American crocodiles, 3m animals, in half a metre of clear water among mangrove roots, photographed at eye level from the…American crocodiles, 3m animals, in half a metre of clear water among mangrove roots, photographed at eye level from the surface. It produces some of the most arresting wildlife images in the ocean. The atoll also has the healthiest reef in Mexico and dozens of Spanish-era wrecks. Banco Chinchorro is Mexico's largest coral atoll, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 2003, and a ships' graveyard, over 30 wrecks from the 16th century onward are charted on its reefs. The crocodile snorkelling was pioneered in the 2010s and remains deliberately small-scale. Anchorage: Anchor in the Chinchorro lagoon; the atoll is remote with stilt-house ranger posts only. Hazards: You are snorkelling with wild apex predators in shallow water. Only with the small number of guides who do this properly, following their protocol exactly. Treat any operator who is casual about it as a red flag. Mehr