Revillagigedo National Park

Revillagigedo National Park surrounds four volcanic islands — Socorro, San Benedicto, Roca Partida, and Clarión — some 400 km south of the Baja Peninsula. Declared in 2017 over roughly 148,000 km², it is the largest fully protected marine reserve in North America and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The archipelago is open-ocean big-animal diving at its most concentrated: giant oceanic mantas that seek out divers, schooling and solitary hammerheads, silky, Galapagos, and whitetip sharks, tuna, wahoo, dolphins that interact for whole dives, and humpback whales singing through the winter season. There is no land tourism; the islands host only a naval garrison and researchers.

The rules that bind divers

The park is entirely no-take — all fishing is banned within its boundaries — and access is by permitted liveaboard only, on crossings of roughly 24–30 hours from Cabo San Lucas. Vessels operate under CONANP authorization with observers and reporting requirements; individual travelers cannot visit independently, and landing on the islands is prohibited without separate federal and naval permission. Dive practices follow park codes: no touching or riding mantas, distance rules around whales, no gloves, and no anchoring — boats drift or use fixed points. Each visitor pays a park fee through the operator.

Fees & permits: Park fee per visitor charged in addition to liveaboard fare, plus standard Mexican port/tourism charges; amounts change, so confirm with the operator.