Punta Sur Drift Dive

Punta Sur is the southern point of Isla Mujeres, a rocky headland on the island's open-sea side, with cliffs and a lighthouse above and a sculpture garden on top. Underwater, the reef here faces the full Caribbean, and the water moving past the end of the island creates the strongest current of any regular dive in the Cancun area. Guides describe the Punta Sur drift dive as a long ride, with one account putting the route at around 3 miles (about 5 km).

The point and the current

Along this coast the water generally flows north, part of the movement that runs up the Yucatán coast towards the Gulf of Mexico. Around a headland like Punta Sur, shallow ground and the shape of the island squeeze and speed up that flow. The result is current that can be very strong and that changes with wind, tide and the day. That makes Punta Sur a site operators visit only when the sea is calm and the current is manageable, and one where the guide's judgement matters more than any published depth.

How the dive works

Like all drift dives, Punta Sur is done "live boat": the boat drops the group up-current, follows the bubbles, and picks everyone up at the end. Expect a briefing that covers:

• A negative or quick descent, so the group reaches the reef together and isn't swept apart at the surface.
• Staying close to the guide and your buddy, low over the reef, where the current is weaker.
• What to do if you get separated: ascend slowly, do your safety stop, deploy a surface marker buoy and wait for the boat.
• The end of the dive: the guide sends up a marker, the group does a safety stop together in open water, and the boat comes to you.

Carry your own surface marker buoy and reel if you have them, and know how to use them before the trip. Our guide to Cancun drift diving covers the skills in more detail.

What you see on the Punta Sur drift dive

Drift dives are about the ride as much as the reef. The scenery passes quickly: large coral heads, sea fans bent over by the flow, and sandy stretches between them. Water moving past the point brings food, so fish life is busy. Expect groupers, snappers, jacks and barracuda, with turtles seen often. One operator says loggerhead and green turtles gather here to mate in late spring and early summer, roughly May to July. Accounts also mention an old ship's anchor, encrusted in coral, along one route, said to be centuries old. Ask your guide whether today's line passes it.

It is hard to stop and look closely in strong current, so this isn't a dive for macro photography. Keep your camera clipped close and your hands free.

Who should dive Punta Sur

Experienced divers only. Operators describe it as a dive for divers with the skills for strong current, and most will want to see recent dives and good buoyancy before they take you. Before you try it, you should be comfortable with:

• Fast descents and equalising on the way down.
• Holding position low over the reef without grabbing anything.
• Watching your air and depth while moving fast.
• Deploying a surface marker buoy and doing a safety stop in open water with no reference.

If you haven't done a drift dive before, start with the gentle drifts at Chitales and the Punta Cancun reefs or the light drift at La Bandera, covered on our Isla Mujeres dive sites page.

When it's called off

Punta Sur needs calm seas. Wind and swell from the east or north-east make the open side of the island rough and the pickup dangerous, and winter cold fronts (nortes) can close the port completely. Operators also cancel when the current is simply too strong to dive safely. If Punta Sur is the dive you came for, leave room in your schedule and accept the guide's call on the day. The sheltered reefs on the west side of the island are the usual back-up.

Conditions at Punta Sur change from day to day. Nothing on this page replaces the briefing from a guide who dives it regularly.