Explore Cancun

Cancún is the tourist mecca of Mexico’s state of Quintana Roo and is located on the northeast tip of the Yucatán Peninsula. Cancún is popular among tourists from all over the world due to its warm weather all-year-round, sandy beaches, ruins of the ancient Mayan civilization, and stunning terrestrial and marine wildlife.

For divers, there are many top-notch dive sites that are just a short drive or boat ride from Cancún. The Underwater Contemporary Museum of Art, the island of Isla Mujeres, and the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef are definite must-sees. Isla Mujeres is an island about 13km offshore from Cancún that marks where the Gulf of Mexico meets the Caribbean Sea. Isla Mujeres is part of a National Marine Park that contains a portion of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef system, as well as the sculptures of the underwater museum.

Aside from the plentiful offshore dive sites, this region of Mexico boasts cenote-diving opportunities as well. Cenotes are underwater caves that are partially exposed to the air, and they are part of an underground, interconnected cave system. They are usually filled with brackish water (mixture of fresh groundwater and salty seawater) and are made of limestone bedrock. A cenote is created when weaknesses in the limestone bedrock lead to a cave collapsing, which forms a sinkhole and exposes the cave to the atmosphere. The freshwater of the cenote comes from filtered rainwater—its very few suspended particles make for very clear water, and great visibility. 

Impressive dive sites dot the eastern coast of Quintana Roo. Treat Cancún as your home base and make day trips down to Playa del Carmen, Cozumel Island, Cenote Dos Ojos, Tulum, and Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve to make the most of the diverse diving opportunities in this region! There are dive shops and dive resorts galore with experts that can show you the ins and outs of these gems. Liveaboard dive boats, however, are not common because all dive sites are accessible from shore or by boat.