The second longest reef on the planet shadows the Mexican Caribbean coast. Actually a chain of reefs, it begins in waters off the southern tip of Contoy Island and stretches along the coast into Belize, where it forms a continuous coral wall. Luckily for us, many of the coral formations lie in sheltered, shallow, clear waters where visibility can reach 200 feet.


Marine life is abundant along the reef, over 400 species of fish have been identified in the Caribbean and 70 varieties of coral, not to mention the crustaceans, anemones, sponges and algae that inhabit this strange and colorful world.

Don your mask and flippers and go exploring. You’ll see parrotfish grazing on the coral, blue tangs, sergeant majors, stingrays, barracudas and even the occasional sea turtle. Shoals of jacks, grunts and pork fish cluster around the corals, moving in clouds of silver with the current; tiny damsel and butterfly fish guard their territory while queen angelfish sail regally by.


Lobsters and moray eels lurk in crevices in the reef and giant groupers, the lords of the deep, survey their realm.

Get your feet wet and discover the reefs of the Mexican Caribbean with Thomas More Travel. We’ll take you snorkeling on an exclusive tour for Royal Resorts members and guests to the Punta Nizuc reefs, located off the southern tip of the Hotel Zone. Like other reefs in the Mexican Caribbean, Punta Nizuc is a national marine park and the corals teem with life. The Punta Nizuc trip departs daily from the Royal Yacht Club Marina next to Captain’s Cove. We also offer trips to the reefs of Puerto Morelos, the caleta or natural inlet of Xel-Ha and its smaller and much less crowded cousin, Yalku, and you can even charter a boat and escape fellow swimmers on your own snorkeling adventure.

Divers can explore spectacular reefs in the Cancún-Isla Mujeres area, the Riviera Maya and Cozumel, one of the world’s most famous dive destinations. There are dive sites for every level of expertise, night dives, wreck dives, wall dives and more.

There’s more, if you don’t know how to dive but have always wanted to learn, you can book a resort course through Thomas More Travel.
For more information contact: tourdesk@royalresorts.com

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