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Mexico

Divesites
188
Centers
106
Courses & Events
95
Wildlife
38
© iStock/ferrantraite

Explore Mexico

Diving in Mexico offers an extraordinary adventure that stands out in the Western Hemisphere. With its two contrasting coastlines, Mexico presents a diverse underwater world. On the Pacific side, divers are greeted by cooler waters teeming with majestic manta rays, great white sharks, whales, and playful sea lions. In contrast, the Caribbean side boasts warm, clear waters nurturing vibrant coral reefs and attracting both colorful fish and gentle giants like whale sharks and bull sharks, which are prominent attractions at some dive sites. Beyond the shores, Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula reveals another diving marvel: the cenotes. These submerged freshwater caverns are a unique spectacle, offering a once-in-a-lifetime experience with their ethereal beauty and crystal-clear waters. Whether opting for shore dives, boat trips, or liveaboard excursions to remote islands like Socorro and Guadalupe, divers can explore an array of environments. With numerous dive centers throughout the country, enthusiasts can easily find professional guidance to embark on these underwater journeys, ensuring a safe and memorable dive holiday in Mexico.

Power Plug Type
A, B
Payment Method
VISA, MC, AMEX, DIS, Cir, Plus
Tipping
10–15% / Service Staff / Tipping is expected in restaurants, hotels, and for taxi drivers; small tips are also appreciated for bag handlers and gas station attendants.
Currency
MXN
Dial Code
+52
Electricity
127V / 60Hz
Time
UTC−8 to UTC−5

Places to explore

Courses and Events

Dive Centers

Dive Sites

Top Wildlife Sightings in Mexico

Great white sharks, the rulers of the oceanic food chain, can be found in abundance around Guadalupe Island, 250 kilometers off Mexico’s west coast. These giants use Guadalupe’s waters to hunt for sea lions, but they spend part of the day cruising calmly at a shallow depth. There are governmental rules and restrictions on chumming (putting fish in the water to attract sharks) in Guadalupe, for the good of both divers and sharks.

Oceanic manta rays are a dream of many divers, and Socorro island is famous for them. It’s often said that the mantas at Socorro, some reaching seven meters in wingspan, are the friendliest in the whole world. They tend to get close to divers, and often look them in the eye. Socorro and its neighboring islands in the Revillagigedo peninsula are hotspots for big wildlife. The list includes dolphins, whale sharks, humpback whales and hammerheads.

Bull sharks, a mighty and versatile tropical predator, can be seen in Caribbean Playa del Carmen. Female bull sharks use Playa’s shallow blue waters to breed from November to March. Bull shark dives are done without cages, so it’s important that divers stay calm, follow rules, and maintain good buoyancy.

Whale sharks, the biggest fish in the ocean, can be found in abundance near the island of Isla Mujeres off the coast of Cancun. These gentle giants gather every year to feast on the spawn of local fish species. Diving with them is not allowed, but snorkeling is just as good, if not better. The sharks skim the surface with their gaping mouths, and without heavy gear and tanks, snorkelers can more easily swim alongside them.

Saltwater crocodiles are gaining popularity as truly special marine creatures to encounter underwater. These animals are powerful, ancient predators, and snorkeling with them requires caution and guidance from trained operators. However, more and more divers are craving the awe of getting close to these reptiles’ armored bodies and huge jaws. Banco Chinchorro is the place to snorkel with saltwater crocodiles, as they live in the atoll’s mangrove forests and forage in its seagrass beds.

Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 200

Moray Eel

18k Sightings
J
2k
F
1.5k
M
1.5k
A
1.2k
M
1.2k
J
1.2k
J
1.6k
A
1.4k
S
1k
O
1.5k
N
2k
D
2k

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 27

Barracuda

14k Sightings
J
1.4k
F
1.1k
M
1.4k
A
1.1k
M
1.1k
J
1.3k
J
1.4k
A
1.1k
S
738
O
970
N
1.1k
D
1.3k

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 25

Eagle Ray

9.4k Sightings
J
1.9k
F
1.4k
M
1.3k
A
620
M
312
J
224
J
390
A
334
S
249
O
281
N
856
D
1.6k

Green Turtle

6.6k Sightings
J
708
F
440
M
602
A
399
M
514
J
525
J
665
A
555
S
357
O
521
N
696
D
633

Hawksbill Turtle

6.5k Sightings
J
610
F
516
M
623
A
477
M
518
J
515
J
700
A
524
S
378
O
544
N
548
D
502

Loggerhead Turtle

5.2k Sightings
J
456
F
292
M
563
A
492
M
574
J
551
J
535
A
384
S
243
O
321
N
380
D
379

Bull Shark

3.3k Sightings
J
664
F
349
M
160
A
61
M
59
J
49
J
45
A
71
S
41
O
121
N
909
D
801

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 7

Sea Lion

3.2k Sightings
J
211
F
197
M
149
A
151
M
213
J
92
J
155
A
196
S
360
O
546
N
624
D
350

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 600

Wrasse

2.8k Sightings
J
251
F
224
M
304
A
142
M
225
J
224
J
223
A
309
S
152
O
205
N
295
D
289

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 300

Octopus

2.6k Sightings
J
266
F
170
M
258
A
146
M
199
J
193
J
337
A
231
S
128
O
192
N
205
D
231

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 80

Stingrays

21k Sightings
J
2.5k
F
1.8k
M
1.9k
A
1.4k
M
1.4k
J
1.6k
J
1.9k
A
1.6k
S
1.1k
O
1.2k
N
2k
D
2.3k

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 90

Angelfish

21k Sightings
J
2k
F
1.6k
M
1.9k
A
1.4k
M
1.4k
J
1.7k
J
1.9k
A
1.8k
S
1.3k
O
1.6k
N
2k
D
2k

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 100

Parrotfish

18k Sightings
J
1.8k
F
1.4k
M
1.7k
A
1.3k
M
1.3k
J
1.5k
J
1.5k
A
1.5k
S
1.1k
O
1.5k
N
1.8k
D
1.8k

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 130

Pufferfish

13k Sightings
J
1.4k
F
1k
M
1.3k
A
974
M
906
J
981
J
1.1k
A
1.1k
S
825
O
1.1k
N
1.4k
D
1.4k

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 130

Butterfly Fish

12k Sightings
J
1.2k
F
939
M
1k
A
884
M
827
J
968
J
1.1k
A
1.1k
S
747
O
930
N
1.2k
D
1.2k

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 2

Nurse Shark

12k Sightings
J
1.4k
F
805
M
1k
A
924
M
892
J
877
J
1k
A
882
S
631
O
933
N
1.1k
D
1.2k

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 85

Surgeonfish

9.2k Sightings
J
950
F
625
M
708
A
653
M
617
J
738
J
939
A
870
S
660
O
624
N
946
D
834

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 40

Triggerfish

8.3k Sightings
J
899
F
669
M
816
A
645
M
574
J
720
J
689
A
655
S
540
O
525
N
763
D
780

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 25

Boxfish

7.5k Sightings
J
827
F
636
M
718
A
612
M
463
J
515
J
664
A
751
S
366
O
504
N
713
D
746

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 7000

Crab

7.2k Sightings
J
765
F
629
M
821
A
530
M
443
J
567
J
545
A
511
S
452
O
530
N
676
D
768

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 60

Spiny Lobster

7k Sightings
J
745
F
632
M
712
A
461
M
423
J
464
J
615
A
580
S
410
O
536
N
687
D
735

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 350

Damselfish

6.9k Sightings
J
745
F
505
M
632
A
480
M
456
J
570
J
663
A
711
S
463
O
449
N
633
D
627

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 55

Lobster

6.8k Sightings
J
690
F
644
M
784
A
480
M
455
J
629
J
591
A
426
S
319
O
547
N
565
D
691

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 150

Sweetlips and Grunts

6.2k Sightings
J
615
F
423
M
425
A
434
M
406
J
629
J
580
A
627
S
354
O
420
N
665
D
602

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 3

Trumpetfish

5.9k Sightings
J
726
F
487
M
528
A
377
M
278
J
377
J
437
A
477
S
375
O
509
N
705
D
673

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 250

Grouper/Basslets

5.7k Sightings
J
574
F
476
M
461
A
365
M
413
J
449
J
440
A
473
S
318
O
425
N
715
D
595

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 12

Lionfish

5.6k Sightings
J
601
F
380
M
284
A
269
M
243
J
435
J
651
A
555
S
363
O
520
N
761
D
526

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 90

Goatfish

5.1k Sightings
J
543
F
413
M
412
A
383
M
316
J
390
J
433
A
559
S
318
O
409
N
471
D
454

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 110

Snapper

4.9k Sightings
J
533
F
380
M
416
A
343
M
291
J
394
J
454
A
440
S
277
O
340
N
563
D
511

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 20

Porcupinefish

4.7k Sightings
J
553
F
392
M
475
A
302
M
329
J
256
J
375
A
347
S
295
O
341
N
532
D
526

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 40

Jackfish

3.6k Sightings
J
447
F
263
M
305
A
238
M
220
J
285
J
254
A
376
S
172
O
289
N
413
D
356

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 120

Flounder

3k Sightings
J
404
F
247
M
313
A
196
M
230
J
214
J
249
A
251
S
187
O
137
N
276
D
321

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 60

Soldierfish

2.9k Sightings
J
389
F
230
M
263
A
235
M
186
J
212
J
292
A
267
S
119
O
87
N
324
D
294

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 60

Squirrelfish

2.6k Sightings
J
360
F
178
M
243
A
191
M
101
J
211
J
195
A
187
S
173
O
156
N
281
D
315

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 3400

Shrimp

1.4k Sightings
J
148
F
167
M
139
A
100
M
98
J
80
J
120
A
99
S
36
O
75
N
148
D
147

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 250

Scorpionfish

1.3k Sightings
J
139
F
104
M
121
A
76
M
108
J
40
J
181
A
138
S
64
O
71
N
168
D
93

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 8

Bannerfish

1.2k Sightings
J
123
F
92
M
98
A
89
M
73
J
94
J
107
A
178
S
65
O
87
N
109
D
84

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 30

Sand Eel

1.1k Sightings
J
166
F
79
M
82
A
53
M
86
J
54
J
108
A
128
S
69
O
48
N
138
D
121