Cabo San Lucas sits at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez. Médano Beach is the only true swimming beach — calm, clear, and lined with beach clubs. Lover's Beach and the famous Arch are accessible by water taxi and offer stunning scenery.
The Land's End rock formation creates a natural divider between the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Cortez. Médano Beach faces the protected Sea of Cortez side, giving it calm, swimmable water while the Pacific side produces dramatic waves perfect for surf and photography.
Cabo is largely outside the Atlantic sargassum drift path. The Sea of Cortez side (Médano Beach) stays very clean. The Pacific side can have kelp washing ashore seasonally, which is natural and different from Caribbean sargassum. Overall one of Mexico's most reliable clear-water destinations.
The rocky tip of the Baja Peninsula was a critical landmark for the Manila Galleons — the Spanish treasure ships that crossed the Pacific from the Philippines to Acapulco annually from 1565 to 1815, one of history's most profitable maritime trade routes lasting 250 years. English privateers including Sir Francis Drake and Thomas Cavendish lurked off Cabo to intercept these treasure ships, making it one of the most strategically watched stretches of the Pacific coast during the age of sail. The famous Arch of Cabo San Lucas — Land's End — was the last landmark sailors saw before rounding into the Pacific, and the exact spot where the Sea of Cortez meets the open Pacific Ocean.
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