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COZUMEL MEXICO INFORMATION and IMAGES

remember: 1) a good diver is always learning, 2) you gotta have fun!

Cozumel is an island just east of the Mexican Yucatan pennisula in the warm waters of the Caribean. It has direct flights from Houston, Tx. and is perhaps the best diving bang for the buck (good value) from our area.

note: map and reef photos used are from "Cozumel" by George Lewbel and Larry Martin, a good simple reference source on diving Cozumel.

Cozumel Map of Dive Sites: (a)=> advanced divers only recommended
Cozumel Dive Site Map

    Northern reef are closer to the hotels (shorter boat ride) and generally shallower and good for beginners and intermediate level divers
  1. Paraiso Reef North
  2. Airplane Flats
  3. Paraiso Reef South
  4. Chankanab
  5. Beachcomber Cavern (a) overhead environment

    The middle section of reefs are good overall dives at a midrange depth with nice healthy corals and fishes.

  6. Tormentos
  7. Yocab
  8. El Paso del Cedral
  9. Tunich (a) strong currents
  10. Cardona

    The souther reefs are "generally" deeper with towering coral buttresses and swim-throughs.

  11. San Francisco (a) deep
  12. Santa Rosa (a) deep
  13. Panancar (a) deep
  14. Punta Sur (a) deep with strong currents
  15. Columbia (a) deep
  16. Maracaibo (a) deep with strong currents
  17. Colombia Shallows




Maracibo reef (left) and Paraiso reef - typical coral and reef formations - click on the pics. for the big picture.

Maracibo Reef Pariso Reef

Hawksbill Turtle on Pariso Reef Angel Fish Channel Clinging Crab Yellow tail snappers Whitespotted Filefish Yellow Stingray Bluestripe Grunts Splendid Toadfish Rainbow Parrotfish

hammock We most often stay at the Plaza Las Glorias Hotel. It is nice but not to to expensive. It is within walking distance to town and has Agua Safari Dive Center on-site. Agua Safari is an excellent dive operation with good boats and great dive masters - ask for Alex and Miguel. Sunset from the Hotel Usually on a seven night stay we will do two-tank boat dives S-M-W-Th with Tues and Frid free to do top-side things.

There is lots to do on a Cozumel vacation including many great resturants (my favorite: Pizza Prima) and various night life choices such as Carlos and Charlies and Joe's. San Miguel is fun and the Cozumel people are very friendly. The town square on Sat. and Sun. nights is really fun. The island and town are safe day or night - but use common sense and remember that you are a guest in their hammock - girl country. The east side of the island is worth a full or half day trip with a rental - try a jeep like vehicle as some sites are off the paved road. CENOTES The east side also has my favorite place on the island -The Paradise Bar (click on the picture at left), where you can eat lunch with a cerveza fria while lying in a hammock listening to "musica carib". You can take a ferry or plane across to the mainland (Playa del Carma) and go to the Mayan ruins at Tulum; or dive the cenotes** (usually on Frid).

Weather is generally warm and humid except mid-winter months where cold fronts can cause poor weather. Water temperatures are generally warm with lycra or polartec the only exposure protection used. Visibility is usually over 100 ft. - sounds great? Let's go!




Paridise Bar Paridise Bar rafter with my tag Paridise Bar Paridise Bar
remember: (1) a good diver is always learning, (2) you gotta have fun!


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