Walk Thumbnail Index San Jose del Cabo's beaches stretch for more than five miles along a gentle curve on the southernmost Baja coast of the Sea of Cortez. In the dim geologic past, Baja California was ripped like a rib from mainland Mexico, leaving a gash now filled with some of the deepest and most biologically productive ocean in the world, the Sea of Cortez. Long, empty stretches of sand are common along the beach, despite the nearby resorts and proximity to downtown San Jose del Cabo, just a few minutes walk to the north. Resorts and private developers are permitted to claim the beach only above the high tide line.
All Mexican beaches are open to the public.
Popular activities include sunbathing, strolling, surf fishing and beachcombing. A strong undertow makes swimming advisable only for strong swimmers. Toward Punta Palmilla, to the southwest, the surf picks up as the beach joins Costa Azul, the Blue Coast, famous among summer surfers for its world-class waves. To the northeast, Hotel Beach becomes Estuary Beach, the barrier between the San Jose Estuary and the Sea of Cortez. Beyond the estuary, unbroken sand stretches for several more miles, past the fishing village of La Playa and along the East Cape toward Punta Gorda.