Anyone with a fishing charter, panga tour or whale-watching trip booked in Los Cabos this week should expect it to be canceled. The Capitanía de Puerto — Mexico’s federal port authority — ordered the suspension of all small-vessel navigation starting at midnight on Friday, closing both Puerto Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Los Cabos in San José as Hurricane Polo churns through the Pacific.
The order came out of a Thursday emergency session of the Los Cabos Municipal Civil Protection Council, led by municipal secretary general Alberto Rentería Santana, according to Colectivo Pericú. First regidor José Manuel Larumbe Pineda, filling in as municipal president, joined by videoconference and urged residents to rely only on official channels for updates rather than rumors circulating online.
Where Polo Stands
As of the council meeting, Polo’s center sat roughly 790 kilometers (about 490 miles) southwest of Los Cabos as a Category 4 hurricane, moving west-northwest at 17 km/h (about 10 mph), according to Tribuna de México. Forecasters expect rainfall of 25 to 50 millimeters (1 to 2 inches) on Friday, with totals climbing to as much as 75 millimeters (3 inches) by Sunday. The storm’s track could still shift, so authorities are keeping the port closure under continuous review.
What It Means for Charters and Tours
The closure applies to all embarcaciones menores — small commercial and recreational vessels — meaning sportfishing fleets, panga operators and whale-watching outfits are all sidelined until the port authority lifts the order. Most boats had already been moved out of the marina zone ahead of the announcement. Visitors with trips booked this week should contact their charter company or tour operator directly rather than showing up at the marina, since schedules will depend entirely on when the Capitanía de Puerto reopens navigation. It’s a familiar scramble for the region; similar closures played out when Hurricane Marie approached earlier this month.
Other Precautions Underway
The Mexican Navy has activated Plan Marina in its preventive phase, and the Army’s DN-III-E emergency plan is on alert status. Municipal crews are running the “Cruce Seguro” (Safe Crossing) operation, monitoring stream beds and low-lying crossings that tend to flood during heavy rain. The federal electric utility CFE is coordinating with emergency officials on possible preventive power cuts in high-risk zones, and consular representatives are staying in contact with tourists to keep foreign visitors informed.
Los Cabos International Airport remains open and operating normally under continuous monitoring. Civil Protection officials say they are on standby to activate temporary shelters if conditions worsen, and several hotels around the region have already been certified as hurricane shelters in past storm seasons. Residents and visitors are encouraged to check updates directly from Protección Civil Los Cabos and avoid unofficial reports as Polo’s track becomes clearer over the next 48 hours.
