Best Diving in the World
The Chinchorro Banks are one of the last unspoiled dive destinations this side of the world, and certainly in the Caribbean. They benefit from being both remote and inaccessible with access requiring special permits from the Mexican Federal Government.
They are located approximately 19 miles (31 km) off the coast of Mahahual, which is about a 4 hour drive south of Playa del Carmen. It is part of the Meso American reef system and covers an area of approximately 300 sq. miles (800 sq. km) of which less than one percent is above water.
This is the largest atoll in the Northern Hemisphere, and the only atoll in Mexican Waters. It is approximately 9 miles (15km) wide and nearly 30 miles (48km) long. There are 95 different species of coral and over 200 different species of fish. Jacques Cousteau once referred to it as the "best diving in the world".
The atoll is a continuous reef with six entries to the inside of the reef. The shallow inside of the atoll is up to 5 meters deep, on the outside of the atoll the dive sites vary from 3 to 40 meters in depth. The formation of the reef at Chinchorro consists of both vertical walls and sloping walls.
Visibility is generally 80 to 100 feet (25-30 m) and currents are slight but constant bringing many nutrients to the flourishing reef. The best dive spots can be found on the east side of the atoll. The reason for this is that this is the place where the numerous Spanish colonial ships and steam ships stranded on the coral.
Marine Life
The reef is home to a spectacular diversity of marine life, endangered sea turtles are abundant in the inner lagoon, anemones are found on Chinchorro in great numbers (anemones are related to polyps, but are larger). They are found in bright colors and have tentacles from which tube worms open plankton-trapping "umbrellas" that resemble the plumage of exotic birds.
Sponges are also found in abundance on the reef in a variety of species, the largest are the giant barrel & elephant ear sponges. The sea urchin most commonly seen at Chinchorro is the Diadema antillarum, which has long, dark, pointy spines. A shorter, thicker-spined species is just as prevalent, but because it prefers the underside of rocks and the nooks and crannies of hard coral, it is rarely seen. Spiny lobsters and star snakes also like to hide in rocks. Star snakes are similar to star fish but have longer appendages and are covered in spines.
Other reef dwellers include various kinds of crab, shrimp, snail, conch, and worms. Many reef creatures are nocturnal and are seldom active during the day, others, if out, are cautious. Of the 200 species identified so far, the majority are colored tropical fish that tend to swim in schools: parrotfish, butterflyfish, angelfish, baloonfish, sergeant majors, surgeonfish, damselfish, blue angelfish, tangs, wrasse, jacknife and many others. These bits of color flit among the coral, apparently unperturbed by man or beast, certainly not by the barracuda and moray eel, both of which feed on their species.
Species of infrequently seen bat fish and the enormous, yet rare, goliath grouper are also found at Chinchorro. The barracuda grow to over 1.8m/6 foot, and there are copious amounts of queen trigger fish. Dolphins, Eagle Rays and Stingrays are also commonly spotted while diving. Chinchorro is truly an underwater paradise.
Wrecks
On the windward side of the banks, there are a variety of wrecks from all time periods—everything from tankers to (rumor has it) a sunken German U-boat and XVII-century Spanish galleons. The remains of at least 18 ships that sank between 1600 and 1800 have been discovered, and the reef has proved just as treacherous to modern ships. Near Cayo Centro there is a wreck called the Glenview, a British cargo ship with a 120-meter draft that went down in 1960 not far from the Ginger Scout, which preceded it four years earlier.
There are anywhere between 30 and 200 wrecks in total at Chinchorro (depending on who you ask), the list of ships that have ended their days on the reef is long and includes the Cassel, Far Star, Tropic, Huba, San Andres, SS Caldera, SS Escasell, SS Ginger Screw, SS Glen View and SS Penelopez just to name a few, and others so torn up, only their canons and the river rocks they used for ballast are left. At one spot a line of anchors, obviously dropped one after the other in a desperate attempt to save the ship, is all that remains.
As so many of the wrecks are in 30’ of water or less, there are quite a few whose upper structures can be seen well before arrival at the site. Because of the shallow depths you can get more than an hour bottom time on each tank and many wrecks are suitable for snorkeling as well. That spells a whole lot of wreck exploration.
We are offering a Chinchorro Bank Trip on a Liveaboard Diving Boat for 7 Days / 6 Nights (or possibly 6 Day / 5 Nights) depending on whether or not people want to combine this trip with diving Cenotes. Anticipated cost will be around $1,800 - $2,000, the time of year will be dependent upon the preferences of those who express interest in this trip. If you are interested, please click below and give us your feedback.
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Chinchorros Banks |
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Chinchorro Bank Dive Sites
Reef Diving Sites
The Garden
Excellent soft corals and sponges in the shallower areas and another patch reef in 60-80 feet of water.
Aquarium I and Aquarium II
Aquarium I and Aquarium II, just south of Cayo Centro, are shallow anchor dives amid an abundance of sea fans and elkhorn coral. The sites frequently have large schools of blue tang.
Dos Primas
DOS Primas, a shallow drift dive site between Cayo Centro and Cayo Norte, features immense sponges, large-sized black coral trees, and, frequently, large grouper.
The Cut
The Cut is a dive near the cut to Cayo Centro. It's located along a sloping wall that drops from 15 to 40 feet and is covered with antler corals, black corals, and gorgonians. This is a fishy site among big coral heads and canyons that has no significant current.
Punta Isabel
Punta Isabel is located in front of Cayo Centro. It's a drift or anchor dive among large sponges, gorgonians, and corals. There are often snapper, grouper, and barracuda as well as sea turtles, eagle rays, lobsters, and conch
Paradise
Paradise is a shallow dive in front of Cayo Centro. This anchor dive has a lot of elkhorn and brain corals, and usually plenty of blue tang, hogfish, and pink conch.
Kai Ha
Kai Ha is a 35-60 foot dive just north of Punta Gonzalez that tends to be a very fishy site.
Punta Gonzalez
Punta Gonzalez is a drift dive with immense sponges, many large gorgonians, and usually a chance to see sea turtles, eagle rays, and lobsters. It is located in front of Cayo Centro.
La Boya
La Boya is a great dive site with a flat sandy top at 10 feet, then a sloping reef wall with hard and soft corals that gives way at depth to another sand flat with some really enormous barrel sponges, yellow tube sponges and elephant ear sponges that must be about 10 feet across! Careful scrutiny of the beautiful crinoids will reveal small arrow crabs and squat lobsters. Lower still, look out for Spotted Eagle Rays, which cruise this area frequently. Southern Stingrays can be found shuffling across the sand flats.
Wrecks of Chinchorro
(not all may be diveable depending on changing government regulations)
Unidentified Galleon #1
This wreck site contains a cargo of silver bars from Peru.
Spanish Galleon Anchors
17th century ship containing 2 anchors and a large quantity of river stones that were used for ballast.
SS Far Star (or SS Five Star)
Far Star was a 1970s cargo boat laid down in 8 meter of water. A large steel-hulled transport ship, it was loaded with sugar when it ran aground on the southeast corner of Chinchorro. Starting just beneath the surface, the spur and groove reef structure is littered with a profusion of steel plating, winches, generators, a huge diesel engine, and immense smoke stacks. The brass and stainless steel screw is well over seven feet in diameter, and the equally immense anchor clearly weighs many tons. The light is perfect, highlighting the hundreds of yellow-tailed snapper that swirl around the wreckage - another diver's and photographer's delight. The wreck is on the southeast corner of Chinchorro just south of Cayo Lobos, and accessing it requires the calmest of days with gentle easterly or northerly winds. The middle of the boat is covered with fire coral, and the surrounding reef has many brain and elkhorn corals. There are often blue tang and ocean triggerfish as well as lots of barracuda, and the stronger current ups the odds of seeing sharks, including hammerheads, tiger sharks, black tips, bull sharks, reef sharks, and nurse sharks. Visibility on this dive is often in the 120ft + range.
Xuba (or Huba)
Cargo ship from the 20th century.
Pecio Ingles
Built around the 16th century. A canon, anchor, and money can be found.
Unidentified Galleon # 2
Galleon containing a cargo of smoking pipes.
Tropic
Built in the 20th century and run aground in 1965.
Kassel (or Cassel)
German ship constructed in the 20th century out of steel. Ran aground in 1955.
Timon
Galleon containing 6 anchors.
San Andres
Cargo ship from the 20th century.
Unidentified Galleon #3
Large quantities of jade and construction wood.
Unidentified Galleon # 4
Spanish galleon from the 17th century. Contains metal pots of approx. 60 cm diameter that were used by the crew.
SS Glen View
Built in 1947, the Liberian Steamship Glenview ran aground in 1964 while on ballast voyage from Puerto Barrios, Guatamala to Tampico, Mexico. The salvage tug 'Cable' reached the wrecked vessel 5 days later and found her resting on large rocks with nos. 6 and 7 double bottom tanks open to the sea. In spite of several attempts to try to refloat her, the Ss Glenview' remained firmly aground, with a heavy easterly swell making her pound heavily on the rocks. So severe was this vibration that the salvage master reported that he was unable to stand on her deck. Having sustained extremely sever bottom damage refloating was considered to be nor feasible and the 'Glenview' was abandoned as a constructive total loss.
Unidentified Galleon #5
Wreck site contains construction wood, silver pesos, mercury and thermometers.
Penelopez (or Penelope)
Cargo ship from the 20th century. 35.000 tons.
SS Ginger Screw (or Ginger Scout)
Shrimp boat from the 20th century. The original name is Inger Shoal.
Unidentified Galleon #6
The wreck site contains large quantities of river stones that were used as ballast.
Unidentified Wreck #7
30,000 ton Cargo ship of the 20th century. Ran aground between 1961-63. The boiler can be seen at the surface.
Cuarenta Canones (40 Cannons)
The shallow bottom near Cayo Norte is littered with scores of brass cannon, some over ten feet in length. Dating to the 17th century, experts say these cannon suggest that this may be a Dutch wreck, or possibly even a pirate ship. There is also at least one very large cast-iron double-fluke anchor. Set in only 10-12 feet of water, this site is easily accessible to divers and snorkelers, and is surrounded with healthy corals and good fish life. As you might imagine, it is a great site for underwater photography.
With no significant current, this is a beautiful snorkeling site and a great dive. There is a wide assortment of corals on this site and often a lot of French angelfish and queen angelfish.
Copper Clad Wreck
Lying in 70 feet of water, what remains of the wreck are only the traces of the hull timbers, brass nails, and hand-hammered copper sheeting that once clad the hull to protect it against invasion by marine worms. This unusual cladding indicates that this wreck dates to the 18th century. The wooden remains of the hull suggest that the ship was afire when it went down.
Mary
The Mary sank in 1858. The Mary was a British cargo ship.
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