Quintana Roo

Mexico

Dropped to about 55 feet to white sand and headed NW to the reef.  Followed the reef north looking along the edges of clumps of reef for Lionfish.   Chepo (divemaster) found a baby lionfish and caught it in a small garbage bag.  We followed north jumping cuts and seeing  lots of small fish.

Between Akumal and Halfmoon bay almost on south end of Halfmoon Bay.

Akumal

Leon

Small hummocks of corals with shallow cuts, nice sand bottom at the motorcycle.  We headed south this time.  In a hole there was at least 15 lobsters, smallish but a ton of them.  As we got further south cuts got deeper and larger pillars of corals and elkhorns.  HUGE @#%&*#@ barracuda in one of these cuts!!! Nice huge hawksbill turtle with two remoras was lying on the bottom for a photo op. 

Between Akumal and Halfmoon Bays

Motorcycle Reef

We dropped down deeper then intended, while divemaster took a diver back up to the boat. It has sandy bottom at depth and we headed west up the reef.  Barrel sponges and lionfish were along the sand edge.  Hawksbill turtles, filefish,  and flocks of gray angelfish along the upper reef.  There are a few narrow swim troughs with sandy bottoms.

By boat between Akumal Bay and Halfmoon Bay

Las Esponjas is also known as The Sponges.

Las Esponjas

Very murky from the hurricane yet, but a very nice place.  We headed north paralleling the shore.  There are many cuts 15 feet deep into the reef that run east west.  Hopping the ridges I saw many fish and nice soft corals.  We did drop into a narrow cut and a swim-through that was very tight.  The further north we got the more battered the reef was.  Nice sandy bottoms in the canyons.  Saw flamingo toughs, two huge gray angles, a juvenile spotted drum, porkfish, one-eyed jacks, and a school of mackerel.

From boat, in middle of Halfmoon Bay just north of Akumal

Halfmoon Bay





Tortuga Reef is also known as Turtle Reef.

Tortuga Reef

Nice shallow reef (50 ft) with shallow narrow cuts. Gorgorians cover the top of the reef with barrel sponges, vase sponges, sea fans and elkhorns. Lots of fish in the holes, butterflies, cowfish, trunkfish, and rock beauties.

Streight out from Akumal Bay.

Herradura is also known as Horseshoe.

Herradura

Shallow reef with sand cuts, 3-6 feet deep, east/west.  The reef is very healthy with lots of soft corals, seafans and small fish.  Lots of lionfish.  Some elkhorn coral coming back but small.

By boat mid to slightly northern half of Halfmoon Bay.

Yool Caanal

Nice night dive with many small lobsters and only one octopus.  There were at least four DM's with us and three other divers.  Once on the bottom we all spread out and the lights from divers looked like search lights looking for an escaped prisoner. This site has many tall elkhorn clumps the reach up 20 feet or more.  On these we saw all kinds of spiny urchins.  We covered the corals and found many fish sleeping in cracks and holes in the reef.  It made for some good photos.  Then an octopus on a tall clump and all the divers rushed to it.  Last time I was left out so this time I jumped right in and got a few photos.  As we got shallower the krill started to show up and one of the divers was freaking out.  Ryan was having problem with his buoyance and was floating up much of the time.  Time came to go up and on the safety stop tried to see some bioluminescent critters but alas, none.

Best done by boat.  Akumal Dive Center is almost straight in from the reef.

Net Reef

It appeared we were just SOUTH of the bay entrance when we dropped in but we did head north underwater.  This was shallow and surgy so I had to focus on not being seasick.  This site is similar to La Inglacia but with higher pillars of elkhors and deeper trenches.  The reef must be narrow because we hit sandy bottom on the east side, saw spotted eagle ray, then headed NW and hit sand 50 yds in.  The elkhorns are regrowing well here.  We did see some haloclines and cooler water here.  

Take a boat from any of the Akumal dive shops to just east of Yal Ku lagoon.

Yal Ku North

We dropped down to a sand bottom then headed west to a low coral reef with lots of soft corals, has a few sand cuts east west.  Trunkfish, Nassau Grouper, moray eel, and sponges of all types.

By boat just out in the middle of Akumal Bay.

Grouper Reef

Sandy bottom with islands of corals, some nice swim-throughs with some wide others narrow.  Elkhorn corals pillar up to 25 ft from surface and you see an occasional halocline.  Eagle rays, stingray, chased a barracuda through a swim-through.  The islnads of corals are loaded with smaller fish and HUGE lobsters and gray angels.

From boat from any of three dive centers in Akumal

Leon

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Leon