Chinchorro Bank 24 Mar '12 - 31 Mar '12

The remote, pristine reefs of the Chinchorro Bank, featuring beautiful swim-throughs, more than 250 wrecks and a huge diversity of flora and fauna, are an often-mentioned but seldom-visited dive destination in the Mexican Caribbean, just north of Belize. With its reefs featuring beautiful caves and a huge diversity of flora and fauna,Chinchorro Bank is a often-mentioned but seldom-visited dive destination in the Mexican Caribbean. Black corals, large sponges, bull sharks and hammerhead sharks, lobsters, turtles, groupers and snappers are among the most commonly seen species.

The reef varies in depth from 3 feet to 3,000 feet, making it dangerous to ships but extremely attractive to divers. Over 200 ships are estimated to have sunk in the area, but many are very old and hard to recognize due to the rapid growth of flora. You can expect sea walls full of life, including blue sponges, queen conch and huge schools of gray angelfish. Reports of huge elephant ear sponges are common.

The potential for discovery atChinchorro is limitless. The reef at Cayo Lobos is one of the healthiest in the world. Its formations are lined with undulating sea fans and topped with staghorn corals whose tips break the surface on a calm day.

Visibility ranges from 50 to 150 feet, depending on wind and sea conditions. Drift dives are done when strong currents are running, but some dives are done on sites with little or no current. Due to the complexity of the reef structure, some dives are done from the vessel’s large tender. Winter water temperatures are cooler, in the high 70s. Summer water temperatures are in the low to mid 80s.