Anchorage· Isla Holbox· Mexico
Holbox Anchorage
21° 31.0′ N · 87° 22.6′ W · approximate
Holbox is a rarely visited, very shallow stop for shoal-draft boats: the village sits on a low barrier island between the Gulf of Mexico and the Yalahau lagoon, with fishing boats pulled up on the beach and fish-packing boats lying offshore.
Practical
Coordinate is approximate: placed just off the ferry landing on the lagoon (south) side of the village (OpenStreetMap ferry terminal 21.5194, -87.3751). No published cruising-guide anchorage position or depths were found - approach on a current chart and sounder, in daylight. Depths are very thin: at Marina Sunrise Holbox a 5 ft draft boat reported 5 ft at the south end of the dock and slightly less at the north end, soft mud (PredictWind, February 2021). The Yalahau lagoon is shallow and water clarity is poor (about 15 ft at best). Wikipedia notes sandbars intermittently joining the island to the mainland with channels to the sea and lagoon. Holbox lies inside the Yum Balam protected area. Not a port of entry - clear in at Isla Mujeres first.
Best for
Shoal-draft boats wanting the whale-shark grounds and a village stop
Season
Nov–May; nortes make the north side untenable
Nearby
- Holbox Ferry Terminal0.1 NM away
- Centro de Salud Holbox (Health Clinic)0.3 NM away
- Holbox Laundry (Lavamar)0.4 NM away
- Holbox Village0.4 NM away
- Panadería Amaranto (Holbox)0.4 NM away
- Super Chedraui Holbox0.4 NM away
- Holbox Playa Norte Pier (Collapsed)0.6 NM away
- Punta Cocos Bioluminescence (Holbox)1.1 NM away