Cabo San Lucas is a paradise for the outdoors — here are 8 adventures for an adrenaline rush, plus the best 8 beaches to relax in the sun

• I've visited Cabo frequently for the last two decades and always find a new adventure to try.
• As a travel reporter, here are my favorite activities, from swimming with whale sharks to golfing.

I became an adventure-travel reporter because I love doing things that other people find somewhat scary and writing about it to reassure them that the adventure experience is worth fighting off the fear factor. From backpacking into bear country in Montana to climbing up steep walls to see Aboriginal wall paintings created 40,000 years ago in Australia's Northern Territory, I've had adventures across the globe, but one place that always thrills me is Los Cabos and Baja California Sur.

Discovering Baja California Sur so close to my home base of Los Angeles many years ago was a revelation, as I realized I didn't have to go too far to satisfy my wanderlust for unique experiences. If you can tear yourself away from the margarita-drenched pool scene at your hotel, you'll find some of the most incredible adventures in Mexico's peninsula.

From swimming with sharks to zooming down sand dunes, here are my 10 favorite ways to get your adrenaline fix in Baja California Sur and Los Cabos.

Scuba diving in the Sea of Cortez

The scuba diving in the clear, warm waters of the Sea of Cortez is justifiably famous, for this place just teems with traveling sea creatures of every size and shape. Each dive is different, especially depending on the time of year, and the water is never cold, ranging from 65 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter to nearly 80 in summer.

There are nearly 900 species of fish in these waters, according to Pew, as well as seasonal visitors like hammerhead sharks, moray eels, eagle rays, sea turtles, and – the ones who live there all year round – very friendly sea lions. I saw my first hammerheads on a dive off La Paz, and I thought my heart would hammer right out of my chest; I was so happy. The water conditions are clearest from July to December, with the calmest times and warmest water in September and October.

There are diving spots to be seen out of Cabo San Lucas and along the Tourist Corridor as well. Most resorts' concierges or activities desks will steer you toward the kind of dives that meet your level of experience.

Personally, I like to make the Cortez Club La Paz my home base when I go diving here (which is every time I visit), as it always has well-maintained boats and dive equipment, as well as knowledgeable and very professional dive masters on board. Plus, it always tries to send its boats to the places where the most interesting undersea creatures are congregating. Those new to diving can go out for what's called a "resort" dive, where they teach you the basics and have you descend only about 30 feet. You can also get your first Professional Association of Diving Instructors scuba certification or add advanced coursework to your diving repertoire through the club's courses, which take a few days to complete and culminate with exhilarating open-water dives.

Swimming with whale sharks

Whale sharks — those 15-ton plankton-eating denizens of the depths — arrive into the Sea of Cortez from November to April, giving visitors the chance to jump in with a snorkel and mask and swim with them. It's a surreal experience to be in the water with these creatures, who are the largest sharks in the world, as well as the biggest fish in the sea.

Their huge mouths are not dangerous, as these sharks don't have any sharp teeth, nor do they care one bit that you're in the water with them. You can join in the fun by taking a special cruise designed to transport you to the spots whale sharks love, run by the Cortez Club La Paz, Baja Adventures, and other adventure-tour operators in the region. My whale-shark experiences have been similar with both of those companies. I spent part of the trip getting to where the whale sharks had been recently sighted, then once we'd found them, small groups of snorkelers dropped off the boat into the water, swam along with the giant fish for a while, tried not to swallow the ocean as they went by, and then scrambled back up the ladder on the boat to let the next group go (each group gets multiple turns). With each time I drop into the water, I get an emotional rush being so close to these amazing and beautiful creatures.

Sportfishing

Sportfishing is a hugely popular part of Los Cabos' draw, with charter boats going out every day from Cabo San Lucas and La Paz to fish in the Sea of Cortez. There are big-money tournaments, too, as anglers from all over the world gather to vie for bragging rights. Depending on the time of year, you'll find marlin, tuna, grouper, snapper, and more.

Fishing trips can be single-day adventures or longer live-aboard experiences. I've found that going out for a single day is really an exhilarating adventure, and I quickly learned that fishing for larger fish is definitely a workout. When we returned to the docks in the Cabo marina, the hungry sea lions who crawled right onto the back of our boat to beg for fish were an added bonus. They're hilarious and know they'll get fed by the boat captains — just make sure they don't climb aboard and steal your prize catch. Most sportfishing boats will clean your fish for you, and then you can take your catch to many local eateries in both Cabo and La Paz where the chef will fix it up for you in a delicious meal. Try Baja Adventures for a terrific day out on the water — on my trip, they took care of everything, from picking us up to cleaning our fish and getting them ready for the local chefs to cook up for us.

Whale watching up close

From November to April, whales are everywhere in the Sea of Cortez, and getting up close and personal with them is the ultimate Cabo adventure. Blue whales, humpbacks, minkes, sperm, and orcas are just some of the whales that migrate to the sea every winter to birth their babies. Then they stay while the young whales gain strength for the migration back north toward Alaska.

Whale-watching tours can be had from small boats, Zodiacs, and larger sailboats; some have gotten me so close that I was able to pet a whale mother as she majestically swam by. I've also seen juveniles happily romping in the water, breaching and bounding across the waves, all the while followed by their mother and what the boat guides call "the nanny," another adult whale along for protection. It's truly magical to see.

Go in February, and you're virtually guaranteed to see whales that will take your breath away. Numerous companies run boats in the season; try Dive Ninja Cabo San Lucas and Cortez Club La Paz for two well-run operations that provide everything from hotel pickup and drop-off to life jackets and professional whale spotters.

Surfing and kitesurfing: Bring your boards or take lessons

Surfing happens from the Pacific side all the way to the East Cape above Los Cabos, with lessons offered in various places for newbies. I'm not such a great surfer, but getting a chance to ride a few waves without crowds around makes the breaks in Baja California Sur a lot more fun for a beginner like me. I've taken lessons with High Tide Los Cabos on the Pacific side, where a group lesson lasts most of the day (six hours or so) and are taught with both your skill level and comfort in the water taken into consideration.

Kitesurfing and windsurfing are also popular in the East Cape, where wind conditions allow for flying through the air over the Sea of Cortez in the winter months. If those are the aquatic adventures that make your heart sing, don't go in the summer, when the wind is at an ebb. There are a number of companies that will outfit you and teach you how to fly high, including ExotiKite Kiteboarding, which is renowned for its safety standards and ability to make beginners of all ages into experienced kiteboarders.

Get down in the dirt and get moving

There's tons of excitement away from the water in Los Cabos, too, especially if you've got a love for speed like I do. For off-roading, check out Wide Open Baja Racing, which offers half- or full-day experiences driving race cars in the Baja California Sur desert.

It's pricey ($1,200 a car for a half-day adventure for two drivers), but when you're tearing around the company's Margarita Ranch Track, rolling across a dirt track as fast as you dare run the stick shift in a Baja Challenge-ready car, you'll think it's worth every penny. You can go for a full day to run across open spaces, too (that experience costs $2,740 a car for two people) in a manual-transmission vehicle. Whatever you do, don't wear white.

The same can be said for riding Polaris ATVs across the desert dunes — driving up and over the dunes and dodging cacti is great fun, albeit harder than it looks. Cabo Adventures will get you there — and back — safely.

Golfing with a view

While some might not consider playing a round of golf a real adventure, when you're in the Baja California Sur desert, you never know what sort of critter might turn up. Snakes on the golf course? Check. Coyotes or condors? I've seen them all in Baja California Sur while on the course, especially snakes and coyotes early in the morning.

Baja California Sur has some of North America's best golf courses, including the Tiger Woods-designed Diamante golf course in Cabo San Lucas and the Gary Player-created Puerto Cortés Golf Club in La Paz. Many of these desert courses are juxtaposed against the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean or the Sea of Cortez, offering beautiful vistas and challenging holes. Lessons are readily available at every course for those in need of help with their short or long games, and I recommend playing early in the morning, as temperatures will heat up as the day progresses, no matter what time of year it is.

Watch baby sea turtles hatch

One of my favorite eco-adventures in Los Cabos happens from September to December, when baby sea turtles hatch at Pedregal Beach and head toward the sea. Perhaps it's because it reminds me of my father (who was a herpetologist) and his love for reptiles (turtles on land or sea are not amphibians, as you might have thought, but hard-shelled reptiles), or perhaps it's just because it's so fantastic to see these tiny creatures begin their lives. This sea adventure by proxy is supervised by scientific experts, which allows visitors and local volunteers to help release the babies on their perilous journey into the water. I recommend booking with the Cabo Turtle Hatchery and Cabo Trek, which make sure the baby turtles are as protected as possible and that we, as helpers, do not do anything invasive to interrupt their hatching.

The beach adventure, Cabo style

A final thought on adventure in Los Cabos is to be aware that many of the waters near beaches in Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo are very dangerous, even for experienced swimmers. That's why so many resorts do not allow swimming at their properties, as it's far too easy for guests to get injured or even drown because of the jagged rocks and rip currents along much of the Tourist Corridor. So be sure to pay attention to the flags posted on the beaches, as red flags mean do not get in the water — and they mean it.

As mentioned in the hotel section of this guide, select hotels like the Montage Los Cabos and the One&Only Palmilla do have swimmable private beaches, but most do not. Here are some of the public beaches in Los Cabos where swimming (and snorkeling) is safe for both adults and children.

1. Medano Beach: This long public beach is in downtown Cabo San Lucas and often the most crowded around, as locals as well as tourists from hotels without swimmable water come here. You'll find bathroom facilities, lifeguards, and people selling everything from tamales and tacos to jewelry, sarongs, and locally made art pieces.
2. Lovers Beach: This small public beach near El Arco in Cabo San Lucas is accessible only by boat and swimmable only when the tides are out. While it's a little sliver of a beach that appears only at low tide, I recommend visiting because it is such a picturesque place.
3. Playa Acapulquito: This small, sunny beach near San José del Cabo can sometimes get very crowded with locals and tourists alike. It's a great place to catch some waves, and you can rent surfboards nearby. Families like this beach, as kids of varying ages can find fun things to do here, from surfing and boogie boarding for tweens and teens and just playing in the sand for the younger set.
   

4. Cannery Beaches: These two small public beaches are near the Cabo San Lucas marina and get very crowded on warm days. They're easy to get to and offer good snorkeling, but on a hot day, they are overrun with people, so be warned. Shade from the large rocks that frame the beach make these places where families come for a chance to be in the sand but not in the sun.
5. Palmilla Beach: This is a large public beach near San José del Cabo, not far from the One&Only Resort, but it does not have any restaurants nearby, so bring along a cooler with water and snacks. You can try to snorkel here, but the water is often choppy, so visibility isn't good, but it's fine for swimming. This beach isn't so great for families with small children, as the water can be hard to handle. Many vendors come and set up to sell cool drinks and typical beach wares, like towels, sarongs, and sunscreen.
6. Chileno Beach: This less-crowded beach is well north of Cabo San Lucas' center on the Tourist Corridor. It has restrooms, lifeguards, and good snorkeling. Some parts of this beach have more dangerous waters, so be sure to swim in the designated green-flagged areas. Like most beaches on the peninsula, the sand is fine and the sun is relentless, so be sure to bring an umbrella and plenty of water when coming to this less-popular spot.
   

7. Cabo Pulmo Beach: This uncrowded beach with great snorkeling is in the state park two hours north of Cabo San Lucas, past San José del Cabo. It's very clean with beautiful sand, but there are no restaurants or other amenities here, so pack what you need ahead of visiting.
8. Balandra Beach: Baja California Sur's most famous beach, it is north of La Paz on a calm lagoon and accessible by car, bus, or boat. Often called Mexico's "most beautiful beach," it really is a perfectly picturesque place. Kayaks and stand-up paddleboards are usually available for rental here, and the lagoon is perfect for either of those activities. Families love this beach, as the lagoon waters are generally calm and not too deep near the beach, so small kids can have fun in the water without encountering any dangerous conditions.

View Insider's comprehensive guide to visiting Cabo San Lucas and Baja California Sur, Mexico.