Dive with
Best places to dive with Mayan Cichlid
Mayaheros urophthalmus
The largest fish most cenote divers actually see. Olive with dark vertical bars and a black eyespot ringed in blue at the tail base. Common in the open, lit basins of cenotes and in mangrove-fed systems like Casa Cenote; assessed Least Concern by the IUCN in 2018, though local populations face habitat loss and pollution pressure.
Destinations ranked by how reliably mayan cichlid is seen. The bars show the likelihood by month — never a guarantee. See the full species page for more.
Cenotes (Riviera Maya), Mexico
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Resident year-round in the open and shallow sections. No documented seasonal peak. Not found in the dark cave passages.