We’ve all heard of Cozumel as a remarkable scuba diving destination, but very close-by is a lesser known but equally remarkable destination for Scuba diving known as Playa Del Carmen.

Originally an old fisherman village located on the coastal stretch of the Caribbean Sea, known as the Riviera Maya and a short 35 minute ferry journey from Cozumel to the mainland, Playa Del Carmen has transformed into a thriving tourist destination that is popular with not only outside tourist but with the locals as well. You generally fly into Cancun airport then transfer to Playa Del Carmen, which is only an hour’s drive away.

There are two reasons why this destination makes the ideal dive vacation, firstly the sheer variety of scuba diving Playa offers ranging from reef dives to cavern/cenotes enough to interest every kind of diver, and secondly there is so much to do beyond diving which makes it the ideal dive vacation rather than just a dive destination.

Playa Del Carmen is dotted with numerous timeshares, bed & breakfasts, and hotels, some interesting shopping and breathtaking stretches of white sandy beaches. The after hour clubs swing into action after midnight and divers can enjoy not only crystal clear water and stunning reefs, but also engage in numerous on ground activities as well.

Most open water diving here takes place along the Mesoamerican (or the Mayan) Barrier Reef, which is the second largest barrier reef in the world, that extends along the Yucatan Penninsula and include the Belize Barrier Reef. The reefs are so close to the shore that most dive sites are only quick trips in the dive boat and since dives can be easily completed in the morning, it leaves you with the whole day to enjoy the other activities on offer. The reef is home to the most stunning variety of marine life ranging from Manta Rays, Turtles and barracuda to corals and sponges seen nowhere else in the world.

In the months of May to September, one can witness a once in a lifetime experience and dive with Whale Sharks in their own environment near the island of Holbox near Playa del Carmen.

Cenote or cavern diving is a special attraction for those who want to try something different and get away from the open water. Cenotes are caves and underground fresh water rivers formed naturally along the coast line and this stretch of Mexico is renowned for the number of Cenotes it possesses. Diving in a cenote is an unforgettable experience, and those with no cavern diving experience can visit these underground rivers by taking up a cavern diving course. An interesting fact is that the 3 largest underground rivers in the world are all located in Riviera Maya. Read: Cenotes: The Underwater Caves of The Riviera Maya, Mexico

Due to its proximity with Cozumel, divers can spend a couple of days diving around Cozumel which is only a short ferry ride from the mainland to have the complete diving experience.

*Photo Credits: photos by Daquella manera, nonperturbative, Ignatius244, Noticaribe on flickr

The state of Yucatán, Mexico is home to some of the most beautiful and intricate underwater caves and caverns through entry points  or sinkholes known as Cenotes. Cenotes (pronounced say-noh-tays) are actually a type of freshwater-filled limestone sinkholes. These natural wonders are known to connect with other underlying cave systems,which have been explored for lengths of 100 kilometers or more.

In the Yucatán Peninsula there are over 3000 Cenotes, 1400 of which have been studied and recorded. These cenotes are located between Cancun and Tulum and the Riviera Maya. The Riviera Maya has the World’s three longest running underwater Cave Sytems – Ox Bel Ha (146.7Km.), Nohoch Nah Chich (61Km.) and Dos Ojos (57.7 Km.). Cenotes were once sacred places of the Mayans as they represented entrances to the underworld. Their natural beauty that can best be described as crystal clear turquoise waters with sunlight reflecting stalactites and stalagmites, are truly enigmatic works of art and draw  Scuba divers the world over to explore its waters.

The Riviera Maya’s Cenotes have been rated among the best cave diving of the World. Some notable cenotes of the Riviera Maya are:

Cenote Chac-Mool - 22 km south of Playa Del Carmen/Almost across from Puerto Aventuras lies the Chac Mool Cenote meaning ‘Claw of the Jaguar’. This cenote has two entries both leading to relatively large cavern with a lot of natural light entering from the opening. From there leads to a Dome Room. Here a portion of the ceiling has collapsed under an air dome where divers can surface and admire a lot of beautiful stalactites and some fossils. Since the maximum depth is about 12 meters/36 feet, Chac Mool is a perfect place for novice cavern divers.

Cenote Kukulcan – A couple of hundred feet away from Cenote Chac-Mool, is another entrance to the Chac Mool system called Cenote Kukulcan. On Kukulkan side, in sunny days, you can witness an amazing light show as sunlight reflections project on the walls of the Cavern colors of the rainbow towards the ceiling.

Cenote Dos Ojos – This famous and popular cenote is situated one kilometer South of Xel-Ha and roughly 48 Kms from Playa del Carmen. The name “Dos Ojos” means “Two eyes” and originated for the two circular shaped Cenotes which are located very close to one and another and look like eyes. In the 1980’s the Dos Ojos and Nohoch Nah Chich cave systems were discovered with a competition of two exploration teams on which had the longest underwater cave system in the world. Two dives are conducted in Dos Ojos, the first starting from the first (east) eye and going through a crystal clear fresh water cavern leading to the second eye (west eye). The second dive is a darker dive into a series of rooms and passages underneath an air filled “Bat Cave” in which only little daylight enters. This dive features passageways filled with beautiful and fragile speleotherms. With about 60 Km of explored length and connected to over 25 cenote , Dos Ojos is one of the longest system on the Peninsula. A great cenote for non-divers too, as you can snorkel through the shimmering caves.

Cenote Tajmahal – 29 Km south of Playa del Carmen is are 4 interconnected cenotes with much to offer both Cavern and Cave Divers. One of the most beautiful cenotes in the Riviera Maya, the cavern is filled with light streaming through holes in the ceiling of the bat cave. On a dive through the Taj Mahal cenotes one crosse the two smaller cenotes called the Sugar Bowl Bill’s Hole Cenote. As the fresh water creates a layer over salt water, Haloclines appear in the deeper areas and create an interesting mirror like effect.

Gran Cenote - One of most popular cenote sites in the Riviera Maya, Gran cenote is part of the system Sac-Aktun which means “Cave” in Maya. Ladder steps lead to half moon shaped cenote decorated with small passages & openings. Huge stalagmites, stalactites, and columns are yours to be seen by just sticking your face into the water without even having to dive in. Good buoyancy control is required if you are diving here with as the walls are heavy with the formations. Maximum depth 21 meters/70 feet.

* Photo credits: photos by babblingdweeb, 1yen, dMap Travel Guide, Lance.Gardner, megnut on flickr.

Ranked no. 1 by PADI as a top dive destination and featuring on almost every divers must-dive destination list, the island of Cozumel off the Mayan Coast of Mexico is a feast for eyes. Both a luxury resort destination coupled with fantastic diving, Cozumel draw divers to the island by the thousands with its stunning visibility and good diving infrastructure.

Located just 12 miles off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, Cozumel is the largest island in the Caribbean. The island is a mere 28 miles / 9 meters long and 10 miles / 2 meters wide and is surrounded by gorgeous reefs and pristine clear waters. Cozumel is actually a conglomeration of many different coral formations and personalities, as a series of separate reefs make up the over 20 highly popular diving areas of Cozumel, including a labyrinth of tunnels, dramatic swim through’s and canyons lying amidst the towering coral plateaus teeming with marine life.

The two main coral reef systems surrounding Cozumel are the Colombia and Palancar reefs which house many of the islands favorite dive sites. Easily accessible with plateaus beginning in waters only 30 feet (9 meters) deep, Cozumel reefs boast of abundant underwater sea life and brilliant colors, often referred to by many scuba divers as some of the best Scuba diving of their lives. Famous for its drift diving, currents range from gentle 1/2 knots near some dive sites to fast, strong currents only for experienced adventurous drift divers. The night diving here too is incredible.

For beginners to intermediate divers, the Chankanaab Lagoon is one of the most popular sites on the island. Divers and snorkelers can observe small coral and limestone formations at just 6 to 30 feet (2 to 9 meters). A unique experience is the mixing of cold fresh water that flows out of the limestone caves called cenotes on top as you can still feel the warm salt water below. A very popular spot for night diving. Other novice dive sites include- Paradise Reef, Las Palmas Wall, Balones of Chancanab, Shallow Palancar and more.

For divers who like a little challenge, Cozumel has a host of dive sites suitable for the experienced. Popular for it’s impressive wall dives with brilliant colors and sea life that have people raving about it, there are some stunning drop-off worth fighting the currents to see.The Wall at the Santa Rosa Reef begins at 50 feet and drops straight away into the deep blue. A brisk current accompanies you as you spot great beds of tunicates, immense sponges, huge overhangs of stony corals and impressive caves and tunnels. Easily one of the most popular deep drift dives of the Island, eagle rays and turtles are often spotted here as well as large groupers. Another of Cozumel’s most popular deep dives is the Palancar Caves because of its deep buttresses, tunnels, caves and big caverns that sit along the edge of a sloping wall. The currents are usually mild, but marine life is abundant.

The “Punta Sur” dive site is particularly popular among experienced divers and especially underwater photographers for its incredible topography. Due to the site’s southern location tot he island the conditions can be rough with fast running midwater currents that can cause one to miss the dive site entirely! The most famous section of this site called the “Devil’s Throat”, starts inside a coral swim through. After descending into the opening of a dark narrow tunnel at 90 feet you are suddenly welcomed into a sunlit opening at 130 feet on the wall overlooking the abyss. The ‘Columbia Deep’, ‘Maracaibo Wall’, ‘Punta Tunich’, ‘Yucab (Virgin) Wall’, ‘Barracuda’s Wall’ and the “Mountains” of San Juan are other challenging sites for advanced divers.

Cozumel even offers a Wreck Dive – the C-53 Xicotencatl. Sunk in the year 2000 just outside of Balones de Chankanaab, on a sandy plain between Tormentos & Chankanaab,the C-53 is 184 feet long & 33 feet wide and consists of 4 decks.

Touted as one of the “best dive locations in the world”, a variety of underwater wonders awaits you at Cozumel, home to the only inland coral reef formation in the world. A Scuba divers mecca, Cozumel has the best diving the Caribbean has to offer and will not disappoint, that we assure!

*Photo Credits: photos by Frank Peters, Scubaben, CasaDeQueso, bbialek905 on flickr

Mexico has long been among the top dive destinations in the World with both it’s Caribbean coast diving in Cozumel and Akumal, as well as its Pacific diving at the Baja peninsula including Puerto Vallarta, Socorro Islands and Los Cabos.

The Sea of Cortez of Cabo San Lucas located between the Baja Peninsula and the mainland of Mexico, has been described by many including Scuba diving pioneer Jacques Cousteau as ‘The World’s Richest Sea’. Rich with shipwrecks, caves, reefs and awe-inspiring sandfalls to explore, the Sea of Cortez holds over 850 species of fish, from cold-water California-related species to tropical fish and pelagics including whale sharks, giant manta rays, hammerhead sharks, orcas, whales, dolphin and sea lions.

The most noted of Cabos diving in the Sea of Cortez are the ‘Sandfalls’ and ‘Land’s End’ dive sites. Underwater sand waterfalls is the best way to describe the natural wonder that is the Sand Falls. Alongside the rocky cliffs in Cabo Bay, a sand chute collapses into a rocky cleft moving sand cascades down the chute creating amazing falls off the vertical granite wall like Niagara Falls, but with sand. The wall goes down 300 feet with the larger of the two famous sandfalls beginning at 100 feet. Thick with gorgonians and sea fans, diving here ranges from depths of 80-130 plus feet and is suitable for intermediate divers. Schools of goat fish, puffers, eels, parrot fish and angels among lobsters, jacks, rays and reef sharks can be spotted here in abundance.

‘Land’s End’ or ‘The Point’ as it’s also known, is where the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez meet together. A truly unforgettable location to dive, diving starts out around 25 ft. This unique dive site offers the opportunity to dive a canyon next to the seal lion colony allowing you to get up close and personal with the resident seals. Marauding schools of gamefish brought in by large schools of baitfish such as sardines and greenjacks are a quite the sight here. The gentle giants- whale sharks and manta rays are also common sighting here. Strong currents that rule this region and the unpredictable dive conditions here however, make this an intermediate/ advance skill level dive site. Other diving in Cabo San Lucas include site such as the ‘North-Wall’, ‘Neptune’s Finger’, ‘Pelican Rock’ and ‘The Blowhole’, all spectacular in their own right with lots to offer.

A 2 hour drive from Cabo San Lucas is the very remote but stunning Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park. The only living coral reef on the western side of North America and int he Sea of Cortez, it’s not to be missed. A great dive spot for all levels of divers, Cabo Pulmo’s nutrient rich waters draw marine life in numbers you cannot fathom. The abundant coral growth on the rocky reefs provides shelter and food for countless reef fish. Dive sites range between 30-70 feet and have a year round visibility of 80-120 ft.

There are two wrecks to explore in Cabo Pulmo. The first a freighter named ‘Colima’ which ran aground and sank in 30-40 feet of water during a fierce 1939 storm strewing its debris on the ocean floor and the other wreck, a large tuna boat which went down in 1978. The second wreck finds itself in about 50 feet of water. Both the wrecks make for some excellent underwater photography opportunities.

With these World-class dive spots, Los Cabos has truly the best to offer in Scuba diving. The chance to dive with enormous schools of reef fish found nowhere else in the world and known for encounters with large pelagics such as the whaleshark and giant mantas make this a must-dive destination on our list of dive destinations.

* Photo Credits: Photos by Colorado_Al on flickr.

Located 20 miles South of San Diego from Mission Bay, in Mexican waters lie the remote group of 4 islands known as Los Coronados. These islands are one of the most popular dive locations on the west coast as it offers the closest conditions to what Caribbean diving is like. Situated 6 miles off the Mexican coast these islands are right on the edge of the continental shelf and are in very close proximity to deep, productive oceanic currents. The currents routinely wash the islands with clean blue water with visibility often exceeding 80 ft making it a dream to dive.

The islands also called the ‘Nods’ are home to large sea lion and harbor seal colonies. They are quite used to divers so you can expect to be diving with them on your dives here. Most of the diving at the Nods is done on the lee side of the islands so the water is protected from the oncoming swells. Depths range from 20 to 120 ft, perfect for all levels of divers.

(*image source:www.nofibs.com)

The North Island just known as that has the most dramatic diving of the 3 Los Coronados Islands. With great visibility there, the sites feature steep drop offs and large boulders with plenty of pelagic sea life. Popular dive sites near the north island include ‘The Keyhole’, ‘Seal Cove’, ‘Moonlight Cove’ and ‘Lobster Shack’. Scuba Diving the Keyhole though is subject to the conditions prevalent at the time as there can be strong currents and some days the wind and waves crashing through the ‘keyhole’ make it un-diveable. This island however is where you are most likely to encounter the ever playful and curious Californian sea lion. So, between the breathtaking natural beauty of these islands topside and the gorgeous underwater fields of purple hydrocoral and the marine life on offer, these sites are well worth fighting the strong open ocean currents for a viewing.

Moving south towards the other two islands named ‘Oscar rock’ and the ‘Genoa’, they too offer numerous dive sites. Some of the dive sites here feature fallen boulders that have formed small caver like structures and over the years accumulated and grown beautiful sea fans encrusted with oysters. they also have a wreck dive site of a 90’s motor yacht which is showing signs of new life with an influx of giant black sea bass making it their favorite haunt.

Further south is the largest island or the ‘South Island’ . It is shallower than the North Island and is popular for it’s rocky reefs and marine life are drawn to it as its sandy surrounding makes it for little an oasis for the fish. You can spot different types of sea bass, very large schools of barracuda as well as the rare trigger fish that are unusual in these parts. What’s more is that this island is home to the Northern Elephant Seals. Just South of the island is an all year round kelp bed called ‘South Kelp Ridge’. With stunning visibility, it makes for a very interesting dive site to experience. It has a rocky bottom and a kelp garden so as to speak, the perfect habitat of numerous species of rockfish and other marine life.

With the numerous and varied dive sites and the exceptional visibility not found else where along this coastal line, Los Coronados is a great dive destination and is experienced on overnight live-aboard trips out of San Diego.

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