7 Things to Know About Bull Shark Diving in Playa Del Carmen

2024-09-19 18:37:06

It may sound scary, bull shark diving Playa del Carmen is a popular scuba experience

For many people the thought of getting into shark infested waters is a big no! But for scuba divers it’s a yes, yes, YES!

Despite many fears, it’s actually pretty rare to see sharks when scuba diving in many places, which is why bull shark diving, Mexico (from the shores of Playa del Carmen) is such a special diving trip.

Here you’re almost guaranteed to see the bull sharks in all of their sharky glory, during the season.

It’s a dive immersion that can be slightly nerve-wracking, but incredibly fantastic at the same time.

In this blog we are going to share with you all you need to know about scuba diving, bull shark excursions!

1. Bull Sharks Are Here For A Limited Time
The bull shark season in playa del carmen usually runs from early November until the end of February the following year. However, the bull sharks don’t always have the same precise calendar as we humans do on dry land, so some years they stick around a little longer, and other years they have been known to disappear earlier.


2. The Bull Sharks Are Pregnant Females

The bull sharks that arrive to the dive site are pregnant females. They actually come to this location for the duration of their pregnancy. The instructors and dive guides who do this trip frequently over the season can actually see the bull sharks getting fatter as the months go by! It’s quite special!

When the sharks disappear, they actually go to give birth. Nobody really knows where they go for this, and the baby sharks are never spotted afterwards.


3. You Need To Wear Certain Colors

Dive gear has gone up in the style stakes over recent years, and it’s not unusual to see all sorts of colored scuba equipment. But when diving with bull sharks in Playa del Carmen, you are only permitted to wear dark colors. This is as the sharks are said to be attracted to the lighter colors as they may be more similar to the shiny scales of a fish.

This includes your wetsuit, which needs to be a full suit that also covers your arms and legs, along with fins, mask and accessories.

If you have your own equipment, but it doesn’t meet the regulations for the bull shark dives, please inform us when completing your booking and we can provide you with appropriate dive gear.

If you take an underwater camera for this dive, you are not permitted to use your strobe or flash for similar reasons.

4. Bull Shark Diving Mexico is a Deep Dive

The Bull sharks are found at a dive site which is known as ‘Shark Point’. This is a deep dive site, which sits at around 80 feet / 24 meters below the surface. Due to its depth, divers need to be advanced open water to dive, or have a deep diver specialty as there are factors to consider, such as air consumption and safety stops.

If you are not certified for this depth level, you can still experience the sharks as an adventure dive, just let us know when booking to ensure the instructor who takes you is aware of your needs.

5. It is an Observation Dive

When you normally head into the ocean for a dive, you swim along the reef and explore to see the many fish or different coral that live there. But on a dive with the bull sharks, it is an observation dive. This means that you descend to the sandy sea floor and actually kneel along the bottom to watch as the sharks swim around you.

There is a rope tethered to the floor to hold onto, it can also be slightly advantageous to take a little extra weight to help you keep still.

You can kneel or lie on the floor, and try not to silt the water, as this will impair your visibility.

And remember, this isn’t a tank at an aquarium, the sharks will be swimming around you from all sides, so keep looking in all directions. Including behind you!

Also – try as exciting as your dive is, remember to keep your breathing steady and calm in order to lower your air consumption and maximize your bottom time with these impressive animals.


6. Bull Sharks are only Found in Playa del Carmen

Many people ask if there is bull shark diving in Cozumel, or bull shark diving Cancun, but these magnificent creatures can only be seen at this one particular dive site in Playa del Carmen.

If a dive operator offers you ‘Cancun swim with sharks’, they will almost certainly bring you to Playa del Carmen to dive, so considering where you stay on your Mexican vacation if you plan on doing a lot of scuba diving is very important.

(Also note Playa del Carmen is also a lot closer to the famous cenotes of the region than Cancun too)


7. You get to go on a Second Reef Dive

After all of the excitement of your bull shark dive, you can also experience the reef in the area too. Playa del Carmen is known for having a lot of fish and life in it waters, especially in dive sites such as Jardines.

The second dives is usually shallow, and is a nice way to finish up after the impressive time seeing the sharks.


Let’s Go Bull Shark Diving, Playa Del Carmen

Now you know all about why you need to experience scuba diving with bull sharks in Playa del Carmen, the only thing left to do is book!

While you’re looking, you may also what to look at our other great scuba tours to the reefs, or even the magical cenotes which are found in the local jungle of the region.

Send us a message to book!

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