Scuba Diving in Cozumel, Mexico: A complete guide

If you take pleasure in a bit of underwater exploration, you’ll want to add diving in Cozumel to your trip to Mexico. In this post, we’ll take a closer look in any way things related to scuba diving in Cozumel.

The island of Cozumel is absolutely one of the best places for scuba diving in Mexico. here you can go diving in the Mesoamerican barrier Reef, the world’s 2nd largest barrier reef system. 

It’s part of a protected marine park with excellent walls of coral and a lot more than 500 species of fish. You might see turtles, sharks, and eagle rays here in addition to all the tropical fish like the endemic splendid toadfish.

Even distinguished explorer Jacques Cousteau declared the island of Cozumel to be a world-class diving destination when he checked out back in 1961. Diving in Cozumel really is an extraordinary experience!

Diving is just one of the lots of extraordinary things to do in Cozumel, and if you’re travelling to Mexico, getting under the water must absolutely be on your list. 

I recently spent a week diving Cozumel with scuba Tony and I spent a lot more than 12 hours underwater around the island. I met up with some local Padi instructors and spoke with the owners of dive shops to make sure I had all of the information right for this post.

I’ve spent a lot of time diving in Mexico and particularly around the Yucatan Peninsula and I have to say that (in my opinion) Cozumel diving is some of the best in Mexico.

Read on for a in-depth guide to scuba diving on this sensational island in the Yucatan. I’ll cover the best time to visit, average costs, normal marine life, some of the best dive sites, top scuba company and a lot more.

Cuprins
When to Go Diving in Cozumel
Best Dive sites in Cozumel
Cost of Diving in Cozumel
How Deep Are The Dive sites in Cozumel?
Where to stay When Diving in Cozumel
Cozumel Dive Shops
How to get to Cozumel
Hyperbaric Chambers in Cozumel
Ready to Go Diving in Cozumel?

When to Go Diving in Cozumel

Cozumel scuba diving is great year-round.

I checked out Cozumel in the carry season of late April and early May, but you can really come here for diving any time of the year. There really isn’t a bad time to go scuba diving in Cozumel!

That being said, some months are absolutely better than others depending on what you want to see.

The water is quite warm and pleasurable in all seasons, normally between 78 and 82ºF (25 and 28ºC). While the water is always nice, the temperatures on land can be downright stifling during the summer months.

July to October is also hurricane season here, so you must take that into consideration.

The risk is lower in the summer months but much higher in September and October. One benefit of traveling to Cozumel in the offseason is that prices are lower and crowds are much smaller.

The height season for diving Cozumel is between December and March. While this is a great time to be on the island weather-wise, it’s also expensive and crowded. absolutely be sure to book in development at this time, especially between Christmas and new Year’s.

A sweet spot for scuba diving in Cozumel is between March and April, when crowds start to thin out but the rain has yet to arrive.

The exception is Semana Santa (Holy Week) festival, which is a mini-peak season for locals. See our guide to the best time to visit Mexico.

Cozumel Diving Seasons

January – April
May – August
September – December

Sea Temperature
77°-79°F / 25°-26°C
Sea Temperature
78°-86°F / 26°-30°C
Sea Temperature
77°-84°F / 25°-28°C

Vreme
January – February is still generally clear skies and cooler temperatures. It starts warming in March-April.
Vreme
May and June the weather starts heating up and in the summer you can expect quick bursts of rain.
Vreme
August to October have the highest probability of hurricane, but December has great weather.

Sharks
This is a great season to see sharks, particularly from January to March when you can also see bull sharks (closer to Playa del Carmen).
Sharks
July and August are other high months for shark spotting! You won’t see bull sharks at this time, but there are plenty of reef sharks.
Sharks
From November to December the bull sharks return and give you the opportunity to dive with them.

Rays
Between the months of January to April, you can see the most eagle rays. You always have a high chance of seeing brown stingrays in the sand.
Rays
July & August are also the second-best seasons to see the beautiful eagle rays. As always you’ll see plenty of other rays too.
Rays
September – December isn’t the best months to see eagle rays, but you’ll still see plenty of brown identified rays and other species.

Turtles
You can’t really dive in Cozumel without seeing turtles!
Turtles
May to October is Loggerhead breading season in Cozumel.
Turtles
Da. You’ll probably still see a green turtle on every dive in this season!

Coral
Every month of the year is great for diving and seeing the extraordinary Coral formations and this season is no different.
Coral
The coral pinnacles will still be fantastic in May-August and the sea is warm enough to dive without a wetsuit.
Coral
The water starts to cool again in October but the fish and coral remain the same, all brilliant, healthy, and vibrant.

Best Dive sites in Cozumel

Cozumel scuba diving is so popular because there are so lots of dive sites to choose from. There are over 20 sites around the island for divers of all levels. You could easily plan your entire trip around diving on this incredible island.

Cozumel dive sites typically have quite a bit of current, but generally, you can flow with the current (together with your group) and the boat will pick you up at the other end of the reef.

Beginners will take pleasure in the shallow sites featuring colorful reefs, while a lot more advanced divers can select some exciting drift diving with swim-throughs. even non-divers can take pleasure in the appeal of the underwater world here by tagging along as a snorkeler. 

If it makes sense in terms of dive sites, your non-diving significant other could identify along and snorkel

The dive sites here range in depth from 4.5 meters – 36 meters, however, the best ones max out at 25 meters. Divers with an advanced open Water certification are able to take pleasure in all of the best dive sites in Cozumel. 

Here are some of the best dive sites in Cozumel that you can’t miss:

1. Palancar Reefs

Depth: 9 meters – 36 meters (30-120 feet)

Experience Level: Beginner-Intermediate

Current: Mild-Strong

This is considered to be the star of the diving scene in Cozumel. It’s actually divided into four sections — caves, bricks, horseshoe, and gardens. These different sites offer something for divers of all levels.

Between the four different sites, you can experience depths of between 9 meters – 36 meters (30 to 120 feet). There are plenty of incredible coral formations, colorful sponges, and lots of fascinating marine life. You may spot sea turtles, nurse sharks, angelfish, and a lot more here.

On my recent trip diving Cozumel, I dove all the sites here and overall the Palancar reefs were probably my favorite on the island. particularly Palancar Caves where you get to swim through massive caverns in the coral reef itself.

If you ask your dive shop what the best Cozumel dive sites are, they’ll likely list Palancar first.

2. Columbia Wall

Depth: 18 meters – 36 meters (60-120 feet)

Experience Level: Intermediate

Current: Unpredictable

Huge coral pinnacles are a highlight here, some rising a lot more than 60 feet (20 meters) from the bottom. You can take pleasure in some deep swim-throughs and wall diving here. look out for grouper, turtles, and maybe even nurse sharks at this exceptional dive site. 

I dove the Columbia wall as a twilight dive which was fantastic because as the sun sets it reflects off of the wall and creates some spectacular colors.

If you dive the Columbia Wall, I recommend doing it as a 2 tank night dive, so the first dive is on the wall for sunset, and your second dive can be a nearby night dive (highly recommended).

3. San Clemente

Depth: 10 meters – 30 meters (30-98 feet)

Experience Level: Advanced

Current: Strong

This was my second dive of the 2 tank twilight and night dive and it was fantastic. You can go down to around 30 meters on this one but we stayed at about 20 as it was our second dive of the day.

I highly recommend doing San Clemente as a night dive. The animals come out to play on this reef and it is a spectacular show!

We saw 3 octopus, a nurse shark, eels, brown identified stingrays, and best of all, a massive eagle ray “flew” by us at the end of the dive!

If you get the chance, ask your dive shop to take you on the 2-tank San Clemente and Columbia wall twilight & night dives. These were a couple of my favorites.

Note: like lots of spots for diving in Cozumel, there is current here. When I did the San Clemente night dive it was quite strong. If you’re not used to powerful currents, let your dive shop know so that they can check the conditions before taking you here.

4. Columbia Pinnacles

Depth: 9 meters – 30 meters (30-98 feet)

Experience Level: Beginner-Intermediate

Current: Mild

La fel ca Palancar, există destul de multe site -uri de scufundare în jurul recifurilor Columbia. Pinnaclesul Columbia au fost un altul dintre site -urile mele preferate de scufundări, deoarece, la fel ca Palancar, aveau creste de corali fantastice care se ridicau din malul mării.

Există o mulțime de înot și este o scufundare relativ ușoară.

În ziua în care m -am dus, nu a existat niciun curent în niciun fel și, chiar dacă a existat, există o mulțime de locuri pe partea de margine a Pinnacles pentru a se odihni și a se regrupa, ceea ce îl face un loc minunat pentru începători.

5. Columbia superws

Adâncime: 8 metri-14 metri (26-50 de picioare)

Nivel de experiență: începător

Curent: ușor

Am scos Columbia Pinnacles și Columbia Shallows într -o singură zi, ca parte a unei zile cu 2 rezervoare și a fost fantastic.

Am avut un pic de curent în adâncuri, dar nu a fost rău și a fost incredibil de dat înapoi pentru a se deplasa doar pe corali la o adâncime mică; Cea mai bună scufundare superficială după pinaculele mai adânci.

Am văzut o mulțime de broaște țestoase pe această scufundare, prea mulți homari pentru a număra și am găsit un mic rechin de recif dormind sub o suprapunere de corali care, în general, mi -a făcut ziua pe apă.

6. Punta Sur Reef

Adâncime: 27 de metri-39 de metri (90-130 picioare)

Nivel de experiență: avansat

Curent: imprevizibil

Următorul este pentru scafandri mult mai avansați. Se ajunge până la adâncimi de 30 de metri (30 de metri) și este împărțit în două secțiuni. Partea de sud are o cameră incredibilă numită Catedrala, în timp ce partea nordică prezintă o formație de peșteră cunoscută sub numele de gâtul diavolului.

7. Recif Chankanaab

Adâncime: 10 metri până la 15 metri (35-50 de picioare)

Nivel de experiență: începător

Curent: ușor

Acesta este un loc excepțional pentru unele scufundări în Cozumel pentru începători. Este o scufundare ușoară, superficială, care este în mod normal finalizată ca a doua scufundare într -o călătorie.

Toate fisurile și crevele din coral aici indică o mulțime de viață marină interesantă – homar, a identificat anghile moray, crab și chiar peștele de toad -uri splendid endemic.

8. C-53 Naufragiu

Adâncime: 15-30 de metri (50-98 picioare)

Nivel de experiență: intermediar la avansat

Curent: moderat

C-53 nu este o epavă masivă, dar este unul dintre naufragiile mele preferate pe care le-am făcut și este absolut cel mai bun (cel mai popular) de pe Cozumel. Ceea ce mi -a plăcut despre asta a fost că a fost complet vertical, făcând ușor să navigați pe holurile întunecate.

Așa este, trebuie să pătrundă în această epavă și este uimitor!

Dacă sunteți începători la un scafandru intermediar, veți putea intra doar la nivelul superior al navei care se află la aproximativ 20 de metri (65ft), dar pentru scafandri avansați de apă adâncă, puteți merge la un nivel mai adânc în navă la aproximativ 30 de metri (98ft).

Dacă sunteți scufundați Cozumel și doriți să vizitați o scufundare cu epavă, C-53 trebuie să fie în partea de sus a listei.

9. Paradis Reef

Adâncime: 10-18 metri (32-59 picioare)

Nivel de experiență: începător

Curent: moderat

Aceasta a fost a doua scufundare pe care am făcut-o ideală după epava C-53 și este unul dintre cele mai populare site-uri de scufundare din Cozumel, datorită sistemului de recif superficial, ușor de urmărit aici.

În opinia mea, Paradise Reef are unele dintre cele mai bune formațiuni de corali moi ale lui Cozumel, cu culori pline de viață și multă viață pe mare. Verificați sub fiecare mic și un cranny pentru a găsi pești ascunși, homari și adesea rechini asistenți.

10. chinuri

Adâncime: 15-18 metri (50-60 de picioare)

Nivel de experiență: intermediar-avansat

Curent: puternic

TOrmentos este un alt dintre cele mai populare site -uri de scufundare din Cozumel, datorită coralului său colorat strălucitor și abundenței de țestoase gustătoare pe recif. Cred că am identificat 3 țestoase în timpul scufundării mele la Tormentos.

Dintre toate ghidurile de scufundare cu care am vorbit, câțiva dintre ei au spus că Tormentos a fost site -ul lor preferat de scufundări răcite și am putut vedea de ce. Mulți sunt de acord că Palancar este cel mai bun în general, dar Tormentos vine adesea ca o secundă apropiată.

Curentul poate fi destul de puternic aici, așa că fiți pregătiți pentru asta, dar