Dive sites in Mexico

Sunk intentionally off Puerto Morelos in 2000, the C-56 Juan Escutia rests upright on sand at a depth of 28 meters. Hurricane Wilma split this 184-foot former US Navy minesweeper into two main sections, opening swim-throughs near the wheelhouse and engine area. Between November and March, squadrons of spotted eagle rays hover above the superstructure against the prevailing current.

Cenote Angelita, a deep vertical sinkhole south of Tulum in the Riviera Maya, drops through fresh water to a dense hydrogen sulfide cloud at 30 meters. Bare tree trunks and branches protrude from this layer between fresh and salt water, resembling an underwater river inside a subterranean forest. Descending further blocks all daylight, requiring a dive light to navigate the desolate saltwater zone underneath before ascending back into lit fresh water.

Inside Puerto Morelos National Marine Park, Fish Market sits on a shallow spur-and-groove reef covered in sea fans and stony corals. Dense shoals of yellowtail snapper and grunt crowd the low ledges, giving the site its name. Nurse sharks rest beneath coral overhangs, while southern stingrays bury themselves in surrounding sand patches. The Riviera Maya's typical north-flowing current provides a gentle drift.

In Puerto Morelos Reef National Park, Mini Wall runs parallel to the coastline. The coral ledge drops from 12 meters to a sandy floor at 18 meters, creating undercut overhangs where nurse sharks and hawksbill turtles shelter. Mild to moderate northward currents carry divers over sea fans, brain corals, and barrel sponges. Spiny lobsters and green morays wedge into deep crevices along the drop-off.

Moc-Che is a flat spur-and-groove reef system off Playa del Carmen. Divers drift along sandy channels between coral ridges featuring sea plumes, brain corals, and large barrel sponges. Nurse sharks sleep under low rock ledges. Hawksbill turtles browse among gorgonians across the main reef, where depths range from 10 to 15 meters.