Diving in Cozumel is unique for many reasons! Divers head to Cozumel year after year because of its crystal clear waters, diverse marine life, abundant coral reefs, rich history, and convenient location. With so much to offer, it's no wonder that Cozumel is a popular destination for diving enthusiasts from all over the world!

Cozumel is so easy to access from the US, that it’s often overlooked as a prime dive location but it’s truly become one of our favorite places in the world! Here are our favorite things about Cozumel diving-

Crystal Clear Waters: Cozumel is known for its crystal clear waters, which provide excellent visibility for divers. This makes it easier to see the stunning coral formations, diverse marine life, and other underwater wonders that the island has to offer.

Diverse Marine Life: Cozumel is home to a rich and diverse array of fish, coral, mollusks, marine mammals, algae and seagrasses. With such a huge range of sea life, the variety of sea creatures makes every dive a new and exciting experience. Divers often encounter sea turtles, nurse sharks, eels and even magnificent eagle rays during their migration each year.

Abundant Coral Reefs: Cozumel is home to the second largest coral reef in the world, The Great Mayan Reef which provides a vibrant and diverse underwater ecosystem. Most of the dive sites are within the protected Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park . From wall formations to gentle slopes, the reef systems in Cozumel offer something for divers of all skill levels. I’ve even listed some of our favorite reefs below!

Rich History: Cozumel's rich history adds an extra layer of excitement to diving. The island was once a popular stop for Spanish galleons. With a combination of impressive walls that drop into the abyss, one of the most well known ship wrecks in Mexico (Felipe Xicotencatl or C-53) and extensive colorful coral gardens, what more could a diver ask for?!

Convenient Location: Cozumel is located just off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, easily accessible and one of the most popular dive destinations in the world.

Whether you're a seasoned diver or a beginner, Cozumel is the perfect destination for your next underwater adventure.

Unique things about Cozumel Diving

Drift diving
Visibility can be up to 150’
Good for beginners and experienced divers
2nd largest barrier reef in the world
Array of sea life: 500 species of fish, 60 species of coral, 350 mollusks and marine mammals, algae, and seagrasses
Dive sites just off of the coastline

Cozumel Dive sites

With crystal clear waters, diverse marine life, and abundant coral reefs, Cozumel offers a once-in-a-lifetime diving experience. Whether you're a seasoned diver or a beginner, this guide will help you discover the best diving spots in Cozumel!

Palancar Reef

One of Cozumel’s most famous dive site locations, Palancar Reef is a must-visit spot for any Cozumel diver. Palancar has an amazing variety of marine life and has a number of sections for which the following are some of the most popular: Palancar Caves, Palancar Bricks, and Palancar Gardens. With depths from 20’ - 100’, Palancar Reef offers something for everyone, is suitable for divers of all skill levels and is often done as a multi-level drift dive. This stunning reef system is known for its vibrant coral formations, and you will find a diverse array of marine life, including sea turtles, snapper, grunts, angelfish, and barracuda.

Palancar Caves

One of the most impressive and popular Cozumel dive sites, this location has enormous tunnels and caverns that sit on a sloping wall. Swimming through the Palancar Caves and tunnels is an awe-inspiring experience. There are so many caves, canyons, towers and spires that you cannot see all of them, even after numerous dives . Marine life is abundant and Palancar Caves is a great spot for encounters with turtles, sharks and eagle ray’s. Schooling fish, such as grunts and snapper, are everywhere.

Current at Palancar Caves is usually moderate and with depths of 50’ - 120’ it is considered an intermediate dive.

Palancar Bricks

Palancar Bricks gets it name from the 1950 capsized barge that dropped the red bricks into this area. An excellent deep dive with interesting topography, Palancar Bricks is an intermediate current and has a mild to moderate current with depths from 30’ - 90’ and conditions are not very challenging. The contrast of the white sandy slope, large colorful coral formations, and blue water make for a spectacular show.

You will often see turtles here with large Southern Stingrays accompanied by a Bar Jack in the sandy areas. If you peek under the ledges, you might spot a Nurse Shark or large Green Moray Eel. During the winter months this is a great spot to encounter eagle ray.

Palancar Garden (one of Dory’s fav’s)

A favorite of Dory, Palancar Garden is an extremely healthy reef with coral that is so healthy that it makes great camouflage of resident fish, crustaceans and marine life. Great for inexperienced or newer divers this dive site is also a favorite for the experienced because there is such a huge variety of colorful coral formations, large variety of sea life, a mild to moderate current and depths of 30’ - 80’. Something for everyone, turtles, butterflyfish, angelfish, parrotfish and damselfish can always be found. During the winter migration, eagle rays swooping in to grab and munch a conch will give you a great show. My favorite part of this dive is at the end of the dive. I love to explore the shallows where the reef meets the sandy area, offers very little current and I can search and photograph arrow crabs, christmas tree worms and practice macro photography.

Columbia Reef

Columbia Reef is another popular dive spot in Cozumel and home to two dive sites. This breathtaking reef is home to an abundance of colorful fish, and is known for its large schools of jacks and barracuda. The reef is also a great place to see eels and other exotic species. With depths ranging from 30’ to 90’, Columbia Reef has a strong current that can be unpredictable which makes it best for experienced / advanced divers.

Columbia Deep: This may be Jeffe’s favorite and is also one of the island's best deep sites teaming with enormous coral formations over 6 stories tall. With the current gliding you along, you will feel like you are soaring amidst sky scrapers. Along where the dive site reaches about about 60’ - 120’, you will see it sweeps down into the abyss. You will glide through mazes of pinnacles with the reef wall on one side and winding tunnels and caverns on the other. There is often great clarity so keep an eye out for the beautiful marine life that includes large grouper, turtles, barracuda and the occasional black tip shark that may be seen in the distance.

Columbia Shallows:

With depths of 25’ - 50’, dive conditions are typically good and you will see an abundance of marine life. This proximity is a popular snorkeling location where you may see the snorkeling boats hovering up over the top of the coral heads.

YUCAB

As a great location for divers of every experience level, this dive site is located in front of Costa Del Sol and the boats dropping and picking up divers can be seen from our beach villa.

With a depth of 40’-50’ and a moderate current, this dive site is typically done as a second dive. A huge concentration of marine life lends itself to huge sponges of every color. With numerous overhangs, lobsters, banded coral shrimps, and large numbers of the Splendid toadfish find refuge here. You will also see squirrelfish, angel and butterflyfish which will always be seen swimming in pairs. If you participate in underwater photography, this is a great location to get those enviable shots.

Paradise Reef

A gentle sloped portion of the Great Mayan Reef, Paradise Reef is perfect for beginner divers, second tank dive or a colorful and active night dive. With a depth of only 30’ - 40’, this reef is a great place to see a variety of colorful fish, including Parrotfish, Queen Angelfish, and Damselfish. There are great coral heads ranging from 10'-20' tall that rise up from the sandy bottom. Anemones, sponges type of fish you can think of can be found here. Larger fish such as barracuda and grouper can be found but make sure to look closely for the small fish life like as Spotted Drum, Smooth Trunkfish, Spotted Moray Eels, and Spiny Lobster.

Santa Rosa Wall

Located off the western coast of Cozumel, Santa Rosa Wall Reef offers a unique diving experience. The reef drops off into the deep blue waters, creating a stunning vertical wall that is home to a variety of marine life. From schools of colorful fish and majestic sea turtles to enormous Sponges, Santa Rosa Wall Reef is a must-see for any Cozumel diver!

Keep an eye out for Filefish, Turtles, Groupers, giant Parrotfish, French / Queen Angelfish, and an occasional Toadfish. You may even see Eagle Rays during the winter months. This reef is full of overhangs and under-hangs and some sections of the wall are so steep, they are near vertical!

Chankanaab Park

Chankanaab Park is a unique dive spot that that is home to an abundance of marine life and at only 35’-40’ is a great beginner dive site and night dive location. With visibility typically lower than some of the other dive sites, you will often find the current lower hear which allows you to meander around the coral heads in search of small eel, lionfish or crab hiding in the the crevices. The bottom is mostly sandy with small coral heads and you can spot grunts, snappers, spotted moray eels, crabs, and some french angelfish.

Paso del Cedral (Cedar Pass)

I saved one of my favorite dive sites for last and I have so many great things to say about it! If you're a diving enthusiast looking for a unique underwater experience, Paso del Cedral Reef in Cozumel should be at the top of your list.

Located off the southern coast of Cozumel, Paso del Cedral Reef is a popular dive spot for both experienced and beginner divers and is usually done as a second dive. The reef ranges from 60 to 80 feet in depth, making it suitable for intermediate to advanced divers.

The current is typically moderate to strong, which allows you to cover an enormous amount of territory during a single dive. With its abundant coral formations and vibrant sea life, Paso del Cedral Reef offers a unique diving experience that is sure to be unforgettable. This is a great location for photography, where you can see large parrotfish, large schools of grunts and snapper, free swimming eels and nurse sharks. Always on my list for this dive are checking out the small caves where large lobster and giant moray eels can be found.

In addition to its breathtaking beauty, Paso del Cedral Reef is also known for its rich history. The reef was named after the nearby village of El Cedral, which was once a center of the island's salt trade. Today, the ruins of this historic village can still be seen, adding an extra layer of excitement to your experience.

Ship Wreck C-53

The Shipwreck C-53 is the well known wreck dive ARM General Felipe Xicoténcatl C53 near Chankanaab Park.

Originally a minesweeper built for the US Navy during WWII, this navy ship made its way into the Mexican navy in 1962. The ship served over 30 years of service before it was retired from the in 1999 and was sunk in the waters off of the island of Cozumel in June 2000. At 154’ long, 33’ wide & 40’ high, the shipwreck sits in 70ft of water. With depths ranging from 50’ - 80’, the wreck sits upright on the ocean floor at a depth of 80’ and the top of the wreck sits at about 50’ under the surface.

The typical current is moderate - strong and is considered an advanced dive. When the current is strong, you will see a line of divers ascending the mooring line one at a time so that the currents don’t sweep them away during the safety stop.

This wreck dive is a great one for having the opportunity to not only see crabs, lobsters, eels, groupers, barracudas, and snappers but also explore the interior of this grandoise wreck.

Devil's Throat

If you're looking for a more challenging dive, Devil's Throat is a bucket list item. This unique dive site features a narrow, winding channel that leads to an open underwater cave. With depths ranging from 60 to 100 feet, Devil's Throat is a thrilling dive for advanced divers.

Don’t Miss Out On Incredible Cozumel Diving

Whether you're a seasoned diver or a beginner, Cozumel offers something for everyone. Cozumel is the perfect destination for anyone looking for an underwater adventure. So grab your gear, and get ready to dive into the best diving in Cozumel!

Sold on Cozumel diving but not sure where to start on planning your next dive trip?

Check out my Cozumel Travel Guide here and make sure to read all about favorite dive shops here and here!