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Reef/Dive Site Map, Descriptons & Condition Reports |
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As a world class scuba diving destination it goes without saying that Cozumel has a long list of coral reefs and dive sites for divers to explore. One of the main attractions of Cozumel's coral reef dive sites is there close proximity to the island itself. This cuts travel time to the dives sites and gives divers more time to explore Cozumel reefs. With more time to explore dive sites, it's handy to have a Cozumel dive site list and/or map with you on the dive boat so you can speak up when the divemaster asks for input as to the next dive site to explore. This proximity of dive sites to the island coupled with the fact that "drift diving" was essentially invented in Cozumel waters makes scuba diving one of the island's most popular activities for travellers from around the world to experience.
Cozumel's Top Dive Sites - Western Coast |
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Barracuda Reef
Depth: 45' - 110'
Skill level: Expert |
Located on the north end of the island, this wall and reef area can be especially treacherous since the strong drift is typically north and there is no island beyond the end of this reef area ~ just open sea. Not uncommon to drift several miles on this dive so it is safest to dive only with small groups of experienced, drift/current divers and properly equipped dive operators. Because of the severity of conditions, the Port Captain monitors and restricts tourist diving in this area heavily.
Rough conditions both topside and below at reef levels are not conducive to recreational divers on a regular basis. Even in good weather, the current runs 2 to 3 knots and down-currents along the wall are not uncommon. These ocean conditions attract large pelagics like reef sharks and eagle rays looking for converging currents. |
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View Reef Reports for Barracuda Reef (5)
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Saturday, March 4 Pedro Pablo - Blue XT~Sea Diving Today the dives were typical expert level dives in the north. We had a current of around 2 knots running from south to north. Visibility was beautiful at 100 feet or more. The temperature was 78º and the reef was really beautiful and full of sponges, fans, and teaming with fish. We dove a multi-level profile on EAN 32 with a max depth of 100feet for 60 minutes. We saw three Eagle rays, several very large grouper, a free swimming green moray, several turtles and big schools of horse-eye jacks, grunts, and mahogany snappers. It was really a beautiful dive, but not for the beginner or intermediate diver.
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Tuesday, January 20 Vincent Borgeousie - Dive Paraidise This was a nice easy dive with very slow current and excellent vis. The water temperature was 79º. We saw a Splendid Toadfish, a couple of spotted drum fish , THREE turtles, an Eagle Ray, and an octopus. 60 feet for 65 minutes, ONE GREAT DIVE!
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Thursday, February 26 Anne Rose Wow, what a dive. We wen to Barracuda Reef, shallow and fast! It is up in the Northern Hotel Section. The coral was lush and plentiful. Saw a huge loggerhead turtle, and a couple smaller turtles and a nurse shark. Really nice dive. Cant wait to go back!
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Wednesday, March 18 Jeff Cornell fast current. visability was excellent. took a 6 pack from Dive Paradise. Saw 3 very large Barracuda , guess that is why they call it Barracuda. Water temp was 80. Cant believe how fast the current was!!!! Very cool.
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Saturday, July 11 June Bellows Went out to Barrauda Reef, on two of our dives! The first part was 62 feet 35 minutes and the 2nd one was 47 feet 40 minutes. These two dives were awesome! We stayed on the right hand side of the reef, otherwise downward currents could have taken us where we didnt want to go!
The Dive master, Victor, told us that the current was mild, but I felt like we were like Superman flying over the reef so fast! (we left the Barracuda Hotel at 7 AM, currents arent as stong we are told).
We saw Moray eels, and Barracudas of course, and Eagle rays, and lots of vairety of smaller fish.
This is a MUST dive!
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San Juan Reef
Depth: 40' - 80'
Skill level: Expert |
Located on the north end of the island, this reef area can be dangerous to dive if current is running fast. Because of the severity of conditions, the Port Captain monitors and restricts tourist diving in this area heavily. Rough conditions both topside and below at reef levels are not conducive to recreational divers on a regular basis. The coral here is beautiful and the big barrel sponges oddly shaped reflecting the continual swift current. Lots of reef fish to be seen on a drift dive if the current will allow gazing! |
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View Reef Reports for San Juan Reef (3)
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Saturday, March 4 Pedro Pablo - Divemaster - Blue XT~Sea Diving A very fast dive but beautiful and alot of fun. We saw five Eagle Rays and too many turtles to remember along with schools of grunts and snappers. There was one section that was heavily damaged by Wilma...a field of finger corals at about 40 feet....the rest of the reef looked great! Visibility was excellent and the current was very, very fast. We ended the dive at the beginning of Barracuda reef! Our max depth was 60 feet and we dove EAN 36 for 65 minutes.
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Thursday, February 26 Anne Rose This was the first dive of the day. It was AWESOME. Large coral heds and very fast current. We saw two nurse sharks and a turtle. Exciting dive. Very fast.
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Monday, July 13 June Bellows After doing Barraduda Reef the other day, we went back on the Northern End, and dove San Juan. It too has a fast current. We went 45 minutes and saw more Eagle rays, barracuda, lots of sanppers, and turtles! the corral formations and the large sponges were very beautiful. Another MUST dive!
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Villa Blanca Shallows
Depth: 15' - 40'
Skill level: Novice |
This is a great beach dive (day or night) accessible in front of Villa Blanca Hotel. Tanks and even equipment are available for rent at any of the many dive shops located in this area. The best area to dive is to the south of the piers. The gentle sloping entry makes this a great dive for beginners and the sunlight of the shallows coupled with the abundant coral and reef fish also makes this an excellent photographer's dive as well. Many of the elusive, spotted golden-tail eels call these coral heads home along with a green moray, squirrel fish and lots of sea fans. |
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View Reef Reports for Villa Blanca Shallows (2)
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Wednesday, February 25 Anne Rose Nice dive, lots of fish life, sponges, live corals. Saw an octypus and 2 black spotted moray eels, drum fish, spendid toad fish. Very enjoyable shallow dive
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Thursday, July 16 June Bellows this is our 2nd dive. We did the Villablanca Wall for the first dive, and had to let off a diver back to land, to make sure she didnt miss her ship. So we ended up just going back out to the Villablanca shallows. What a difference the wall and the shallows! The shallows had so much fish life, and lots of fish. We saw 2 sea horses!!! People say you can do this dive from the shore, but I think we were out further, than I would have like to swim out. But the smaller varieties of fsh were abundant! Lots of color, due to the shallowness of it. I hear this s a great night dive spot! Wish I had known, oh well next trip! Thank you Dive Paradise!!!!! ONE GREAT DIVE SHOP!!!! I will be back!
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Villa Blanca Wall
Depth: 50' - 60'
Skill level: Intermediate |
Wall dives like this provide the best of both worlds: the chance to skim along the top of the wall and view both shallow water marine life and to possibly glimpse a large pelagic gliding by in the deeper waters along the wall. Not uncommon to see spotted eagle rays in this area. |
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View Reef Reports for Villa Blanca Wall (6)
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Thursday, December 6 Dive Paradis - Dive Master 60-80 foot visibility - medium current
Saw Flander, Morenas, Rays
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Monday, December 24 Antonio - Dive Master, Dive Paradise About 60 foot visibility and low current.
Saw eagle rays, scorpion, nurse shark and octopus
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Tuesday, December 30 Donald Broslma Last dive this trip. Lots of marine life, large green FAT eel, toad fish, squid, lots of green starfish, octupus, lobsters, divemaster was Gregorio GREAT LAST DIVE! 60 ft for 50 minutes 80 degrees
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Saturday, January 3 Scott Neumeyer WOW, lots of fish on this dive. the Wall was fun, but cant compare to the shallow dives! Saw lots of lobsters (6), 2 toad fish, a turtle, lots of starfish, trunkfish, parrot fish, foureye butterfly fish, too many fish to name! Great dive, 62 feet, 49 minutes water was 80
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Thursday, July 16 June Bellows This is our last dive day on vacation, and someone had to be back early so we did 2 close by reefs. The Villalblanca wall was beautiful. We dove to 90 feet. large stony corral heads with giant sponges and sea fans. I heard before Wilma their were even more fans! (amazing). We saw 2 large schools of jacks, and swa many angel fish. Saw a couple of large groupers. Water was warm and very clear.
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Sunday, August 9 Richard Meyer Last day of diving for this trip. Ending it with the same divemaster Goyo from Dive Paradise. (I guess he thinks I am a big tipper!) HA! (I will). Anyway, nice ending to a great vacation. This dive started at 50 feet and we dove to 90. It is a sloping wall with huge sponges. We saw large schools of Jacks, and lots of Angel fish! Visability was so so, but water a comfortable 80 degrees. Lots of color and variety of fish!
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Paradise Shallows (Caleta)
Depth: 20' - 30'
Skill level: Novice |
An excellent beach dive both day and night and great for snorkeling as well. This area is just north of the Caleta and accessible from the same road that goes into Caleta. Just veer north and the road dead ends into the open beach area. Because of its proximity to Caleta many dive shops and freelancers use this as a staging area for certification dives so it is not uncommon for there to be a lot of people as well as equipment on the beach.
Despite the traffic this area never disappoints and continues to develop prolific coral which supports and abundance of marine life including crabs, lobster and octopus. During the annual coral spawning nights, this area is where a lot of folks (scientists, divers, photographers) gather to observe it since it is easy to snorkel out and check progress before eventually donning dive equipment to observe the spawn. |
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View Reef Reports for Paradise Shallows (Caleta) (2)
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Monday, December 24 Jose Pool - Dive Paradise, DiveMaster 75 foot visibility with slow current; water 80F. Corals, fish, octopus and crabs.
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Tuesday, March 24 Mandy Lish We did a dive just on the other side of Paradise Reef. Away from the snorkeler boats! amazing how many varieties of fish. We even saw an octopus and a seahorse. I think the divemasters must put them there :) The visability was much better here than our first dive, and the water seemed like it was a bit warmer, maybe 81 degrees. nice dive.
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Paradise Reef
Depth: 40' - 50'
Skill level: Novice |
A series of three separate reefs running parallel to shore approximately 200 yards out. This is one of the few reef areas accessible to beach divers. All three sections have abundant marine life including octopi and the reclusive Splendid Toad Fish which lives only in Cozumel waters. Most popular spot for night dives. |
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View Reef Reports for Paradise Reef (7)
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Tuesday, May 30 Arturo - Blue XT~Sea Diving A nice shallow afternoon dive with some excited new divers which always makes my job more fun. Profile: 40ft:52 minutes Current: Slow Temp: 80 Vis: 80 to 100 feet
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Wednesday, November 7 Bob Roquil Did a night dive here twice during my stay in Cozumel and it was excellent both times. Water temp. was about 82 and there was no current to speak of. Plenty to see ~ crabs, octopus, eels. Great dive site with good night viz!
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Friday, December 26 Jim Piere This was a busy dive, lots of divers and snorkelers. The dive master didnt want to dive here, but by popular demand, we did. though the visability was a bit affected,there were lots and lots of fish. I love the shallow dives. We were at 45 feet for 50 minutes. We saw an octypus, spotted moray eels and lot of plant and coral life. I guess the reef is returning back from Hurricane Wilma.
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Monday, January 5 Scott Neumeyer the divemaster told us we must have timed it right, since ther wasnt the onslaught of divers and snorkerls here, like usual. (i saw 4 boats!). this was a very nice LAST DIVE, for my holiday. Unbelivable how much more sealife is found in the shallow dives. There were some small purple fans coming back (heard this got hit hard durning the huricane a couple of years ago). I thought this reef was great! spotted drum fish, lots of butterfly fish (banded , reef and foureye). Lots of queen angles, and french angelfish, parrot fish, and lotts of tangs! I dont want to go back home!
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Thursday, March 26 Josh Lovitt I had my underwater camera (sony dsc T77) today and was trying to do some macro . This little camera with underwater housing is too cool. took some pics of a seahorse, and, what I was told was a bat fish (a small fish that comes out of the sand, and has a large fan on the back). Got some good pictures of a Cozumel Toad fish. I just had fun using the marco, and getting pictures of the reef, close up. What gems!
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Wednesday, April 22 Josh Leeds this was our 2nd shallow dive. We were lucky, there were few snorkelers out. Usually this spot is heavily used by snorelers and tour boast.
this is a nice shallow dive. 50 feet max - 50 minutes. water 81 degrees. Saw two sea horses in different spots. one was dark hanging on to a thin piece of soft coral, the other was bright orange wth whitish stripes hanging on to (not sure the type) but looked like baby leaf lettuce. So cool!
Saw two large spotted moray eels, a nice size jelly fish, grey snapper, lots of queen angelfsh and a octopus in his crevice. So much more to describe. Excellent dive! Thanks to Antonio at Dive Paradise.
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Wednesday, July 15 June Bellows Our 2nd dive was at Paradise Reef. We were, between snorker trips! I heard this place can be a real zoo! But there were about 4 other dive or snorkel boats there, so it was a good time. We dove about 80 feet I,a drift dive along the wall. The aquascape was absoultey remarkablel. I thoroughly enjoyed the swim throughs and the abundance of fish life, corrals, sponges. Water was 81 degrees, didnt use a wet suit! NICE DIVE!
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Las Palmas Shallows (Dzul Ha Beach)
Depth: 20' - 40'
Skill level: Novice to Intermediate |
Voted the#1 snorkel spot in the Caribbean by Skin Diver Magazine readers in 2002, this is one of Cozumel's must see snorkel areas and it makes an excellent beach or boat dive both day and night. No dive shops are located in this area at present so plan to rent tanks elsewhere for beach dives.
Typically boat dives in this area will commence along the Las Palmas wall and then move inward toward the shallows toward the end of the dive. There are patches of coral growth throughout the sandy bottom filled with entire families of lobster and crab, golden tail eels, spotted morays and puffer fish. Plenty of wrasse, flounder and sand rays lurk amongst the coral growth. Curious sargent majors are everywhere since so many snorkel groups pass through this area. Many large parrot fish traverse this area and spotted eagle rays can be seen feeding in the sand flats during the winter months. Be sure to check the direction of the current as it often varies from the norm closer into shore aand often runs a bit stronger than along the wall as well. |
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View Reef Reports for Las Palmas Shallows (Dzul Ha Beach) (3)
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Saturday, November 29 Victor Gamboa - Dive Master - Dive Paradise Visibility 80 -90 feet. Low current.
Saw 4 turtles, 1 octopus, moray eels, large green moray water 80
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Tuesday, January 20 Vincent Borgeousie - Dive Paradise Paradise Diver, Antonio dm 62 ft for 47 minutes, MANY MANY fish! Pipe fish (looked like snake), spotte eel, a large seahorse and spotted drum and cozumel toad fish. Great visabliy! Great dive!
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Friday, May 8 Scott Caren Air 84 Water temp 79 water vis 100+ Buddy - Ed 62 feet 51 minutes
this was another wall dive but shallower thanthe last. We found a large crab, a moray eel, a couple of lobsters, angelfish, and a very large Parrotfish.
Lots of variety fish. the current was a bit more strong. NIce dive!
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Las Palmas Wall
Depth: 50' - 70'
Skill level: Novice to Intermediate |
Relatively calm currents prevail at this site popular for finding bat fish, seahorses, and Splendid Toads. Superb night dive for those comfortable with wall diving at night. |
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View Reef Reports for Las Palmas Wall (10)
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Friday, March 3 Javier Coronado - Instructor - Blue XT~Sea Diving Today was a nice easy dive with very slow current and exceelent visibility. The water temperature was 78�. We saw many Splendid Toadfish, a spotted drum, two turtles, an Eagle Ray, and an octopus. 60 feet for 65 minutes, EAN 36
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Monday, May 29 Arturo - Blue XT~Sea DIving Nice dive with many sightings today. Octopus, squid, baby nurse shark inside a barrel sponge, turtle, and juvenile drumfish Profile: 65ft/60min multi-level Current: medium Temp: 78 Vis: 100ft
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Monday, May 21 Carlos Llamas - Instructor, Dive Paradise It was our 2nd dive of the day. We dove again the shallow and the wall. Temp was 82Fh, Vis 75-100ft, current mild and again lots of marine life. On the shallow section lots of Lobsters just walking arround out of the holes and some of them about 3ft long. I counted 5 Splendid Toad fish and lots of Queens and Angels. On the wall we ran into a Turtle, Spotted Eels, Groupers and lots of diferent types of sponges in good healthy shape. Overall it was a great dive.
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Friday, November 23 Mauricio Aviles - Open Water Diver, Morelia Michoacan Mexico This was our second dive of the day. Beautiful water clarity and lots of marine life on this wall dive. Saw group of spotted eagle rays, a southern sting ray, turtles, several lobster and a big crab. Toward the end of the dive we traveled in over the sandy bottom to do our safety stop and found a baby nurse shark (about 3 feet) under one of the coral heads. Current was mild and water temperature was 79F
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Saturday, November 24 Michael D. Diver - Dive Paradise Visibility 75 feet with low current Saw 2 octopus together in the daylight!!
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Sunday, November 25 Victor Gamboa- Dive Master, Dive Paradise 80 foot visibility and low current.
Saw 5 turtles, 3 eagle rays, 1 green moray eel and 1 octopus!!
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Tuesday, November 27 Dive Master, Dive Paradise 80 foot visibility with low current.
Saw eagle rays, octopus, morenas, lobster and various fish.
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Saturday, December 15 Antonio - Dive Master - Dive Paradise 80 foot visibility with no current
Lots of sea turtles
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Monday, December 24 G Satos- Dive Master, Dive Paradise 100 foot visibility with low current
Saw 5 eagle rays, turtles, small nurse shark, scorpion fish and toad fish
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Thursday, October 23 Sherri Davis - PADI OWSI #81862 Second dive of a bright sunny day perfect for diving! Viz was really good here at 100+ and current was mild. Still lots of coral, sponges and marine life here for sure. Lots of pairs of french angel fish (both grey and black), scorpion fish, spotted moray eel, a juvenile puffer fish and a cave full of 15+ lobster!
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Chankanaab Reef
Depth: 30' - 50'
Skill level: Novice to Intermediate |
A long continuous band of colorful coral reef filled with cracks and crevices and holes which attract all sorts of marine life looking for shelter. There are sand rays under the coral ledges, stonefish and scorpion fish as well as splendid toadfish and lots of trigger and tang fish. The incredible quantity of very large sized lobster and crab in this area as well as octopus which are all typically shy in daylight, makes this a superb choice for night dives. |
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View Reef Reports for Chankanaab Reef (5)
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Wednesday, November 7 Allen Cavenaugh A beautiful stretch of coral just in front of the park. Lots of sea whips, sea fans and big round coral growths. We had no current at all and the water temperature was 81F. Check all the holes and caverns of the coral with a light ~ there are lots of big crabs and lobster living inside!
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Saturday, December 15 Jose Pool - Dive Paradise, Dive Master 60 foot visibility with slow current ~ crabs, lobster and eels in many areas.
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Sunday, December 28 Donald Broslma We were on the Aries with Dive Paradise, 2nd dive of the disday. Many lobsters, spotted eels, parrot fish, queen angels, spotted trunkfis, Love how the foureye butterfly fish alwasy seem to stay in twos! 47 feet 46 minutes Great vis, and 79 degrees
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Friday, January 2 Scott Neumeyer second dive of the day, dm Antonio from DiveParadise (love the Dive Company), saw octypus out of it's safe haven, and saw it mover over the rocks, after it saw us. (i really only thought I would see them at night). We had snorkelers aboard, and they all had a grand time! 47 feet for 50 minutes, as was yesterday, excellent visablitly.
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Friday, May 8 Scott Caren NIGHT DIVE air temp 76 water temp 80 vis good with light
right away we found a large otopus, toadfish, and a few lobsters walking out in the open. Lots of Reddish large crabs, We even saw a seahorse hanging on some plants.
Lots of sleeping fish in their crevices. But an outstanding night dive! Oh, saw some squid and a puffer fish!
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Chankanaab Balones
Depth: 60' - 70'
Skill level: Novice |
A large series of balloon-shaped coral heads teaming with all sorts of marine critters. The limestone shoreline of this are is very porous and often fresh water run off will diminish visibility especially after heavy rains. Still worth diving regularly due to abundance of crab and lobster. Excellent night dive. |
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View Reef Reports for Chankanaab Balones (1)
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Friday, April 3 John Spohner We dove Chanknaab for the 2nd dive. Very cool dive! (water was 80 though), Visability was fantastic. We probably could see well over 120 feet! Lots of fish life and fans, sponges, coral heads. Probably the most interesting things I saw were two turtles, a ray, 2 Cozumel Toad fish and a seahorse!
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Chankanaab Caves
Depth: 35'
Skill level: Novice |
An interesting dive found at the south end of Chankanaab Park. Excellent beach dive that can be reached either from Chankanaab Park itself or by entering south of the park towards Corona beach where there is no park entrance fee. Cold fresh water flows out of limestone caves called cenotes. Large Tarpan can be found swimming around in the entrance to the caves. Stay in the ambient light and do not venture far back. Interesting mixing of cold fresh water on the top layer with the warm salt water below. |
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C-53 Wreck Xicotencatl
Depth: 80'
Skill level: Novice to Intermediate |
Marked by a highly visible buoy, the vessel is 184 feet long & 33 feet wide, and consists of 4 decks. The sinking job by the Mexican Navy & wreck experts was quite remarkable in that it rests almost perfectly upright & flat with the bow facing SSE & stern NNW. According to my depth gauge, the superstructure starts at 26', the main deck at 54' & the bottom, which is secured to prevent movement in storms, is at 78'. The craft is intact as sunk with the exception of one rudder which is now about 25' to the stern. |
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View Reef Reports for C-53 Wreck Xicotencatl (4)
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Saturday, November 17 Mary Sturgent This is a good wreck dive for beginners like me. I like that you don't have to go insidie if you don't want to and you still see plenty of fish and marine life. Lots of critters there around the ship.
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Friday, January 2 Scott Neumeyer First time for a wreck, pretty cool. I was the 2nd one, just behind the DM Antonio. Went up to the back, went through the top, down in, and through a couple of rooms. Lots of rust, was very careful not to cut myself on the sharp edges. (be better with a skin on! Overall a very fun dive. When we got out, there was a large barracuda looking at me, as if I were his next meal! 71 feet 40 minutes,
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Thursday, March 19 Jeff Cornell Interesting dive, not necessarily my cup of tea, though most people on the dive loved it. I was more concerned that we had to sign a waiver before diving. That and the fact that that ship is really rusty, and had no gloves to protect from getting cut. Sharp edges! But it was cool going into the bowels of the ship. Not a lot of fish life, but a fun dive. Vis was exceptional, and the water was about 80 degrees.
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Friday, March 27 John Spohner I had a great dive day diving the wreck. It only took about 20 minutes so we continued on diving. But going through the Hull of the ship was an experience. Their was very little current and the visability was great.
I would do this dive again, though they made us sign a waiver. Very little fish life inside, more out side. I would like to have brought my flashlight. NEXT TIME!
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Tormentos Reef
Depth: 50' - 70'
Skill level: Intermediate |
Some of the fastest currents can be found here that often make for adventurous drift diving. A series of colorful coral heads separated by sand valleys and dunes pushed up by prevailing currents. Sand formations between the coral ribbons constantly change and provide a beautiful contrast to the lush coral. Home to very friendly and big green moray. Angelfish, groupers, grunts and snapper are common. Good second dive. |
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View Reef Reports for Tormentos Reef (5)
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Wednesday, November 7 Aron Timbell A beautiufl dive site with lots of fish to see. The current was steady and moved us right along the edge of the wall. Plenty of snapper, barracuda and colorful coral. Enjoyed the place.
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Friday, December 26 Donald Broslma GREAT DIVE. Vis was superb. this was our 2nd of 2 dives on the Calypso with Dive Paradise. Exellent dive operator. We saw some puffer fish, moray eels, a small ray, a nurse shark under a coral formation, Pretty strong current today.
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Saturday, December 27 Donald Broslma 2nd dive, shallower. dove 58 feet for 46 minutes. Santos was our Divemaster on the Calypso,- Dive Paradise. Great dive! We saw a nurse shark, 2 sea horses!!!!, puffer fish, and a turtle. It was a very relaxing enjoyable dive
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Saturday, January 3 Scott Neumeyer We dove Tormentos for our 2nd dive. Lots more smaller fish, than columbia. Much more colorful too. saw a crab, 2 lobsters, tiny drum fish, a Cozumel toad fish and schools of french grunts. 58 feet for 51 minutes nice nice dive.
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Saturday, May 9 Scott Caren 2nd dive air temp 86 water temp 80 visablility 60ft + dive buddy - Ed
A large Grouper came very close to me (4 feet!), I think he may have been hungry. The divemaster found a Cozumel Toadfish, and coaxed it out of it's hole. First time I saw an entire fish! Beautiful yello ribbon down its back. We saw some barracuda, and an Ocean Triggerfish, and a couplePompanos in the distance.
NICE DIVE!
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Yucab Reef
Depth: 45' - 60'
Skill level: Novice |
Beautiful dense, low profile ribbon of corals and sponges that is full of life and color. Widest variety of reef fish can be found here in large quantities daily. Grouper and barracuda usually hang out with divers as they drift with the current. |
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View Reef Reports for Yucab Reef (4)
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Friday, December 7 Diane Ragsdale Have been on this reef many times over the years and it is still one of my favorites for finding small fish for pictures. The coral is lush and healthy here and makes a fantastic backdrop for any photo. Current was mild this week and water about 80F. Lots of fish here to see and photograph.
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Thursday, January 1 Scott Neumeyer 2nd dive of te day. 55 feet 54 minutes, Nice drift dive, not many coral formations, but lost of fish! saw a baby moray eel, 2 lobsters, and octypus in a niche
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Monday, March 16 Dylan Rogers Skies: Sunny | Wind: South East @ 5-6 Knots | Waves: 1 ft Visibility: 150 ft | Water Temp.: 85F | strong current nice shallower dive, lost of fish life and live corral. Saw an octypus, 3 lobsters, a large green eel, and 2 small moray eels. very cool dive!
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Monday, May 11 Scott Caren 2n dive air temp 85 water temp 80 Visability 100+ dive buddy - Ed depth 70 feet 51 minutes
the water was much more clear on this dive! We saw a lo of large snappers and lobtsters. The divemaster caught a puffer fish and it puffed up. got to touch it. interesting. It then deflated and swam off. We saw a few spotteed drum junvenilles and lots of variety of reef fish
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Yucab (Virgin) Wall
Depth: 40' - 130'
Skill level: Expert |
Strong currents typically prevent local divemasters from bringing in large groups of inexperienced divers. As a result, the sheer vertical wall has been left pristine and lush. Several dives are needed to fully absorb the site. Excellent multilevel computer dive. |
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Punta Tunich
Depth: 50' - 130'
Skill level: Intermediate to Advanced |
Rock and roll in this swift current on a daily basis and just go along for the drift. From a sand bottom at 70 feet, a long ridge of coral rises from the sand dunes between 40 to 60 feet. Often turtles hide in the seagrass. Photo buffs will really work on this dive. Good option is to leave the camera on the boat and just enjoy the ride! |
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View Reef Reports for Punta Tunich (6)
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Monday, November 26 Alonso, Dive Master, Dive Paradise 60 foot visibility with low current.
Saw green morey eel, turtles, midnight, parrots, grunts, angels
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Sunday, December 23 Gollo Pool - Dive Paradise, Dive Master 60 foot visiblity with low current
Reef in great shape - saw Eagle Rays
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Sunday, December 23 Jesus, Pepe and Rafael- Dive Paradise, Dive Masters Good visibility with low current
Lots of life on the reef!!
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Sunday, March 2 Pedro Pablo Pech Chale - DM - Blue XT~Sea Diving The current was very slow, visibility was 70 feet and the water temperature was 79º We dove 60 feet for 60 minutes/multi-level and saw alot of small stuff today including an octopus, a pipehorse, scorpionfish, and three splendid toadfish. We also saw a SOuthern Stingray and some big grouper. It was a very nice tranquil dive.
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Monday, January 19 Vincent Borgeousie - Dive Paradise WOW what a beautiful dive! We saw a large green Moray eel swimmin right by us!!!! We were on the Paradise Diver. Our DM was Santos. We also saw 2 turtles, and a Cozumel Toad Fish! (besides all the nomal abundant sea life!) Water was super clear. I want to do this dive again!
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Tuesday, July 14 June Bellows Large beautiful orange and purple sponges at the top of the wall. The wall drops off fast, to 130 feet, we stayed at 80 ft. Because the current , we saw eagle rays, a nurse shark, angelfish and sea turtles. There were strong current. Very enjoyable dive! My dive buddy ran out of air, and we had to surface in 40 minutes. Oh, well, will have to do it again!
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Cordona Reef
Depth: 20' - 50'
Skill level: Novice |
An excellent shallow reef area for snorkeling and diving. This reef area is teeming with schools of colorful tropical reef fish, lots of juvenile fish and anemones. Colorful sponges and sea fans add to the beauty of this shallow dive. With typically mild currents and great visability this reef is good for beginners and photographers doing macro work. |
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San Francisco Reef/Wall
Depth: 35' - 50'
Skill level: Intermediate |
Begins on the Southern end of Old San Francisco Beach. This half mile reef is broken into three sections, separated by about 60 yards of sand. This is one of the shallowest wall dives and is loaded with life. Skim along between 35 and 50 feet and enjoy the big grouper and playful green moray eels. |
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View Reef Reports for San Francisco Reef/Wall (5)
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Tuesday, May 30 Pedro Pablo - Blue XT~Sea Diving NIce dive as usual with alot of life. Visibility wasn't so great today but it was still beautiful. Profile: 60ft/60min Current: Slow Temp: 80 Vis: 50 to 60 feet
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Monday, May 21 Carlos Llamas - Instructor, Dive Paradise We dove the shallow section and the wall. Current whas mild to none, water temp 84Fh, Vis 100+ and as we continued to 50ft to 75ft we saw lots of healthy coral, 2 Eagle rays, lots of groupers,Snappers, Angels, and at the end one huge green moray.
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Friday, December 26 Ed Lucero Gregorio was our divemaster. He found a seahorse in some grass. We also saw 2 large groupers, 2 puffer fish, and a lobster. Excellent Dive! Profile: 82ft/47min Current: Medium Temp: 80 Vis: 80 to 90 (dove with Dive Paradise, excellent dive shop!)
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Sunday, December 28 Donald Broslma Dive Paradise - DM Jose - Visibility 80 feet, temperature 79º, and a maximum depth of 60 feet, dive time 58 minutes. We saw groupers and a moray out swimming. Current was fast. But we saw 3 lobsters and a crab. Nice enjoyable ride!
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Sunday, December 28 Ed Lucero Were on Paraidse Diver with DIve Paradise, DM Santos It was a very nice wall dive. We swam though a tunnel and saw a turtle when we came out. Saw lobster and a crab. Visabiity was good. Water was 79.
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Santa Rosa Shallows
Depth: 20' - 50'
Skill level: Intermediate |
Exploring these healthy patches of coral teeming with fish and sponges is an excellent way to end a deep wall dive or to do as shallow second dive. Drift over the pure white sandy bottom from area to area in a relatively mild current since the large formations along the wall provide some protection to the coral patches in the shallows. Sponges are abundant as well as a variety of hard corals, angel fish, box fish, snapper and lots of trigger fish populate this area. Very photogenic area with the light reflecting off of the sandy bottom. |
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Santa Rosa Wall
Depth: 50' - 130'
Skill level: Intermediate |
One of Cozumel's most popular deep dives simply because it never disappoints. The wall starts at 50 feet and drops straight into the deep! . Immense sponges, huge overhangs of stoney coral and lots of caves and swim through tunnels. Eagle rays and turtles are often spotted here as well as large grouper and turtles. Excellent multilevel computer dive. |
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View Reef Reports for Santa Rosa Wall (10)
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Wednesday, November 21 Emilio - Dive Master, Dive Paradise Visibility 75 feet with a low current- Saw- Nurse sharks, Spotted Eagle Rays, Turtles and Grouper
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Wednesday, November 28 Luis - Dive Master, Dive Paradise 60 + visibility and low current.
Saw eagle rays, turtles and eels
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Wednesday, November 28 Gregorio - Dive Master, Dive Paradise 60 foot visibility and low current.
Saw fish, turtles, and live coral.
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Thursday, December 6 Dive Master, Dive Paradise 80 foot visibility - medium current
Saw 2 eagle rays, gata and turtles
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Saturday, December 15 Jose Pool - Dive Master - Dive Paradise 80 foot visibility with no current
Saw rays, turtles and eels
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Friday, December 26 Donald Broslma Dive Paradise (ROCKS!) Jose was our DM. This was a nice morning dive with a very slow current. 70 feet visibility, 79º, and max depth 80 feet for 50 minutes. . We saw a large lobster walking along the wall. Large Grouper, The visablitly and condition of the reef looked GREAT!
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Friday, January 2 Jim Piere The dives today were spectaular and the best visibility I've seen! Visibility was easily 100 feet or more. Water temp 78º, current was average. The wall looks great since last years trip. The wall from the middle of the dive to the end is still as beautiful as ever and the swim throughs are still fantasitc. Today we saw 3 turtles , a nurse shark, a grouper . Multi-level, 80 ft max, 60 minutes. A dive to remember! Dive Master was Antonio (a favorite at Dive Paradise!)
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Saturday, January 3 Scott Neumeyer Always heard of the WALL. Wow, pretty cool. I looked down and just saw darkness. We were at 97 feet for 45 min. not to much fish, saw 2 lobsters, adn a crab. Lots of fish a littl higher up. But a great drift dive, and beautiful colors.
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Thursday, March 19 Jeff Cornell Today we did the famouse Santa Rosa wall. We saw a shark in the distance. Also saw a very large eagle ray. There were turtles, and lots of fish life as we got shallower. nice dive. Visablitily probably 120 or more feet, and the temp around 80.
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Wednesday, April 22 Josh Leeds This is one of my favorite deeper dives. We went on the Paradise Diver with Dive Paradise. We had Antonio as a divemaster (GREAT!!!) . The temp of the water was 80 degrees and the visability must have been 150 feet, could see so good, until it got dark in the abyss.
On this dive we saw a school of Horse eyed jacks, a nurse shark swimming past us, two turtles, scrawled flefish, cow fish,a few groupers, and lots more. All type of sponges, and corals. thin leaf lettuce coral and brain coral, and Christmas tree worms on the coral.
Overal a great dive!
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Paseo del Cedral Reef (Cedar Pass)
Depth: 35' - 60'
Skill level: Intermediate |
A series of ribbon reefs with expansive low profile caverns interspersed and used as swim throughs. Prior to enforcement of Marine Park "no feed" regulations, this was THE place to find green morays and spotted morays. There are still plenty of eels in the area but are more difficult to spot now unless accompanied by an experienced guide. One swim through often filled with glassy silver sides. Lots of snapper and grunts for excellent photos. Perfect second dive. |
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View Reef Reports for Paseo del Cedral Reef (Cedar Pass) (5)
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Wednesday, November 28 Gregorio - Dive Master, Dive Paradise 50 foot visibility and low current.
Saw fish, turtles and sharks.
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Thursday, October 23 Sherri Davis - PADI OWSI 81862 A beautiful day for diving with winds kicking up from the north as a norte which blew in yesterday ran its course. Early in the day topside conditions were windy almost causing departure from caleta. However, waters calmed enough by departure time for a pick up at Hotel Cozmel's pier.
Viz was good at about 100 ft & current was very light. Saw several lobster, 2 spendid toadfish, a scorpion fish, and several brillian yellow anenome pads. Great photo ops on a huge spotted eagle ray and a hawksbill.
As for hurricane damage, virtually non-existent here. The one thing I noticed was the absence of some small, low lying stuff like hydroids which will quickly regenerate.
Overall an excellent dive!
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Friday, December 5 Fox Hill Temp 82 - Visibility 100 ft - Very active reef with an incredible number and variety of fish. Saw shark lobser, large green eel,
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Monday, January 19 Vincent Borgeousie - Dive Paradise This was our second dive of the day. We went 50 feet for 45 minutes. Visiblilty was awesome! We were on Paradise Diver, Santos was our Dive Master. We saw a nurse shark under a reef. A turtle, a few black and spotted Moray Eels, and a large puffer fish. If today is any representation of o the norm, I wanna move here!!!! OUTSTANDING DIVES!
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Sunday, May 10 Scott Caren First dive air temp 84 water temp 80 visability 60+ dive buddy Ed
Lots of sponges, all types. beautiful reds, oragnes, Visability was not so good today, with lots of sedimient in the water. Saw a Cozumel Toadfish, and large grouplers, butterfly fish, a couple of filefish, and moray eel. We saw a nuse shark swimming. I was probably 20 feet away from it. the current changed on us,
Overall, a great dive considering the visability!
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Paseo del Cedral Wall
Depth: 50' - 90'
Skill level: Intermediate |
Usually a very swift current that allows you to "fly" along the wall so expect a good ride. Enjoy the view as you glide over the flat wall top gazing at both coral marine life and large critters passing by at depth over the wall. Lots of big barrel sponges formed sideways by prevailing currents. |
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View Reef Reports for Paseo del Cedral Wall (1)
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Sunday, December 23 Jesus, Pepe and Rafael- Dive Paradise, Dive Masters Good visibility with little current
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Punta Dalila
Depth: 25' - 80'
Skill level: Intermediate |
A healthy reef strip populated by angel fish, squirrel fish and schools of grunts.. There are a lot of out croppings and overhangs of coral on the outer wall of this reef closest to the wall which are home to crabs and green moray eels. Good variety of corals and sponges along with the typically mild current makes this a good choice for photographers and it also makes a good second dive of the day. |
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View Reef Reports for Punta Dalila (1)
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Monday, December 24 Jose Pool - Dive Paradise, Dive Master 100 foot visibility with slow current, water 80F Saw grouper, eel and stingray
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La Francesa Reef
Depth: 40' - 60'
Skill level: Intermediate |
This area is partly a strip of colorful coral as well as patches of coral with a good variets of multicolored sponges and gorgonians. An excellent second dive of the day and great for photography with its splendid toadfish, butterfly fish and resident grouper. All of this, coupled with the barracuda that often shadow divers here, can be enough to put some divers on sensory overload. |
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View Reef Reports for La Francesa Reef (4)
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Thursday, December 7 Fox Hill Plenty of interesting marine life - including a free swimming green moray. A long swim-through near the end of the reef was opened by Wilma, and gives a great cenote dive feeling.
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Monday, December 24 Jose Pool - Dive Paradise, Dive Master 60 foot visibility with low current
Saw turtles and nurse shark
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Wednesday, April 22 Josh Leeds this was our second dive of the day. Paradise Diver boat with Dive Paradise, Antonio was our divemaster. We dove a max of 43 feet for 40 minutes. great vis, water 81, and saw a Barracuda, grouper, a turtle, queen triggerfish, Dog snaper, southern stingray. did lots of swim throughs. the colors were beautiul!
excellent day of diving (as usual Dive Paradise!!!).
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Saturday, August 8 Richard Meyer Diving with Goyo Dive Paradise, 80 ft dive, 80 degrees... 49 minutes... nice dive, lots of coral head, and sponges and sandy bottom, large swimming shark. Saw a large ray but it was a bit far away. We had a nice swim thru. An okay dive.
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Palancar Gardens (Shallows)
Depth: 40' - 70'
Skill level: Novice |
An excellent first dive for those not yet confident in their dive skills or perhaps some one who's been a few years without diving. These coral formations are very colorful and have literally hundreds of species of coral jammed together with purple and orange sponges interspersed. Calm currents typically prevail allowing maximum photo opportunities. Lots of crevices with colorful reef fish and banded cleaner shrimp. |
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View Reef Reports for Palancar Gardens (Shallows) (4)
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Tuesday, May 30 Pedro Pablo - Blue XT~Sea Diving Great dive today with several turtles, a large green moray and an abundance of juveniles all around. Profile: 80ft/50min - multi-level Vis: 80ft Current: Nada Temp: 80
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Tuesday, November 27 Dive Master, Dive Paradise 60 foot visibility and low current.
Saw meros, turtles, barracuda.
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Wednesday, November 28 Gato - Dive Master, Dive Paradise 80 foot visibility and low current.
Saw lots of different fish and live coral.
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Thursday, August 6 Richard Meyer 2nd dive of the day with our buddy Goyo from Dive Paradise. Shallow dive 55 feet. Absolutley one of the prettiest dives in Cozumel. Lots of scattered sponges and coral heads. we saw about 10 lobsters, 6 being in one crevice. Saw 3 crabs, moray eels, 2 large groupers, and a turtle. An excellent dive to end the day!
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Palancar Horseshoe
Depth: 25' - 125'
Skill level: Intermediate |
A series of tightly packed giant coral heads rise from 100 feet to within 20 feet of the surface. A spectacular view for camera lenses pointing up for profile type shots. One of Cozumel's busiest deep dives since currents are usually slow running and visibility stays around 200 feet minimum. |
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View Reef Reports for Palancar Horseshoe (7)
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Monday, May 29 Arturo - Blue XT~Sea Diving Very nice dives with alot of life and swim throughs. Profile: 75ft/64min multi-level Current: None Temp: 80 Vis: 80 to 100 ft
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Monday, December 24 Dive Master, Dive Paradise Actually was Palancar Bricks but didn't see that as an option.
60 Feet visibility with low current. Saw turtles, mero and eagle rays
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Saturday, December 27 Ed Lucero Today's dive was even better than yesterdays! We were on the Aries, (Dive Paradise). Kim and Sue joined us. We saw a scorpion fish, 2 lobsters, a shark swimming, a eagle ray and 2 turtles. How can it get better than that! OUTSTANDING FISH LIFE! Visblilty was great. I love Cozumel. No other place I have been can compare to this!
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Tuesday, December 30 Donald Broslma great dive, large coral fomations. we saw 4 large groupers, a nurse shark, and a turtle. Nice dive. very relaxing. very little current. water 79, great vis. Awesone dive
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Thursday, January 1 Scott Neumeyer Happy New Year, went out with Dive Paradise, to Palancar Horseshoe. dove 79 feet for 42 minutes. water temp was 79, great visibility. Boat Aries, Nice coral formations. saw a very large lobster. saw 5 turtles!!!
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Monday, January 5 Scott Neumeyer Last day of diving this vacation :( . Dont know if I identified the reef corretly, was told it was Broken Reef or little Horseshoe. we dove 79 feet for 40 minutes, lots of caverns. We saw a black tip reef shark about 40 feet away, a it was cool, but i think we see much more on the shallower dives.
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Thursday, August 6 Richard Meyer We decided to do both the Palancar sites today. Fist the Horseshoe, (our second dive the Gardens). This was a FABULOUS dive. It has wonderful large coral heads that almost come to the surface. It has lots of sponges and corals. Saw 3 turtles, and 2 moray eels, 2 lobsters. But the most impressive coral heads that seemed to be 70 feet tall! Majestic!
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Palancar Caves
Depth: 60' - 90'
Skill level: Intermediate |
Another of Cozumel's most popular deep dives because of its deep buttresses, tunnels, caves and big caverns that sit along the edge of a sloping wall. Currents are usually mild and marine life is abundant. Turtle, shark and eagle ray sightings are very common. |
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View Reef Reports for Palancar Caves (8)
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Sunday, March 5 Javier Coronado - Blue XT~Sea Diving 90 feet max/60 minutes; multi-level
The visibility was excellent today with at least 100 feet. The current was light, water temp is 79. We saw sharls, rays, eel, and all the normal stuff. Great dive!
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Wednesday, November 28 Nacho Diaz, Dive Master, Dive Paradise 70-80 foot visibility with low current.
The coral is alive and still beautiful. Saw turtles, big coral, new caves!!
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Saturday, December 15 Mauricio Aviles - Diver 100 foot visibility and low current.
Saw turtles, running tuna, permit
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Sunday, December 23 Gollo Pool - Dive Paradise, Dive Master 80 foot visibility with low current
Reef in good shape and saw turtles.
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Sunday, August 10 Fox Hill The condition of the Palancar Caves reef is excellent. Coral, sponges, fish, and other wildlife are plentiful and thriving. 2 Turtles, nurse shark Great diving to be had with outstanding photographic opportunities.
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Wednesday, November 26 Alonso - Dive Master, Dive Paradise 70 foot visbility with low current. 100 ft 44 minutes
Saw Nassau Grouper, butterfly fish, parrot fish, horse eye jack, two turtles
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Tuesday, April 21 Josh Leeds This was a cool dive! 85 feet max, 80 degrees, slight current, great vis. Went through a bunch of swim throughs. Saw a green turtle, white spotted filefish, blackcap basslet, french angelfish, yellow connie, spanish hogfish, barred hamlet, a few squirrel fish. (and lots lots more). As we were finishing up we saw 3 fair sized barracudas checking us out!
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Saturday, May 9 Scott Caren air temp 78 Water temp 80 vis 70+ buddy Ed
There was a bit of sediment in the water today. Not a strong current. We did a swimthrough. Saw several types of Jelly fish. Lots of small orange jellyies as we came up. Glad I had a skin on! Nothing special...but enjoyable dive.
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Palancar Bricks
Depth: 60' - 90'
Skill level: Intermediate |
Another section of Cozumel's most spectacular reef and an excellent deep dive. Large coral formations rise up from the brilliant white sandy bottom which easily slopes off into the blue abyss. Divers can wind in and around the large coral formations where marine life flourishes. But the stunning blue color of the abyss contrasted with the sandy bottom is what mesmerizes most divers visiting this area. Currents are usually mild and turtle, shark and eagle ray sightings are very common. Normally excellent visability makes this a photographer's dream dive for those breathtaking "upward views". |
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View Reef Reports for Palancar Bricks (5)
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Tuesday, December 4 Mauricio Aviles - Open Water Diver, Morelia Michoacan Mexico Beautiful first dive with calm seas and mild current. Excellent visibility of 150 ft or more and water temp of 80F. Saw eagle rays, a nurse shark and a large grouper.
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Thursday, December 6 Dive Paradise Dive Master 90 foot visibility - medium current
Saw turtles, gata, morena, eagle rays (raya pinta)
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Sunday, March 2 Pedro Pablo - DM - Blue XT~Sea Diving 80 feet/60 minutes/multi-level; Very slow current today, 79º water, and visibility about 70 feet. We had soeme great sightings today...two Eagle rays and 3 turtles! It was a beautiful dive as always and remains one of my favorite dives in Cozumel.
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Sunday, May 18 Christi - Blue XT~Sea Diving It seems as if the currents are finally calming down, and leaving some famous Cozumel visibility in their path. Today was one of the finest days of Cozumel diving I can remember. Mild currents, gin clear visibility, and a great dive group! Not a bad way to spend a Sunday!
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Thursday, March 26 Josh Lovitt Went to Palacanr Bricks today. I am tol that the bricks came from a freight ship in he 19th century. They were to be used to pave roads. Instead they lost them here. The overhangs and the swimthroughs were breathtaking with the sponges and sea fans. We saw 4 turtles on this trip, along with a couple of black spotted moray eels. Visablitly was probably 120 feet.
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Columbia Shallows
Depth: 15' - 35'
Skill level: Novice |
To go any deeper one needs a shovel. This is the perfect dive for photographers wanting maximum bottom time. This seemingly never ending sea garden is a popular second dive full of schooling snapper and grunts. Barracuda lurk around divers as they concentrate on the colorful reef fish that populate the site. |
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View Reef Reports for Columbia Shallows (4)
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Wednesday, May 31 Christi - Blue XT~Sea Diving This was a fantastic dive. Nice, peaceful and no current so it was a photographers dream as it always is. We found a pipefish, a juvenile spotted drum, the biggest pufferfish I've ever seen, splendid toads, and a banded jawfish...plus so much more. Profie: 30ft/90min Current: Nothing Temp: 80 Vis: 100+
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Tuesday, April 21 Josh Leeds WOW, 30 ft max dive for over an hour! this was some 2nd dive!!!! Water was 81, vis was superb, strong current! We first saw a nurse shark under a ledge, beautiful coral formations and lots of colorful sponges, all sizes!! We saw a yellow stingray, a huge school of grunts, a few scrqwled cowfish, squirrel fish. One of the fun fish that I enjoy are the 4 eyed butterfly fish. You can always count on seeing them in 2's. Usually they swim in pairs.
We saw a 4 foot barracuda a the end of this dive. my fingers were a bit wrinkled after this long beautiful dive! And I still had 700 lbs of air left!
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Wednesday, May 20 Neva Keyes Wow what a dive. this was done without another boat being in site! close to our last dive on Columbia Wall, this dive is about 35 feet max. The marine life was outstanding and the colors of the coral heads, and overal beauty, makes this dive a MUST! Great day of diving!
Lots of Angel fish, toad fish, moray eels, and lots of vairety of the Caribbean usual suspects!
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Friday, August 7 Richard Meyer This was our 2nd dive on the Sonador from Dive Paradise, Divemaster Goyo! (very helpful!) This is one of the coolest shallower dives on the island. It has huge coral heads. I think I saw every type of fish I have ever seen in Cozumel on this dive. Huge array of variety! Lots of turtles, and rays. This is a must dive!
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Columbia Deep
Depth: 60' - 90'
Skill level: Intermediate |
Impressive drop off at 60 to 80 feet. Deep diving at its finest, at least as spectacular as any part of the Palancar. A series of gigantic coral pinnacles, most over 90 feet, marked with caves, tunnels and caverns. Large marine life such as eagle rays, turtles and large barracuda often seen. |
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View Reef Reports for Columbia Deep (10)
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Saturday, December 1 Dive Master - Dive Paradise 80 - 90 feet visibility and slow current
Saw morenas, lobstrs, turtles, scorpion fish, rays
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Friday, December 14 Dive Master - Dive Paradise 80 foot visibility with little current
Nurse sharks and sea turtles
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Friday, December 21 J Pool- Dive Paradise, Dive Master 80 foot visibility with some current ~ Lots of sea life
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Monday, December 24 Jose Pool - Dive Paradise, Dive Master 60 foot visibility with low current
Saw turtles, lots of fish and eagle rays
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Sunday, December 7 Fox Hill Temp 82 - Visibilty 100 ft - Reef in in very good condition - For photographers, Columbia's formations are one of the best examples of 3D relief to be found anywhere.
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Friday, December 26 Jim Piere We did Columbia deep today and dove to a max of 90 feet for 55 minutes. The current was slow, visibility was 80+ feet and the temperature was 80 º. We did all of the swim-throughs, saw 3 turtles and a nurse shark . It was one of the most relaxing dives of my trip! I LOVE DIVE PARADISE!
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Sunday, January 4 Scott Neumeyer Upgraded from a slow boat to an Express boat and went further south to the Columbia Reef. Large coral heads rising so tall. We went througth a series of caves or tunnels, saw an eagle ray, 2 sharks, 4 turtles, not a lot of small fish, but a beautiful dive. 83 feet 39 minutes. (ran out of air early!) water was 79 degrees
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Monday, April 20 Josh Leeds Nice deep dive. 85 feet max, 40 minutes. Water temp 80. We saw an old rusted anchor! Must have been yeas old!!! We saw a white spotted eagle ray and 3 turtles!!! Lots of coral and sponges. Tiger grouper, a small group of Hores eyed Jacks. Other fish we saw were Queen Trigger fish, hogfish, barrchuda and a few Angels.
I love Cozumel diving!!!
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Wednesday, May 20 Neva Keyes One of my most favorite dives is the Columbia Wall. Not to many people go here, due to the lcoation. But this dive has huge coral mountains and a drop off. Today I saw an eagle ray, 2 sharks, a small group of Barracuda and 3 turtles. Outstainding dive.
Water was about 80 degrees, and visablity was GREAT!
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Friday, August 7 Richard Meyer This is one of my favorite dives. Seems less crowded,and lots of large fish. On this trip the water was 80 degrees, we dove to 90 feet, and saw 2 sharks, 2 eagle rays, 3 turtles and almost 5 foot barrauda, besides a host of lots of other fish. Large coral piicacles and a very cool drop off make this trip spectacular. Very awesome first dive of the week!
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Punta Sur
Depth: 90' - 130'
Skill level: Advanced |
An excellent multilevel dive for experienced divers only. Due to its southern location and exposure to prevailing tradewinds, topside conditions can be rough. This coupled with fast running midwater currents that can cause one to miss the dive site entirely, makes this NOT a dive for those who cannot descend relatively problem free. This site has two distinct sections and the air usage capability of the divers will determine if you can see both in one dive.
The most famous section, "Devil's Throat," starts inside a coral swim through. Divers descend into the opening of a dark narrow tunnel at 90 feet and takes you out into a sunlit opening at 130 feet on the wall overlooking the abyss. Eagle rays and sharks are occasionally spotted here. The other section of this site "The Cathedral," is a large cave opening with giant sponges that form a cross in the ceiling of the cave where light passes through. Very impressive photo if divers refrain from kicking up the sand. |
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View Reef Reports for Punta Sur (1)
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Sunday, December 2 Dive Paradise - Dive Master 130 feet visibility with slow current
Saw lobsters, turtles, eagle ray, scorpion fish, green moray and gold moray
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Chun Chancab Reef
Depth: 50' - 100'
Skill level: Advanced |
Often overlooked in favor of the surrounding well known sites on the southern tip of the island, this area has an excellent variety of sponges and sea fans in the flats which gently slope down to an eventual wall. The top of the wall here runs around 100 ft. Drifting along the wall, it is not uncommon to spot larger pelagics which seem to love the unpredictable currents that converge in this area. |
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Maracaibo Shallows
Depth: 70' - 90'
Skill level: Advanced |
Even though this is a deep area it is referred to as "the shallows" since it is the flat sandy area inland from the wall. This is a superb area to drift over after doing the wall dive in order to clear your computer. As divers multi level through this area, turtle sightings are common. Often during nesting season, as many a 3 different species of turtle can be spotted: hawksbill which do not nest in Cozumel but migrate through and then green and loggerheads which do nest here from May through September. Big barracuda and jacks are typically all around for those with a keen eye. |
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View Reef Reports for Maracaibo Shallows (1)
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Monday, May 25 Anne Rose Dive Paradise Dive boat Coqueta, 8 divers Dive master Goyo 9:23 AM Water 79 degrees, very good visability
Great dive 77 feet 50 minutes The site has a sandy bottom with lots of large coral formations. We saw a Nurse Shark under a crevice, and a large green Moray eel. First time for one of those! Huge. must have been 9 inches in diameter and 5 feet long! We also saw a few crab, turtles, lots of Angels, and an Eagle ray in the distance!
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Maracaibo Wall
Depth: 90' - 160'
Skill level: Expert |
This is one of the southernmost dive sites on the island for recreational divers and is very exposed to current and topside surf due to it's location. Because this southern end of the island drops off gradually, Maracaibo is really a wall dive but a very deep one.
As a multilevel computer dive focused at best from 100 - 120 feet, it can be awesome. It can also be a dud for those with excessive "expectations." It is simply: a deep, wall dive with the top of the wall beginning around 100 feet ... hence limited bottom time unless multileveled. However, due to its more remote location, it's not uncommon to see schools of hammerheads or shoals of eagle rays as divers drift in the midwaters high above the ocean floor. This is not a dive for those needing to be "up close and personal" with the wall. Usually the midwater drift is where the action lies. |
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View Reef Reports for Maracaibo Wall (2)
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Friday, November 23 Jaime - Dive Master, Dive Paradise Great visibility - 120 feet and low current
Saw turtles, groupers, eagle rays and nurse shark
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Monday, November 26 L Pool - Dive Master, Dive Paradise 100 feet visibility with a low current. Saw eagle ray, turtles, sharks, eels and lots and lots of fish
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Cozumel's Top Dive Sites - Eastern Coast |
In the past, divers familiar with Cozumel have been restricted to exploring the west coast dive sites for several reasons. The Cozumel of the past did not have a fleet of dive vessels that could safely negotiate and manage diving the wilder areas around the island. Predictable top side conditions and currents coupled with the miles of beautiful reefs offered by the west side has kept thousands of divers content for decades. This will continue of course but the growth of the island has brought new businesses with larger diving vessels better equipped for all sorts of sea conditions. The growth in tourism and water activities has also meant some crowding in the reef areas along the west coast so it is no wonder that more and more dive operators and divers are venturing over to the east side to see what it has to offer.
This listing of dive sites is far from complete and the names of the coral reef areas tend to reflect easily visible landmarks along the shoreline. As more and more exploration continues over the years to come, hopefully this list of sites will grow. There are miles and miles of pristine coral reef walls to dive where shark and other pelagics cruise, remnants of old Spanish wrecks with cannons and anchors and ballast strewn about as reminders of how unfriendly this lee shore can be for those not careful. Please take note of these safety precautions ~
Typical topside conditions on the east side include strong wind and large cresting swells so egress and ingress of the dive boat will be difficult and usually requires divers execute both fully geared up.
Divers should be prepared to swim to the dive boat through surf and have multiple surface signaling devices.
Divers will be diving in inaccessible places where emergency services are not readily available and significant delays might be experienced in medical emergencies.
if east side conditions are too severe, divers may have to wait for another day. Roughly 35 - 40% of of all days will not be safe for east side reef and wall diving and most of those days, this will not be determined until the morning develops. This is simply a fact of east side diving and divers must be willing to accept the decisions of dive shops with regard to safety.
For all of these reasons divers exploring the coral reefs of the east side must be in excellent physical condition and have had considerable training so do not be surprised if dive shops require certain certification levels and/or request divers to prove their skills before diving that area.
In general, the east side offers shallow dives just off the shoreline and then deeper dives over a section of coral reef much farther out from shore. It is not recommended that any dives be done on the east side without a dive boat. Shore diving is possible of course but inherently dangerous because of the swift current that moves away from the island as it heads north.
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El Islote
Depth: 80' - 150'
Skill level: Expert |
Accessed by boats who venture toward the southern tip of the island and then turn eastward, this deep dive will show a different view of Cozumel. As is typical of the east side diving, in this area the ocean bottom is covered with long ribbons of coral growth that start in the shallows and continue on into the deep. Incredible quantities of staghorn coral in these bands. It is difficult to dive "the reef" as it goes deep relatively quickly. Best bet is to check it out up close for a little bit then multi-level up into a nice mid-water dive of 60 – 80 ft. With the water clarity offered this becomes a dive with an exceptional "big picture" view. Turtle, shark and eagle rays always lurking about. |
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View Reef Reports for El Islote (1)
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Saturday, May 20 Christi - Blue XT~Sea Diving The weather and conditions were perfect, so I decided to go over to check out Islote since we hadn't dove this reef before. It was really beautiful, pristime like Maracaibo Shallows. We dropped right in on a Lemon Shark who quickly swam away. The coral was untouched with seafans and sea rods swaying in the soft current. However, about 35 minutes into the dive we came upon a patch of dead coral...literally. It really did look like a bomb had gone off. I thought to myself, "This is what dead reef looks like." It was sobering. The good news is that it was only a patch of dead coral, which appeared to have been finger coral. It lasted for about 100 yards and then we were right back into healthy coral growth. Profile: 80ft/55min Current: Mild Temp: 80 Vis: 100+
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Playa Bosh El Mirador Punta Chiqueros Chen Rio Punta Morena
Depth: 20' - 50'
Skill level: Advanced |
These shallow dives along sections of reef offer a lot of coral variety and marine life. Since this is the wild side, not many sponges or sea fans can survive in these areas but what can be seen is healthy coral and fish that really thrive in these more turbid ocean conditions. Look closely to find many juvenile fish in these shallow reef areas as well as green moray eels and nurse sharks. Visability is good and allows for good photography especially in the early morning hours.
In some cases these areas can be snorkeled but again it cannot be emphasized enough that a dive boat should always be present due to the strong outward drift prevalent on this side of the island. |
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View Reef Reports for Chen Rio (1)
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Sunday, August 9 Richard Meyer We dove again with Goyo from Dive Paradise. (GREAT DIVEMASTER, wonderful dive operator!) We dove just above the wall at 55 feet. Lots of scattered coral and sponges. We saw a shark, an eagle ray and 2 turtles. Lot of varieties of fish! very colorful! NICE and no other divers! 80 degrees, 50 minutes
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Hanan Reef Los Atolones Punta Molas
Depth: 30' - 100'
Skill level: Advanced |
These reefs are usually accessed by a journey northward around Isla de Pasion and eastward. Excellent variety of coral growth and sponges up here are home to butterfly fish, horse eye jack, schools of grunts and spotted moral eels. |
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Wreck Dive - C-53 Xicotencatl
Depth: 80 feet max.
Skill Level: Novice to Intermediate |
Excerpted from a dive review written by "Doc Vikingo"
The Felipe Xicotencatl, or C-53, was built in Florida in 1944, donated to Mexico by the US in 1962 & retired from service in 1999, having variously served as a minesweeper, anti-drug patrol boat, search and rescue ship, troop transport & Mexican Naval Academy cadet training craft.
The Xicotencatl was sunk on June 6, 2000 just outside of Balones de Chankanaab, on a sandy plain between Tormentos & Chankanaab. As such, don't expect to dive anything other than the wreck--the immediate environs are strictly featureless sand flats. All dive ops make regular trips. It could be done as a shore dive from Chankanaab Park under the proper conditions, hitting the Balones de Chankanaab on the way out, but would be a very healthy swim with scant to see in transit. No special certification is needed for this dive, although it most definitely is an overhead environment & the inexperienced diver should understand what this means & be comfortable with it.
Marked by a highly visible buoy, the vessel is 184 feet long & 33 feet wide, and consists of 4 decks. The sinking job by the Mexican Navy & wreck experts was quite remarkable in that it rests almost perfectly upright & flat with the bow facing SSE & stern NNW. According to my depth gauge, the superstructure starts at 26', the main deck at 54' & the bottom, which is secured to prevent movement in storms, is at 78'. The craft is intact as sunk with the exception of one rudder which is now about 25' to the stern.
While the wreck is not especially tight inside if you follow the marked route, it is snug at points & of course buoyancy control throughout is a must. There are large plates removed from the sides at regular intervals, which usually provides ample light & a ready escape route. Do be aware, however, that the edges of removed areas are sharp in spots, and there are opportunities to snag/impale yourself on main deck & superstructure features, so best not to go bolting about. Some hydroids & small anemones are taking hold, another reason to watch what you are contacting. The primary route through the boat is marked with penetration line & the occasional tag, and these are easy to follow. There are possible side trips, but I'd suggest you skip them unless wreck experienced. Do take a light if possible.
A good approach is to drop in behind the stern & take in the two massive screws, then raise to the aft most hold & enter through the main deck. The entry is a bit snug, so make sure you don't have a case of the "danglies." Simply follow the line to the fore, which later reverses and takes you back to the aft for exit. There is no need to hurry the dive, as any normal diver will have plenty of bottom time for a leisurely tour of the innards, which include holds & cabins, and exterior.
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Incredible Diving & Snorkeling Adventures
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Atlantis Submarines Cozumel Adventure |
Don't even get wet but dive to depths of 100 feet in a REAL submarine piloted by a professional and licensed crew and experience why Cozumel remains one of the top dive destinations in the world.
US $105 Adults / US $65 Kids
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Cozumel Isla de Pasion Trip Charters |
Take a relaxing cruise aboard our Charter boats across the crystal clear waters of Cozumel to beautiful and remote Isla de Pasion. Passion Island is Cozumel's own little island!
US $ 75 Per Person / $500 Min. Private Charter
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Cozumel Dive Paradise Dive Trips |
Experience the thrill of scuba diving in one of the top dive destinations in the world with Cozumel's leading dive shop ~ Dive Paradise!
Per Person US $35 (1 Tank) to US $79 (2 Tanks)
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Cozumel ~ Dive Paradise ~ Dive Instruction |
Experience the thrill of learning to scuba dive in one of the top dive destinations in the world with Cozumel's leading dive shop ~ Dive Paradise!
Starting at Only US $ 56 Per Person
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Cozumel Island Map & Reef Creature Identification Cards |
Beautifully drawn and virtually indestructible Franko Cozumel Map and Franko Fish Identification Cards showing lots of detail including beaches, reefs, streets and landmarks!
Maps and Identification Cards from US$ 4.95
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Snuba Cozumel ~ Combination Snorkel/Scuba from Shore |
Snuba is a combination of snorkeling and scuba diving, it is a way to explore the under water world without the cumbersome equipment required for Scuba diving and without the surface limitations associated with snorkeling.
$59/person
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Cozumel Marine Park Rules
The Mexican government declared a National Marine park on July 19, 1996. The park covers an area of more than 11 thousand hectares including the beaches and waters between Paradise Reef and Chiqueros point. The environmental, natural resource and fishing Secretariat SEMARNAP, administers the park.
The financing of the parks programs is shared by the federal government and the civil environmental groups; represented by COPRENAT, and the dive operators through ANOAAT.
- Do your share to preserve the flora and fauna for future generations.
- Corals are fragile - do not touch them.
- Kicking, touching, dragging your gear causes damage, buoyancy control is your key to healthy coral.
- Photographers in particular, take pictures without causing damage.
- Marine organisms are protected by law.
- Fishing, feeding the fauna and taking souvenirs is against the law. Refrain from extracting or annoying the marine flora and fauna.
- Help us prevent pollution.
- Report fuel, oil, sewage and garbage spills to the National Park office.
- Pressure your dive operator to instruct novice divers and divers without adequate buoyancy control, and to refuse service to destructive divers.
- If you must use gloves, do not grab the corals.
- If you carry a knife, keep it in the sheath.
- Use biodegradable sunblock products.
Fees
Marine Park Usage Fees: Pesos $28 ( about $US2) per day per person
All tour operators are required by law to collect and remit a "usage fee" for those persons utilizing the Marine Park area around Cozumel. Some tour operators include this fee in their pricing structure while others "add it on" to the price of the excursion. Check with your tour provider to ensure your total costs upfront so there will be no surprises. |
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