🎣 The Bisbee's tournaments (October)
This is the biggest thing that happens in Cabo all year for the fishing world. The Bisbee's Los Cabos Offshore and the legendary Bisbee's Black & Blue run in October, drawing teams from around the globe to chase record marlin and multi-million-dollar prize purses. People call it the "Super Bowl of sport fishing," and the marina buzzes with energy for the better part of two weeks.
You don't have to compete to enjoy it. The weigh-ins at the marina are free to watch and genuinely exciting, and marlin, dorado, and tuna fishing is at its best right now, so it's a wonderful time to book your own charter. Monica can line up a boat for you. Exact tournament dates are set each year, so confirm with the organizers if you're planning around them.
💀 Día de Muertos (November 1–2)
The Day of the Dead is one of the most meaningful and beautiful celebrations in all of Mexico, and experiencing it in Cabo is unforgettable. On November 1 and 2, the plazas and marina fill with marigold-covered altars (ofrendas), painted faces, candlelight, music, and families honoring loved ones who have passed.
It is joyful rather than somber, colorful rather than spooky, and deeply personal. Downtown San José del Cabo and the Cabo San Lucas plaza both put on public displays and gatherings. If you want to understand the heart of Mexican culture, there's no better window than these two days.
🐋 The first whales arrive (late November)
Here's the one that gets us every year. The first humpback and gray whales of the season typically appear off Cabo by late November, migrating down from the north to spend the winter in Baja's warm waters. The season then builds through December and peaks from February into March, running all the way to April.
If you're here in the last week of November, keep your eyes on the water: the earliest sightings of the year happen right off the Pacific coast, which means guests at Terrasol sometimes spot them straight from the balcony. Organized whale-watching tours from the Marina usually begin around mid-December, but the wild, free version starts a little earlier if you're lucky.
🐢 The last of turtle season
Sea turtle nesting season in Los Cabos runs from late July through November, so these weeks are your final chance of the year. Local conservation programs continue to run guided baby turtle release experiences into the fall, where you help newly hatched turtles make their first walk to the sea at sunset. It's gentle, low-key, and one of the most memorable things you can do in Cabo with kids. Ask us and we'll point you to the current programs and timing.
🇲🇽 Revolution Day (November 20)
A national holiday marking the start of the Mexican Revolution, Día de la Revolución on November 20 brings parades, school performances, and patriotic celebrations across town. It's a lower-key holiday than Independence Day, but it's a nice, authentic slice of local life, and it usually means a long weekend and a festive mood around the marina.
🦃 Thanksgiving week, Cabo style
For American travelers, Cabo is a favorite Thanksgiving escape, and it's easy to see why: warm weather, a table on the balcony, and a resort town that quietly welcomes the tradition. Many restaurants put on special Thanksgiving menus, and with a full kitchen in every condo, plenty of our guests host their own laid-back holiday dinner with the ocean as the backdrop. Book early if you're eyeing that week, as it's the first real surge of the season.
🌤️ The weather sweet spot
This is the quiet reason locals love these months. By mid-October, hurricane season is winding down, the humidity of summer drops away, and you're left with warm, sunny days and an ocean that's still holding its summer heat. November in particular is many people's favorite month of the year in Cabo: warm, dry, and comfortable, without the intensity of summer or the crowds of winter.
And because it's shoulder season, you get all of that at better value than the December-through-April peak. Warm water, easy weather, and room to breathe, before the whale-season rush.
Why the Pacific side wins in the shoulder season
Terrasol sits on the Pacific side, on a private, secluded stretch of beach between Playa Grande and Grand Solmar, on the same Pacific beach as the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal. You're a ten-minute walk from the Marina and all the Bisbee's and Día de Muertos action, but you come home to calm, cool sunsets, and the sound of the surf instead of a crowded resort strip.
This is also the side where the first whales appear, so late-November guests get a front-row seat. Two pools handle the swimming (the Pacific surf here is beautiful but not for swimming), the beach is yours for sunset walks, and every condo has a full kitchen and a balcony built for exactly this kind of warm, unhurried, shoulder-season trip.
The short version
October and November in Cabo: the Bisbee's tournaments, Día de Muertos, Revolution Day, the last of turtle season, the first whales of the year, and the best weather-to-crowds ratio on the calendar. Come for the shoulder season, before everyone else remembers how good it is.