When to Go Diving in Yucatan Peninsula 

Diving around the Yucatan Peninsula is a year-round activity. For uncrowded dive sites and the most comfortable water temperatures, book your trip between May and November. With that being said, there is no bad time to dive into the Yucatan. The water temperatures remain constant year-round with the waters cooling slightly during the winter months. 

May through September, the beautifully warm waters around the coastal Isla Mujeres and Holbox Island are home to migrating whale sharks that arrive to feed off the area’s rich plankton reserves. Divers here at this time will be thrilled with the opportunity of swimming alongside these incredibly gentle giants. Visit in January or February for your best chance to catch the annual, one-of-a-kind sailfish bait ball event, when northern storms drive countless hordes of sardines south and into the waiting maws of the region’s grateful sailfish. 

Inland, the Yucatan’s Mayan Riviera is a cave diver’s dream with hundreds of kilometres of connected, underground caves, tunnels and sinkholes carved out of the limestone plateau. Certified open water divers can descend into the Cenotes through a hole in the jungle floor, and drift past the eerily haunting columns and silent stalactites that line these submerged caverns and underwater rivers. 

Other Non-Diving Attractions 

Non-divers will find plenty of reasons to enter the water in the Yucatan Peninsula. From shore, you’ll be able to access the region’s best reefs and even take a dip in a cenote. If you happen to be in the area from June to September, make sure to take a day trip to Isla Mujeres to snorkel with whale sharks.  

On the other hand, one of the more incredible things to see above water in the region is the ancient Mayan temples that dot the landscape. Aside from the temples, going on a jungle trek or two is sure to get your adrenaline pumping. You’ll also find plenty of watersports from kayaking to parasailing as well as sandy white beaches on which to relax. In the evening, stroll through local villages, dine on delicious Mexican food and shop for local hand-made goods to take back home.