LA PAZ · DECEMBER · BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR
By December the whale shark season in the Bay of La Paz has been open since October 1, and the swim happens in a sea that has cooled into the 70s. Afternoons on the waterfront sit in the high 70s too, evenings turn crisp, and rain is a rare event.
December sits between two neighbors that pull in opposite directions. November runs hotter with a warmer sea, and January runs colder with more rain days. The mild, dry stretch in the middle falls inside the same whale shark season as both.
LA PAZ IN DECEMBER · AT A GLANCE
December in La Paz runs 77.9°F by day and 57.0°F at night with the whale shark season open, and the sea has cooled to 74.2°F from November’s 79.8°F.
SMN NORMALS 1991-2020 · SEA 74.2°F (MEAN OF DAILY MAXIMA) · WHALE SHARK SEASON OPEN
Go for: a whale shark swim inside the federal season, 77.9°F afternoons, a sea in the 70s and 1.7 days of measurable rain.
Think twice before: counting on November’s 79.8°F sea or its 85.6°F afternoons, and before leaving the sweater at home: the average low is 57.0°F.
Air: SMN station 03074 (1991-2020) · Sea: Open-Meteo Marine API (2015-2024) · dated sources at the bottom
On this page
- La Paz weather in DecemberHighs of 77.9°F, lows of 57.0°F and 1.7 rain days
- Can you swim in La Paz in December?Sea at 74.2°F, and why that is a mean of daily maxima
- How busy and how expensive is La Paz in December?The 4% lodging tax and what we could not verify on prices
- Things to do in La Paz in DecemberWhale shark season, Isla Espiritu Santo and the malecon
- A two-day La Paz itinerary for DecemberOne boat day and one town day around a 5:37 p.m. sunset
- La Paz in December vs November and JanuaryHighs, lows, rain days and sea temperature across three months
- Is December a good time to visit La Paz?Who should come in December and who should move to November
La Paz International Airport (LAP, Manuel Marquez de Leon) recorded 1,337,600 passengers in 2025. Going out by sea instead, Baja Ferries lists a La Paz to Topolobampo sailing Monday through Friday, with check-in at 12:00, departure at 13:30 and arrival at 20:30. We could not verify the timetable for the opposite direction, and we found no fares.
La Paz weather in December: average highs, lows and rain days
| December in La Paz | Average | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average high | 77.9°F | SMN station 03074, 1991-2020 |
| Average low | 57.0°F | SMN station 03074, 1991-2020 |
| Precipitation | 0.27 inches | SMN station 03074, 1991-2020 |
| Days with measurable rain | 1.7 days | SMN station 03074, 1991-2020 |
| Daylight on December 15 | 10 hours 42 minutes | sunrise-sunset.org |
| Sea surface (mean of daily maxima) | 74.2°F | Open-Meteo Marine API, 2015-2024 |
The air numbers come from Mexico’s national weather service, the Servicio Meteorologico Nacional (SMN), and its 1991-2020 normals for the La Paz station, number 03074 (DGE), which stands in town. For December that station records an average high of 77.9°F, an average low of 57.0°F and 0.27 inches of precipitation. It is a fair stand-in for the malecon and the bay. For a beach across the water or the island itself, expect some difference from every figure here.
The SMN counts 1.7 days of measurable rain in an average December, fewer than two days in the month. The whole month adds up to a little over a quarter inch, so most December days carry no rain at all. One indoor backup plan covers it, and the station sheet does not publish the threshold it uses to call a day wet.
Days and nights sit 20.9 degrees apart, from 77.9°F at the average peak to 57.0°F at the average low. That gap sets the bag: shorts and a swimsuit for midday, a sweater or light jacket for the evening waterfront and for the ride back from a boat trip. November’s average low was 63.0°F and January’s falls to 54.1°F, so December asks for a light layer.
Daylight on December 15 lasts about 10 hours 42 minutes, and the sun sets at 5:37 p.m. local time (America/Mazatlan), from sunrise-sunset.org’s calculation. Boat trips and beach hours fit inside that window. Any dinner after the waterfront walk starts in the dark.
Can you swim in La Paz in December? Sea temperature
The Open-Meteo Marine API puts the sea surface off La Paz at 74.2°F in December, averaged over 2015-2024. That figure is the mean of daily maxima, so it runs a shade warmer than a 24-hour mean, and tables that average around the clock will read lower. We have no 24-hour figure to offer in its place.
Against 77.9°F afternoon air, the water is 3.7 degrees cooler, brisk for the first minute and comfortable after. A swim between late morning and mid afternoon suits the month. For an hour of snorkeling, ask the operator about a shorty wetsuit or a rash guard.
We found no verified wave-height or wind series for December, so we give no figure and no promise about how choppy the bay will be. Operators judge conditions each morning. Ask about them the day before you commit to a boat day.
How busy is La Paz in December? Crowds and prices
We found no occupancy series and no monthly hotel-rate series for La Paz, so we crown no month expensive or cheap. The one calendar fact we can vouch for: December falls inside the whale shark refuge season, from October 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027. Beyond that, we cannot say how the crowds in the bay compare with those of other months.
We also could not verify how far ahead La Paz rooms or boat trips fill in December, so we give no number of weeks. Holiday weeks sell first in most beach destinations as a general habit of travel, and we hold no La Paz data to say otherwise. If your dates touch Christmas or New Year, ask about availability before you buy a flight.
Baja California Sur charges a lodging tax, the Impuesto sobre la Prestacion de Servicios de Hospedaje, set at 4% in 2026 under article 13 of the state’s Ley de Hacienda. Ask each hotel whether the rate it quotes already includes it.
Swimming with whale sharks in the refuge falls under a federal management plan covering three seasons between 2026 and 2029. That makes the boat day the one December purchase to shop carefully: ask any operator how it works within the plan. We found no verified tour prices, so we quote none.
Things to do in La Paz in December
The refuge season being open puts a whale shark swim on the December calendar, with 77.9°F afternoons in place of November’s 85.6°F and 1.7 rain days against January’s 2.3. Those are the numbers that separate this month from its neighbors, since the season itself covers all three. Whether a shark shows up on a given morning depends on the animals, and no operator can promise one.
Isla Espiritu Santo, in the Bay of La Paz, has been a national park since 2007 and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California since 2005. The whale shark refuge lies in the Bahia de La Paz itself. Both need a boat, and we did not verify entrance fees or operating hours for either, so we quote none.
Between November and December the sea drops from 79.8°F to 74.2°F (Open-Meteo Marine API), a fall of 5.6°F, while afternoons on the town station’s thermometer go from 85.6°F to 77.9°F. Readings on the island itself may differ from the town’s, since the SMN station stands in La Paz.
The malecon, the waterfront promenade, is a public walk with no ticket. We did not verify free-admission days at any museum or site, and we did not check December operating hours for anything, so we name none.
La Paz itinerary for December
Spend the first day on the whale shark swim: take the earliest departure the operator offers, with a swimsuit under a windbreaker because the average low is 57.0°F and the air is cool early. Have lunch in town afterward and reach the malecon before the sun sets at 5:37 p.m.
Give the second day to Isla Espiritu Santo, the national park in the bay, on a trip booked ahead with an operator who can list what the day includes. If the weather turns, which December rarely does, swap the days: town hours go to the wet one and the boat to the dry one.
La Paz in December vs November and January
| Measure | November | December | January |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average high | 85.6°F | 77.9°F | 77.7°F |
| Average low | 63.0°F | 57.0°F | 54.1°F |
| Precipitation | 0.24 inches | 0.27 inches | 0.37 inches |
| Days with measurable rain | 1.2 days | 1.7 days | 2.3 days |
| Sea surface (Open-Meteo Marine API, mean of daily maxima) | 79.8°F | 74.2°F | 71.1°F |
Against January, December’s high is nearly identical, 77.9°F to 77.7°F, but its lows run 2.9°F warmer and its sea 3.1°F warmer, with 1.7 rain days to January’s 2.3. November is hotter on every temperature line and has 1.2 rain days. Monthly precipitation stays small in all three, at 0.24, 0.27 and 0.37 inches. The air figures are SMN station normals for 1991-2020, and the sea figures come from a separate marine series.
Moving the trip to November means 85.6°F afternoons and 79.8°F water, and the trade is the heat itself for anyone planning long walks. Moving to January puts nights at 54.1°F and the sea at 71.1°F. The whale shark season covers all three months, so it does not decide between them.
Is December a good time to visit La Paz?
Yes for anyone who wants a whale shark swim in a mild, dry month: 77.9°F afternoons, 1.7 rain days and a 74.2°F sea. No for anyone who needs bathwater or beach heat. On safety, the U.S. State Department’s Mexico advisory, reissued May 29, 2026, rates Baja California Sur Level 2, exercise increased caution, due to terrorism and crime, with no specific restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees in the state. Read the current version before you book.
If the answer is no, November is the month to move to: 85.6°F highs, a 79.8°F sea and 1.2 rain days, with the whale shark season open. Our month-by-month planner covers other dates. For other places to spend them, start from our destinations index.
December pairs January’s afternoon air with a warmer sea and fewer rain days, inside the same whale shark season November has, without November’s 85.6°F highs.
The last word
Book the boat day first and fit the malecon walk and the rest around it. If the trip continues to the mainland, the Saturday sailing on the same Baja Ferries La Paz to Topolobampo route checks in at 21:30, departs at 23:00 and arrives at 08:00 the next morning.
Sources & data for La Paz in December
- Air normals for December, November and January (highs, lows, precipitation, rain days) · Servicio Meteorologico Nacional (CONAGUA), 1991-2020, station 03074 (La Paz DGE) · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Sea surface temperature, mean of daily maxima 2015-2024 · Open-Meteo Marine API · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Daylight and sunset on December 15, converted to America/Mazatlan · sunrise-sunset.org · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Whale shark refuge, 2026-2027 season · SEMARNAT notice of Sep 17, 2026 · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Isla Espiritu Santo, national park (2007) and UNESCO listing (2005) · CONANP and UNESCO · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Airport traffic, 2025 · Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Ferry timetable, La Paz to Topolobampo · Baja Ferries · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Lodging tax, 4% in 2026 · Ley de Hacienda del Estado de Baja California Sur, art. 13 · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Travel advisory, Level 2, reissued May 29, 2026 · U.S. Department of State · checked Sep 30, 2026
- We found no occupancy series, hotel-rate series, tour prices, entrance fees, December operating hours or wave and wind data, and we could not verify the ferry timetable in the opposite direction. None of these appear here as figures.