The Manta Valley: Hidden gems of Cancun

This unique diving in Cancun has been developed by local divers for the past 10 years because is an exploratory offshore dive in a series of seamounts, every single one is different because the conditions around it create a micro-ecosystem and a lot of them were formed by hot spots in the earth’s crust, but this site is different—it’s mostly coral, so the end of the fall season is the best time to find manta rays at the cleaning stations, but mantas change spots every year making the unpredictable change a challenge when running trips like this one.

The depth of it running north is about 300 feet, then the seamount comes up from 300 to about 70 or 75 feet. So, that remaining 230 feet was just formed by coral building on top of each other. It’s like an underwater mountain at a shallow depth.

DO I NEED TO BE AN EXPERIENCED DIVER?

Open Water divers can do it, but it’s not a trip for brand new divers—it’s a long 2 hours way offshore ( make sure you take a pill to prevent sea sickness )  with strong currents and other conditions that require some experience.

We recommend divers that have at least 40 to 50 dives under their belts before they do this, so we know they’ll be safe and enjoy themselves, also Nitrox certification is required.

WHAT SPECIES WE CAN FIND AT MANTA VALLEY?

Talking about the manta rays, there is still a lot to find out about the behavior of these incredible organisms, their numbers, migrations and habits, and even information about the exact species that inhabit or transit these waters.

The mantas of Manta Valley are thought to be either a variation of the Giant Manta (Mobula Birostris) or yet another species of manta ray but this has not been confirmed yet by scientists. Some characteristics of the now called Caribbean Mantas are similar to those of the Giant Mantas. However, they show other particularities that had led researchers to believe it may be a different species.