Scuba Diving in C-53 Wreck
The C-53 wreck sits perfectly upright on the seafloor, providing a fascinating look at a piece of Cozumel’s history. Explore the decks of this incredible sunken ship with the best team for Scuba Diving in Cozumel and see a different side of the underwater world.
At A Glance
Depth Range
Top of superstructure 40–50 ft; sand bottom 80 ft
Skill Level
Intermediate for exterior; Advanced recommended for interior penetration
Typical Visibility
80–100 ft, with clear conditions providing excellent views of the wreck structure and marine life
Current
Low to moderate; surface current can be significant descend on the mooring line
Wreck Dimensions
184 ft long, 33 ft wide; resting upright on the sand floor
History
WWII US Navy minesweeper; transferred to Mexican Navy 1962; intentionally sunk June 2000
Marine Life Highlights
Green moray eels, large groupers, schooling grunts, barracuda, lobster, octopus, turtles
Equipment Needed
Dive light mandatory for interior sections; dive computer required
The C-53 Felipe Xicotencatl The Only Wreck Dive in Cozumel's Marine Park
Every Cozumel diver eventually asks about the wreck. The C-53 Felipe Xicotencatl is the answer and it is a genuinely good one. Built in Tampa in 1944 as a US Navy minesweeper during World War II, the ship earned a Presidential Unit Citation and five battle stars in the Pacific. After the war it was sold to the Mexican Navy in 1962, renamed, and spent 37 years patrolling the Gulf of Mexico for drug and arms trafficking.
When it was decommissioned in 1999, Cozumel’s watersports association, local dive shops, and the Marine Park Authority proposed sinking it as an artificial reef. The location chosen was near Chankanaab Park sheltered from strong current, on a large sandbank to avoid damaging existing reef structures. The ship was stripped of hazards before sinking. In June 2000, the Felipe Xicotencatl was lowered to the seabed upright, where it has sat ever since. In 25 years it has been colonised by everything: sponges, corals, grunts, morays, groupers.
Exploring the C-53 Exterior and Interior Dive Profile
Descent is on the mooring line to the bow. On clear days the full 184-foot length of the wreck is visible from the surface before you reach it 80 feet of ship materialising below you as you go deeper. Surface current can be significant; at depth it softens around the hull.
The exterior tour moves from bow to stern: the coral-encrusted bow, the guns still in position amidships, the depth charges visible on the stern, and the propellers at the deepest point. Large groupers have claimed specific sections of the hull as territorial markers. A resident green moray eel is reliably found inside guides who know the wreck know exactly which compartment.
Advanced divers who want to enter the wreck access the wheelhouse, engine room, and officers’ quarters through large openings prepared before the sinking. The interior has multiple exits this is safer than many wreck penetrations but a dive light is mandatory for the darker compartments and buoyancy control must be precise to avoid disturbing silt that has settled in the lower sections. Flutter kick inside the wreck is not appropriate.
Marine Life on the C-53 Wreck
Resident species
Green moray eel
large specimen reliably found in the interior; consistently spotted at this dive site in Cozumel
Large groupers
Multiple individuals have claimed different sections of the hull
Schooling grunts & snapper
Fill the water column around the superstructure
Spiny lobster
Under the hull near the propellers
Octopus
In crevices along the exterior hull; more active at night
Regular visitors
Glassy sweepers
schooling in the darker interior sections
Blennies and gobies
In the coral growth covering the hull surface
Hawksbill turtles
Visit the wreck and surrounding sandflat
Barracuda
Patrol the water column above the wreck
The C-53 is one of the most productive Cozumel sites for marine life in a concentrated area. The contrast between the history of the hull and the life that has colonised it is part of what makes it memorable.
Depth, Certification and Equipment Requirements at the C-53
Open Water certification is sufficient for exterior exploration of the wreck. Interior penetration is recommended for Advanced Open Water divers. A dive light is required for any interior sections this is non-negotiable, not an optional extra. A dive computer is essential for monitoring depth and no-decompression limits when working along the deeper hull sections near the stern.
The descent line is strongly recommended, particularly on days with surface current. Do not attempt a free descent at the C-53 when current is running the line exists for a reason.
The wreck can be dived as a first or second tank. As a first tank, maximum bottom time is available at depth before ascending. As a second tank, a shallower reef exploration can follow.
Diving the C-53 Wreck with Pelagic Ventures
A wreck with a guide who has dived it hundreds of times is a different dive from a wreck with a guide on their first dozen visits. The C-53 has specific locations the moray’s compartment, the groupers’ stations, the crevices where octopus shelter on the exterior that only come with familiarity. Pelagic Ventures’ small-group model means your guide is with your group throughout, not spread across a larger contingent on different parts of the wreck.
Frequently Asked Questions
Open Water certification is sufficient for exterior exploration. Interior penetration is recommended for Advanced Open Water divers. A dive light is required for any interior section regardless of certification level.
The C-53 Felipe Xicotencatl was originally the USS Scuffles, a WWII minesweeper built in 1944. After the war it was sold to the Mexican Navy in 1962, renamed, and patrolled the Gulf of Mexico for decades. It was intentionally sunk in June 2000 near Chankanaab Park to create an artificial reef within the Marine Park.
The exterior of the wreck is accessible at depths manageable for Open Water certified divers. The mooring line provides a safe descent and the size of the ship is impressive even without entering it. It is not the easiest Cozumel dive the depth and occasional current require awareness but it works well for intermediate divers.
The wreck sits at 80 feet not accessible to snorkelers. Scuba certification is required. A Discover Scuba experience with Pelagic Ventures can be arranged for uncertified divers who want to try diving, though the standard DSD depth limit of 40 feet would not reach the main hull sections.
Ready to dive the C-53 Wreck?
Book a two-tank boat dive with Pelagic Ventures Scuba maximum 8 divers per boat, Marine Park fee always included, 30+ years on the reef.