Ship Wreck C-53

The C-53, also known as Felipe Xicoténcatl, is a former US minesweeper transferred to the Mexican Navy and deliberately sunk off Cozumel's west side in the early 2000s to create an artificial reef, not far from Palancar Reef. It rests on a sand bottom, with the maximum depth reaching about 24.3 metres and the deck starting shallower. The hull, around 60 metres long, is largely intact and penetrable in places, with masts, guns, and cargo holds still recognizable and colonized by grouper, lobster, and moray eels. Divers have also reported angelfish, barracuda, garden eels, octopus, and sea turtles around the wreck. The site carries an advanced rating, with an overhead environment inside the structure adding to the demands of the dive alongside its depth.

Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.

• Garden eelGarden eelReported here · unconfirmed
• AngelfishAngelfishReported here · unconfirmed
• LobsterLobsterConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
• Moray eelMoray eelConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
• Sea turtleSea turtleReported here · unconfirmed
• Atlantic Sergeant MajorAbudefduf saxatilisReported here · unconfirmed
• Atlantic Blue TangAcanthurus coeruleusReported here · unconfirmed
• French AngelfishPomacanthus paruReported here · unconfirmed
• Caribbean Bluehead WrasseThalassoma bifasciatumReported here · unconfirmed
• Yellow StingrayUrobatis jamaicensisReported here · unconfirmed
• Smooth TrunkfishLactophrys triqueterReported here · unconfirmed
• Giant AnemoneCondylactis giganteaReported here · unconfirmed
• French GruntHaemulon flavolineatumReported here · unconfirmed
• Caribbean Spiny LobsterPanulirus argusReported here · unconfirmed
• Bluestriped GruntHaemulon sciurusReported here · unconfirmed
• GrouperGrouperConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
• BarracudaBarracudaReported here · unconfirmed
• OctopusOctopusReported here · unconfirmed