DIVING THE YUCATAN COAST

The Yucatan Peninsula is paralleled by coral reefs a few
minutes boat ride from beautiful, white sand beaches. The
village of Playa del Carmen sits centrally on the coast and
is the good for divers. The town retains some of the flavour
of her past' is a fair way from highly commercial Cancun and
just a short drive from the Mayan Cenotes.

Generally, the underwater topography is flat with reef tops shaped by ever changing currents. Some of the larger reef plateaus attract schooling fish and you can hitch a ride in
the current through schools of snapper and grunts until you encounter enormous gangs of tarpon. There are plenty of
turtles and occasional nurse sharks.

These shallow, patch reefs are also good places to hunt for macro life. Corals are not particularly prolific, but there are masses of shrimp, arrow crabs and shells. Pufferfish and
morays shelter in small crevices on short walls.

DIVING THE CENOTES

Just a short drive south, there is something far more unique
and exciting - diving in the freshwater cenotes (say-NO-tays). The Yucatan is a limestone platform, several millions years
old. Various geological forces created an extensive series of underground rivers and caverns, many with stalactites and stalagmites. What looks like a lake is often the disguised
entry to an incredible system of caverns.

After the last ice age, ocean levels rose and seawater filled
the passages that lead in from the coast eventually meeting those flooded with freshwater. The ancient Mayans used these rivers as their water source, but more importantly, they took
an important role in their religion and mythology. They
believed the underworld gods lived in their depths and
people were sacrificed to appease them.