Diving in Isla Mujeres

Almost everything here is shallow, and that shapes the whole destination. Boats leave the Isla Mujeres pier and reach most sites in a quarter of an hour, so two tanks fit into a morning with lunch back in town. The bay side, between the island and the mainland, holds low patch reef separated by sand and seagrass: Chitales and Manchones sit at eight to ten metres in little or no current, and green turtles working the grass between coral heads are the most reliable animal on the island. Manchones is also where Salon Manchones of the MUSA sculpture collection stands, at eight metres on white sand.

The outside line runs deeper and moves. Around fifteen metres, coral corridors and swim-throughs, and a current that carries you along the reef edge rather than something to swim against. Bandera is a long double formation of elkhorn cut through with ledges and overhangs. The far north holds the cave sites where nurse sharks rest, and the southern point runs a fast drift that gathers turtles in late spring. Two ex-navy minesweepers lie off the Cancun side at around twenty-five metres, dived from here as readily as from the mainland.

Hurricane Wilma passed over this coast in 2005 and destroyed much of the natural coral, which is still recovering two decades on. That damage is the reason the sculpture collection was commissioned in the first place.

The whole area sits inside a national marine park, so independent diving is not an option: only guides certified by the park authorities may lead dives, and a bracelet grants access to the protected zones. Book through a centre, and expect reef-safe sunscreen to be enforced.

November to April brings the calmest seas and clearest water. Outside that window surf cancels days, so leave slack in a short trip. Dives commonly run forty to forty-five minutes.

Divers who come for reef quality often prefer Cozumel across the channel, and that is a fair comparison to make before booking. Come here for the sculpture, for warm shallow water, and for learning to dive. The whale sharks in the island's marketing are a summer snorkel trip far offshore, and diving with them is prohibited.

Limestone island on the northern tip of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, with patch reef and low spur-and-groove between the island and the mainland