Yes. Dive Playa. Sharks are in season.

Playa is green. Boats can go out, and the shop will pick the reef.

Port colors as of Wed, 4 Nov 2026, 21:36 GMT-5.

• Playa del Carmen

  Sunny · 75°F air · 85°F water · Light wind, 7 mph

• Cozumel

  Weather unknown · 85°F water

• Puerto Morelos

  Sunny · 77°F air · 85°F water · Breezy, 11 mph

Water temperature is taken at the surface. It can be cooler down on the reef.

Yes. It's bull shark season.

Shops run the dive off Playa from November through February, and December and January are the most reliable months. The boat still needs a green port, and sightings aren't guaranteed.

If you land around noon, say on an early morning flight out of New Jersey, you can make an afternoon dive. Book USA Transfers for the ride down.

A night dive is the easier same-day option, and you can land later and spend less. The ADO bus from the airport costs about $20. Once you're outside, walk past the taxi drivers to the small kiosk next to the big red buses. The bus drops you in the middle of 5th Avenue, a 10-minute walk from Phantom Divers.

• Don't wander around after about 1 am. Militarized police have been known to stop and frisk people they suspect are looking for drugs.
• If you're staying in town, buy bottled water or jugs at an OXXO or another corner store for your room.
• Stay in town. It costs less, and you'll have a better time. Resorts are for the beach, and resort food is terrible. If a partner who doesn't dive needs a resort, hit the breakfast buffet early and eat every other meal in town.
• The Playacar resorts are a good compromise, since they're close to town.
• For cost, convenience, and amenities, the best hotel in town is the Aloft by Marriott.
• Late night, or feeling lazy? Use Rappi. It's the local DoorDash or Grubhub.
• Skip Uber. Playa runs on inDrive.
• Avoid 5th Avenue. It's where tourists get ripped off and eat fake food.
• Don't count on a currency exchange to treat you fairly. Before you hand over cash, ask for a receipt showing what you'll get back, and check that it matches the rate on the sign and that the rate is reasonable. Then count the cash against the receipt. If they won't write the receipt first, walk away. The exchange on 1st Avenue near Phantom Divers has always done this right.
• The receipt rule works in reverse at gas stations. Check how much they pumped, the price, and what they charged. Sometimes they tack on a few extra dollars and pocket them as a fake tip. A rental car filling up on the way to the airport is an easy mark.
• Skip the nightclubs. They're run by cartels, and they'll rip you off.
• Plenty of online reviews say the massage places are trustworthy. It's still a safe bet you'll get fleeced at best, and at worst you'll wake up missing a kidney. That last part is a gut feeling, not something I know has happened.
• Beach clubs are more of a Tulum day trip. There are good beach bars on 1st Avenue, and even the bars across the street on 1st feel more normal. In general, things off 5th Avenue are better.
• See the beach ceremony at least once. It's interesting and a real piece of local culture.
• Don't go to Chichen Itza, aka chicken pizza. They don't serve margaritas, and it eats a whole day. If you go anyway, don't fall for fake road closures or people waving detour signs. Do stop in Temozón for the smoked barbecue. It's amazing.
• If you have to do one of the X parks, do Xenses, and don't skip the Xensatorium. That one attraction makes the whole visit. It's a hidden gem you'll talk about for years.
• Food trucks line up by the supermarket on 30th Avenue, and they're good.
• Get a marquesita from a street vendor at night, like the ones on Constituyentes. The traditional filling is Nutella and queso de bola, which is Edam cheese. It's a crisp, rolled crepe, a bit like a brittle funnel cake, and it's delicious and fun to watch them make.
• Drunk and craving something savory? Get tostilocos or dorilocos. Tostilocos is a bag of Tostitos split open and crushed, then loaded with street-corn mayo and seasoning. Dorilocos is the same thing with Doritos. As absolute junk food goes, it's really tasty.