Yucab Reef

Quintana Roo, Mexicoreef17 m maxbeginner

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Conditions & tides

Channel site — tidal current funnels through here and can run fast, changing quickly with the tide. It is usually strongest around mid-tide and eases near the slack windows below. Dive with a local operator who knows the timing.

Satellite view of Yucab Reef

Yucab ReefQuintana Roo · 17 m

Good · 5/5

© Esri

conditions visualisation

Good5/5

Calm and diveable right now — best window today 6 AM–4 PM.

Wind5 kn SE

Current~2 kn NE · model

Swell

0.2 m · 3s · SSE

Water

30 °C

Conditions through the day

5 AM5 PM

Calmest current near slack — 12:00 AM & 12:30 PM local

Sunrise 05:36 AM · Sunset 05:42 PM local

Show details

Tide · local

Outlook — select a day for full conditions

On-face swell 0.2 m — the component of the swell aimed at this site’s exposed face. Strong-current reef: plan a drift and enter near the slack windows above. Current is a regional model value (Copernicus, ~9 km grid) — a guide to the area, not a precise reef measurement. Imagery © Esri · not depth or visibility.

Scored by DiveConnect's site-physics model

Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.

Dived here today? How were conditions vs. what we showed?

About this site

Yucab Reef sits off the coast of Cozumel in Quintana Roo, Mexico, part of the Mesoamerican Reef system in the Riviera Maya area. It reaches a maximum depth of around 17 metres over a reef bottom, with light current, making it a beginner dive. Angelfish, butterflyfish, eagle rays, lobster, nurse sharks, parrotfish, and sea turtles are common here, and divers have also reported barracuda, damselfish, moray eels, nudibranchs, octopus, scorpionfish, seahorses, and snapper. The shallow depth and gentle current make it a relaxed drift dive well suited to divers still building experience.

AI overview

Marine life here

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

LobsterLobsterConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
Nurse SharkGinglymostoma cirratumConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
SeahorseSeahorseReported here · unconfirmed
SnapperSnapperReported here · unconfirmed
ButterflyfishButterflyfishConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
Sea turtleSea turtleConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
Moray eelMoray eelReported here · unconfirmed
ScorpionfishScorpionfishReported here · unconfirmed
OctopusOctopusReported here · unconfirmed
Atlantic Sergeant MajorAbudefduf saxatilisReported here · unconfirmed
French AngelfishPomacanthus paruReported here · unconfirmed
Atlantic Blue TangAcanthurus coeruleusReported here · unconfirmed
Caribbean Bluehead WrasseThalassoma bifasciatumReported here · unconfirmed
Yellow StingrayUrobatis jamaicensisReported here · unconfirmed
West Indian Fuzzy ChitonAcanthopleura granulataReported here · unconfirmed
French GruntHaemulon flavolineatumReported here · unconfirmed
Giant AnemoneCondylactis giganteaReported here · unconfirmed
Smooth TrunkfishLactophrys triqueterReported here · unconfirmed
Nurse sharkNurse sharkConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
Eagle rayEagle rayConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
ParrotfishParrotfishConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
AngelfishAngelfishConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
NudibranchNudibranchReported here · unconfirmed
BarracudaBarracudaReported here · unconfirmed
DamselfishDamselfishReported here · unconfirmed

Diver notes

Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.

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