Ultrafreeze – also known as El Frio — is a 200-foot long shipwreck in Mexico, off the Caribbean coast of Quintana Roo. The vessel was a cargo ship/ tugboat deliberately sunk to create an artificial reef.
The hull of Ultrafreeze is virtually intact, and the site is known as a fantastic dive in which to spot a diverse array of marine life. Divers have reported seeing sea turtles, manta rays, grouper, barracuda and other very large fish, making the site popular with underwater photographers.
The current can be quite strong on the way down, so experienced scuba divers will find this more comfortable than beginners.
Ultrafreeze is located 100 feet below the surface in Bahia de Mujeres (Bay of the Women), between Cancun and Isla Mujeres. The site is around a 30 minute boat ride from Cancun and Isla Mujeres. Most dive operators include transportation in the diving fee.
The air temperature throughout the year rages from 19C/66F to 33C/66-91F. The average water temperature ranges from 25C/77F to 28C/ 82F.
This mammoth 110 meter cargo ship caught fire on the dock of Isla Mujeres where it severely burned to the point of not being sea worthy. Shortly thereafter in 1979, the vessel was towed to a location 11 km southeast of the island where it was sunk in 90’ or 29 meters of water. It sits there today, and is known as El Frio by the Mexicans who visit or speak of the wrecks existence. This is a good dive spot and accessible by boat for divers who are interested in making the dive.
First thing you see going down from its anchor line is its wheel house at seventy feet deep, beautifully covered in red, green and yellow hard corals. Hurricane Andrew broke her starboard side hull in 1992 and split the structure in two at a ninety degree L-shaped angle. Both parts remain upright still loosely connected offering many places to enter the ship. Inside the wreck you will see many loose cables, a staircase, some open cargo holds and there are many cracks to enter and exit the wreck again. Species you will most probably encounter are jacks, snook, grunts, tarpon and barracuda’s. Hurricane Andrew has done little damage to the coral growth at the wreck. It’s a great high current dive site for advanced divers and beginning wreck penetration enthusiasts.
Ultrafreeze is available only for those who have their PADI Advanced Open Water® certification as depths here reach approximately 100ft. This is an exciting divesite that showcases the wreck of a sunken cargo ship located approximately 7 miles off the coast of Isla Mujeres. The currents here are low and their are many different species of aquatic life. You will be able to see moray eels, jelly fish, sea turtles
Depth
– 85 feet / 26 meters
Required Experience Level
– Advanced Open Water Certified Diver
Average Underwater Visibility
– 65 feet / 20 meters
Average Water Temp
– 79 Fº / 26 Cº
