Dive· Isla Mujeres· Mexico
El Farito Reef and Virgin Statue (Isla Mujeres)
21° 14.7′ N · 86° 45.0′ W
A shallow reef in the bay off the west side of Isla Mujeres, marked by a small light tower ('El Farito'). Below it a statue of the Virgin stands on the bottom, placed to protect the island's fishermen. Barracuda, angelfish, parrotfish, turtles, lobsters and stingrays are common, and the site works for snorkelers and easy dives alike.
Practical
Coordinate is the OpenStreetMap dive-site node 'El Farito' (from the dive-links.com site database). Tour listings say the statue was placed in 1966 to protect fishermen; a TravelPulse article says local fishermen set it there after recovering it from a shipwreck, so the story varies. Taste of Isla's 'La Bahía / Cross of the Bay' snorkel (3-5 m, 10-16 ft) runs between Sac Bajo and El Farito, where MUSA set marine-cement 'pots' to shelter fish after Hurricane Wilma killed the elkhorn coral. Mexico Divers sells a two-hour reef snorkel here for MXN 700 (listing - verify). The light tower stands on the reef, so give it a wide berth when entering or leaving the Isla Mujeres anchorage, and watch for tour boats. Part of the Costa Occidental de Isla Mujeres national park: park wristband/fee, no anchoring on coral, no take.
Best for
Easy snorkel or dive close to the anchorage
Nearby
- Isla Mujeres Harbor Anchorage0.3 NM away
- Northers (Nortes) on the Yucatán Coast0.3 NM away
- Bahía Tolok (Isla Mujeres)0.5 NM away
- Marina Paraíso (Isla Mujeres)0.5 NM away
- Soggy Peso (Isla Mujeres)0.5 NM away
- El Milagro Marina (Isla Mujeres)0.6 NM away
- Enrique's Dock Marina (Isla Mujeres)0.6 NM away
- Drunken Mermaid (Isla Mujeres)0.7 NM away