Puerto Vallarta: Jet Ski Tour, Los Arcos & Snorkeling Spots

4.68

(146 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I almost lost my sunglasses in the first five minutes—should’ve listened when our guide, Diego, said to leave anything loose behind. We started at Marina Vallarta, where the air smelled like sunscreen and diesel from all the yachts lined up. I was honestly a little nervous about handling the jet ski (they look faster in real life), but Diego just grinned and gave us this safety talk that sounded half like a pep talk. He kept switching between Spanish and English so everyone could follow along—my Spanish is terrible but I caught “no salt in the eyes” and “follow me.”

Once we got going, it was wild how quickly Puerto Vallarta shrank behind us. The water slapped hard against my legs, colder than I expected even though the sun was already burning through the haze. We zipped past hotel towers and suddenly slowed near the Malecón. There were people waving from shore—one guy actually danced when we honked (well, beeped? whatever sound these things make). Diego pointed out murals I’d never noticed before and told us a bit about how Puerto Vallarta used to be just a fishing village. I didn’t expect to get a history lesson while basically clinging to a jet ski for dear life.

The best part was stopping by Los Arcos—these huge rock arches jutting out of the sea, with pelicans perched everywhere. The water here changed color, almost turquoise, and Diego handed out snorkel gear for anyone who wanted to jump in (I hesitated but went for it). Underwater it was quiet except for my own bubbles; saw some bright fish darting around but mostly just floated there feeling weirdly calm after all that noise above water. My arms were shaking when I climbed back on—not sure if it was nerves or excitement or both.

On the way back, Diego let us open up the throttle for one last burst across Banderas Bay. My hair was full of salt and I probably looked ridiculous grinning so much, but honestly—I still think about that view of Puerto Vallarta from out on the water. Not everything went smoothly (my sunglasses are somewhere at sea), but that’s kind of what made it stick with me.