Cabo Pulmo Marine Preserve is a designated protected area of the Sea of Cortez and adjacent shoreline and beaches. There is a permanent sea lion colony within the park, and it is not uncommon to find turtles, including leatherbacks, black turtles, hawksbills and rare olive ridley sea turtles, returning to lay eggs. Abundant bird life can also be found here, including brown pelicans, terns, Heermann's gulls, great egrets and blue herons.

Besides an abundance of turtles throughout the year, expect to see colorful schools of fish swimming in and around the coral reefs. They are joined by several species of eels, delicate crinoids, sea horses, frogfish, manta rays, yellow jacks, striped mullets, spinner dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, roughtoothed dolphins, humpback whales, fin whales, Bryde's whales and the rare tropical rorqual whale.