All You Need to Know About Diving in Cozumel (Mexico)

Last visit : January 2025

My rating : 8/10

Introduction

Cozumel is one of the most famous diving destinations in the world. Part of the popularity of this place is due to Jacques Cousteau, who discovered it in the early 60s and popularized it, describing it as one of his favorite diving locations on the entire planet; undoubtedly Cozumel also owes part of its fame to its relative proximity to the United States, which makes it the ideal destination, reachable quickly and relatively cheaply, by the rich pool of American diving enthusiasts.

This Mexican island in the Caribbean Sea, just a few miles off the coast of Playa del Carmen, is home to one of the most spectacular stretches of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, the second largest in the world. Protected by the Parque Nacional Arrecifes de Cozumel, the 29,000-acre (about 12,000-hectare) area offers drift diving along vertiginous walls, underwater tunnels, coral gardens and an abundance of marine life.

This guide of mine is the result of my trip to Cozumel in January 2025; unfortunately, due to bad weather, I was only able to do two of the eight planned dives, so the information I report is only partly the result of my direct experience (little) and partly the synthesis of the information I had collected before my departure.

Logistics: how to get there and how to get around

Cozumel is served by an international airport (CZM) with direct flights from US cities (Houston, Dallas, Miami, Charlotte, Denver) and Canadian cities (Toronto, Montreal). Alternatively, you can land at Cancun International Airport (CUN), one of the busiest hubs in Mexico, and reach the island in about 2 hours by land + ferry:

• Cancun → Playa del Carmen: 1h30 by ADO bus or private taxi.

• Playa del Carmen → Cozumel: 40 minutes by ferry (Ultramar or Winjet), with hourly frequency and cost around 250 MXN round trip.

To get to Cozumel I flew from Miami Airport, a wonderful airport connected to Cozumel with a daily two-hour American Airlines flight; Cozumel Airport is very busy and while sipping a Margarita on the beach in the evening you can notice the high frequency of incoming flights.

The flow of ferries to Playa del Carmen is also very frequent; from 6 am to 10 pm the connection is almost uninterrupted. This continuous connection with Playa del Carmen is one of the fundamental aspects in planning a diving trip to Cozumel, because it can make sense to both stay in Cozumel and stay in Playa del Carmen.

In Cozumel you can easily move around on foot, partly to enjoy the slow pace of the Caribbean island, partly because accommodations, restaurants, dive centers and markets are mainly concentrated in San Miguel.

Where to stay: city or resort?

The most obvious choice is to stay directly in Cozumel (San Miguel area) to have direct access to a wide variety of independent dive centers and local restaurants, as well as logistical flexibility. Among the most recommended options that I had collected before my departure reading other blogs and forums:

• Casa Mexicana : central location, excellent breakfast, modern rooms, nearby pier.

• Hotel Barracuda or Hotel Mary Carmen : budget friendly, no frills but functional for those who do 2-3 dives a day.

For those who want a more relaxed experience, all-inclusive resorts with integrated diving centers offer diving from the beach or from a private jetty:

• Occidental Cozumel (with Pro Dive International): Ideal for day dives in the south.

• Iberostar Cozumel (with Dressel Divers): Bungalows surrounded by vegetation, great for couples and small groups.

• Scuba Club Cozumel : historic diving facility, impeccable management, full board included.

I personally chose Sandra's Airbnb , which is ideally located for the main Dive Shops, the best restaurants and the ferry dock; the apartment is comfortable and quite clean, has a good quality/price ratio and the host is very responsive.

Another option to consider is to stay in Playa del Carmen; depending on the season in which you go to Cozumel, in fact, it can happen relatively frequently that bad weather cancels dives; I was told that it can happen that the bad weather is such that even the ferry connections to Playa del Carmen are canceled, so you risk losing the day of diving and finding yourself essentially prisoners of the island, while instead by staying in Playa del Carmen, in case of bad weather, it is always possible to dive in the cenotes on dry land; However, when I was in Cozumel, I was told that the event of the suspension of the ferry transit is a rather rare event (it can happen in the winter period when the wind blows from the north), so in my lazy opinion, to go diving in Cozumel it is more convenient to stay in Cozumel, but, especially if you are a very early riser, I would definitely consider also staying in Playa del Carmen, if you are willing to get up an hour earlier than the time you have to be at the dive center.

Drift Diving in Cozumel: Technique, Logic and Safety

Most of the sites are located along the southwest coast of the island, where the ocean current that enters from the Cozumel Channel creates the ideal context for drift diving. This type of dive is carried passively by the current, without having to actively fin, in a constant flow that can vary from 0.5 to 3 knots.

Drift diving in strong current conditions requires some skills; in particular, it is necessary to have mastery in a rapid and controlled descent without hesitation, to have a good trim (not superlative, just a good mastery), to be familiar with the use of the buoy and it would also be useful to have a good orientation; the divemasters are however generous with information on the management of the current during the briefing so it is especially important to listen carefully to the briefing, ask questions if you have doubts and follow the instructions.

During my two dives (and as you can see in the video at the top of the page), the current was strong but not overwhelming; this resulted in a very relaxed diving experience, suitable even for inexperienced divers; the entire dive was done with almost no finning, letting the reef flow before your eyes, but the current was not strong enough to induce panic in a novice diver, to risk being separated from the group, or to create problems when entering the water or getting back on the boat; the only real problem is the difficulty for photographers to take pictures or videos, not being able to stay still for a long time on a subject; our guide, however, told us that those current conditions, compared to the norm in Cozumel, were very mild and that normally in Cozumel the current can be much stronger than a current that, in my experience, was already noticeable even if pleasant; That said, I wouldn't advise against Cozumel for a novice diver, but anyone with no experience with drift diving should let the dive center know when booking.

Recommended dive shops

The most popular centers are:

• Aldora Divers : long dives (120 HP tanks), groups of 4-6 divers, Nitrox included.

• Blue XT~Sea : small boats, personalized attention, very experienced guides.

• Scuba Life Cozumel : modern and dynamic operator, excellent for technical and advanced dives.

• Blue Note Scuba : monthly environmental updates, excellent naturalist training, PADI 5-star center.

• Pro Dive International : Great option if you are staying at the Occidental/Allegro resorts; full courses and integrated logistics. The shop is well stocked with material, in case you need any last minute purchases, such as a spare strap or replacement o-ring.

My choice fell on Aldora Divers , in particular for their business policy of organizing small groups of divers of the same experience. Overall I was quite satisfied with the service, which I would give a rating of 8/10; we had a superlative guide (Rodrigo); the location of the diving center is excellent; Aldora has several small boats in order to provide an almost boutique service; the quality/price ratio is good, considering that the overall service is excellent; the rental equipment I had was excellent (except for a slightly torn wetsuit, but it doesn't matter); the only thing that left me perplexed was the fact that I had to bring the wetsuit to the apartment, while normally it is possible to rinse and leave the wetsuit to dry at the diving center; it is a bit inconvenient, but these are details; the snack on board during the surface break is limited to a few slices of local fruit, but all in all it is a good thing not to gorge yourself.

The main dive sites

Cozumel offers dozens of sites accessible by boat, but some are particularly suitable for those with advanced experience and good autonomy.

• Santa Rosa Wall : one of the most famous walls, it starts at about 15 meters and goes down to over 30. Strong current, passages between corals and large overhangs. Frequent sightings of eagle rays, barracudas and groupers.

• Palancar Caves and Bricks : monumental coral structures with tunnels and cavities that can be passed through. Depths between 18 and 30+ meters, medium-strong current. Visibility often >30 meters. Palancar was Jacques Cousteau's favorite site, who called it "a paradise".

• Columbia Deep : dive among large coral formations at 24-30 meters, often calmer in current but more challenging due to depth. Ideal for Nitrox.

• Punta Sur / Devil's Throat : technical dive, access to a narrow tunnel between 28 and 35 meters. To be undertaken only with an expert guide and Deep certification.

• Paso del Cedral : strong current and moving fauna. Nurse sharks, schools of jacks, eagle rays. Complex topography.

• Barracuda and San Juan : North sites of the island, known for extremely strong currents. Often not accessible every day. Requires excellent management skills and experience in currents.

All the dive sites are scattered along the west coast; a few dive centers (and Aldora is among them) also organize transfers to the east coast on days when bad weather makes diving in the channel between Cozumel and Playa del Carmen impracticable.

Biodiversity and environmental conditions

The marine ecosystem is extraordinarily diverse. It is easy to encounter:

• Green and loggerhead turtles

• Nurse sharks

• Spotted eagle rays (particularly common between December and March)

• Groupers, Queen Angelfish, Trumpetfish, Frogfish (Splendid Toadfish, endemic to Cozumel)

• Macro: nudibranchs, cleaner shrimp, seahorses, octopuses.

Visibility varies between 25 and 40 meters depending on the season, with the clearest months between February and June. The water temperature varies between 25°C (winter) and 29°C (summer). The most commonly used wetsuits are 3 mm, also shorty, or just skin in summer.

The Parque Nacional regulates access to the reefs with a monthly rotation of partial closures, to preserve the environment. Some operators constantly update the lists (e.g. Blue Note Scuba).

In Cozumel, each season offers its own advantages and disadvantages for divers. Winter (December-February) is characterized by pleasant temperatures and excellent visibility, but it is also the time of the “Nortes,” strong northerly winds that can cause the port to close temporarily for safety reasons, interrupting diving for several days. Spring (March-May) is considered by many to be the ideal time: stable weather, generally calm seas, excellent visibility, and less risk of weather, although there is a peak in tourism during Spring Break. Summer (June-August) offers warm and often flat waters, but also high temperatures, humidity, and the start of hurricane season , which peaks in September and October: these months, while less crowded and sometimes perfect for quiet diving, carry the greatest risk of tropical storms and closed facilities. Fall (October-November) marks the transition to more stable conditions, with fewer tourists and still warm weather, but the risk of hurricanes remains present until mid-November. In short, choosing the ideal period depends on the compromise between weather conditions, crowding and risk of disruption.

In January 2025 I found 27 degrees of temperature and I dived in full comfort with a 3 mm wetsuit.

For shark lovers, in Cozumel it is practically impossible to encounter bull sharks, while it is quite common to spot nurse sharks. I never miss an opportunity to recommend the name of my friend Steve Povey who, with his Dive Uk Travel, organizes trips in January to dive with bull sharks in Playa del Carmen, where the abundance of bull sharks in the winter months is guaranteed and, even more so, it is advisable to dive with an expert guide who puts maximum safety first.

Tipping and local practices

Tips are customary. The norm is 5–10 USD per tank, so 10–20 USD per day for two dives. For custom, private or technical dives, it is recommended to go up to 25–30 USD.

Tips are given directly to the guide or split between the crew and divemaster. Even in all-inclusive resorts, it is appreciated to leave a cash tip every day.

Cozumel Tourism

During surface intervals it is natural to dedicate some time to visiting the island. Cozumel is (unfortunately I would add) a hyper-tourist island where the massive presence of American tourism is felt everywhere. For better or for worse you are in Mexico and you breathe Caribbean air, but the entire urban landscape is made up of souvenir shops for tourists, pharmacies that prominently display the sale of Cialis and Viagra and an almost colonialist orientation towards the American tourist; in general it is all very stereotyped and artfully set up for the use of tourists; there is no shortage of numerous signs of crisis, presumably due to Covid: on an island whose tourism is mainly aimed at divers, each block is occupied by at least 3 dive centers, but on average one of these is permanently closed with the premises abandoned in a state of disrepair.

Nevertheless, it is pleasant, in the late afternoon, to walk along the western coast lulled by the omnipresent mariachi music and enjoy a few cocktails watching the sunset. A place I recommend, more for the panoramic terrace than for the quality of the cocktails is La Monina , or if you prefer deafening music and instagrammable locations, the adjacent Hemingway . As for restaurants, I will write specific posts, but in the meantime I point out Kondesa (my rating 8/10) and Azul Madera (my rating 6/10).

Final considerations

Cozumel is a prime diving destination, where diving enthusiasts can find a perfect balance between an entire industry dedicated to diving, exciting dives, extraordinary biodiversity and good environmental management. The reefs offer scenarios sculpted by the current, where each dive becomes a crossing between vertical walls and submerged gardens. All in an accessible, safe and highly professional context.

After my short stay in Cozumel I can fully recommend Cozumel as a destination for scuba diving enthusiasts, although due to bad weather I was unable to do all the dives I had planned and therefore I was able to acquire a basic knowledge of the location. Compared to my previous experiences in Raja Ampat , the Red Sea and Tanzania , I would place Cozumel, in my personal ranking, lower than Indonesia and Egypt and undoubtedly higher than Tanzania. The specialty of Cozumel is definitely drift diving, an experience that can certainly be enjoyed in Indonesia and the Red Sea, but which here is a real characteristic trademark; the reef is in excellent health and marine life is abundant; the numerous swim throughs are a peculiarity of the landscape that contribute to characterizing it in a unique way; the possibility of combining a few days of Caribbean reef in Cozumel, with some diving in Playa del Carmen with bull sharks and finally the otherworldly experience of diving in the cenotes in the Tulum area and, depending on the season, adding a stop in Isla Mujeres for snorkeling with whale sharks (an unforgettable experience that I had in Tanzania ) makes the Yucatan a destination that every diver should add to their "bucket list".