Felipe Xicotencatl - C53
Measuring 184ft/56m long, 33ft/10m wide and 40ft/12m high this super structure was put into service for the US Navy as SCUFFLES.
Sold to the Mexican Navy in 1962, and converted to an Admiral Class gun ship, then renamed FELIPE XICOTANCATL or C-53. It was used in the Gulf of Mexico and the Mexican Caribbean sea until 1999. The C-53 served in rescue missions and patrolling for illegal arms and drugs.
After 55 years of service the C-53 has been retired and later donated to what is today Cozumel National Marine Park.
It became a shipwreck in 2000 when they sunk it on purpose, providing international divers with an awesome playground to explore, laying in 80ft/24m of water just off shore Playa Corona.
Its location has been elected in order to be away from reefs, conservation first, so it lays beside few little coral formations on a beautiful sandy bottom where Barracuda, Jacks and even Rays are swimming around.
This ship wreck has been cut open widely so it’s nice and easy to penetrate for experience divers. Almost the whole ship can be visited.
Although it is one of the smoothest place for the current compare to the condition we can experience in Cozumel, It can pick up strong.
When it is so strong we can’t manage to go around smoothly, one of the option there is to spend 10/15′ playing around the wreck, then let yourself drift toward Chankana’ab Reef. It takes 5 to 10 minutes depending on the current.
Have you been diving one of our wrecks