rigs and handles the gear and hands you the rod when something eats. Guided spearfishing needs breath-hold experience and runs on a strict buddy system, which is the only legal way to spearfish in Mexico. Water, ice and snacks are normally aboard.
