
Mahahual (Costa Maya) · Mexico · Wall · Reef
Escalones
Reef walls and sandbanks at 14–23 m, known for visibility
Area photo: Juan Ortega · CC BY 3.0
Escalones combines reef walls with sandbanks off Mahahual, dived between 14 and 23 m, and is known for its visibility. It shares a reef formation with Dos Ojos and 40 Cañones: a platform about 15 m wide at 13 m, then a slope of roughly 80 degrees cut by canyons and gullies.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Mahahual (Costa Maya) and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The usual profile stays between 14 m (46 ft) and 23 m (75 ft) on a mix of reef walls and sandbanks, and Escalones is known above all for its great visibility. The wall is part of the formation shared with Dos Ojos and 40 Cañones: a platform about 15 m wide on average at 13 m, then a change in slope to roughly 80 degrees, cut by canyons and gullies.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Mahahual (Costa Maya): Diving runs all year. The sea is calmest from June to early September; on rough days the port closes and boats stay in.
Dive videos
Scuba Diving Escalones in Mahahual, Mexico with Mar Adentro - 4K 🎵 Bailando - Daniel Steinberg · The Dive Planner on YouTube
Sources
- Diving in Mahahual — Pepe Dive Mahahual
- Scuba Diving in Costa Maya — Doctor Dive
- 10 preguntas frecuentes sobre el buceo en Mahahual — Pepe Dive Mahahual
More dive sites in Mahahual (Costa Maya)
Wall
Canyons through the reef, five minutes from the fishermen's dock
Reef
Coral bommies from 15 to 24 m, with eagle rays and garden eels
Reef
Reef passages to 17 m with parrotfish, angelfish and the Caguama turtle
Reef
Reef fish crowd a shallow reef to 13 m, and manatees pass a few times a year
Reef
Nurse sharks and big stingrays in deep cracks in the reef
Reef
Coral islands on flat sand between 9 and 15 m
Similar dives elsewhere
A horseshoe-shaped wall tracing the outline of a cenote
Wall
Ancla del Pirata
María la Gorda · Cuba
A two-ton eighteenth-century anchor grown into the coral
Stingrays and eagle rays cruising a multi-level reef wall
Canyons and swim-throughs on a wall bottoming out at 16 m


