Everything You Need to Know About Diving at Tiburón Platform, Isla Lobos, Tamiahua

Just 3.5 hours from Mexico City Airport, 2 hours from Tampico, and 2 hours from the El Tajín Archaeological Zone, lies the Tiburón oil platform, off the coast of Tamiahua. Did you know that you can dive recreationally at this abandoned oil platform? Here’s how it's possible.

For those fascinated by Mexican history, it’s easy to imagine that this oil platform was installed during the creation of Mexico’s first offshore oil field, developed in the maritime area between southern Tamaulipas and northern Veracruz. This field, named "Campo Petrolero Tiburón," was established in 1967, along with Isla Lobos, now a protected natural area, and the Cabo Rojo coastal zone in Veracruz, serving as the main pumping and extraction operations centers.

The Tiburón Platform, alongside two other platforms in the surrounding area of the Lobos-Tuxpan Natural Protected Area (ANP), began its operations during this time. However, Tiburón stands out as the largest and most impressive for recreational diving. Its operations ceased around 2000-2005, although the exact date is unclear due to limited information. The platform was abandoned after PEMEX’s decommissioning plans, scheduled for late 2008, were not carried out, leaving this structure as a new jewel for divers and a haven for various marine species.

Here are some photos of the platform’s surface.

Given that photographs don’t fully capture the sheer size of this structure both above and below water, here are some key measurements:

The Tiburón Platform stands 26 meters high from the sea surface to its highest point, with a depth of 60 meters from the surface to the platform's base. This means the structure has a total height of 86 meters.

Before diving in, the descent into the waters surrounding the Tiburón Platform is always an adventure. Check out this video showcasing a "calm" descent.

Here’s another video showing a descent with more water movement than the previous one.

Now, let's take a look at some photos of what you might encounter while diving.

As you’ll notice while diving, the platform widens from the surface to the seabed, starting at approximately 40 meters long at the surface and expanding to about 65-70 meters at the base.

We also want to share some videos of the underwater experience:

To dive at Tiburón Platform, it’s essential to provide adequate dive information to the divers joining us, as well as conduct a preliminary evaluation in shallow waters. This helps minimize equipment failures, buoyancy issues, and allows us to assess the abilities of each diver who wishes to take on the advanced dive that Tiburón Platform demands. Challenges you may face include strong currents pushing you away from the platform, potentially sweeping you out to sea with no reference points, fire coral on the structure in the first few meters of descent, and the fact that this is considered an overhead dive, meaning there is no direct ascent to the surface in case of an emergency. This requires advanced diving skills.

As seen in some of the videos, Tiburón Platform hosts a diverse array of marine life, including various schools of amberjack, yellowtail and white jacks, barracudas, snappers, and if you’re lucky, manta rays and sharks. But why is there so much life around a metal structure in the sea?

The answer is simple: while we can’t share the exact location of Tiburón Platform, we can tell you it is situated near the Lobos-Tuxpan Natural Area. This proximity makes it a waypoint for various marine species on their way to Isla Lobos, primarily for feeding or breeding purposes. It’s also important to note that the formation of corals on the large submerged metal tubes has created small food chains within the platform itself.

Here’s a map of the Isla Lobos-Tuxpan Natural Protected Area polygon. As you can see, there is maritime space in between where Tiburón Platform is located.

If you’d like to learn more about Tiburón Platform, we recommend this documentary by Canal 22, Mexico's public television channel, starting at minute 24:25.

If you’re interested in booking a dive trip to Tiburón Platform, Isla Lobos, or want to start exploring diving in Tamiahua in the Gulf of Mexico, contact us. We hope you enjoyed this article and that you’ll soon have the chance to experience this diving gem in Mexico.