Diving MUSA - Cancun's Underwater Museum -

Are you interested in snorkelling or scuba diving MUSA – the Underwater Museum of Cancun? Great choice.

MUSA (which stands for Underwater Museum of Art in Spanish) is the largest underwater museum in the world.

It was built to provide a home for coral and other sea life, there are over 500 underwater sculptures.

You see the sculptures, as well as lots of wildlife too that are making a home near the sculptures.

By visiting this underwater museum, you’re not only giving yourself a very unique snorkel or dive experience, but you’re also supporting the conservation of coral and marine life.

I had a wonderful experience diving MUSA, and recommend it for anyone’s Cancun itinerary.

I’m going to tell you everything you need to know about this unique snorkel and diving experience, to help your experience go smoothly.

What You Need to Know About Diving MUSA

Me on the boat getting ready for the dives

1. The sculptures will eventually be completely covered in coral (and hard to distinguish)

The goal of placing the sculptures where they are is to redirect divers and snorkelers away from the natural coral reef, and provide another place for coral to grow.

As the coral crows on the sculptures, it will cover them entirely to the point where in the future you may barely be able to see them. (This is a good thing.)

Maybe sad for us not seeing the sculptures as well anymore, but good for the coral and for the environment.

This means that every year, MUSA will look slightly different than it did before. If this project really interests you, consider grabbing this book that explains the science behind this project, and includes several photos.

some of the coral reef surrounding MUSA, which we also saw on our dives

2. You’re not going to see all of it

MUSA is quite huge, spanning over 2 km. In just a two-tank dive, I barely scratched the surface in all there was to see.

But that’s ok. The goal isn’t to see everything but to take the time to enjoy the things you do see.

The statues have purposely been made to have many small crevices – if you look closely, you will see critters and sea life hiding in the crevices.

There is a lot of sea life taking up residence in the area – lots of fish, and lobsters. We were lucky to see a spotted eagle ray during one of our dives.

Keep an eye out for these little critters hanging out in the crevices underneath the sculptures

3. They offer dives for certified AND non-certified divers

You don’t have to be a certified scuba diver to explore the underwater museum by diving.

They offer dives for non-certified people; which:

are a bit pricier than for certified divers
include a lesson component

It only costs an extra $50 to dive MUSA as a non-certified diver (pretty shocking, but. a great deal if you’ve always wanted to dry diving.)

Pro Tip: The Cancun location has a pool that they do some pre-dive training in. You can book tickets here on Get Your Guide (I will receive a small commission if you book through Get Your Guide, but then they handle your purchase and cancellation if you need to cancel)

4. You can do the experience from either Cancun or Isla Mujeres

MUSA is closest to Isla Mujeres, but you can snorkel or dive from either there or Cancun. I did it from the Cancun side.

MUSA Underwater Museum has their own location in Cancun where they organize dives from, and its located at the marina near the hotel zone.

taking the boat through the shallow seas of the waters off the coast of Cancun

When you buy your tickets on their website, you specify which one you want to snorkel or dive from.

It’s slightly cheaper to do the experience from Cancun.

How to Get to the Cancun Location

Unless you’re staying very closeby in the hotel zone, the easiest way to get to the designated Marina in Cancun is probably by Uber – that’s how I did it.

You’ll know you’re in the right place when you see the sculptures out front.

The location you give to an Uber driver is MARINA SCUBA Cancun KM 5, Blvd. Kukulcan, Zona Hotelera, 77500 Cancún, Q.R. See the exact location on Google maps here.

5. They offer a photo package

I had a GoPro with me on the dives, but I ended up buying the photo package that they offered and I’m glad I did because I was able to get some footage with me in the dives as well.

My GoPro was a bit better (a newer version) than theirs, however they had better and more steady underwater videography skills than I do. So, I believe it was worth it.

Pro Tip: You’re offered a T-shirt if you buy the package in advance. However, when I was on the boat (I hadn’t bought the package yet) they offered me a discount for buying it.

My Experience (Certified) Diving MUSA

I have a YouTube video detailing my experience and helpful tips for those interested in the experience here:

The particular day that I went was unusually cloudy but we were lucky to have some sunny parts too. It also didn’t end up affecting the dive too much, the visibility was still pretty good.

I have to say, I found the staff at MUSA to be incredible and some of the most supportive divemasters, instructors and support staff that I’ve come across. Everyone was taken very well care of.

What made this experience so special wasn’t just the underwater museum itself but the coral, and wildlife that we saw as well.

If you’re on the fence about booking a dive for the underwater museum, I say go for it. It was truly a unique diving experience, with great staff. I hope that this video has helped give you an idea of what the experience of diving there is like.