The Top 5 Places to go Scuba Diving in Mexico

Sep 15

Scuba Diving | Travel Aimz | www.travelaimz.com

Mexico offers an abundance of different scuba diving experiences, and for divers of all levels, from shipwreck dives, to sinkholes and sharks. Scuba diving in Mexico is also great for underwater photography with a diverse range of marine life, caves, and sunken ships to capture, so whether you are a professional underwater photographer or simply love a good Instagram photo to show your friends, then be sure to take an underwater camera when you Scuba Dive in Mexico.

Below we have outlined the 5 best locations to Scuba Dive in Mexico, to help you narrow down the choices for your next scuba diving holiday. All of these top scuba diving locations have something unique to offer, and there is something for all experience levels on this list.

Socorro

You will consistently find Socorro Island the highest rated place to scuba dive in Mexico. The largest of 4 islands in the Revillagigedo Archipelago and located 600km from the closest mainland. What makes Socorro so special is it’s diversity of marine life. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and considered to have a similar diversity of marine life as the Galapagos Islands, making it an extremely active ocean spot to scuba dive

You are almost guaranteed to have incredible encounters with marine life here, including the giant pacific manta ray and hammerhead sharks. In fact it is rated as one of the best places in the world to dive with Manta Rays. We all know there is nothing worse than scuba diving and seeing no marine life. With some of the biggest spots like Australia's great barrier reefs, leading to less and less encounters, this barely touched island 600km into the pacific ocean will surely make up for it.

However diving in Socorro does have some down sides. The water is really rough, so scuba diving here isn’t for the faint hearted, and it’s recommended that only advanced open water divers dive here. But if you’ve got the experience, then dive straight in (no pun intended).

Main Attractions: Sharks (inc whale sharks) & Manta Rays

Best time to go: Nov - May is ‘safari season’ (pick specific months within this for specific animals)

Closest Airport: Los Cabos International Airport (SJD).

Required Diving Ability: Advanced

Isla Mujeres

Next up on our list of the best places to scuba dive in Mexico is Isla Mujeres. A Mexican Island in the Caribbean, renowned for its crystal clear waters and surrounding coral reefs that make it great for Scuba Diving. In fact Isla Mujeres is part of the second largest reef system in the world, and considered one of the best reefs to dive in the world.

A BIG plus is, it’s also a great diving location for scuba divers of all levels, from first timers all the way through to the advanced thrill seekers, as it has so much to offer. For the less experienced diver there is a lot of marine life to encounter safely, whereas the more experienced divers can opt for cenote or shipwreck diving.

The island is located where the gulf of Mexico meets the Caribbean sea, bringing an abundance of tropical fish & Sea turtles into its waters, and for an added bonus its crystal clear waters means your almost guaranteed great visibility. If you are lucky enough to be travelling between May and August, then you may be able to dive with whale sharks, the BFGs of the sea.

ISLA MUJERES has multiple shipwreck dives located just off it’s shores and up to 100ft below sea level, as well as regular trips to a network of underground caves and rivers (Cenotes), located a short ride just off the coast of Cancun.

Last but not least ISLA MUJERES is also where you will find the famous underwater art museum, often referred to as the playground of the sea. The museum consists of 500 underwater life-size statues, including one of a Vespa. Don’t worry, it’s also suitable for all levels.

Main Attractions: Shipwrecks, Underwater Museum, Sea Turtles & Cenotes

Best time to go: Dec - May

Closest Airport: Isla Mujeres National Airport

Required Diving Ability: Beginner

Guadalupe

Now if you have been dreaming of diving with great white sharks, or you are like me and had no luck in South Africa, so had to try elsewhere, Guadalupe is the answer to your prayers. It is the most reliable location in the world for consistent great white shark sightings.

GUADALUPE is an uninhabited island located 240km from the nearest mainland, therefore the only way to dive here is via a liveaboard boat. Yes that means you will be sleeping just above the most shark infested waters in the world. Cool or terrifying?

Another plus is the waters are actually relatively calm and clear meaning great conditions for viewing and thankfully without thrashing around too much in the cage. Expeditions depart from Mexico (as well as San Diego), and usually last 5 days, with 3 days for diving and 1 day each way for travel.

The expeditions means you can cage dive up to 3 times a day, and the dives happen from dawn until dusk, with full food and drink served onboard. What more could you ask for?

Regal Diving Mexico offers a great package.

Main Attractions: Great White Sharks

Best time to go: July - November

Closest Airport: Ensenada Airport (Via Mexico City) OR San Diego Airport

Required Diving Ability: Intermediate+

Cenotes | Travel Aimz | www.travelaimz.com

Riviera Maya

Riviera Maya, located on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula is the best for underwater cave diving due to its HUGE network of Cenotes that attract divers from all over the world.

You might be surprised to hear that, although you have to be a certified open water diver to go on the Cenote diving tours, you don’t have to have advanced diving qualifications. A specialist Centote guide will provide you with all the equipment you need, and go through all the necessary briefing to ensure you are safe and have an awesome time exploring this unique underwater world.

If you are lucky you’ll also get to swim with green or logger turtles who have their nesting ground here (May - Sept).

Main Attractions: Cenotes & Logger Turtles

Best time to go: May - Sept

Closest Airport: Cancun International Airport

Required Diving Ability: Intermediate

La Paz

Last but not least, on this list of the best places to scuba dive in Mexico is; La Paz. La Paz is the capital of Baja California Sur, a strip of land separated from Mexico by the Gulf of California.

Diving at La Paz it’s all about the Sea of Cortez. The sea of Cortez is extremely rich in marine life, and home to over 900 species of fish. Most importantly also the adorable sea lions, where it is home to a colony of over 400.

From December to May you’ll be able to swim with the pups of the sea, and experience their playfulness. Even better if you go in the winter months you’ll possibly be able to swim with the sea lions, and then head slightly further out on your tour to swim with Whale Sharks. What a combo!

Main Attractions: Sea Lions & Whale Sharks

Best time to go: Oct - Nov

Closest Airport: La Paz International Airport

Required Diving Ability: Beginner + (Dependent on excursion)