Sinaloa
Drone photo & video · Mazatlán
In short
Drone photo & video in Mazatlán starts at $300: 60 min on location with a photographer who works in Mazatlán, and 25 edited photos + a 1-minute edited film delivered to a private gallery within 7 days.
Why choose drone photo & video in Mazatlán?
Mazatlán reads best from the air: the Centro Histórico on its narrow peninsula, the harbour channel, the lighthouse hill at the port mouth and the long curve of beach running north. The city is also one of the few in this catalogue where an airport ring decides the altitude at the main locations. The Aeropuerto Internacional de Mazatlán is a listed aerodrome in Mexico’s drone standard, and the old town, the lighthouse and the island beach all fall between 9.2 and 18.5 km from it.
Worth knowing about Mazatlán
Isla de la Piedra stretches south-east toward the airport, so the farther a flight moves along it, the closer it comes to the 9.2 km ring where flying needs a special authorisation. The boat landing at the western end is about 15 km from the airport reference point, and the pilot launches there.
What does the session in Mazatlán look like?
- Centro Histórico and El Faro
- The peninsula, the harbour mouth and the lighthouse hill in one frame, flown at no more than 100 metres.
- Isla de la Piedra
- A long beach and palm line across the channel; launch from the western end near the boat landing.
- Playa Bruja and Cerritos
- Beyond the 18.5 km band, so the standard 122-metre ceiling applies.
What does drone photo & video in Mazatlán include?
- 60 minutes on location, with the time in the air set by batteries and conditions
- 25 edited aerial photos
- A 1-minute edited aerial film with licensed music
- Flown by a local pilot under commercial liability insurance, with the drone registered with AFAC when it weighs over 250 g
- Photos and film delivered within 7 days
Permits at these locations: Isla de la Piedra: Public beach under the Ley General de Bienes Nacionales; any staged set-up may need a ZOFEMAT or SEMARNAT permit. The crossing is by water taxi from the Playa Sur docks. Playa Bruja and Cerritos: Public beach under the Ley General de Bienes Nacionales; a set-up such as an arch or chairs may need a ZOFEMAT or SEMARNAT permit, so ask before the date.
FAQ — Drone photo & video in Mazatlán
How high can a drone fly in Mazatlán?
In the Centro Histórico, around El Faro and on Isla de la Piedra, a drone in Mazatlán may fly no higher than 100 metres, because those areas lie 9.2 to 18.5 km from the city’s listed airport under NOM-107-SCT3-2019. North of the Zona Dorada, toward Cerritos, the general 122-metre limit applies.
Can I fly my own drone for a paid shoot in Mazatlán?
Not for a paid shoot. A visitor on tourist status may not do paid work in Mexico, and NOM-107-SCT3-2019 limits flights by foreign operators, so a paid aerial session in Mazatlán is flown by a local pilot who carries third-party liability insurance and, for any drone above 250 g, an AFAC registration folio.
Can a drone film the Mazatlán sunset?
A drone can film the Mazatlán sunset only up to the moment the sun goes down, because NOM-107-SCT3-2019 allows flights between sunrise and sunset unless AFAC authorises night operation. The flight is planned for the last half hour before sunset, near 5:25pm in December or 6:55pm in June.