Chinchorro Banks.... once in a lifetime!!!!
Posted by Paul on Monday, 11 July 2003, at 5:12 p.m.
Important Information..... Due to the logistics required of this trip, we are only taking six certified divers with us. We welcome any of you, our dive buddies and friends, but we can only take six (6). Price for this all inclusive trip is 189.00 plus tax per night, double occupancy. This is a 4 night dive trip. Food, drinks (non alcoholic) and rooms are included along with some of the best diving left in the world. Non diving significant others are welcome to join us staying in the same room as a diver. Price for Non divers is 119.00 plus tax and includes everything, except, of course, the diving. This is a fabulous opportunity to expand your diving experience. Come join us. Reserve NOW!!!
Chinchorro Banks in the extreme south Yucatan Peninsula has got to be the best kept secret spot for wreck diving. With over 200 ship wrecks accessible, to scuba divers the sites are phenomenal and abundant with tropical marine life. This beautiful protected National Park enchants divers from the novice to the very advanced. Since so many of the wrecks are in 30’ of water or less, there are quite a few whose upper structures can be seen well before arrival at the site. Because of the shallow depths you can get more than an hour bottom time on each tank. That spells a whole lot of wreck exploration. The Mexican government has recently announced it is planning on closing the area part of the year which of course means fewer dive opportunities. We salute the Mexican governments desire to protect the area and preserve the wrecks. We are planning another trip to Chinchorro Banks this fall. The date is September 9th. (The following is a sample itinerary, actual itinerary may vary some) We will be leaving from Pto. Morelos on the morning of the 9th and arriving in Mahajual around 10:00 a.m. We will dive two of the most spectacular shallow wall dives in the Caribbean. The top of the wall starts at about 45 feet and angles down to 100-110 feet. There are deep channels that run the depth of the wall so that as you dive through the channels there are 50-60 foot walls on either side of you like coral cliffs. This is truly a spectacular wall dive. After an afternoon of wall diving, unlimited beach diving and wonderfully prepared food and drink we spend the night in a beautiful rustic hotel on the beach. Naturally we have the run of the place. The second day is even better. A short 1 ½ hours away is our next destination… Xcalak. This is our departure point for Chinchorro Banks, but first the reefs here should be seen and played on. With practically no current, the diving here is exceptional. Wall dives like Majahual, sure, but in addition to the fantastic wall dives there are some exciting areas like Chimenea , the Chimney where you enter the reef at 80’ and come out the top of the chimney at 45’. An incredible 35’ of inside the reef action. Or the Blue hole which is very similar to the blue hole in Belize. Another night in a beautiful beach side property and the next morning we are off to Chinchorro banks in a 32’ long, wide hull dive boat. On one recent trip we encountered a pod of 32 dolphin in the open sea. They allowed us to snorkel with them for 30 minutes before they got bored of the clumsy air breathing mammals in the water with them. Once at the banks, we dive huge formations in 80’ of water, ship wrecks in 30’ and Conch gardens in 60’. Up for a night dive? When the dive day is over and we fall exhausted but excited into our hammocks in a stilt palapa over the water, our dreams relive the memories of the last few days. The next morning we are up and diving early after a breakfast prepared by local fishermen. By mid day we say farewell to Chinchorro and the fabulous wrecks and head back to Xcalak for the return trip to Pto. Morelos, taking with us our photos and our memories and leaving a part of our spirit behind. If you would like to join us in September for our next Chinchorro Banks trip, email us and we will send you more information. Happy diving!
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The Banco Chinchorro, located in the southern end of the Mexican Caribbean, 15 miles offshore and eight miles north of the Belize border, extends 24 miles north and up to 10 miles wide. There are thousands of reefs inside the main reef, with over two hundred shipwrecks. This pristine reef with four small, uninhabited islands peeking above the azure waters is bordered by breathtaking walls and sloping reefs all around. Countless shipwrecks lie in waters as shallow as ten feet, with ancient cannons scattered across the bottom. The Banks are home to some of the most prolific marine life in the Caribbean, with hundreds of species of fish and coral and other sea life in abundances seldom seen elsewhere.