Puerto Morelos Dive Sites

Puerto Morelos is a small fishing and holiday town on the coast between Cancun and Playa del Carmen. Its reef runs parallel to the shore a short distance out, and it is protected as the Parque Nacional Arrecife de Puerto Morelos, a federal park created by decree in February 1998 and covering about 9,066 hectares. It is also listed as a Ramsar wetland of international importance. That makes it a different place to dive from Cancun, with its own rules, its own shops and far fewer boats.

The reef park

The barrier reef at Puerto Morelos sits roughly 500 m to a few kilometres offshore, enclosing a shallow lagoon of sand and seagrass. On the seaward side, the reef breaks up into a spur-and-groove pattern: fingers of coral running out to sea, separated by channels of white sand. It makes for easy, scenic diving: you swim along a coral finger, cross a sand channel, and follow the next one back. When there is current, you can drop into a channel and get out of it.

The park is also one of the most studied reefs in Mexico. The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) runs a marine research station in Puerto Morelos, and the reef has been monitored for decades. In 2018 the stony coral tissue loss disease reached the Mexican Caribbean, with early reports from the Puerto Morelos area, and it has killed many brain, pillar and star corals here, as elsewhere in the region. Expect some dead coral alongside healthy patches.

Reef sites

Site names in Puerto Morelos come from local operators, and the most often mentioned are below. Ask your shop which ones are open, since the park manages access and some areas are rested from time to time.

Jardines

Jardines ("the gardens") is a shallow reef at about 6 to 13 m with little or no current most days. It has a small wall and the classic coral fingers, with mini canyons between them where you can drop out of any flow. It suits every level, and it is a common choice for courses and refreshers.

Bonanza

Bonanza is one of the shallowest dives here, at about 4 to 8 m: long fingers of coral, sand channels and lots of light. Operators mention eagle rays over the sand in winter. It is a good dive for new divers and photographers.

Other reef sites

Local shops run a number of other named reefs along the park, with similar shallow spur-and-groove structure. Most of the reef dives here stay above 15 m, so it is a relaxed place to rack up dives.

The C-56 Juan Escutia wreck

Puerto Morelos also has a deep wreck: the C-56 Juan Escutia, a former Mexican Navy ship sunk as an artificial reef off the town. She was built in the United States during the Second World War as the minesweeper USS Knave, transferred to Mexico in 1962, later named ARM Cadete Juan Escutia (C-56), and deliberately sunk off Puerto Morelos by the Mexican Navy on 28 October 2000. She lies at around 25 to 28 m, and the hull is described as mostly intact, with deck guns still in place on some accounts.

Like the C-58 and C-55 off Cancun, the C-56 is an advanced dive: deep, in open water, often with current. Operators usually ask for Advanced Open Water or equivalent and recent experience, and nitrox helps.

Why dive Puerto Morelos rather than Cancun

• Fewer boats. The reef is close to a small town, not a hotel zone, so mornings are quieter.
• Short rides. The reef is close to shore, so the boat trip is minutes, not half an hour.
• A different look. The spur-and-groove reef is unlike the low patch reefs in Bahía de Mujeres.
• Between two hubs. It is roughly halfway between Cancun airport and Playa del Carmen, a good base for combining reef dives with the cenotes inland.

Practical notes

Dive with a licensed local operator: the park requires it and charges a fee, usually through the shop. The park's rules are like those in Cancun's park: no touching, no gloves, no feeding, and restrictions on sunscreen in the water. Winter north winds and summer storms can close the port. Water temperatures and seasons are the same as in Cancun. For the animals you're likely to see, read our Cancun marine life guide, and if you're new to diving, compare these reefs with the other Cancun dive sites for beginners.

Park size and dates come from Mexico's official decree as published. Site depths are typical operator figures and vary along each reef.