Macro Diving in Mexico

The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System is the world's second-largest barrier reef. It starts at the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula and follows the coastline down towards Belize and Honduras, passing Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum as it runs past the Riviera Maya. The diving on Mexico's Caribbean coast has something for everyone; beginners can explore the healthy shallow reefs and hunt for seahorses, while experienced divers can enjoy the drift diving and bull sharks at Cozumel.

Diving the Yucatan coast will keep macro photographers busy, snapping away at cleaner shrimp, nudibranchs and decorator crabs, while the holy grail of macro critters in the area is the funky-looking splendid toadfish, once thought to be endemic to Cozumel. But don't spend the whole dive staring into your camera's screen-have a glance over your shoulder now and again, just in case a whale shark is trying to sneak past unnoticed.

Allow us to tailor your perfect itinerary to sample these varied delights; we can take care of all the details while you concentrate on figuring out a way of fitting both your wide-angle dome and your macro lenses into your luggage…

Playa del Carmen

One of Mexico's more famous resort areas, Playa del Carmen looks out across to Cozumel Island. At Cozumel, you can drift dive with bull sharks and hunt for macro critters like seahorses and flamingo tongue cowries, while the local sites in Playa del Carmen house lobsters, king crabs and seahorses.

Xpu Ha

A little to the south of Playa del Carmen is the quieter village of Xpu Ha. From here you can still dive the Cozumel sites, and you are in a prime location to check out the cenote diving at Cenote Manati - one of the largest in the region. You can also take trips to sample the diving at Tulum and explore the Tulum Ruins.

Punta Maroma

The beach at Punta Maroma has been touted as one of the most beautiful in the world. Situated a half-hour drive to the north of Playa del Carmen, a stay here also puts you in a prime location to enjoy the macro diving of Mexico in the region. You can head to Cozumel in search of splendid toadfish with your macro set-up, while you can also, depending on the time of year, head north to Islas Mujeres to snorkel with the visiting whale sharks.