THE PIXEL SMITH ON FLICKR Diving at Costa de Cocos We are very lucky to share with you the great underwater photography Tim has taken in Xcalak. Visit his Flickr page to see more of these beautiful pictures from his diving adventures. Previous Next

MIAMI HERALD | SUSAN COCKING Diving Haven Exists in Mexico XCALAK, Mexico — Warning: Avid tarpon anglers, don’t even think about using sinking fly lines, live mullet, or a Lefty Deceiver. These tarpon are for viewing only – not for catching. About 100 of them were lazing around, spa-like, about 60 feet deep in a coral-lined canyon less than a mile off this tiny town on the southern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula when I visited last summer. The canyon is part of a marine sanctuary implemented about two years ago for the lands and nearshore waters of Xcalak, a Mayan word that means “two together,” named for two natural cuts through the barrier reef. The spot frequented by the tranquil tarpon is called La Poza, or freshwater spring — a place they go to chill out and have their gills cleaned by gobis and remoras. “I’ve never seen them…READ MORE

UNDERCURRENT SCUBA MAGAZINE | STAFF WRITER S.V.M. Good Diving Near the Belize Border A past editor of Undercurrent opened the attractive Maya Ha resort near Mahahual, four hours south of Cancun. After a drawn-out battle with the resort’s developer, Maya Ha closed and was reopened a couple of years ago as the Maya Palms Dive Resort. I arrived in April for my third visit in several years, and was upset to learn that the staff was “too busy” to take me diving for the next two days. Every employee did the work of three people. The divemaster was also responsible for repairing everything, the chef was the groundskeeper, and everyone was helping with room renovations. Divers were at the bottom of the priority list –- at a so-named “dive resort.” After four days of lousy treatment, I checked out of Maya Palms and drove an hour south to Costa De…READ MORE