Puerto Morelos

Key Safety Habits

• Treat wind as your main trip variable. Nortes can cancel boats even when the sky looks clear.
• Stay visible: use a surface marker buoy when surfacing away from the boat, and follow guide procedures for driftier sites.
• Maintain excellent buoyancy. Park rules require keeping more than 2 m from corals, and guides can stop dives if control is poor.
• Expect boat traffic around popular snorkel and dive zones. Ascend as a group and follow flag protocols.

Night Diving

Night dives are possible but regulated by park rules and operator approval. Confirm timing and permitted areas with your operator before you plan your trip around night dives.

For diving incidents, call local emergency services first if there is an immediate threat to life, then contact DAN for medical coordination. Hyperbaric facilities serving the Riviera Maya region include Playa del Carmen and Cancun area providers. Keep key numbers saved offline before you travel.

• DAN Emergency Hotline: +1-919-684-9111 (24/7)
• DAN Spanish emergency line: +52-557-100-0540 (24/7)
• Playa International Clinic (hyperbaric services, Playa del Carmen): (984) 803 12 15
• Costamed Puerto Morelos (emergency contact): 998 500 2505

Puerto Morelos is inside a national park, so low-impact behavior is not optional.

• Keep more than 2 m from coral formations and do not stand on the reef.
• Do not touch, feed, or harass wildlife, and avoid shining lights directly into animals' eyes.
• Gloves and knives are restricted, reinforcing no-contact diving and snorkeling.
• For buceo libre (snorkeling and freediving), life jackets are required for participants under park rules.
• Use reef-safe sunscreen and consider a rashguard to reduce chemical load.

Paying the park fee supports management, signage, and enforcement. Choose operators who brief conservation rules clearly and model good buoyancy and group control.