Diving in Riviera Maya
Though not as well known to divers as the reefs on nearby Cozumel island, the underwater landscape along the eastern shores of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula provides divers with a varied and rewarding range of underwater experiences. Typical profiles along most of this coast begin with shallow fringing reefs around points and bays, or spur-and-groove formations along more exposed beaches. Some dives in the 30 to 50 foot range are in areas sheltered from currents, while most sites farther offshore experience medium to strong northward water flows. Outer reefs start at depths of 70 to 80 feet and drop well below 200, and often include more intricate topographies such as caverns and arches. Typical marine life includes schooling fish such as snappers and grunts, reef dwellers such as morays, grouper, turtles and parrotfish, plus nocturnal hunters such as octopus and lobster. Tarpon school on some sites, and eagle rays glide by at others. One of the area's signature dives takes place off Playa del Carmen, where bull sharks gather over a sand bottom at depths of 80 feet. These aggregations take place from December to March, and can draw dozens of sharks of up to nine feet in length, including many pregnant females. Closer to Cancun, the northern edge of the 700-mile-long Mezoamerican Reef offers a number of interesting coral formations, along with a number of shipwrecks. A favorite is the C-58, a World War II era minesweeper that now sits broken in half at a depth of 80 feet. In winter, migrating schools of eagle rays can often be seen at this site. There are a number of additional shipwrecks visited by dive operators from Cancun and Isla Mujeres, including several shrimp boats and the cargo ship known as El Frio or Ultrafreeze. Many deeper dives are conducted as drifts, while others are made from moored boats. Shallower sites in this region feature groves of staghorn, elkhorn and brain corals, covered in schools of blue tangs, wrasse, grunts, and snappers, and harboring queen angel fish, parrotfish and spotted trunkfish. Also on the western side of Isla Mujeres is the Museo Subacuático de Arte, a submerged collection of more than 500 life-sized statues created by artist Jason deCaires Taylor. One of the area's most vaunted sites is the Cave of the Sleeping Sharks, made famous by Jacques Cousteau. Sightings of species other than nurse sharks are no longer a given, but a swim through this cavern is worthwhile, if only to claim bragging rights for having visited a historically famous venue. More predictable are the whale shark encounters that take place on shoals to the north and west of Isla Mujeres each summer. In recent years this areas is also seeing an increasing number of manta rays. Another of the area's unique diving adventures takes place in spring, when schooling sardines attract sailfish, giving divers a rare opportunity to swim into huge bait balls of these tiny fish while spindle-nosed sailfish circle and slash through the schools. A very different type of diving takes place a few miles inland from the coast. The limestone sub strait of the Yucatan is flooded by underground rivers, which surface in freshwater sinkholes known as cenotes. Cave divers have mapped hundreds of miles of twisting and branching passageways, but open water divers can also experience this shadow-filled world. Many cenotes are ringed by large overhangs, which create extensive cavern zones that allow safe exploration without entering a full overhead environment or loosing sight of the sunlight entrance. Trips to these cenotes are now considered a must-do addition for those who visit the Riviera Maya.