Ixtapa diving
Ixtapa diving in the Mexican Pacific offers a wide range of diversity in marine flora and fauna. There are amazing rock formations, colorful coral reefs and great variety of species and numerous good sites for diving. The kind of marine life you are likely to encounter are dolphins, whales, rays, stone fish and moray eels just to name a few.Water temperatures and visibility vary constantly through the year. Visibility can range from about 15 feet/5 meters up to about 120 feet/40 meters and water temperatures can range from about 60°F/16°C up to about 95°F/36°C.
Ixtapa region counts more than 50 popular dive sites sme of which are:
Islas Blancas which ishas depths varying from 20 feet to 70 feet/6-21 meters. It's a very good place for beginners to take a course or just have a relaxing dive and it's very rich in flora and fauna.
La
Majahua has an extensive littoral (the area between
high and low tide) with impacted rocks and cliffs.
Punta Carrizo is made up of cliffs rich in
marine life overall. Starfish, sea cucumbers, hermit crabs and
lobsters are common sights. Punta San Esteban has a shoal with
a variety of fish swimming in and out of the cracks. Outside
the wall schools of small reef fish gather to feed. Gorodina
is formed of large rocks that run perpendicular to the coast,
separated by aisles of sand and smaller rocks and full of marine
life.
Sacramento
is a chain of rock formations in the form of a pyramid
just 20 minutes northeast of Zihuatanejo Bay.
The ocean floor is filled with large rocks, canals, valleys,
and small caverns with many schools of brightly colored fish.
It's agreat spot for underwater photography.
Los
Morros de Potosi is one of the most fascinating diving
areas of the Mexican Pacific. There are three large white granite
rocks emerging from the water and their whiteness has given
them the name "los Frailes Blancos". There's a perfect
equilibrium of marine fauna and a great variety of birds including
pelicans and seagulls, whose guano gives these rocks their characteristic
white color. There are varying depths on this site which go
from 30-130 feet/9-37 meters but because of the strong currents
this site is recommended only for experienced divers, though
there are protected areas where beginners can dive. At the Morros
de Potosi there are also caves cliffs, canals, tunnels,
vertical walls and an abundance of marine life.
Piedra Solitaria, a circular route around the
rock can be under taken at varios depths and will always allow
you to experience a huge variety of sea life. Large rock formations,
and abundance of algae and different species of fish swimming
in shoals make it a special dive site. The Solitary Rock is
found at only 2.5 miles/1.5 km away from Zihuatanejo Pier and
its walls go down to 132 feet/40 meters. This site is ideal
for night dives, deep dives, multi-level dives and many others.
