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Palancar Reefs Scuba Diving Cozumel Mexico

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Palancar Reefs are best scuba diving sites in Cozumel Mexico. Palancar Reef is divided in four sections Palancar Caves, Palancar Bricks, Palancar Horseshoe and Palancar Gardens.

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Brain corals are characteristic of Playa de Carmen. (Photo: coral sphera image by Kolas Yauheni from Fotolia.com )

With its warm tropical waters, Mexico's Gulf Coast is an ideal breeding ground for corals. The second largest barrier reef in the world, the Mesoamerican Reef, begins off the tip of the Mexican Yucatan and extends due south and well past Mexico's maritime borders. On its western shores, Mexico is home to the northernmost coral reef in the eastern Pacific. This combination offers underwater attractions all across Mexico, to divers and snorkelers alike.

Tormentos Reef

Cozumel is ripped by strong currents, especially at the appropriately named Tormentos Reef. This drift diving site is punctuated by pinnacles and encrusted by brain and whip corals. The reef is thick with sea life such as groupers, grunts, eels, oceanic triggerfish and angelfish, as well as sea creatures such as seahorses. Depths on the site range between 50 and 70 feet, and it is suitable for intermediate divers.

Palancar Reef

Palancar Reef is three miles long, heavily encrusted with corals and is the largest single reef in the Cozumel area. That size means that from a diver's point of view, the reef is a collection of dive sites rather than a single destination. On one end is an amphitheater-shaped notch in the reef known as the Palancar Horseshoe. Elsewhere, the reef is crisscrossed by ravines, crevasses, caves and swim-through tunnels. Depths range from a shallow 25 feet, suitable for snorkelers, down to 130 feet.

Cerebros Reef

A Playa de Carmen dive site, Cerebros Reef has depths ranging between 20 and 50 feet, making it suitable for snorkelers and novice divers. Cerebros means "brain," and brain corals are the characteristic coral formation of the reef. The reef is populated by moray eels, scorpion fish, crabs, lobsters and shrimps.

Chunzumbul Reef

Reaching up to 20 feet and a maximum depth of 50 feet, Chunzumbul is another Playa de Carmen reef that is suitable for both snorkelers and novice divers. The top of the reef is decorated with the kind of hard corals rarely found so close to shore, especially near an urban area. A coral cavern is set into the reef, while the larger area is alive with schools of fish and visiting barracuda.

Calbo Pumo Reef

On the Pacific Coast of Mexico is Calbo Pumo, the northernmost coral reef in the eastern Pacific and the sole coral reef in the Sea of Cortez. The reef is situated in a marine microclimate that shelters it from the colder waters of the larger area, and is protected by the Cab Pumo Marine Park. Home to more than 350 different species of sea life, the reef is rated by local dive operators as suitable for snorkelers and novice divers.

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With its warm tropical waters, Mexico's Gulf Coast is an ideal breeding ground for corals. The second largest barrier reef in the world, the Mesoamerican Reef, begins off the tip of the Mexican Yucatan and extends due south and well past Mexico's maritime borders. On its western shores, Mexico is home to the ...

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humans must avoid contact with coral. When diving they cannot touch or harm the coral reef. They basically people cannot come into contact with any of the wild life. So far this has kept the reef in good health.

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Threats consist of destructive fishing. This includes cyanide fishing and dynamite fishing. another thing that harms the coral reef is sewage being sent into the ocean and into the reef. all of these have damaging effects on the coral reef.

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The Devastating Effects of Dynamite Fishing

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Join the cause, help Project Lautan restore, enhance and protect the worlds vulnerable coral reef ecosystems. www.projectlautan.org

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The Palancar reef is used for mainly tourism. People can dive and explore. It is also used for studying marine wild life. Scuba diving is the main use of the Palancar reef tourists go there to dive all the time.

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Palancar Gardens & Santa Rosa Reef Cozumel

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Palancar Gardens - Palancar Reef Cozumel

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Uploaded by George Hamilton on 2013-12-08.

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The Palancar reef has water so clear that you can see to a depth of 250ft. You can see a wide and diverse species of wildlife. you could see thing so many diverse species of fish and sponges on the reef. You will also see the wide variety of color that the beautiful Palancar reef has to offer.