The Caribbean
MEXICO’S YUCATAN PENINSULA
The remote reefs of Mexico’s Mayan Coast
Season: Year-round diving
Visibility: 20-35m/65-115ft (best in summer).
Water Temperature: 26-30°C/79-86°F
Diving at Chnichorro can be a fishy affair! (Explorer Ventures)
Shore-based resort: The Reef Resort & Dive Shop
Liveaboard: Moondiver Explorer
Diving: Wrecks, walls, sea mounts, coral gardens, swim-throughs, critter diving
Willing to share option on Moondiver Explorer
Nitrox available at Reef Resort
Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula has for many years been a favourite with American visitors who travel in droves to the ever-growing resorts of Cancun and Playa del Carmen seeking warm sunshine and coral sand beaches.
Quintana Roo, the most easterly state in the Yucatan Peninsula, holds a treasure chest of attractions for the visitor. Here can be found the most stunning (and in many cases, deserted) Caribbean beaches, literally hundreds of Mayan ruins and some fine diving. Quintana Roo became a state only in 1974, after the Mexican government of the time had ambitious plans to create a Caribbean holiday resort. Their dreams became reality and Cancun was developed from a tiny fishing village into the busy and commercialized resort it is today. Away from Cancun, the rest of Quintana Roo remains unspoilt and mostly covered in thick forest.
The Mayan ruins at Chichen-Itza (about 3 hours by road, just over the Merida border) or Kohunlich (about 2 hours by road) can be visited in a day trip. But to really appreciate the wonders of the Mayan world, it may be better to hire a car and spend few days exploring the region. The well-preserved ruins at Chichen-Itza stands out impressively from the jungle. Built around the 10th century, this is one of the most famous Mayan cities and is certainly a fascinating place to visit. Arrive early to avoid the crowds, if possible, and climb the huge pyramid if you dare. Stroll around the spacious ritual ball courts, where it is said the losers (or possibly even the winners) were sacrificed! Kohunlich in southern Quintana Roo, perhaps the more romantic of the Mayan ruins, has some lovely, fern-clad palaces and temples.
PLAYA DEL CARMEN
Playa del Carmen has for years offered fun seekers a quieter option to its ‘noisy neighbour’ Cancun further north. A small yet lively and friendly town, Playa del Carmen also offers divers some easy, attractive and accessible diving off the world’s second largest barrier reef; the Mesoamerican Reef, which extends south all the way down to Costa Rica. The waters are concentrated with nutrients due to the island of Cozumel acting as a natural buffer to the open Gulf. This means that the region enjoys good fish life, to the extent that in the summer months, Whale Sharks are almost guaranteed!
Most of the diving here is boat diving along a reef system comprising drop-offs, pinnacles and patch reefs. A few small wrecks dot the area, providing a haven for a plethora of Caribbean reef fish. The most well known must be the Mama Vina, a 30 metre long ferry purposefully sunk over ten years ago. Divers can penetrate the wreck which is guarded by large barracuda. Hard corals are profuse and many sites are named specifically after corals that grow there, for example Cerebros, or ‘Brains’. Other fishy sites such as Los Arcos attract Tarpon, Horse-Eyed Jacks through the deep swim-throughs. At Sabalos, the walls are home to moray eels, octopi, seahorses and tarpon. Eagle Rays often sweep through.
The area is also famed for its sizeable population of very friendly and cooperative Green Turtles, who always seem to enjoy posing for a photograph! The dive site Tortugas is home to Green Trutles, Loggerhead Turtles and Hawksbill Turtles. Even hammerhead sharks have been found here! Other must-see attractions are the Bull Sharks which migrate through the region between December and March, and the Whale Sharks which breeze through Mexican waters in the summer months and in recent years have numbered in the hundreds!
THE REEF RESORT AND SPA, PLAYACAR
Located right on the beach within walking distance of Playa del Carmen, the all inclusive resort is a great base for divers and those seeking to enjoy the other activities on offer both at the resort and nearby. 18 villas house 202 rooms, each with a terrace or balcony. All rooms have either one king or two double beds, air conditioning, satellite television, mini fridge and large en-suite bathrooms.
Although the town of Playa del Carmen is replete with great restaurants, the resort has four of its own! Chula Vista enjoys views of the Caribbean Sea and offers an international buffet at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Botticelli is an Italian a la carte restaurant and La Terraza Grill serves a great variety of Mexican dishes. The snack bar by the pool sits very close to the beach and is ideal for light meals and late night service. Evening entertainment can be enjoyed at Papo’s Bar or those who enjoy late night socialising on the beach might like to visit La Chiquita.
REEF MARINA DIVE SHOP
The in-house PADI dive shop is run by a young and enthusiastic team, eager to show you the local dive sites and ensure that you had a fun time. The dive shop is right on the beach, unlike many in Playa del Carmen, so it’s very easy to just turn up and head straight out diving! Boat dives to the local reefs are offered daily and the boat departs at 0830 for a two tank dive before returning to shore for lunch. Afternoon one tank dives are also offered. Reef’s dive boat can carry up to 12 divers and offers shade and camera rinse facilites. In the summer months snorkel excursions to see the Whale Sharks are a must-do, and for the adventurous, small groups to see the Bull Sharks depart in the afternoons between December and March. A full range of certifications is available from Discover Scuba Diving to Dive Master. Nitrox and a full range of Aqualung equipment is available for rental.
Other watersports are also offered from the dive shop. Use of the kayaks and catamarans is free, and for a small fee, guests can ride the waverunners or take a kite-surfing lesson.
BANCO CHINCHORRO
Now you can explore Banco Chinchorro (Chinchorro Bank), a huge (28 miles long!) reef that is so out of the way that until recently it has been little dived! Chinchorro has been described as ‘the most biologically diverse reef of the Mexican Caribbean’ and is home to a wide variety of marine life with a good population of sponge species and hard corals. Here one can dive both on coastal dive sites, where spur and groove reefs are cut with deep canyons and swimthroughs, or at Chinchorro Bank with its ancient wrecks and coral gardens.
Banco Chinchorro is a new Caribbean dive destination – a reef area that few divers have heard of, and even fewer have experienced for themselves. At this uncrowded destination you will almost always be the only dive boat in sight. A visit to Chinchorro Bank is an opportunity to explore a diverse and varied marine ecosystem: star and brain corals, basket and elephant ear sponges, carpets of deep-water gorgonians and yellow pencil corals are all to be found – all in all over 50 species of hard and soft corals and more than 60 species of sponges occur in the area. Conchs have not been over-harvested and are still common, especially on shallow dives. Garden eels colonize large sand patches and wave like sea grass in the current, until they spot the diver approach – then it is back into their holes until it is safe to venture out once more.
The Banco Chinchorro is about 12 kilometres wide and almost 40 kilometres long. Lying just over 20 kilometres off the coast, it takes from one hour to one and a quarter hours to make the sea journey out to the bank, depending on the weather. Only four small cays, Cayo Centro (the largest), tiny Cayo Lobos and the twin cays of Cayo Norte break the surface of the water. Most of the dive sites are located along the western edge of the bank. Little current occurs, and when it does seldom exceeds 2 knots. The area inside the bank is too shallow for diving but provides some excellent snorkeling opportunities.
In only 4 metres of water, The Wreck of the 40 Cannons, is the remains of a 17th Century Dutch ship and is the ‘signature dive’ in this area. With rarely any significant current this is a beautiful dive site that can also be snorkeled. Twenty eight cannons, thickly encrusted with coral, algae and sea fans, remain scattered at this dive site (8 more have been removed and placed in a museum at Playa del Carmen). A massive anchor, equally thickly encrusted lies with the cannons and pairs of French and Queen Angelfish can be seen gliding over the cannons and amongst the prolific corals. Underneath the cannons are large chunks of blackened wooden keel or hull. If you gently dust some sand away you may find some glass or pottery fragments along with some unidentifiable rusty metal objects, but the more interesting artefacts from the site have probably long since been removed to museums. This must be one of the easiest and most pleasant wreck dives possible, with sunlight filtering through the water and forming lovely ripples over the reef. When interest in searching for gold wanes, search the sand for marine treasures. If you are persistent you may spot Sailfin Blennies living in abandoned invertebrate tubes.
La Boya is a lovely dive site with a flat sandy top at 10 metres, then a sloping reef wall with hard and soft corals that gives way at depth to another sand flat with some really enormous barrel sponges, yellow tube sponges and elephant ear sponges that must be about 3 metres across! Careful scrutiny of the beautiful crinoids will reveal small arrow crabs and squat lobsters. Lower still, at 30 metres, look out for Spotted Eagle Rays, which cruise this area frequently. Southern Stingrays can be found shuffling across the sand flats.
On some days it may be possible to visit the fishermen of Cayo Centro. If you get the chance to make this visit, it is certainly worth it! Not only do they provide a delicious lunch of freshly barbecued spicy lobster (for a small fee), but it is a great opportunity to get splendid views of the reef fish which cruise the area and mooch around the fish skeletons abandoned by the fishermen. If you are not too full after lunch, take a dive at Manchones (Spotted, from the Eagle Rays) which has excellent fish life, though visibility is not always good here. Ocean Triggerfish ‘row’ themselves through the water and both Black and Nassau Groupers lurk in a kind of interested way near divers. Sandy areas are home to swaying ‘flocks’ of Brown Garden Eels as well as the endlessly fascinating shrimp and goby pairs. The blind shrimp constantly shovels grit and stones from the burrow, whilst the ever-watchful goby makes certain that the coast is clear. This must be one of the most successful partnerships in the ocean!
THE COASTAL REEFS
The coastal reefs near Maya Ha are just a few minutes away by boat. These spur and groove reefs drop from 10 metres to 40 metres or more and are cut with canyons and swimthroughs. Though not usually blessed with sightings of the bigger species of fish, there are excellent opportunities to search for some wonderful reef-loving species such as the glorious Spotted Drum and the retiring Peppermint Basslet (lurking in dark recesses in the reef). At Bruha del Mar (Sea Witch) a series of narrow canyons give way to sandy areas. Tiny Short-finned Pipefish can be found here, mimicking the debris at the bottom of the sand chute. Blue-stripped Grunts form small schools over the rocky tops of the reef, while smaller French Grunts form larger schools. Perrot (Parrotfish) has a slope of turtle grass that often yields good views of Southern Stingrays, usually shuffling along with Bar Jacks in attendance. Small outcrops of hard coral house anemones and it is here that you should look out for Pederson’s Cleaner Shrimps who will give you a free manicure, if you are patient. Here too can be found the tiny Cleaning Gobies who will also shuffle up your hands and arms, rasping away at microscopic tasty morsels, if you have the patience to let them get to know you. Search for moray eels in the rocky cracks and crevices: Spotted Morays can be found here, ‘snarling’ harmlessly at passing divers. Paraiso (Paradise) comprises a slope with rich coral gardens where huge barrel sponges are found. Splendid Azure Vase Sponges also occur in this area and it is well worth shining your dive light down into the centre of any tube sponges as there are often creatures hiding there. Furled Basket Stars, tiny shrimps and Yellowline Gobies love to lurk in the sponges. At this fishy site can be found Yellowtail Snappers, clumsy-looking Porkfish, Four-eye Butterflyfish, Queen and Grey Angelfish and Great Barracudas.