Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen scuba diving
Playa del Carmen (Riviera Maya) sits along the second largest barrier reef in the world. Under the crystal clear waters, visitors will find one of the most beautiful coral reefs in the world, with an impressive array of tropical fish. Famous for its abundance of fish life and variety of dive sites, Playa offers amazing dives for all levels. The fantastic drift dives are famous for big animal life such as turtles, groupers, barracuda, and tarpon. The macro-lovers will also be pleased as treasures abound on Playa’s reefs such as seahorses, pipefish, fire worms, and all sorts of tiny shrimp and crabs.
The water temperature (78-85 F, 25-30 C) and clarity (with a visibility of 20 to 40 meters), allow for scuba diving all year round. The depth of the dives is usually between 10 and 30 meters (33 and 100 Ft.).
Depending on the seasons you can see tarpons, sharks and other large fish are common encounters.
A gentle current will drift divers along the dive site and it'll be just like flying underwater.
In this page you can find all the informations about scuba diving and dive sites in Playa del Carmen and Riviera Maya with Scuba Planet Mexico.
Playa del Carmen dive sites:
Punta Venado & Islote, Mama Viña Shipwreck, Tortugas, Barracuda, Sabalos, Jardines, Shangri-La, Chunzumbul, Cueva del Pargo, Moc Che, Moc Che Deep, Pared Verde, Los Arcos and Cerebros.
Dive sites informations
Punta Venado / Islote
Max. depth: 99ft / 30m
Current: moderate to strong
Skill level: experienced
Description: southernmost reef, popular with beautiful soft and hard corals. Eagle rays, nurse sharks, and large turtles are common on this drift dive
Mama Viña Wreck
Max. depth: 93ft / 28m
Current: moderate to strong
Skill level: experienced
Description: a shrimping boat sunk for divers in 1995, this shipwreck has quickly become a hangout for many schooling fish. Schools of spadefish, jacks, and barracuda can often be spotted around the wreck. While inside the cabins, you will be greeted by an aquarium of small colorful fish, green morays, and intricate coral growth
Tortugas
Max. depth: 99ft / 30m
Current: moderate to strong
Skill level: intermediate
Description: this flat-bottom reef is rich with barrel sponges and a plethora of larger animals such as barracuda, groupers, and tarpon
Jardines
Max. depth: 37ft / 11m
Current: moderate to none
Skill level: novice
Description: garden like vegetation, most colorful in the middle of the reef, small overhangs . The large schools of fish will impress even the seasoned divers. Be sure to look under the many overhangs to find morays, stingrays, shrimp and lobsters
Shangri-la
Max. depth: 37ft / 11m
Current: moderate to none
Skill level: novice
Description: large variety of sponges, hard coral formations and tropical fish . Turtles, snappers, sting rays, lion fish
Chun-Zumbul
Max. depth: 37ft / 11m
Current: moderate to none
Skill level: novice
Description: reef in front of Coco Beach, one of the longest and shallowest dives in this area. Schools of fish, flounders, rays, shells, moray eels, arrow crabs
Cueva del Pargo
Max. depth: 40ft / 12m
Current: moderate to none
Skill level: novice
Description: as the name indicates, this reef boasts a large circular overhang filled will schooling snappers. A great dive to feel submerged in fish life with very little current and lots of time to enjoy the underwater bustle
Moc-Che shallow
Max. depth: 50ft / 14m
Current: moderate to none
Skill level: novice
Description: shallow dive site with an abundance of small coral formations growing in front of the reef. The small tunnel towards the end of the dive is home to a large green moray grumpily greeting divers as they swim through a school of grunts
Moc-Che deep
Max. depth: 99ft / 30m
Current: moderate to strong
Skill level: experienced
Description: the first of the deeper wall dives, this long drift dive is rich with large coral formations, huge fans, and varied sea life
Pared Verde
Max. depth: 99ft / 30m
Current: moderate to strong
Skill level: experienced
Description: Famous wall north of Moc-Che. Spectacular coral formations. Full of large and small marine life, spiny lobsters, king crabs, turtles, sting rays, sharks
Los Arcos
Max. depth: 99ft / 30m
Current: moderate to strong
Skill level: experienced
Description: north of Pared Verde. You can find schools of fish, turtles, sting rays, moray eels, groupers, crustaceans
Cerebros
Max. depth: 40ft / 12m
Current: none
Skill level: novice
Description: north of Los Arcos Reef, in front of Tres Rios. Easy shallow dive. Least dived reef due to distance from Playa. This reef is covered in large blocks of brain coral. Zigzagging around, you will find an abundance of lobsters, schools of grunts, and occasional eagle rays sweeping down over the reef
Barracuda
Max. depth: 50ft / 14m
Current: moderate to strong
Skill level: intermediate
Description: can be pictured as a hand with five finger like outcroppings. The small caverns and over-hangs are filled with large schools of grunts and snappers with hidden treasures of giant morays, tiny seahorses, and resting turtles
Sabalos
Max. depth: 50ft / 14m
Current: moderate to strong
Skill level: intermediate
Description: north of Barracuda. During the dive you can find large animal life enjoying the currents: huge tarpon, schools of barracuda, and giant groupers just to name a few
Playa del Carmen reef maps
