Sport fishing , especially, is enormously popular in Baja California and the big Pacific coast resorts, while freshwater bass fishing is growing in popularity too, especially behind the large dams in the north of the country. The gentler arts of diving and snorkelling are big around the Caribbean, with world-famous dive sites at Cozumel and on the reefs further south. The Pacific coast is becoming something of a centre for surfing , with few facilities as yet (though you can rent surfboards in major tourist centres such as Acapulco and Mazatlan) but plenty of Californian surfies who follow the weather south over the winter. The most popular places are in Baja California and on the Oaxaca coast, but the biggest waves are to be found around Lazaro Cardenas in Michoacan (where, however, local people are not known for their enthusiasm for surfers). A more minority-interest sport for which Mexico has become a major centre is caving . With a third of the country built on limestone, there are caverns in most states that can be explored by experienced cavers, potholers or spelunkers.

The Ministry of Tourism publishes a leaflet on participatory sport in Mexico, and can also advise on such things as licences and seasons