The Yucatán Peninsula is comprised of the Mexican states of Yucatán, Campeche, and Quintana Roo, and also the countries of Belize and Guatemala. This peninsula has long stretches of coastline along the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea and certain cities along this coast have developed into popular resort and tourist destinations. Cities such as Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Akumal, and Tulum are a few examples. Aside from their beautiful beaches, these sites are also known for their scuba diving and for their proximity to ruins of the ancient Mayan civilization.

The eastern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, in particular, is dotted with reputable dive shops and dive resorts that have experts who will take you to various dive sites and share their secrets with you. Since all dive sites in this region are accessible from shore or via short boat ride, liveaboard dive operations are not necessary.

The Yucatán Peninsula boasts great diving conditions all year round due to warm water temperatures (28°C, or 82°F), with only slight cooling in the winter (25°C, or 78°F). If cenote- (cave-) diving is your main objective, May through November is the best time to visit this region, due to the peak in visibility and favorable angles of sunlight illuminating the caves. Many divers target the June through September window when whale shark sightings take place most frequently near Isla Mujeres. Be aware, however, that this window overlaps with hurricane season, so the risk of a cancelled trip is high.

The various tourist and resort cities along the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula are scuba diving hotspots because the weather is warm all year round and because there are so many diving options. Reef-diving on the Mesoamerican Great Barrier Reef, drift-diving and wall-diving just offshore of Cozumel Island, cave-diving in cenotes, shark-diving, and wreck-diving are all possibilities. 

The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef ecosystem is home to crabs, lobsters, stingrays, eagle rays, sea turtles, eels, groupers, angelfish, and damselfish. Some pelagic megafauna, such as whale sharks, migrate to this region as well.

Cenotes are comprised of a completely different community of organisms due to the difference in water chemistry. The brackish (part fresh, part salty) water of cenotes is habitable for certain fish types such as cichlids, catfish, molly fish, and tetras.

About 120km north of the northern shoreline of the Yucatán Peninsula is a large reef system called Arrecife Alacranes, or Scorpion Reef. It consists of five islands and coral atolls, and the various dive sites surrounding them have visibility ranging from 15-50m. Some of the deeper sites will attract pelagic fish types such as blue and white marlin, tuna, dorado, wahoo, and sailfish. Divers at shallower sites may see yellowtail snapper, triggerfish, and grouper. Arrecife Alacranes can only be accessed through a reputable dive shop that has the correct permits to enter this protected area.

Aside from Arrecife Alacranes, there are a plethora of diving opportunities on the east side of the Yucatán Peninsula. The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (second largest reef system in the world) runs parallel to the coastline and contains many stunning dive sites, such as those surrounding Cozumel Island and Isla Mujeres and those offshore from Playa del Carmen and Cancún.

Closer to shore in Cancún is the unique underwater sculpture museum, “El Museo Subacuático de Arte”, which displays over 500 life-sized sculptures.
The Yucatán Peninsula is also known for its thousands of cenotes and the accompanying cave-diving opportunities. Cenotes are underwater caves that are partially exposed to the air, and they make up an underground, interconnected cave system. Cenotes have great visibility because the freshwater portion of the brackish water comes from filtered rainwater. “Cenote Dos Ojos” is one such cenote that is located in Quintana Roo, and is arguably the most famous of all of the Yucatán Peninsula’s cenotes. This side-by-side pair of crystal blue cenotes has up to 40m of visibility and a beautiful landscape of cave structures.