Marine life
All the dive sites along the coast of Playa del Carmen are populated with sea turtles, horse eye jacks, tarpons, green morays, spotted eagle rays. Manta rays, nurse sharks, bull sharks and whale sharks can also be found, especially during the winter months.
Jardines, Motche, Chunzubul
40ft/12m - These three shallow reefs are found in front of Playa del Carmen. Here you will find a large variety of coral, soft coral, sponges and sea fans. You can also find barracuda, Nassau grouper, spotted eel, green morays, spotted stingrays, angel fish and porcupine fish. Perfect for beginner or novice divers.
Cabesos
40ft/12m - At a shallow drop of 6/10ft 2/3m, you will find many different sizes of brain coral, soft coral, small canyons and caves, large schools of fish, as well as spiny lobsters and moray eels. This is a great place for beginners.
Barracuda, Sabalos
50ft/14m - Small wall of 6/10ft 2/3m scattered with overhangs, small caves and swim-throughs. These are often filled with huge schools of fish. Also found are soft coral, sea fan, brain coral, coral fish, barracudas and eels. There is a current present on this reef.
Tarpon, Tortuga
60ft/18m - This beautiful reef is a flat garden with many types of coral and sponges. The abundance of sponges has created a perfect environment for turtles and holds a population of over one hundred turtles. At certain times of the year, it is also possible to see huge schools of tarpon, sharks and other large fish. This dive site also has a strong current, which allows the diver to experience a "flying" sensation.
Punta Venado, Islote
80ft/25m - This deep reef contains some of the most spectacular coral, soft coral and sea fans in the Playa del Carmen area. It is also possible to see sharks, turtles and other larger marine life. This is a drift dive.
Pared Verde
100ft/30m - This wall lies at 30ft/10m where you can find green and black coral and huge sponges. It is also possible to see sharks, turtles and moray eels. This dive is for advanced divers and is a drift dive.
Los Arcos
100ft/30m - You can find different-sized arches and caves, many that you can swim through. There are schools of colored fish such as pork fish, barracuda, grouper and horse eye jacks. This is a drift dive.
Mama Vina wreck
This recreational shipwreck lies at 95ft730m. Over the years, it has become the home to many grouper, barracuda and small gardens of coral. Divers can explore the rooms of this once privately-owned yacht and see the many delights a shipwreck has to offer. The strong currents and the depth of the boat make this dive suitable for more advanced divers.
Cozumel
Discover the largest barrier reef of the northern hemisphere. The coral and sponge formations in Cozumel are spectacular. The variety of marine life is incredible, with an abundance of grouper, jacks, barracuda and many other kinds of fish found in the Caribbean Sea. Also found are spotted eagle rays, southern stingrays, green morays, manta rays and nurse sharks. Less frequently seen but not impossible to find, especially in the winter months, are other kind of sharks such as black-tip sharks, hammerhead sharks and bull sharks. The temperature of the water is between 76° to 80°F from November to March and from 80° to 85°F between April and October. The average visibility in Cozumel is between 60/100ft 18/30m.
Cozumel Island
Viva Wyndham Diving organizes dive trips to the world famous "Cozumel Island." The day starts at 8.00am in our dive center. From here you will be taken by car to the ferry pier in Playa del Carmen for the 9.00am ferry to Cozumel. After a 30-minute trip you arrive in Cozumel, where a Viva Wyndham Diving representative will be waiting for you at the ferry terminal with a big sign. Using a fast and comfortable boat and with a maximum of 8 divers, a professional divemaster or instructor will show you the best of two reefs in one of the most renowned dive destinations in the world. The first dive of the day is usually a wall dive, with a depth range between 70/90ft (23/27m), while the second will be a shallow dive around 40/60ft (12/18m). The surface interval is spent on one of the best beaches of the island, where you can relax and enjoy your box lunch, which is included in your Cozumel with Viva diving package.
Mineral water and soft drinks are available on-board the boat. Return time is at 4:00pm via the ferry from Cozumel.
Cenotes
An adventure to the inside of the earth! Created thousands of years ago by rainwater, which filtered through the limestone surface, these rivers have become, with time, a subterranean paradise. Caverns and vaults, with impressive rock formations are found throughout these water-filled tunnels. Experts believe that during the Ice Age, when the water level went down, rain filtered through the ground dragging minerals from soil to create thousands of stalactites and stalagmites in the empty caverns. The melting of the poles caused water levels to rise, ultimately flooding these underground caverns and tunnels. The entrance to this magical world is through "Cenotes," which were formed when the land weakened and collapsed. Cenotes were sacred to the Maya; they were considered the entrance to the spiritual underworld and provided the only source of fresh water in the jungle.
The Yucatan Peninsula is probably the most famous place in the world for this type of diving. Along the main freeway that runs from Playa del Carmen to Tulum, there are almost 30 different Cenotes. Every Cenote offers unique delights for exploring divers. In some you find laser green lights entering through holes in the ceiling of the caverns. In others roots of mangroves and trees grow into the caverns searching for water, or you can admire the many spectacular rock formations. In all of the Cenotes you experience the crystal-clear water that makes diving here what has been described as a "flight." They are all shallow dives with a maximum depth of 45ft/14m and visibility up to 300ft/100m. The temperature of the water is usually between 76° and 80°F. Viva Wyndham Diving organizes dive trips to the incredible Yucatan Cenotes. Included is transportation from the hotel at 9:00am by car to the first Cenote. You will be diving with a full cave-certified instructor in a small group with a maximum of 4 divers. There is always light entering the cavern, and the flashlight that you will be carrying will act as an extra light source.
The surface interval, most of the time, is spent in the jungle around the Cenote. A box lunch with mineral water and soft drinks is included in your Viva Wyndham Diving package. Your second dive will either take place in a completely different Cenote or on a different circuit of the first dive. Return time is around 3:00pm.
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