Beginning in December 2002, Insider was proudly the first website to provide readers the Cozumel News in English.
Articles are slected from local newspapers which we feel will be of interest to our diverse audience. These articles are then translated into English. We cannot always investigate the veracity of a particular article but offer these translations as a reflection of the Cozumel community news just as reporters write it for Por Esto, Diario de Quintana Roo, Novedades and El Seminario and many other sources.
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Note: All translated articles are the property of Cozumel Insider and cannot be used, displayed or reproduced without express written permission from Cozumel Insider.
05/11/2026 - Numbers remain the same this week in Cozumel as cruise ship arrivals show 21 ships registered to dock as we reach the middle of May. This is the same amount of ships as last week and 1 more than the "20 in port" which marks a "high season" number. There were 17 ships in port during the same week of 2025. An estimated 73,500 people will visit Cozumel this week via these cruise ships leaving an estimated US $ 7.8 million dollars behind in the local economy.
High season for cruise ship arrivals typically runs from November 15 - April 15 each year with the remaining 7 months of the year considered "low season." This week Puerta Maya pier will be host to 6 ships docking there, 7 ships will dock at SSA International pier while Punta Langosta pier will see 8 arrivals and the downtown San Miguel pier will have -0- arrivals with passengers tendering in.
On Monday 3 ships will dock, 2 ships will dock on Tuesday, 5 ships on Wednesday, 4 ships on Thursday, 4 ships on Friday, 3 ships on Saturday and Sunday will see 0 ships in port. To see a complete list of this week's ship arrivals, please visit Insider's Weekly Cruise Ship Schedule
Turtle Nesting Season Begins In Cozumel, Marking Start Of Conservation Efforts In Mexican Caribbean
The sea turtle nesting season has officially begun on the beaches of Cozumel, with the first loggerhead turtle nests marking the start of one of the most important natural cycles for biodiversity in the Mexican Caribbean. Over the coming months, turtle camps, environmental authorities, and volunteers will deploy permanent operations to protect nests, monitor spawning areas, and ensure that thousands of hatchlings reach the sea safely. This period is critical for protected species whose survival depends largely on habitat conservation and adherence to established protocols on beaches, especially in marked nesting zones. The start of the season also serves as a call to residents and visitors to avoid restricted areas, refrain from handling turtles, and minimize any activity that could disrupt the natural nesting process.
In destinations like Cozumel, where tourism coexists directly with these ecosystems, public participation is essential to ensure that this phenomenon continues year after year, allowing new generations of sea turtles to return to the ocean.
Mexico Rejects Cozumel Cruise Pier Expansion Over Reef Damage
Mexico’s Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) has denied an environmental impact permit for the expansion of the SSA Mexico cruise terminal in Cozumel, citing severe risks to the Villa Blanca coral reef system.
The decision, published in the official Ecological Gazette, blocks a project that included a second cruise pier, a new commercial center, a terminal building, and a crew club, with an estimated investment of 882 million pesos (about $44 million). Semarnat concluded that the project was not environmentally viable, as it could cause severe ecological imbalances in the marine ecosystem. The agency’s resolution noted that the expansion would permanently alter the seabed morphology and generate urban waste that could contaminate the ocean floor. The denial was welcomed by the Citizen Collective Isla, which had argued that the company’s environmental impact statement omitted the presence of coral patches and species listed under Mexico’s endangered species standard NOM-059 within the project’s direct influence area. The collective also pointed out that the expansion would overlap with the buffer zone of a fourth terminal, directly affecting the Villa Blanca reef barrier.
SSA Mexico’s Cozumel International Cruise Terminal is one of three piers operating on the island. In 2025, it handled nearly 40% of all cruise ships and passengers arriving in Cozumel. The proposed L-shaped pier would have covered 1.16 hectares, allowing vessels up to 362 meters in length to dock. It was to be built on steel piles and prefabricated concrete slabs, with an access bridge and docking platform starting from the Federal Maritime Terrestrial Zone, an area devoid of coastal vegetation.
This is not the first time a cruise pier project in Cozumel has faced rejection. Last year, authorities canceled a separate fourth pier project after activists raised concerns about environmental damage.
Dolphins In Legal Limbo One Year After Mexico’s ‘Ley Mincho’
Nearly a year after Mexico enacted a reform banning the reproduction of dolphins in captivity and restricting their use in shows, dozens of animals remain in a legal and operational limbo as authorities have yet to determine their fate.
In Quintana Roo, at least nine dolphins are being held at a closed dolphinarium in Cancun, where they receive specialized care while the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) continues to deliberate on a final resolution. The situation highlights the practical shortcomings of a law that marked a shift in environmental policy but failed to establish immediate transition mechanisms. Oscar Rebora, the state’s Secretary of Ecology and Environment, confirmed that the case remains under federal jurisdiction. He said the animals are receiving food, constant monitoring, and medical attention from specialists. Rumors of abandonment at the former Ventura Park facility have been denied by state authorities, who maintain that the dolphins are in stable condition under permanent supervision. The challenge is significant: the dolphins are over 30 years old and were born in captivity, making release into the wild virtually impossible as they lack survival skills. Additionally, there are no specialized sanctuaries on the continent that can take them further limiting viable options. Beyond this specific case, the broader picture is unclear. An estimated 200 dolphins remain in captivity across the state, but no official updated registry exists, complicating public policy planning for their management.
The so-called “Ley Mincho” now faces its greatest test: moving from legal framework to concrete solutions for the animals it aimed to protect. For now, the process remains open-ended with no set deadlines, and the dolphins’ welfare depends on decisions that have yet to materialize.
Need a LEGAL U.S. Notary Service? THIS is your solution!
It has happened to ALL of us U.S. Citizens who spend significant amounts of time living / working in Cozumel: reading the dreaded words on a document from back home: "Notarized Signature Required." It's such a simple thing and no one wants the added expense of travelling back to the U.S. just to have their signature notarized but there are many legal processes in the U.S.A. where nothing BUT a notarized signature will be accepted.
Some common documents that U.S. Citizens need notarized while living abroad are: Real Estate Deeds or Mortgages, executing Wills, Powers of Attorney, requests for Birth / Marriage / Death Certificates, Permission for a parent to get a minor’s US Passport, banking / insurance / bonding documents, permission for a minor to travel without parents or application for duplicate or replacement vehicle titles just to name a few.
In the past, the most common solution was for a U.S. Citizen to make their way to the nearest U.S. Consulate or Embassy where notaries are always available but the fees involved can be quite expensive. In addition there is the cost of actually travelling to the Consulate and who knows if appointments will even be available especially if the notarized signature is needed urgently. Plus from Cozumel that Consulate visit includes the cost of a ferry round trip to get to Playa del Carmen. All of these complicating factors just create more of a headache for something that is supposed to be relatively easy and inexpensive.
Another option frequently used has been that of a U.S. Notary operating outside of their country and jurisdiction. While this option is usually easy and cheap (often free or for a donation), it is one of those situations where "you get what you pay for" because technically these U.S. Notaries are operating ILLEGALLY as they are outside the legal jurisdiction for which they are authorized to notarize documents. In theory an illegal notarization could be attacked and challenged in the future and nullified causing legal issues with the documents signed. A fraud challenge to a Notary operating outside of the USA, simply involves a court asking the Notary to present their passport to the judge. Immigration stamps inside the passport will prove the Notary's whereabouts when documents were signed and if this was done inside the Notary's legal jurisdiction or illegally outside their authorized jurisdiction.
So do yourself a favor and avoid any future Signature Notary problems by utilizing an ON-LINE NOTARY SERVICE. Thanks to remote online notarization (RON), you can notarize a document from anywhere in the world, using your computer or mobile device and the internet. It takes only 10 minutes and is quite an easy process right from the comfort of your own home or office any hour of the day or night.
All you need to do is click this link 24/7 Online Notary Service To use this service, the fee is $25 USD and you must have a device with audio- visual capabilities (like a smart phone, tablet or PC) and proof of identity (a valid US Government-issued photo ID such as a Driver’s License or Passport). You can then access and meet with a licensed Notary Public who will notarize your papers in a matter of minutes. The process is easy, quick, efficient and AVAILABLE 24/7 online!! So WHY take a chance doing it any other way?!
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September 6, 2024 (Most Recent) Comprehensive Mexico Travel Warning
U.S. State Department Travel Advisory for Mexico Issued SEPTEMBER 6, 2024 shows the Mexican State of Quintana Roo (includes Cozumel, Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, and Tulum) to be a LEVEL 2 Advisory - Exercise Increased Caution (Level 4 Advisory is Highest Risk):
There are "NO RESTRICTIONS" on U.S. government employees for travel to "ANY PARTS" of Quintana Roo state, which includes tourist areas such as: Cozumel, Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya and Tulum. However, U.S. government employees are advised to exercise increased situational awareness and caution after dark in the areas of Cancun, Tulum, and Playa del Carmen, and to remain in well-lit pedestrian streets and tourist zones.
U.S. citizens should as always exercise increased caution and be aware that according to Government of Mexico statistics, criminal activities and violence, including homicide, remain a concern throughout the State. While most of these homicides appeared to be targeted, criminal organization assassinations and turf battles between criminal groups that have resulted in violent crime in areas frequented by U.S. citizens. Bystanders injuries, while rare, have occurred. While not directed at tourists, shootings between rival gangs have killed or injured innocent bystanders. Additionally, U.S. citizens have been the victims of both non-violent and violent crimes in tourist and non-tourist areas.
The Mexico Travel Warning dated September 6, 2024 from the Department of State can also be viewed in its entirety on the Department of State website.
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05/11/2026 - Numbers remain the same this week in Cozumel as cruise ship arrivals show 21 ships registered to dock as we reach the middle of May. This is the same amount of ships as last week and 1 more than the "20 in port" which marks a "high season" number. There were 17 ships in port during the same week of 2025. An estimated 73,500 people will visit Cozumel this week via these cruise ships leaving an estimated US $ 7.8 million dollars behind in the local economy. 
