Playa del Carmen offers fantastic cave and boat-based diving. You’ll see truly jaw-dropping marine wildlife of almost any variety you care to name. All through some of the clearest, warm, pale blue waters, you will find anywhere in the world. But that’s not all that scuba diving in Playa del Carmen has to offer you:
Only a quick trip across the water is the island of Cozumel, scuba paradise. The second largest barrier reef in the world is here, with all that means for your underwater experience. Tulum, with all of its amazing diving opportunities, is a short trip away. There is also all of the wondrous ancient history of Mexico and the Mayan Riviera all around for you to explore in those breaks between dives…
When is the best time of year to go diving in Playa del Carmen?
You can dive in the waters around Playa del Carmen all year round. This is the Caribbean, after all! Do watch out for hurricane season, which tends to be around August. But there’s relatively little variation between the seasons this close to the equator.
The holiday season though is definitely a feature of life. From December to March expect things to get pretty busy. Prices do tend to get higher and some of the great spots – those which you don’t necessarily need to be a highly skilled diver to enjoy but are still well worth seeing – do a get bit more crowded.
For that reason, many visiting divers choose the quieter March to September period.
Swimming with sharks
Swimming with sharks is one of the most popular and sought-after reasons why many people choose to visit Playa. If you’re brave enough, it’s a breathtaking experience. Bull sharks visit the waters off the coast between March and September. But one quick note here:
Do not feed the sharks. Tempting as it might be – and you will find that some tour operators will offer this – you are disrupting the ecosystem by doing so. Most reputable dive shops won’t even think of it. So just appreciate these magnificent creatures from a slight remove and only bring snacks for yourself and your dive partner.
What are the best scuba diving spots in Playa del Carmen?
Now that’s out of the way, let’s get down to business. Here are the best scuba diving spots in Playa del Carmen:
1. Cenote Dos Ojos
Cenotes are the unique water-filled sinkholes of the Yucatan Peninsula. These caves and caverns simply have to be experienced if you haven’t tried them before. One of the best examples of everything cenotes have to offer is Cenote Dos Ojos – “Two Eyes” – so-called for what the cave’s two entrances look like from above.
Upon approaching the cavern, you can instantly see how diving in cenotes has become so popular. It looks like a little slice of paradise. The amazingly clear, warm, cerulean waters of this cenote are the perfect lens through which to see the wonderful fish species, freshwater shrimp and the fantastic stalactites and stalagmites which can all be found here.
There are a couple of different dives possible here depending on which cavern you enter through, reaching a possible depth of 13 meters beneath the Earth. All routes have something unique to offer. Don’t miss it.
2. Arrecife Tortugas (Turtle Reef)
If you haven’t gone swimming with turtles before, Turtle Reef is the place to make your dreams come true. You’ll find moray eels, the Splendid Toadfish (perhaps the best or most poorly-named fish species in the entire world considering its beauty) and a huge variety of other tropical fish species in addition to the eponymous Hawksbill turtles.
The strong currents here mean it will be a drift dive so you’ll need the experience and the skills. But if you’ve got them, this is definitely one of the Playa del Carmen diving spots you can’t afford to miss.
3. Pared Verde
The “Green Wall” is one of those places where you can swim with sharks during the right times of the year. This isn’t for everyone, but if it’s for you – and you have the intermediate level skills required to dive here – it’s simply unmissable.
The site is most likely named for the brightly coloured sponges and fans which give it something of a garden appearance. A garden which is frequently enjoyed by more local turtles, barracudas and several other types of rarely seen fish species. You’ll see all of these and more when you going diving at Pared Verde.
4. The wreck of the Mama Vińa
The Mama Vińa was an old fishing boat which was deliberately sunk back in the 90s. It has since formed the base for an intriguing artificial reef, which makes for a fascinating dive – especially if you haven’t tried diving around wrecks before.
You’ll need solid buoyancy skills and quite a lot of experience as a diver to get to the wreck as it’s a good 18-30 meters down. Some experience of diving in caves or other environments where you have something above you is also recommended as the interior of the ship can feel a little confining. But the coral growth and fish living inside are really something to see.
5. Honourable mentions
Those are perhaps the best Playa del Carmen diving sites but the local area is absolutely full of them. It would also be a shame to miss:
- Barracuda reef – see beautiful wildlife through the clear waters at this beginner-friendly site.
- Cenote Chac Mool – intermediate cavern diving only 20 minutes down the road.
- Cerebros – the “brain” has brilliant swim-throughs and coal formations.
- Chun – Zumbul – long, shallow diving among schools of fish and overhanging coral here.
In short, Playa has a huge variety of offshore, cenote and other scuba diving experiences on offer. You’ll be spoiled for choice when you arrive here.
Take a moment to look at this.
