One of our main reasons for travelling to Yucatan Peninsula was to go scuba diving in Cozumel. Richard dove in Cozumel before, but it would be Maggie’s first time in this diving mecca. With tall coral walls and long swim-throughs we had a few fun days exploring the reef off the coast of Cozumel.
Scuba Diving
The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef offers world class diving and is what brought us to Cozumel. We dove already on this reef in Belize a few years ago and knew we wanted to see more.
The diving in Cozumel is incredible. Imagine being 20 meters below the surface and swimming beside coral walls as tall as high-rises; through narrow tunnels (swim-throughs); and under overhangs made by the large coral reef. It was like swimming in a magical coral jungle.
There are dozens of swim through, which is what makes this area unique. Some were narrow and took us along the bottom of the sea. Others opened up into cathedral-like rooms. The tunnel walls were decorated in coral of all shapes, sizes and colours. We felt like explorers in a foreign world.
Because there’s not as much light in the tunnels, the colours aren’t as bright.
After diving through the long tunnels in the reef, we explored its surface. Here, the increase in natural light brought out the vibrant colours in the coral. We swam by coral gardens in various shades of yellow, purple, red and blue.
As we swam above the coral, we could often see air bubbles coming from below. We knew that other divers were swimming through the long tunnels underneath us.
The best dive sites are located in the channel between Cozumel and the main land which means that there is quite a strong current. All of the dives are accessed by boat and typically, the dive boat will drop you off at one end of the dive and pick you up at the other. This way you don’t have to swim against the current. A few times we had to swim across the current, but mostly we just let the current take us and we slowly went on an angle to cross.
The current does a good job to keep the pollutants away from the coral. In 2022 a study determined that the reef in Cozumel is one of the healthiest in the world. Being located in a Marine Park also helps this reef stay healthy.
There aren’t a lot of fish in this area, mostly because of the strong currents. We did see a few where the current isn’t as strong. Others were spotted hiding behind rocks.
Here’s a video compilation of the dives we did in Cozumel. It is accompanied by Breathing Under Water by Canadian band Metric.
We dove with Maple Leaf Scuba and were very pleased with their dive masters, equipment and service. You can find more about them here. (Note we do not receive any form of compensation for this recommendation.)
When to Dive in Cozumel
The busiest season, which is typically the best weather for diving, is between December and March. Rainy season begins in June and hurricane season is between July and October. We dove in March and were worried that it may rain, but we ended up with nice weather. It was still a little cloudy so the light wasn’t as good which means that the pictures aren’t as colourful as if we had sunny days.
Water temperature is typically between 25° and 28°C (78° and 82°F). We dove in short sleeves and shorts and were comfortable, but others needed long suits.
You can read about our other dives in Mexico in our post Tulum – Cenote Diving and Maya Ruins.
Cozumel
Officially named San Miguel de Cozumel, on the Island of Cozumel, the city’s original downtown has a pretty relaxed feel for a resort island. The main square, Benito Juárez Park, has early 20th century government buildings and a few shops around its edges. The surrounding pedestrian-only streets add to the relaxed vibe in the city’s downtown. Don’t get us wrong, it is very touristy. The shops sell tourist knickknacks and all of the restaurants are over priced, but it still feels very Mexican, not artificially gentrified.
The long west coast of the island has a walkway that extends the length of town. The shore is quite rocky and not ideal for swimming, but we found a nice spots to sit under a palm tree and at gaze at the turquoise Caribbean water.
Casitas Beach is touted as one of the top snorkeling spots, but we didn’t find it very good. There are a lot of snorkeling tours that take you on boat to sites further out. We didn’t take any of those but heard from our dive company that salt water crocodiles go near these boat-access snorkel sites from time to time.
Getting to Cozumel
There is a small airport on the island but most people arrive via Cancún. ADO buses travel from Cancún’s airport, downtown or the hotel zone to Playa del Carmen. ADO buses also travel to and from Chiquila (Isla Holbox) or Valladolid and other destinations.
Once in Playa del Carmen you will take a ferry to the island of Cozumel. There are two ferry companies, both charge the same fee and have an alternating schedule. Only buy your tickets from ticket agents at the ferry offices. Street hawkers are very aggressive and will try to sell you tickets for twice the price. The ocean is pretty choppy and it probably usually is because one ferry employee’s job is to walk around the ferry with vomit bags for passengers. Thankfully we, nor anyone near us, needed one. It takes 1 hour to get to Cozumel but because of the currents it’s only 40 min back to Playa.
Where to eat and stay in Cozumel
Where you stay will depend on your budget and the type of vacation you want. There are several hotels for all price ranges within walking distance of Benito Juárez Park. This is where most of the restaurants are too. There are more exclusive resorts along this coast where the beaches are sandy. Most dive companies can pick you up at some of the docks along the coast, so you may be able to stay in one of these and still dive.
Safety in Cozumel
Although it was unnerving to see police armed with machine guns riding around on the back of police trucks, Cozumel is generally a safe city. Of course you need to take usual safety precautions. In early 2024 there was an increase in drug cartel related serious crimes but the government increased police presence right away, which has seemed to help. Away from the pedestrian zone, Cozumel looks like any other Mexican town with basic homes and bars on the windows.
Playa del Carmen
We didn’t stay in Playa, but the colour of the ocean could have easily convinced us to stay. In this spot, the Caribbean is the most beautiful shade of blue. There is a lot of sargassum (algae) on the beaches, but they seem to do a good job at cleaning it up.
When Richard was here a couple of decades ago, Playa del Carmen consisted of a few shacks. Today it is a big town with many high end beach resorts. With this view, you can hardly blame people for wanting to be here.
To read more of our adventures in Mexico, click here.
Coming Next – Visiting Islas Holbox & Mujeres from Cancún
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To read about more of our adventures go to Destinations.
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