RIVIERA MAYA: Cozumel Reef, Magical Cenotes, and Bull Sharks Adventure
Mexican Caribbean offers ideal conditions for diving on the world's second-largest coral reef surrounding the island Cozumel, encounters with bull sharks in Playa del Carmen, and breathtaking dives in natural deep-water wells called cenotes.
Location
Duration
Price
Riviera Maya
9 days
3410 $
Available dates
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JANUARY 10 - JANUARY 19 2024
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About this Trip
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Guests: max 6 people
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Duration: 9 days
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Boat: small private diving boat
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Number of dives: 9-10 (days in the water: 6)
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Food: breakfast, lunch and snacks only during activities
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Conditions: outside temperature: 30°C, water temperature: 25°C
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Skill requirement: AOWD, comfortable underwater
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Pick up location: Cancun airport
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Accommodation: Hotels Cozumel and Playa del Carmen. Rooms for two. Private room on request.
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Beautiful expedition full of interactions with marine life in the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Ocean and diving in the depths of the mystical sinkholes of the Yucatan peninsula, the cenotes.
Our journey will begin on the Caribbean island of Cozumel, along which stretches the Great Mesoamerican Reef Barrier, the second-largest coral reef in the world. We will have two days here on a private boat, which will allow us to reach the best dive sites where we will be able to observe countless species of tropical fish, large eagle rays, sea turtles, and nurse sharks. We will also spend half a day in Punta Sur National Park, surrounded by white sand beaches, and in its lagoons live crocodiles and flamingos.
For the second part of the expedition, we will move to the mainland part of the Riviera Maya, which is famous for its natural water reservoirs called cenotes, filled with crystal-clear groundwater and rainwater. We will enjoy four dives in these magical natural deep-water wells.
For the last part of our adventure, we will dive with the majestic bull shark females that come to this area before they head to a secret place to give birth to the next generation of sharks. To encounter these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat is an experience of a lifetime.
We will spend the last day of this expedition in Isla Mujeres, a small Caribbean Island with a colorful atmosphere and beautiful natural sceneries. The island is surrounded by the turquoise ocean, and we'll drive around it using the local mode of transport - a golf cart.
Our mission is to protect the underwater world, educate people of all generations and explore the treasures the ocean hides in its depths. Our conservation activities are our top priority and we fund them through expeditions like this, and if you join us, you will help us move our vision one step further.
Expedition Highlights
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Eagle rays, sea turtles, moray eels, groupers, barracudas, nurse sharks, lobsters, crabs and colorful tropical reef fish on Cozumel island
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Diving with bull shark females near Playa del Carmen
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Vibrant sponges and corals of the Mesoamerican Reef Barrier
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Four dives in the natural water reservoirs of Yucatan, the cenotes
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Flamingos, coatis, and crocodiles in the Punta Sur National Park
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Encounter with a crocodile in Casa Cenote cenote
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Birds like pelicans, frigates, herons, flamingos, and toucans in Punta Sur
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One-day exploration if the Caribbean island Isla Mujeres
ITINERARY:
Day 1
Arrival in Cancun, transfer to Cozumel Island
We will pick you up at the airport in Cancun, and we will drive to Playa del Carmen and take a ferry to the Caribbean island of Cozumel.
• Accommodation: hotel, island Cozumel
Day 2
Cozumel diving
Cozumel is a Caribbean island with turquoise crystal clear water surrounded by the world's second-largest coral reef. On this day, we will enjoy two dives from a private boat, full of countless species of fish, colorful corals, formations of sponges, and encounters with sea turtles and nurse sharks. The water here is crystal clear and the visibility is consistently excellent. Cozumel offers amazing drift diving with swim-throughs full of tropical fish. January is also the peak season to encounter the magnificent eagle rays, which grow to a width of up to 3 meters here.
• Accommodation: hotel, island Cozumel
Day 3
Punta Sur national park and Cozumel diving
In the morning, we will visit the beautiful Punta Sur National Park. It is located on the southern tip of the island and its lagoons are home to rare bird species and many other animals, including big crocodiles, coatis and flamingos. We will drive through the park in safari-style jeeps, spot various local wildlife and admire the never-ending pristine Caribbean beaches surrounding the park. In the afternoon, we will jump on the private boat and explore more of the beautiful underwater world of Cozumel during another two dives.
• Accommodation: hotel, island Cozumel
Day 4
Mainland of Riviera Maya and snorkeling with a crocodile
We will take a morning ferry to the mainland of the Riviera Maya. We will drive to the coastal town of Akumal where we will enjoy our lunch with a beautiful ocean view and head to our next adventure - snorkeling in the beautiful Casa Cenote. Casa cenote is an elongated natural reservoir, surrounded by mangroves, which is unique for its mild river-like current. It is home to many species of fish, crabs and birds, which we will have the opportunity to observe while snorkeling. The water is crystal clear and with a bit of luck, we will be able to meet and swim with the residential crocodile of this cenote - a 2-meter Moreletii crocodile named Panchito.
• Accommodation: hotel, Playa del Carmen/Tulum area
Day 5
Cenotes Dos Ojos and The Pit
We will pick you up in the morning and we will head to the cenotes. These stunning natural water reservoirs are the result of the collapse of limestone that exposes fresh crystal-clear groundwater.
The first location, cenotes Dos Ojos, are two connected wells with crystal clear water. Visibility here is so perfect that you might feel like you are flying in between the stalactites in a weightless state. In the second location, cenote The Pit, we will be able to observe a beautiful cloud formed by hydrogen sulfide and sunbeams penetrating the depths of the cenote.
• Accommodation: hotel, Playa del Carmen/Tulum area
Day 6
Diving with bull sharks
Every year, female bull sharks come to Playa del Carmen and we will have the opportunity to dive with them and observe them in their natural habitat. These predators can reach up to 3,3 m in length. What’s interesting about this location is the fact that only pregnant females stay here, before they leave to a secret place where they give birth to the next generation of sharks. We will observe these apex predators and your guide will tell you all about their behavior and why are they indispensable for our healthy oceans. Bull sharks are protected in Playa del Carmen.
• Accommodation: hotel, Playa del Carmen/Tulum area
Day 7
Cenotes Angelita and Carwash
Our second day of exploring the cenotes. At first glance, Cenote Angelita looks like a lake in the middle of the jungle. But at a depth of 30m, it hides a dreamy cloud of hydrogen sulfide, which gives the place a magical atmosphere of a gate to another dimension. Carwash is a cenote full of water lilies and thousands of small fishes. During our dive here we will explore a big cavern with stalactites and beautiful views of the turquoise waters in the cenote full of bright sunbeams.
• Accommodation: hotel, Playa del Carmen/Tulum area
Day 8
Isla Mujeres
For this last day, we will take a ferry from Cancun to Isla Mujeres. Isla Mujeres is an idyllic island surrounded by the beautiful turquoise Caribbean ocean. A very popular way to get around the island is to rent a golf cart and that's what we will do. We will make several stops on our ride around the island: at Punta Sur park with epic views of the blue water under the cliffs and many iguanas soaking up the sun, for lunch in a restaurant with a pier from which you can jump to the ocean and at any other viewpoint we decide. This island is full of them and seeing the blue water here alone is worth it.
• Accommodation: hotel, Playa del Carmen/Tulum area
Day 9
End of the expedition, transfer to the airport or your accommodation in Riviera Maya.
