Known as the second largest barrier reef in the world, the easy access to the Chinchorro bank, and surrounded by low jungle along the entire coast until reaching Xcalak, make Mahahual a site of interest for divers from all over the world.

As we can see in the following image, the beaches of Mahahual consist of 5 main areas:

Land, jungle and mangrove: this area is full of humidity, flora and fauna specific to the Caribbean, they are hectares that cover from Xkalak to Punta Herradora (incredible places of which we will talk in other posts).

Urban area: This area can be found in the town of Mahahual and the habitable area (approximately 3000 locals).

Reef lagoon or beach area: This area is a visual spectacle consisting of our beaches on the shore of hotels and restaurants with sand and crystal clear water.

Barrier Reef: Incredible wildlife filled with a variety of species unique to Mexico.

Open sea

In the following image we can see in intense black the barrier reef and the artificial entrances where the ships enter the docks.

The reef offers some excellent diving in the Caribbean, and because they are a bit off the beaten path, divers will enjoy pristine quality of reefs and will usually have each dive site to themselves. Not only are the reefs healthy, but the topography varies drastically from walls to canyons to coral gardens – a diversity not seen anywhere else in the Mexican Caribbean.

There is a great variety of marine life, including rays, lobster, grouper, barracuda, snapper, and three different species of Caribbean turtles.

May is the mating season for the loggerhead turtles, so the giant males come closer to shore. Some of them are the size of a small car and they are always an amazing and memorable encounter. Occasionally dolphins and sharks also visit the shores.

Divers have many options to choose from within the barrier reef as there are hundreds of dive sites scattered along 60 kilometers of shoreline heading north to the Sian Kaan Biosphere Reserve and another 42 kilometers south to the Xcalak Marine Park.

There are also more than 15 sites within walking distance of the town for those divers who prefer short boat rides. The variety of dive sites available makes this small fishing village a very special destination for divers.

The starting point is Moons Bar Mahahua l, a few meters away you can find a dock where You will be able to put on your equipment and enter the sea safely, at just 300 meters swimming you will find the “Aquarium”, it consists of a group of corals with a great variety of fish, later you can continue swimming to the reef that is approximately 500 meters away.

You can travel to the reef in 2 ways: by boat or in kayaks, later a guide will give you the safe correction throughout the reef.