Ambergris Caye (San Pedro) · Belize · Reef
Cypress Canyons
Narrow sand-floored cuts dropping fast between coral spurs
Area photo: Subhashish Panigrahi · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cypress Canyons is a spur-and-groove site off San Pedro where deep, narrow canyons run perpendicular to the reef line. The coral spurs crest at 15–21 m while the sand-floored cuts between them fall away fast — to 30 m and, at the site's maximum, 40 m — which is why it carries an Advanced Open Water rating rather than the all-comers billing of its neighbours.
Also known as Cypress Canyon.
Where it is and how deep
17.9204° N, 87.9467° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The layout is spur-and-groove taken to an extreme: long coral fingers running perpendicular to the reef line, with deep, narrow canyons cut between them. You drop onto the spur tops, which crest at 15–21 m, and set your route there before committing to the grooves, since the sand floors sit well below the site's average depth of 20 m.
Inside the cuts the walls close in and the sand floors fall off rapidly to 30 m, with the site's maximum at 40 m, so depth discipline matters more here than anywhere else on this stretch of reef. There is no current recorded at the site, which keeps the diving simple apart from the depth: pick a canyon, run it seaward, cross a spur and come back shallower, then finish over the crests to offgas before ascending to the boat.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime |
Season follows Ambergris Caye (San Pedro): Dry season December–May with the least rain in February–March; wet-season storms, peaking September–October, can suspend diving for two or three days. Thimble jellyfish spawn in May.
Know before you go
- The narrow canyons drop to 40 m at their deepest — set a maximum depth before the dive and track your computer closely inside the cuts.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Cypress Canyons?+
The coral spurs crest at 15–21 m and the sand-floored cuts fall off rapidly to 30 m, with the site's maximum at 40 m — an Advanced Open Water profile.
Sources
- Cypress Canyons — Scubago
- Cypress Canyon — wannadive.net
More dive sites in Ambergris Caye (San Pedro)
Reef
Finger canyons off San Pedro working from 18 m down to 40 m
Reef
Canyons, caverns and tunnels under ten minutes from the pier
Reef
Spur-and-groove formations in the 18–24 m band
Reef
A no-current reef that works for snorkellers and divers alike
Spur furrows plowing from a 15 m reef down to 35 m
About 100 shallow patch reefs of boulder coral in 2.5–5 m
Wreck
A small unnamed wreck at 15–22 m, home to morays and coneys
Nurse sharks and southern stingrays at arm's length in 3 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Plateau in a few metres, drop-offs to 40 m
A staircase entry onto a reef that tips over at 9 metres
A house reef with a sunken pontoon barge and car wrecks next door
Coral in 6 m a short swim off the beach, wall to 43 m