Paso del Cedral
Depth is the range from the top of the site to its usual maximum; "recommended cert" is the mainstream-agency level operators usually ask for, not a legal rule. Currents and visibility change daily — treat everything here as planning ranges.
Cedral trades vertical drama for sheer fish tonnage. The reef is a modest strip of ledges, but those ledges shelter what feels like the island's payroll: walls of grunts and schoolmaster snappers parting around you, nurse sharks stacked under overhangs, green morays threaded into the coral, and hefty groupers supervising it all. Because the profile is shallow, the current becomes the sport — you ride it along the ridge, ducking into the lee of coral heads to watch the traffic. A favorite second-tank dive that regularly upstages the first.
The moment you come for: Dense snapper and grunt schools, nurse sharks under ledges, lively shallow drift.
Topography: A low ridge of coral heads and ledges paralleling a sand plain, honeycombed with small caves.
Current: A shallow site with a reputation for quick water; stay with the guide.
Entry: Drift entry over a low reef strip; the current here often runs faster than the depth suggests.
Know before you splash
Hazards: Fast current over shallow coral; watch fins and gauges.
Conservation: Marine-park site; give the resting nurse sharks room rather than crowding the ledges.
Who you'll meet
Great Barracuda
Green Sea Turtle
Nurse Shark
Porcupinefish
Southern Stingray
For photographers
Wide angle: ★★★★☆ · Macro: ★★★☆☆ — editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting