Diving in Mexico

Dive sites in Mexico will be a feast for your eyes with the amount of marine life you can see. Larger species are prevalent when scuba diving in Mexico's famous dive areas. Expect to see sharks, whalesharks, humpback whales, hammerheads, giant mantas and even have the opportunity to dive with great white sharks (Guadalupe). The incredible dive sites in Mexico have all manner of big fish to enjoy. If you are looking for smaller life you also won't miss out. Dive spots in Mexico allow you to spot schools of fish, swordfish and nudibranch a plenty. You will see angelfish, turtles and all manner of reef fish too.

Dive areas in Mexico were once dived by pearl divers to collect pearls from the the bottom of the sea and provide livelihoods for the locals. Their methods were jumping in from a tiny canoe and diving down to collect the pearls from the bottom. Today, scuba divers collect only memories from a fantastic Mexico dive trip, a precious gift of what the sea here has to offer. Below are just some of the top areas to dive in Mexico.

Socorro - This dive area is also known as Revillagigedo Islands and it sits off the tip of Baja California in Mexico, four islands make up this dive area: Socorro Island, Clarion Island, Roca Partida and San Benedicto. One of the best ways to enjoy the sealife here is to find a quiet sheltered spot and simply watch it swim by. You are likely to catch a sighting of sharks including hammerheads in large schools and silvertips. A cleaning station for giant mantas, this area will not disappoint. Underwater pinnacles make up the majority of the topography here.

Guadalupe - Mexico scuba diving opportunities are wide in variety and come no more unique than diving in Guadalupe. Off the West coast of Baja California, Guadalupe offers a great scuba diving experience, to be underwater with Great White Sharks. Diving in a specially designed cage you will have the best opportunity in the world to see these giant predators up close and personal in their natural habitat. A great chance for photographers here too, as the Guadalupe dives offer the best visibility for underwater photographs of this incredible species.

Sea Of Cortez - Whales and large sea life are the big draw to the Sea of Cortez when choosing the best dive sites in Mexico. They arrive here in the winter months from Alaska to give birth to calves. This sea is full of life that can be appreciated when scuba diving. 850+ species live in the temperate waters of the sea of cortez. Incredible area for spotting all types of whale from sperm whale to pods of blue whales and giant manta rays reside here. Some of the first hammerhead sharks ever spotted were seen in the Sea of Cortez. Two main areas for diving here are La Paz and Cabo Pulmo. Scuba diving in La Paz will give you great opportunities to see hammerhead schools, sea lions and whale species. Cabo Pulmo is located in a sheltered bay and is a reef site with lots on offer, along with the macro species found on the reef here: nudibranch and seahorses alike; you can also enjoy the big species from this site too including humpback whales and sharks. Schooling Mobula rays are a magnificent sight and often pass through this amazingly diverse area.

SEASONS & CONDITIONS: Scuba diving in Mexico is available year round on the Caribbean coast. On the pacific coast the dive areas are more seasonal. Socorro is best dived between November and May for calm seas but to see whalesharks here arrive November or December and in the winter expect to see one of thousands of humpbacks that visit. Visibility is varied here based on the plankton but if you have plankton blooms you also have the chance of spotting more of the big fish! If it's hammerhead sharks you are after seeing then September and October in the Sea of Cortez is where you need to be.

WATER TEMPERATURES: Socorro can offer temperatures of 21-28°C so it is best to decide what suit you need to dive in. Whilst some might need 3mm shorty in these temperatures other divers might choose to keep warm in 5mm full semi-dry wetsuit. Guadalupe is colder at 19°C- 22°C and is best dived in August to October. The Sea of Cortez has its dive season from August to November and the temperatures there average at 27°C during this time.

Mexico offers scuba diving for all levels of diver. If you are diving in strong currents or taking on a shark dive you may need to have advanced levels of diving. Be sure to check the experience level recommended before booking any dive trip.

You can arrive in Mexico internationally through both Cancun Airport (Caribbean) and Mexico City. To get to the Caribbean side for diving then Cancun is on the coast. For Mexico liveaboard trips departing from the West then San Jose del Cabo or Cabo San Lucas are the nearest ports/airports with direct flights either from US or Canadian cities or from other Mexican cities.