Kayaking
Ideally suited to the Sea of Cortés and simple to master, these lightweight sit-on-top kayaks are efficient and streamlined. They are easy to launch in the gentle surf at Medano Beach, try kayaking over to Lover’s Beach across the bay.  Try Chileno in the Tourist Corridor or, you can arrange a tailor-made excursion around the area—a Cabo Pulmo daytrip with snorkeling or diving and lunch on the beach is pure fun for all. Depending on where you kayak, you may see spotted eagle and bat rays, multi-hued schools of fish, sea lions, pelicans, sea turtles, and pods of dolphins. You might even paddle near humpback and gray whales that visit  from January through March.

Water Sports at Medano Beach
For an exciting afternoon, rent a jet ski. For self-propelled waves, try boogie or paddle boarding. On windier days, Hobie Cats and small sailboats are easy to maneuver around the faster vessels in the busy bay. Or for the truly adventurous, parasail from a 600-foot rope, towed by a speedboat, attached to an enormous colorful parachute. It's fun, easy, safe, and inexpensive, considering the memorable views.

Boat CruisesCruising the Sea of Cortés is not to be missed. This is truly what Cabo San Lucas is all about. Spend the day or early evening on a snorkel or sunset cruise. Los Cabos has an excellent selection and variety of boats. Two hour sunset tours cruise out to Land’s End, bringing you close to El Arco,   Lover’s Beach, and the sea lion colony. Depending on the cruise, you may head out into the open ocean for a panoramic look back on Cabo San Lucas Bay, or go up the Pacific side as far as El Faro Viejo, the old lighthouse. Tours leave an hour before sunset and vary in price depending on the boat and amenities.

A few companies offer both a party boat and a romantic alternative for sunset cruising. Make sure to specify when you reserve. The family-friendly 50-foot La Princesa catamaran fleet. The 42-footers of the Pez Gato catamarans are the best known and offer cruises suitable for singles and families. Cabo Discovery Cruises (Adventure Island), a triple deck trimaran, is another great option.

If you prefer a larger vessel or want dinner or snacks on board, there’s the Oceanus, a fun double decked yacht; and the Sunrider, an elegant option with full open bar and all-you-can-eat Mexican Buffet. The 144-foot, 400 to 600 passenger CaboRey is a tri-level, climate-controlled catamaran dinner cruiser, the largest in North America. Sunset cruising on this impressive vessel includes fine dining, open bar, a  tango floorshow, and a Gaucho boleadora and malambo de bombos act. Cabo Rey also has a snorkel tour. Built right here in Cabo San Lucas, the CaboRey is worth the ride.
 
From the late 1500s to the early 1800s, the waters around Los Cabos hid pirate ships waiting to plunder Spanish galleons traveling from Manila to Acapulco. Set sail on the thrilling Sunderland tall ship built in 1885, complete with working cannons like the pirate ships of old, or take the Buccaneer Queen replica. For day excursions, boats cruise from the marina up the coast to Bahia Santa Maria and Bahia Chileno. Almost all of the vessels offering sunset cruises feature three or four hour snorkel, and whale watching tours (January through March). The Fondo de Cristales (glass-bottom boats) take you on a leisurely trip from the marina out to and around Land's End.

Snorkeling and Diving
In Cabo San Lucas, underwater beauty is unsurpassed. A protected marine sanctuary, Cabo San Lucas Bay shelters  tropical fish, sea lions, and exotic marine life. Try a two-hour guided snorkeling tour; or rent gear at dive shops around the marina and take a water-taxi to Lover’s Beach, near El Arco, to swim, snorkel, dive, and watch the sea lions.

Snorkel tours also leave from Playa El Médano across the bay. The bay side of the arch area is a prime location for SCUBA diving with visibility from 30 to 60 feet in winter and spring to over 80 to 90 feet from July to November. For the less experienced, try Pelican Rock, Neptune's Finger, and the Sea Lion Colony. Advanced divers shouldn’t miss the stunning and challenging Abyss (Middle Wall); or the Sandfalls, a 90-foot dive documented by the late Jacques Yves Cousteau, which begins at Pelican Rock then drops to an incredible 1,200 feet.

 
Whale Watching
From January through March, it’s easy to spot a gray or humpback whale around Los Cabos. Making the longest migration of any mammal, grays travel 6,000 miles from the Bering Sea to calve in the shallow lagoons of San Ignacio, Scammon’s, Ojo de Liebre, and Magdalena Bay, all north of Los Cabos. Some travel further south to the Sea of Cortés. Ranging from 40 to 50 feet long and weighing up to 73,000 pounds, grays are classified as Cetacea, marine mammals that include whales, porpoises and dolphins and belong to Mysticeti.

On a whale watching excursion, you may see spouting, breaching (leaping almost completely out of the water and falling back with a large splash), and sounding (showing their flukes).To watch mothers and calves up close, trips to Magdalena Bay, the closest lagoon.