For some, wrecks are deteriorating places that lost the battle against time and the elements and that lost their beauty a long time ago. Fortunately, we don’t think the same of the Best Wreck Diving Sites in the Riviera Maya. In this Blog, we will explain to you the best wreck dives we can find along the coast of the Riviera Maya.
Places that in their moments of glory worked as collector ships or transported the happiness of people in the area, now lie at the bottom of the sea.
Contrary to what some people think, not only are they twisted and rusted irons, but they are the new home of countless marine species. A place where flora and fauna coexist, and of course, that makes them special to divers visiting the area.
The Riviera Maya has some spectacular wreck diving sites to offer for certified divers.
Our Favorite Wreck Diving Sites in the Riviera Maya
Following we listed our favorite wreck diving sites you can visit as a certified diver. With astonishing marine life to encounter throughout your dives, these are our top local wreck dives.
Mama Viña Wreck in Playa del Carmen
History & Location
The Mama Viña wreck in Playa del Carmen is one of the most sought-after dive sites in the Riviera Maya. It’s an old shrimp boat, that was purposefully sunken in 1995 in front of the Xcaret theme park.
The idea was to create an artificial reef in shallow depth for snorkelers to access easily, but (fortunately for us divers) this plan didn’t quite work out. Because currents took the wreck much further off the coast while sinking, it ended up finding its final rest at a depth of 30 meters near Playa del Carmen’s barracuda reef site.
Marine Life & Dive Info
This wreck diving site is frequently visited by a range of marine life to spot during your dives. Southern sting rays, moray eels, schools of different fish, lobsters, and more are seen here. Meanwhile, Mama Viña is grown over by corals and sponges offering a habitat to macro life underwater.
During the dive, we circle the shipwreck a couple of times and can penetrate into Mama Viñas inside to encounter arrow crabs and small fish protected from the current.
Dives here go up to 30 meters with the highest point of the boat being at 18 meters depth. The dive time here is 30-40 minutes approximately, and you usually have good visibility, because of the constant current flowing from south to north.
The C-53 Wreck in Cozumel
History & Location
Just a quick boat ride from Playa del Carmen over to Cozumel Island, we find the famous C-53 Felipe Xicotencatl wreck. Sunken off the coast in Cozumel’s marine park, this wreck is accessible to certified divers. It offers abundant marine life, coral, and adventures to experience underwater. It’s certainly one of the best wreck diving sites the Riviera Maya has to offer.
The C-53 Felipe Xicotencatl originally carried the name USS Scuffle and was built in 1942 to serve as a minesweeper for the US Navy. In 1962 the the Mexican Navy bought the USS Scuffle and renamed it. It was sunken in June 2000 to create an artificial reef in the marine park of Cozumel.
Marine Life & Dive Info
The C-53 wreck has quite impressive measurements with 200 feet in length and 40 feet in width. It allows divers to explore the outside and most of the inside of it.
Dives here generally start at the mooring line, when upon descending to a depth of 80 feet the wreck becomes clear to see. Its sheer size impresses divers immediately. It sits upright in the sand with its highest point reaching up to 60 feet depth. This makes it accessible for Open Water divers to visit.
You can frequently see a vast amount of marine life here. With barracudas, snappers, groupers, and rays visiting the wreck diving site, it offers quite some “marine life traffic” to encounter. Lobsters, schools of fish, and macro life tempt divers to dive the C-53 wreck. Covered in colorful coral and sponges, divers usually enjoy this site as a second dive after a wall dive in Cozumel.
Wreck Diving Sites: Requirements
To visit our favorite wreck diving sites as a diver you have to be certified as an Open Water diver minimum. Some diving experience after certification is highly recommended too.
You will need a dive light to see inside the wreck if you wish to enter. If you don’t have one – don’t worry, we can provide these for you.
If you want more information about getting SCUBA certified, click here! You will begin an adventure you will never forget, creating lasting memories and accessing the underwater world from a whole different point of view.
Dive the Wrecks in the Riviera Maya With BlueLife Diving
Eager to see one or both of these wreck diving sites while visiting? Get in touch and book a 2-tank dive in Playa del Carmen and/or Cozumel, mentioning you would like to visit these wrecks. We’re happy to set you up for this adventure and help to realize these dives.
Our professional guides will take you underwater to see the Mama Viña or C-53 Felipe Xicotencatl wreck. They will show you all the points of interest during your dive, and bring you back up safely.
We hope you enjoyed reading this blog about our top wreck diving sites in the Riviera Maya. Make sure to read our other interesting blog topics! follow us on Facebook & Instagram, or contact us to book your dives!