Reefwander
Aerial view of Xcalak village on a sandy shore, with a long pier crossing the shallow reef lagoon and mangrove lagoons behind

Xcalak & Banco Chinchorro · Mexico · Wall · Reef

Alejandro's Reef

A horseshoe-shaped wall tracing the outline of a cenote

Area photo: Juan Ortega · CC BY 3.0

Alejandro's Reef is a horseshoe-shaped wall off Xcalak that traces the outline of a cenote, with large coral heads in its centre. The dive runs between 12 m and 18 m (40 to 60 ft), follows the curve of the horseshoe and carries on south into the tongue-and-groove formations of The G-Spot.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Alejandro's Reef: typical dive 12–18 m (40–60 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit12 m18 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

No published position for this site — the map shows Xcalak & Banco Chinchorro and its other sites; operators know the mooring.

The dive

The site is a horseshoe-shaped wall, the shape of a cenote, with large coral heads in the centre of the curve. The profile stays between 12 m and 18 m (40 to 60 ft); moray eels hide in the swim-throughs, and black wire coral cascades from many of the overhangs along the wall.

After following the curve of the horseshoe, the dive continues south into the tongue-and-groove formations of the neighbouring site, The G-Spot, so a single dive on Alejandro's Reef takes in both the curved cenote wall and the tongue-and-groove reef that lies beyond it.

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for Alejandro's Reef
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairFairFairFairGoodGoodGoodFairFairFairFair

Season follows Xcalak & Banco Chinchorro: Summer brings the calmest seas and near-daily Chinchorro trips. Hurricane Dean came ashore near Mahahual one August.

Questions divers ask

How deep is Alejandro's Reef in Xcalak?+

The dive runs between 12 m and 18 m (40 to 60 ft) along a horseshoe-shaped wall.

Sources

  1. XTC Dive Center: recreational diving — XTC Dive Center
  2. Dive Sites — Diving Xcalak

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