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Off the stretch of whitewashed sand along the Riviera Maya (starting south of Cancun and extending down the coast to Punta Allen) is some awesome diving. The shallow, nearshore reefs of Playa Del Carmen are great for beginners, but you can also explore the world-famous cenotes, freshwater springs that flow beneath the limestone bedrock of the Yucatan jungle. Farther south and off-shore, the Chinchorro Banks atoll is a pristine aquatic wilderness.
Diving here ranges from snorkel-simple reefs to the freshwater labyrinth of underwater caves beneath the surface of the Yucatan mainland. Off the southern shores of the Riviera Maya coast are less-explored reefs with dramatic pillar coral, delicate anemones, current-twisted barrel sponges and stair-stepping deep reefs.
Don't miss Chichen Itza. The Yucatan offers several choices for incredibly intact Mayan ruins that are open to tourists, but the most famous, undoubtedly, is Chichen Itza. The ruins, built around 1500, cover a six-square-mile area, and the grounds include a ball field, inside passageways and ornate sculptures. A testament to the Mayans' architectural genius, on March 21 and Sept. 22 each year at approximately 4 p.m. the sun casts a shadow that covers the entire Kukulcan pyramid except for a winding band of light that resembles a snake slithering down the north staircase.
Try to visit in the morning of afternoon to avoid midday heat and plan around the crowds. You can reach this site—about 125 miles west of Cancun—by car, tour bus or even fly into the small airport. There are accommodations near the ruins and a light and sound show in the evenings.
Dive In
Pleasant weather year-round—the average annual temperature ranges from 77 degrees the mid-80s.
Cenote water temperature is in the mid-70s year-round; offshore water temps range from the upper 70s in January to the mid-80s in August. May through November is the rainy season.
Consistently great vis is the norm—near 100 feet on deeper sites, less on shallow reefs, and more than 100 feet in the cenotes.
Mexican peso (MXP), although the U.S. dollar is accepted almost everywhere. Exchange rate is approximately 10 pesos to US$1, depending on the fluctuations of the exchange rate.
Central Standard.
011-52-984.
Spanish is the official language and Mayan is the local one, though English is widely spoken, especially at hotels, dive shops and major restaurants.
110 volts, 60 cycles.
A passport is required, as well as a return or continuing ticket. Keep the paper tourist card they give you when you clear immigration--you'll need to give it back when you leave Mexico.
Included in the price of your airline ticket.
www.rivieramaya.com.
