Splash time

Spend a morning snorkeling in Puerto Morelos National Park on your next trip. The reefs are some of the most beautiful in the Mexican Caribbean and are rich in marine life. Shimmering fish of all shapes and sizes dart among the corals and sea turtles swim by. You’ll soon have face to face encounters with many of the reef dwellers and a list of colorful creatures to identify in your guidebook.

The reefs are easily accessible from the shoreline and waters are calm, making a snorkeling trip the perfect family option. Local dive masters know all the best places in this protected National Marine Park for snorkeling and scuba adventures. What are you waiting for? Put your mask on and dive into the crystal-clear water! Here are a few of the marine creatures you may catch a glimpse of.

Queen angelfish

Holocanthus ciliaris

Truly regal, angelfish glide along the reef in pairs and are said to mate for life. Juvenile queen angelfish are yellow and then turn blue as they reach maturity. You’ll also see French Angelfish and Gray Angelfish on local reefs.

Cocoa damselfish

Stegastes variabilis

This colorful little fish is fiercely territorial and will chase larger fish away from the nest where it lays its eggs.

Stoplight parrotfish

Scarus viride

Often seen nibbling corals and algae with their beak-like jaws (you can hear them too). There are several colorful parrotfish species in the Mexican Caribbean, and the fact that they change colors as they age can make identification a challenge. Parrotfish play an important role in controlling algae growth on the reefs and over time, the coral particles they grind form the white sand the area is so famous for.

Scrawled cowfish

Lactophyrs tricornis

Also known as the trunkfish, this strange little creature owes its name to two protruding spines above the eyes that resemble cow horns. It can usually be spotted in sea grass beds where it feeds on algae, tunicate worms and hermit crabs.

Squirrelfish

Holocentrus adscensionis

This small and timid salmon pink fish with protruding eyes and spines hides in crevices or under ledges on the reef during the day and ventures out at night to hunt for crabs and crustaceans.

Porcupine fish

Diodon holocanthus

This fish hides on the reef during the day and hunts for crabs, sea urchins and sea snails at night. Covered in spines, it swells like a balloon by taking in water and changes color when it feels threatened, hence its other names: balloon or puffer fish.

Blue tang

Acanthurus coeruleus

Often seen in large numbers swimming over the reef crest or grazing on algae, this fish is a deep blue shade when adult and yellow and paler blue when juvenile. It has a scalpel-like spine at the base of its tail, hence its other name of surgeonfish.

Spotted eagle ray

Aetobatus narinari

Watching groups of spotted eagle rays “fly” through the water is an incredible sight and you may even see them leap from the surface. Southern stingrays are also common in the area and emerge from their hiding places in the sand to hunt for food.

Your Concierge can help you arrange snorkeling and scuba trips to Puerto Morelos reefs and dive sites all along the Mesoamerican Reef.