Find Xcalak on the Costa Maya, the place you are looking for an unspoiled paradise that is still off the beaten track yet has access to a new highway and air service from Cancun. The Costa Maya has the best recreational diving, snorkeling and fishing that Quintana Roo, Mexico, and the Caribbean have to offer.

Xcalak is at the center of the Great Maya Reef, the second largest barrier reef in the world. Recreational Diving at Xcalak is comparable to Cozumel--there are walls, vast canyons between tongue and groove reef systems, swim throughs, caverns, and an exotic array of Caribbean marine reef creatures, black coral, and tropical fish less visible in the more populated areas. Take a look at our underwater friends, visit the photo album.

As an added bonus, we have access to the Banco Chinchorro, the largest coral atoll on the Great Maya Reef. This is the most extensive reef system in Mexico and has been declared a national marine sanctuary.

It is an easy 1 ½ hour trip to the incredible, pristine Banco Chinchorro in our new, custom built dive boat, the Tzimin-Ha.

Diving the Banco Chinchorro is an underwater fantasy with wrecks from all periods and nations as well as several species of black coral--which is extremely rare along the Riviera Maya within recreational diving depths.

Many of these wrecks and all the exotic marine life can be seen while snorkeling as well as diving.

Our full service dive center offers PADI, NAUI and SDI diving instruction everything from Bubblemakers to Nitrox and all levels in between. We offer bird watching, trolling, and bone fishing tours as well as snorkeling tours in Xcalak.

Dive Banco Chinchorro with the Xcalak To Chinchorro Dive Center

There really aren't words to describe the diving that awaits you at the Banco Chinchorro. This is the largest atoll in the Great Maya Reef and has been declared a marine sanctuary by the Mexican government. Limited access means that very few divers have had the opportunity to visit this underwater wonderland. Approximately 30 kms. from the mainland, Chinchorro covers approx. 800 square kilometers (300 sq. miles), less than one percent of which is above water.

There are three small keys, Cayo Norte, Cayo Centro, and Cayo Lobo-ranging from less than one square km. to 5 sq. kms. However there are no permanent settlements. The water inside the barrier reef is 3 to 5 meters deep (10 to 15 feet); beyond the outer reef are a variety of dive sites from 10 to 40 meters in depth (30 to 130 feet). It is the perfect place for divers and snorklers alike as most sites are along walls that offer shallow enough water for the snorkler and plenty of depth for the diver.

On the windward side of the banks, there are a variety of wrecks from all time periods--everything from tankers to (rumor has it) a sunken German U-boat to Spanish galleons. Many of the wrecks are in shallow water that snorklers can enjoy as well. Throughout Chinchorro, there is a variety of black coral, tropical fish, rays, eels, conch, and giant sponges. Come and enjoy the most pristine underwater sites the Caribbean has to offer!

XTC Dive Center offers day trips from Xcalak to Banco Chinchorro in our new, custom built 30' dive boat the Tzimin-Ha (pronounced TSEE-MEAN-HA which means Sea Horse in Maya)

With the purchase or our new, high speed boat, we also needed a new captain who could handle the Tzimin-Ha. We would like to welcome our new Chinchorro Captain Tito Salazar to the XTC Family!

Tito has 35 years of experience exploring Chinchorro for both fishing and diving. Truth be told, we would have had no idea where to dive without him! Our first few trips, he actually had to tell the Divemaster which way to go at each new dive site. And on each trip we try to do at least one dive at a new site. So our clients have a chance to explore with us!.

The best time of year to dive Chinchorro is during summer months when the seas are calmest and we have almost daily access.

We require a 4 diver minimum, 8 person maximum for all Chinchorro trips. Normal departure time is 7:30 AM; for the 4 tank Nitrox trip, we depart at 7 AM.

Chinchorro 3 tank trip $150
Chinchorro 3 tank Nitrox trip $175
Chinchorro 4 tank Nitrox trip $200
Chinchorro Snorkeler $75

All our prices are in US dollars (we will convert to pesos if you would like to pay in national currency).
15% state sales tax not included. Prices subject to change without notice.
We can accept all major credit cards through Pay Pal. You must set up your Pay Pal account at least 30 days before your vacation. European Pay Pal accounts may take longer.

FISHING, EXCURSIONS & SNORKELING IN XCALAK

Fly Fishing
Xcalak has been a favorite destination for fly-fishing. Long before the new paved highway, fishermen made the 3-hour trek from Mahajual just to fish the pristine flats that surround this area. Year round, we catch and release bonefish, tarpon, permit, and more. Our captains are experienced fly-fishing guides and will be happy to take you to the best locations in one of our 25-foot panga boats.

Prices:
Half day $175 US, Full Day $300 US. Price includes drinks, snacks, and guide but you will need to bring your own fly fishing equipment.

Trolling
This area has been renowned for its fantastic fly-fishing, yet few people have tried the wonderful trolling. Year round, we catch sierra, jacks, tuna, barracuda, grouper, snapper, permit, and tarpon. During April through June, we also catch lots of dorado, marlin, and sailfish.

Prices:
Half day $200 US, Full Day $375 US. Price includes two poles, lures, drinks, and an experienced captain. If you would like a little shade, ask in advance and we will put the top on the boat.
Summer Special >> 2 hours $90 US, Half day $175 US, Full Day $350 US.

Bird Island
A magical 5 hour nature watching trip! You will stop to snorkel at different locations in the ocean and the Bacalar Chico River. Once you enter the Bay of Chetumal, you will travel through ancient Mayan canals that were once part of a trade route. You can stop on one island and see an abandoned antique steam engine (nobody really knows where it came from or what it is doing in the middle of Chetumal Bay). Also, you may visit the canons from a Spanish galleon that was stranded during a hurricane. Your final destination is a small island where many rare species of birds nest. This trip allows you to see the diversity of ecosystems that surround Xcalak- if you are really lucky, you may even spot a manatee!!!

Prices Per Person US:
5 Hour Bird Island
2 snorkelers $50
3 snorkelers $35
4-5 snorkelers $30
6 or more $25

San Pedro Trip
Enjoy a day trip to neighboring Belize! Ambergis Key is just a few miles south of Xcalak and offers a bit more "civilization", shopping, and restaurants. The bird watching along the way is exceptional and your captain will be happy to stop for you to snorkel.
This trip is $200 USD ( weekend/holidays $250 ). Overnight $375 ( weekend/holidays add $50 ), for the boat and captain plus a $100 peso per person immigration fee. Max 8 passengers.

Snorkeling
The bay in front of our dive shop is an incredible 25 kms. long and almost a kilometer wide, extending all the way to Ambergris Key in Belize. Besides our wonderful diving, the snorkeling here is the best along the coastline of Quintana Roo. You can get in the water right off the end of our 260-foot pier or take a boat trip to other locations along the bay.

Price includes water, soft drinks, and nature guide. Snacks included in the 5-hour trips.
All our prices are in US dollars (we will convert to pesos if you would like to pay in national currency).
15% state sales tax not included. Prices subject to change without notice.
We can accept all major credit cards through Pay Pal. You must set up your Pay Pal account at least 30 days before your vacation. European Pay Pal accounts may take longer.

Xcalak offers dozens of fantastic dive sites between 5-30 minutes by boat from the Aventuras Xcalak to Chinchorro Dive Center pier. We have deep and shallow walls, huge tongue and groove formations, "pozas" (blue holes), swim throughs, and much, much more.

Here are a few of our favorite dive sites:

La Poza, 30-80 fsw

This is a unique geographical formation-the only one in the entire Great Maya Reef. Geologists are still uncertain about the development of this trench that runs parallel to shore for about ½ a mile.
Like a box canyon, the trench begins shallow then becomes wider and deeper. On one side is a coral wall, on the other a sand hill slopes down from shallow water.
Due to the strong currents and rich nutrients in the water, this is the favorite hang out for lots of big fish. You will drop down the coral wall into a highway of 3-7 foot tarpon, large schools of jack and snapper, and giant midnight blue parrotfish.
Watch along the wall for lobster holes, morays, schools of small fry, black coral, and many other exotic reef inhabitants. We generally end this dive at a pinnacle, the "Piedra del Mundo", that rises from the bottom of the trench to 15 feet below the surface. The perfect place for a safety stop!!!

La Chimenea, 70-110 fsw

At this site, the wall drops down from 40 feet to 90-110 feet with sand flats extending beyond into deeper water.
You will drop down the wall to 60 feet, then swim along the face until you reach the opening to "La Catedral". This is a huge cavern that has a large debris stone in the center.
Huge tarpon, barracuda, and schools of silver sides dance in the light beam entering through a large hole in the ceiling.
For advanced divers, we can end this dive by traveling up a canyon to a long swim through, followed by an ascent through The Chimney.
Both portions of this dive can be done separately-or we can just dive along this beautiful coral wall.

Alejandro´s Reef 40-60 fsw

This site has the distinctive horseshoe shaped wall of a cenote.
There are large coral heads in the center, swim throughs where moray eels like to hide, and lots of black wire coral on the overhangs.
After following the curve of the horseshoe, this sit continues south into the tongue and groove formations of another site, The G-Spot.

Santa Julia 50-80 fsw

Just north of Sandwood Villas there are huge tongue and groove formations with canyons as wide as city streets.
This site is very much like Dick's Reef in Akumal with lots of large sponges, giant grouper, and all the regular tropical reef creatures.
The current here usually runs to the north so we end the dive at Punta Gavilan where school of Atlantic Spade Fish, Chubs, and Snapper are frequently seen. One time we even saw Dorado!

Doña Nica 40-80 fsw

This site has 2 distinct coral formations-a shallow wall from 30-50 feet facing sand flats. This is a favorite site for instructions as the depths are shallow, it has soft sand for doing training exercises, and lots of marine life. We also use it for night dives due to large numbers of lobster and octopus.
The second area of this site, just across the sand flats heading into deeper water, has large tongue and grooves plus intriguing pinnacles and coral heads. Large grouper and snapper use the overhanging ledges for hiding places.

Hob Na (aka Grouper Hangout) 40-110 fsw

About 30 minutes north, we discovered this site quite by accident when the substitute boat captain dropped us off at the wrong depth. We just followed a wide canyon out into deeper water and at about 60 feet began seeing lots of huge grouper that were in no hurry to leave their nesting sites. There are very tall, narrow canyon formations, some with large tunnels between them. The great thing about this site is that you can dive deep or shallow. You can dive along the tops of the ridges and see what is going on down below-or drop down deep for a closer look!

**NEW SITE** Scott's Playground 40-70 fsw

Scott happened upon this site quite by accident-but what a wonderful discovery! Between shallow ridges, there are lots of long, wide tunnels that are home to morays, lobster, and at least one 100+ lb. Dog Snapper. We frequently see tarpon here and occasionally a sleeping nurse shark.

Cenote Azul, visit another planet !!

In the unlikely event that the sea is too rough to dive Xcalak, we offer two tank trips to Cenote Azul and Bacalar, the Lake of Seven Colors. Cenote Azul is the largest pit cenote in Mexico, 600 feet across and 290+ feet at the center. The diving here is the most bizarre and thrilling fresh water dive you will ever experience. The geological formations look more like a moon-scape with submerged trees populated by schools of live bearing, fresh water fish. At 100+ feet, you can look up and see swimmers above but not the bottom. During the first dive, you will drop down through the clear blue water to a ledge at 90-100 feet, we then progress along the wall in a multi-level dive. For the surface interval, you can lounge in the sun or enjoy some fine local cuisine in the Cenote Azul restaurant. The second dive will be conducted at 50-60 feet and often we can make a complete circuit of the cenote in 40 minutes. The water in this cenote is much warmer than what you will commonly experience in the smaller cenotes, with an average year round temperature above 80° F. After the dives, we can stop in Bacalar to visit the colonial Spanish Fort, do some shopping, or just wander around this lovely inland city.

Relaxed Diving

At XTC Dive Center, we run a pretty relaxed dive schedule. Normally, we begin gearing up for local dives at 9 AM, 11 AM, and 2 PM and are in the water within 30 minutes-but we are happy to schedule dives at other times to suit your schedule. We plan our deepest dive of the day first; successive dives are progressively shallower. If you have a dive computer , we will be happy to plan computer dives. For groups of 4 or more, we can give you your own boat, Divemaster, and Captain-you decide when you want to dive. We always return to the shop between dives so you can have a snack and relax on the beach during your surface interval. Occasionally, we plan 2 tank trips farther north; in which case we will stop at a restaurant or on the beach for our surface interval. Night dives are conducted just after dusk and Chinchorro trips always leave between 7 and 8 AM.

Special Services

To save driving time, since we know you would rather be diving, we offer free pick-up in our boats as far north as Kimmel's Kabana (see map) for any number of divers. For four or more divers, we will pick you up for free as far north as Cielos Azules, less than 4 divers we charge $10 for pick-up. If you stop by the dive shop when you arrive, you can fill out your release forms and get fitted for equipment on your first day. For subsequent days of diving, a dive boat will show up at your hotel with all your equipment ready-all you have to do is jump in the boat and go dive! For those of you with your own equipment, we will wash and dry your equipment at the end of each day then store it in our shop.

Technical Dives

If you are certified for deep air (extended range) or other technical diving, we will be happy to arrange guided dives for you up to 200 fsw. You will plan your dive and decompression schedule with one of our technical divers and/or instructors. We can blend deco gases up to 100% EANx. We will also be offering Trimix in the near future!

Great Prices

We have priced our dives so that those of you who want to do lots of dives over a series of days can still benefit from package prices. Unlike most dive operators who charge by the number of tanks per day, you can take advantage of our multiple tank prices and spread your dives out over as many days as you like. For example, if you would like to dive only once per day for 10 days, you will be charged at the 10+ dive price ($240) rather than $35 per dive.

Dive Prices USD
Private dive (s) $45
One dive $35
2 dives $60
3 dives $84
4 to 9 dives $26 each
10 + dives $24 each

Night dive $40
Technical dive(s) with guide $75 each (max depth 200 fsw)

Cenote Azul trip, 2 tanks
(4 diver minimum) $75 per person

Chinchorro (3 tanks air) $150
Chinchorro (3 tanks Nitrox) $175
Chinchorro (4 tanks Nitrox) $200
Chinchorro Snorkeler $75
(4 diver minimum, 8 person maximum for all Chinchorro trips)