Isla Mujeres is a year-round dive destination known for big animal encounters like whale sharks and mantas. Easy diving with abundant marine life like turtles make this a great family dive destination. Scuba divers can also enjoy beautiful corals, wrecks, and spot a variety of pelagic species. Another highlight is the sailfish season that attracts people all around. Plus, the island is also home to an underwater museum that has become a unique dive site. Isla Mujeres has a variety of dive sites for beginners and advanced divers both.
Scuba Dive Level
All Levels
Visibility
80 to 100 feet (24 to 30 meters)
Average Water Temperature
81
Whale Shark Encounters
Pelagic Encounters
Isla Mujeres is an island in the Gulf of Mexico, about 8.1 miles (13 km) off the Yucatn Peninsula coast. The name of the destination in Spanish means "Island of the Women". The island itself is small and has a laid back vibe, but there is plenty to do. It is a great holiday destination with stunning white sand beaches and clear blue waters, great food and many options in water sports.
There are two distinct snorkeling opportunities off Isla Mujeres that attract divers and underwater photographers year after year. These are swimming with sailfish from mid-December to mid-March and swimming with whale sharks during the summer. All year round you can spot some turtles, rays, a variety of tropical Caribbean fish, moray eels, reef sharks, and many more.
Isla Mujeres is a great place for whale shark tours. Whale sharks gather during the summer in two areas. Most operators will snorkel off Isla Holbox, where the whale sharks gather to feed on plankton and krill. Other operators will take snorkelers way off Isla Mujeres to clear blue water, where whale sharks and mantas feed on bonito eggs after spawning events. Depending on the day, there can be many whale sharks or not so many whale sharks, but the chances of seeing them are generally high.
Those who wish to dive with sailfish will spend up to 8 or 10 hours on a boat searching for the sailfish as they hunt and control schools of baitfish. Sea conditions can be rough, and like any natural encounter, the sailfish are not guaranteed to show up. The encounters with sailfish will be brief as it is one of the fastest fish in the sea, but it is an incredible experience.
Away from other dive spots lies a mysterious cave where different species of sharks like to sleep. Because of this, the dive site is called the Sleeping Sharks Cave. The high oxygen content in water bubbles is what makes it a perfect sleeping spot for sharks. This is also a great way for scuba divers to closely observe the sharks. The majority of the sharks are nurse sharks but you can also see the gray reef, blacktip sharks and even bull sharks have been spotted sleeping there. Besides the sharks, turtles, jacks, and rays can be also seen.
Isla Mujeres does not only offer some great marine life encounters, but it is also home to a spectacular underwater museum. Museode Arte Subacutico or shortly called MUSA, is a contemporary museum that has over 500 life-sized sculptures for display. There are a variety of interesting sculptures like a Volkswagen Beetle that are surrounded by playful fish. The museum can be visited both by scuba diving or snorkeling.
Manchones Reef - Colorful reefs with abundant marine life. You can spot some snappers, angelfish, parrotfish, wrasse and spotted trunkfish.
Bandera Reef - This long coral reef with overhangs and ledges is a favorite spot for barracudas, crabs, moray eels and angelfish.
Hool Reef- The reef's floor is covered with holes, which is why it is named after the Mayan word Hool that means a hole. Along the reefs there is plenty of soft coral, sea fans, and colorful Caribbean fish.
Tavos Reef - Scuba divers can enjoy some beautiful swim-throughs, tunnels, and arches that are often visited by gray and white tip sharks.
Media Luna - Another dive site with beautiful arches. You can spot some sea urchins, anemones, and lobsters.
Beyond Isla Mujeres, the Yucatan area in Mexico offers many amazing options for scuba divers. Read more about other fantastic dive destinations in Mexico.
Flying to Cancun (CUN) is easy thanks to all the visiting tourists. The drive from the airport to the Isla Mujeres ferry is about 30 minutes and the ferries run every half hour during the day.
There are plenty of dive resorts and dive centers you can choose from. Liveaboard diving is not available here.
This is a year-round dive destination, but the specific marine life encounters are seasonal. June-September is the best time for whale shark encounters and mid-December to mid-March is the sailfish season.