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PortuguêsMama Viņa Shipwreck
27m maximum depth
Maximum depth: variable, currently at 28m/92ft.
Average current, rarely dropping to weak. The visibility regularly exceeds 30m/100ft.
The Mama Viña was once used to trawl for shrimp, but back in 1995 it was sank to create an artificial reef and provide an added attraction to the many scuba divers who visit Playa del Carmen.
It lies almost intact, listing to port, with it’s bow facing the predominant south-north current head on.
After being briefed on drift diving procedures, and given special instructions regarding the physical and marine life hazards of wreck diving, we drop in south of the sunken boat and descend as fast as possible to the sandy bottom that surrounds it (therefore, divers experiencing temporary ear equalization problems should postpone a visit to the Mama Viña).
As you follow the guide towards the looming hulk you may spot the big grouper that lives inside the Mama Viña on an occasional swim away from its shelter, the cobia that return to this wreck regularly and which are commonly mistaken for sharks or one of the many stingrays that skim the bottom in search of food accompanied by bar jacks that have changed into their black hunting coloration.
The dive progresses on three main levels: after hugging the bottom on the starboard side we swim into the current along the port side until we ascend and drop into the bow area (22-23m/72-75ft) that has started to be colonized by the coral, the feathery hydroids, the varied sponges and the fire coral – please watch out for the large areas encrusted with rust-colored plates – amongst which you may spot the odd fire worm or two.
We follow starboard again until we reach the lower aft deck. There, we regulate buoyancy and start frog kicking before going through two compartments and a considerable school of sweeper fish until we find ourselves back in the bow area.
Drifting northwards with the current alongside port, we slowly ascend to the upper aft deck where, right in front of our eyes and over the bridge (18m/60ft) huge barracudas hover motionless while a myriad of tiny fish perform an exhaustive cleaning operation on these fearsome predators.
All the while, large permits, trevally and horse-eye jacks swirl around the wreck in search of some dental flossing or gill picking.
Yes, this boat is a large cleaning station where the Mr. Muscles of our waters come to regain health and cleanliness...
The dive over, we drift out to sea with one eye on the huge permit, jacks and sometimes amberjacks until we reach safety stop depth still keeping the other eye out for the occasional turtle or stingray cruising along the sandy bottom well below us.
Click photos below to enlarge.
 on Mama Vina - Geofish Dive_lg.jpg) |
 on Mama Vna - Geofish Dive_lg.jpg) |
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Branching Tube Sponge (Pseudoceratina crassa) on Mama Viņa |
Channel Cling Crab (Mithrax spinosissimus) on Mama Viņa |
Coral on hull of Mama Viņa |
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 inside Mama Vina - Geofish Dive_lg.jpg) |
Divers beside Mama Viņa |
Divers inside Mama Viņa |
Glassy Sweeper (Pempheris schomburgki) inside Mama Viņa |
 below Mama Vina - Geofish Dive_lg.jpg) |
 on Mama Vina rear deck - Geofish Dive_lg.jpg) |
 on Mama Vina - Geofish Dive_lg.jpg) |
Graysby (Cephalopholis cruentatus) below Mama Viņa |
Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) on Mama Viņa rear deck |
Green Moray (Gymnothorax funebris) on Mama Viņa |
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Mama Viņa becoming a reef |
Mama Viņa bow |
Mama Viņa from foredeck |
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 inside Mama Vina - Geofish Dive_lg.jpg) |
Mama Viņa rear quarter view |
Schooling Baitfish inside Mama Viņa |
Yellow Tube Sponge (Aplysina fistularis) inside Mama Viņa |
