Keen divers and snorkelers will be delighted by a visit to any part of Mexico, but Cancun in particular is great for anyone who loves water sports or marine wildlife. Some of the diving sites in Cancun, including reefs, wrecks and fresh water sinkholes around the Cancun coastline are utterly stunning! These waters are filled with huge amounts of colorful, vibrant and unique wildlife that has little competition anywhere in the world! Whether you’re an enthusiast, or simply an enthusiastic beginner you can be sure that you’ll have a “whale” of a time (in fact, you might even see some what sharks!).
Top Diving Sites in Cancun to visit
Cancun Underwater Museum – MUSA
The MUSA underwater museum is without a doubt one of the most unique and unrivalled set of diving sites in Cancun, if not in all of the world. Here you can see artworks by British artist Jason DeCaires Taylor which have been placed, alongside works from other selected international and local artists, on the seabed just off Isla Mujeres, Cozumel and Cancun. There are few exhibits in the world which can claim to be quite this unique and beautiful; the works of art have, over time, become a man-made reef of eerie, ethereal beauty. If you’d rather stay dry you can see these exhibitions from glass bottomed boats and kayaks, but no matter how you choose to see the MUSA exhibition diving sites we can guarantee that the otherworldly beauty of the sculptures will stay in your memory for a long time. If you intend to dive down, though, we recommend that you take a waterproof camera.
Shipwreck Diving Sites in Cancun
In the waters off Cancun’s coastline there are numerous shipwrecks that, despite their tragic origins, are fascinating and beautiful dive sites. Of course not all of these wrecks have grim beginnings; some were actually sunk by design in order to help ailing sub-aquatic ecosystems! Advanced divers will definitely want to visit the C58 Minesweeper vessel where you should be able to see some manta rays and groupers. This reef was formed in 1980 when the vessel went down. For extremely experienced divers there is also the wreck of the El Frio, which is not only a hotspot for barracuda, amberjacks, and turtles but a great place for underwater photography.
Caves
Though Ocean dives are a great experience they’re not the be all and end all of the diving experience! There are plenty of caves in Cancun, actually, which are ripe for exploration when you’re on vacation. A great example is La Caverna de los Murcielagos (otherwise called the Bat Cave) which is filled with large stalactites and columns which form intricate structures. The overall effect has been to give the cave an ethereal feel. Furthermore there is the Cave of Sleeping Sharks. This coral formation off the coast of Isla Mujeres is home to many non-dangerous species of shark such as bull, gray, reef and black tips! Caves make for incredible diving sites in Cancun.
Reefs
For more gentle diving experiences you should consider the reefs that can be found in the Mexican waters such as those off Cancun. The smaller reefs attached to the great Mesoamerican reef and they are all, in their own ways, beautiful and enchanting. The Artistos Reef, for example, is incredibly lovely as a coralline based aquatic ecosystem and is home to many species such as Barracuda and groupers! The currents are quite strong here, however, so please do be careful. We would recommend that you avoid wearing shiny jewellery and accessories, too, because Barracuda might mistake them for the scales of prey. Those looking to see wildlife of less intimidating pedigree can check out the Manchones reef.
Cenote Diving
Exploring the underwater world of the Yucatan’s fresh water cenotes located throughout the area is a treat for divers. There are many tours that will take you to the top diving sites in Cancun and nearby for cenote and subterranean river adventures.