Bahia Príncipe - Yucatán Cenotes
Sometimes you just want an easy dive. No crazy currents, no deep deco, just a gentle cruise over a pretty reef, and that’s exactly what Bahia Príncipe delivers. We often hit it when we're shaking off travel or introducing someone to Caribbean diving because it’s so straightforward. You walk right in from the shore, fin out maybe fifty metres, and there’s the reef, topping out around 10 metres. The corals here are a mix of brain coral and starlet coral, punctuated by big barrel sponges. Not the most dramatic architecture you'll ever see, but healthy and full of life. We've spent ages watching French grunts schooling in the shade of coral heads, and the parrotfish here are always busy, especially the dark green ones. Keep an eye out for the shy brotula tucked into crevices; they’re a treat if you spot one. Visibility is usually around 20 metres, so you get a good long view of everything. It’s perfect for long, relaxed bottom times, just drifting and observing.
- Location
- Yucatán Cenotes, Mexico, North America
- Coordinates
- 20.364000, -87.329900
- Type
- reef
Marine Protected Area: Playa Tortuguera X'cacel-X'cacelito
Nearby Dive Sites in Yucatán Cenotes
- Acuario (reef)
- Acuario (reef)
- Akumal Reef (reef)
- Akumal Reef (wreck)
- Angelita Cenote - 30-60m (cenote)
- Bahia Príncipe (wreck)
- Blue Ha Reef (reef)
- Casa Cenote (reef)
- Cenote Angelita (cenote)
- Cenote Angelita (reef)
- Cenote Angelita (cenote)
- Cenote Azul - 5-15m (cenote)
- Cenote Calavera (cenote)
- Cenote Carwash (cenote)
- Cenote Car Wash (Aktun Ha) (cave)
Nearest Dive Centres to Bahia Príncipe
- Dive Life SCUBA
- MAR ADENTRO DIVING - PADI, SSI
Marine Life in Yucatán Cenotes
Home to 425 recorded species including 340 reef fish, 30 hard corals, 14 other, 13 sharks & rays, 6 crabs & lobsters, 4 sea snails & nudibranchs.
Notable Species
- loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta)
- Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
- Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
- Blue Doctor (Acanthurus coeruleus) - Reef Fish
- Great star coral (Montastraea cavernosa) - Hard Corals
- Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) - Hard Corals
- French grunt (Haemulon flavolineatum) - Reef Fish
- Barber (Acanthurus bahianus) - Reef Fish
- Sheephead (Microspathodon chrysurus) - Reef Fish
- Cowfish (Tursiops truncatus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Dark Green Parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) - Reef Fish
- Massive Starlet Coral (Siderastrea siderea) - Hard Corals
- Gutong (Sparisoma aurofrenatum) - Reef Fish
- Bluestriped Grunt (Haemulon sciurus) - Reef Fish
- Mustard hill coral (Porites astreoides) - Hard Corals
- Coney (Cephalopholis fulva) - Reef Fish
- Cola (Ocyurus chrysurus) - Reef Fish
- Doctorfish (Acanthurus chirurgus) - Reef Fish
- Gutong (Scarus iseri) - Reef Fish
- Spiny Brittle Star (Ophiocoma echinata)