Banderas Bay is the Reason

Vacation rentals in Puerto Vallarta take full advantage of the views over Banderas Bay, which opens onto the Pacific Ocean. And why wouldn’t they? The bay is unique in all of Mexico for its size and depth, and it may be unique in all the world for the resort community and wide range of activities that have developed on and near its shores.

Banderas Bay is reputed to be among the world’s deepest bays, and it is certainly the largest one on Mexico’s coastline. Geologists and geographers study the bay and produce volumes of scientific literature that describes it in detail; sadly, much of their work makes no sense to non-science types. They write of “gasohydrothermal vents” and “half-graben structures” like those concepts are familiar to all of us.

Banderas Bay in plain language
A fairly unreliable interpretation suggests that the bay was formed by volcanic action (apparently, a Trans Mexican Volcanic Belt extends from one coast of Mexico to the other). As a result, the bay’s bottom features a mountain range that ties into the horseshoe-shaped mountains that ring the bay on the land side to create a somewhat sheltered body of water. The end result, not always noted by the scientific community, is a marine habitat and playground like none other.

Visitors report few sharks in the waters of the bay, although marine mammals seem to have a warm spot in their hearts for the bay: dolphins inhabit its waters year-round, and during the early spring, whales pass through the bay on their way to cooler waters. A wide variety of marine life and sea birds find a home in the clear waters and rocky peaks of the Marietas Islands (remember that underwater mountain range), and the Mexican government has designated them as a wildlife sanctuary.

It’s all about the bay
There’s a reason that that there are so many high end vacation rentals in Puerto Vallarta – the city is the center point of activity on and around Banderas Bay. The lively resort boasts its own attractions, and they are remarkable, but for many visitors, the bay is the thing. Snorkeling and scuba diving in the bay’s clear waters are enormously popular; tropical fish decked out in wild colors are much cooler in their natural habitat than they could ever be in an aquarium.

As you work your way south around the bay, you’ll find the highway takes off into the Sierra Madre at Boca de Tomatlan, leaving the bay in the rearview mirror. To get to the little villages at the bay’s southern stretch, towns like Yelapa and its lovely, private beaches, you’ll need to take a water taxi.