Scuba Diving in the Riviera Maya: Reefs, Cenotes, Sharks and Cozumel

Short answer: the Riviera Maya is one of the few places where you can dive a coral reef, a freshwater cenote and bull sharks in the same week, and Playa del Carmen sits in the middle of it all. The home reefs are ten minutes by boat, Cozumel is a speedboat ride away, the cenotes are 20 to 60 minutes inland, and from November to February the bull sharks gather off the beach.

This guide covers the kinds of diving on the coast, where each one is, the level it needs, the best time for it and what it costs, with a sample week at the end. It is written from Playa del Carmen, where we dive every day, so it also explains why scuba diving in Playa del Carmen is the easiest way to reach it all.

The Riviera Maya dive map at a glance

Prices are per diver for two dives, except the bull shark feeding dive and the cave dives. Cenote days include transport from Playa del Carmen and full equipment.

The reefs: Playa del Carmen and Cozumel

The Mesoamerican Reef runs down this coast from the tip of the Yucatán to Honduras, and the stretch off Playa del Carmen is its easiest way in. The home reefs sit ten minutes from the beach: coral gardens at 10 to 14 metres, a turtle drift, a wall, and the Mama Viña wreck at around 30 metres for Advanced divers. Turtles, rays, moray eels and nurse sharks live here all year. Reef mornings are two dives for 2,200 MXN, with the sites chosen each day for the conditions, and our guide to the best dive sites in Playa del Carmen describes each one.

Across the channel, Cozumel has the stronger currents, the deeper walls and the reputation. You do not need to move islands to dive it: the Cozumel day trip from Playa del Carmen leaves Coco Beach at 08:00, crosses by speedboat straight to the reefs of the marine park for two drift dives with brunch on board, and is back around 12:30, for 3,400 MXN. If you are choosing where to stay, read Cozumel or Playa del Carmen for diving.

The cenotes: nine routes from Playa del Carmen

Inland, the jungle hides the flooded caves that made the Riviera Maya famous. A cenote dive is a guided cavern dive inside the daylight zone, with a certified cenote guide and four divers at most, and it is open to certified recreational divers. The water is 24 to 26°C all year and the visibility is measured in tens of metres.

The routes fall into three groups. Near Playa, Chac Mool and Kukulkan, Chikin Ha and Ponderosa and Tajma Ha are 20 to 30 minutes away and the natural first cenote. Near Tulum, Dos Ojos, Taak Bi Ha and Dreamgate stay shallow, while El Pit and Angelita reach 30 metres. Near Puerto Morelos, Zapote hides the Hells Bells, a formation found nowhere else in the world.

All nine, with depths, levels and prices from 3,000 to 3,800 MXN, are on our cenote diving in Playa del Carmen page, and our guide to choosing a cenote tour explains what to look for.

Bull sharks, November to February

Every winter, from November to February, bull sharks gather at Shark Point, a few hundred metres off the beach in Playa del Carmen, on the sand at about 24 metres. There is no cage on these dives. Bull shark dives in Playa del Carmen come in two versions: observation at 2,800 MXN, with a second reef dive and a Nitrox tank included, or feeding at 4,200 MXN. Both carry a marine park fee of about 100 MXN, and Advanced Open Water is recommended.

Season dates move a little each year, so book early; our bull shark diving guide explains how the dives work.

Cave diving for full cave divers

Beyond the daylight zone lie some of the longest underwater cave systems in the world. They are for full cave certified divers only, and every dive is planned around your experience and goals: guided cave diving with us costs 5,000 MXN for one set of doubles and 7,000 MXN for two. If you want to get there one day, read how to become a cave diver in Mexico.

Why Playa del Carmen is the best base for Riviera Maya diving

Look at a map and the answer is plain: Playa del Carmen sits halfway between Cancún and Tulum, about an hour from each. The reefs start at the beach, the Cozumel boat leaves from town, the cenotes near Playa are 20 minutes away and those near Tulum and Puerto Morelos less than an hour. Every dive day with us starts in Playa, with cenote pickups in Playacar and downtown.

Staying elsewhere works too, and our pages on diving from Puerto Aventuras and diving from Cancún explain how the days start. From Puerto Aventuras our base is twenty minutes up the road; from Cancún it is about an hour by ADO bus or taxi, and many divers simply move to Playa for a few nights.

When to dive the Riviera Maya

Hurricane season runs through the summer and autumn and is most active from late August to October, but most days are calm. The cenotes stay at 24 to 26°C whatever the month, and wind, waves and sargassum never reach them, which makes them the plan for any windy day. For the full calendar, see our month by month guide.

A week of diving in the Riviera Maya

Here is a plan that covers the whole coast in one week for a certified diver, with the prices above.

Ten dives come to 14,200 to 15,200 MXN. Add rental equipment on the boat days if you need it, the cenote entrance fees and, in winter, the shark park fee. Every price and extra is in our guide to scuba diving prices in Playa del Carmen.

What level do you need?

Open Water from any agency is enough for the reefs, most Cozumel drifts and six of the nine cenote routes. Advanced Open Water opens the wall and the Mama Viña wreck, the deep Cozumel walls, El Pit, Angelita and Zapote, and it is recommended for the bull sharks. Not certified yet? The Open Water course takes three days in Playa del Carmen, and Advanced Open Water adds six ocean dives. For more on the town itself, read our complete guide to diving in Playa del Carmen.

Scuba diving in the Riviera Maya: questions divers ask

Is the Riviera Maya good for scuba diving?

Yes, and for more than one kind of diving. In one week you can dive the Mesoamerican Reef off Playa del Carmen and Cozumel, guided cavern dives in the cenotes and, from November to February, bull sharks, all within an hour of Playa del Carmen.

Where is the best place to stay for diving in the Riviera Maya?

Playa del Carmen. It sits in the middle of the coast: the reefs are ten minutes by boat, the Cozumel speedboat leaves from town and the cenotes are 20 to 60 minutes away, with pickups in Playacar and downtown on cenote days.

When is the best time to dive the Riviera Maya?

Any month works. Bull sharks come from November to February, the seas are calmest from March to May, the water is warmest from June to September at up to 29°C, and the cenotes stay at 24 to 26°C all year.

Can I dive Cozumel from Playa del Carmen?

Yes. Our Cozumel day trip leaves Coco Beach at 08:00 by speedboat, makes two drift dives in the marine park with brunch on board and is back around 12:30, for 3,400 MXN.

Do I need Advanced Open Water to dive the Riviera Maya?

No. Open Water covers the reefs, most Cozumel drifts and six of the nine cenote routes. Advanced Open Water is needed for El Pit, Angelita and Zapote, the deep walls and the wreck, and it is recommended for the bull sharks.

How much does scuba diving in the Riviera Maya cost?

With us, per diver: 2,200 MXN for a two tank reef morning, 3,000 to 3,800 MXN for a cenote day, 3,400 MXN for Cozumel and 2,800 or 4,200 MXN for the bull sharks. A week with ten dives comes to about 14,200 to 15,200 MXN.