C-53 Felipe Xicotencatl

The Felipe Xicotencatl is Cozumel's set-piece wreck dive: a mid-century minesweeper that served in the Mexican navy and was sunk deliberately in 2000 as an artificial reef near Chankanaab. She sits upright and whole at recreational depth, which makes her a teaching wreck in the best sense — guides lead simple line-of-sight passes through opened corridors and the engine room while glassy sweepers swirl in the dark spaces. Outside, the hull carries a growing fur of sponge and hydroid, patrolled by barracuda and the occasional resting stingray on the surrounding sand.

اللحظة التي جئت من أجلها: Upright intact hull, guided interior corridors, glassy sweepers, easy depth for a wreck.

التضاريس: Intact steel minesweeper resting upright on flat sand near the reef line.

التيار: Gentler than the southern drift sites; occasional along-hull flow.

نقطة الدخول: Moored descents near Chankanaab; mild conditions on most days.

المخاطر: Overhead sections require training and a guide; sharp steel edges; silt inside if finned carelessly.

الحفاظ على البيئة البحرية: Artificial reef inside the marine park; take nothing and touch nothing.

نيتروكس: يستحق هنا — تقع البروفايلات في النطاق الذي يمدّد فيه النيتروكس وقت التوقف اللاإلزامي بشكل ملموس (بشرط امتلاك التدريب اللازم لاستخدامه).