Tortuga

Tortugas is a wide, flat "carpet" reef located in Playa del Carmen, on the Caribbean coast of the Riviera Maya, and is considered the most popular reef dive in the area. Its broad, low-relief structure creates an ideal habitat for sea turtles, and hawksbill, green, and loggerhead turtles can all be encountered on a single dive.

The reef reaches a maximum depth of 15 m and its flat carpet profile means there is little vertical relief, though the bottom is covered with massive barrel sponges and a diverse range of Caribbean marine life including moray eels, nurse sharks, rays, orange filefish, batfish, and blue-spotted cornet fish. Between June and September, large schools of tarpon move through the site, while cooler water in the winter months brings eagle rays and bull sharks.

The current at Tortugas runs moderate to firm; divers are advised to move with it rather than against it. Water temperature ranges from 26–31°C. The site suits beginner certified divers upward and is accessible by boat from Playa del Carmen.