Exploring Casetas: Isla Mujeres’ Rediscovered Shipwreck

Casetas. Part of the ill-fated Chairel: Photo Credit Yamile Ortiz

At Pocna Dive Center, we love uncovering forgotten corners of the sea. Every so often, our team sets out on exploratory dives to revisit sites that rarely see bubbles, and sometimes we discover something worth sharing with our divers. That’s exactly how Casetas became our newest addition to the wreck dives of Isla Mujeres.

The Story Behind Casetas

Casetas is part of the Chairel, a car ferry deliberately sunk in the year 2000 to create an artificial reef. What should have been a straightforward sinking didn’t quite go as planned. The ferry encountered weather issues during its descent, capsized, and landed upside down on the seabed.

Nature added another twist five years later. In 2005, Hurricane Wilma tore through the Mexican Caribbean and split the ferry horizontally, scattering its remains. The top and bottom sections were carried apart by 2.5 km (about 1.5 miles), creating two separate wreck sites.

For years, Pocna Dive Center has been taking divers to the lower portion of the Chairel, a popular artificial reef teeming with life. But it wasn’t until September 2025 that our dive team officially opened the upper wreck site—Casetas—to our divers.

Casetas found outside the National Park, Isla Mujeres. Photo Credit Yamile Ortiz

Diving Casetas

Casetas rests at 24 meters (79 feet), making it ideal for experienced divers who are comfortable with deeper waters and drift diving conditions. Currents can be strong in this area, adding an extra element of adventure to the dive.

The wreck is broken into several pieces: a large section that allows light to penetrate and smaller fragments scattered nearby. Because Casetas has seen very little diver traffic over the years, it feels almost untouched. Schools of reef fish, curious barracudas, and other marine life make this site vibrant and full of surprises.

With careful planning and guidance from our team, Casetas offers a safe yet thrilling experience for those with the right level of experience.

By adding Casetas to our dive roster, Isla Mujeres now offers divers an even greater number of shipwrecks to explore, each with its own history, marine life, and underwater adventure. Combined with our other wrecks—including the Chairel lower section and sites featured in our shipwreck guide—Casetas helps make Isla Mujeres a premier destination for wreck diving enthusiasts.

Casetas, Isla Mujeres, allows for light penetration for those with the right experience. Photo Credit Yamile Ortiz

Why Dive Casetas?

For divers who love shipwrecks, Casetas offers something special: the chance to explore a rediscovered wreck that feels like a secret of the sea. With its history tied to the Chairel, the drama of Hurricane Wilma, and years of being largely untouched, Casetas is both a living reef and a living story.

Whether you’re a wreck enthusiast or an adventurous diver looking for something new in Isla Mujeres, Casetas is ready for you. Our team at Pocna Dive Center is proud to bring this forgotten site back into the spotlight—and we can’t wait to show it to you.

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Dive Details at a Glance

• Depth: 24 meters / 79 feet

• Boat Ride: 30 minutes

• Dive Type: Drift (strong currents), deep dive, artificial reef/wreck

• Experience Level: Advanced Open Water or experienced diver

• Visibility: ~20 meters / 65 feet

• Water Temperature: ~26°C / 79°F

• Dive Time: 30–35 minutes

To view the fish surveyed here with reef.org, click HERE.

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  Casetas, Part of the Chairel shipwreck in Isla Mujeres.

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  Casetas, Part of the Chairel shipwreck in Isla Mujeres.

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  Casetas, Part of the Chairel shipwreck in Isla Mujeres.

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  Casetas, Part of the Chairel shipwreck in Isla Mujeres.

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  Casetas, Part of the Chairel shipwreck in Isla Mujeres.

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  Casetas, Part of the Chairel shipwreck in Isla Mujeres.

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  Casetas, Part of the Chairel shipwreck in Isla Mujeres.

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  Casetas, Part of the Chairel shipwreck in Isla Mujeres.

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  Casetas, Part of the Chairel shipwreck in Isla Mujeres.

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  Casetas, Part of the Chairel shipwreck in Isla Mujeres.

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  Casetas, Part of the Chairel shipwreck in Isla Mujeres.

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  Casetas, Part of the Chairel shipwreck in Isla Mujeres.

Tracy Gunn is the founder and owner of Pocna Dive Center on Isla Mujeres, Mexico. A former banker turned adventurer, Tracy left a decade-long corporate career to pursue her passion for diving and island life. With over 35 years of diving experience and 24 years of living on Isla Mujeres, she now serves as a PADI Course Director, training the next generation of divers at her dive school. When she’s not underwater, Tracy shares her love for the island and the ocean through engaging blogs about diving, marine life, and the culture of Isla Mujeres. 

Interested in reading more from this author?

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Blogs about Instructor Development Courses and Professional Scuba Diving: click here