Rodale’s Scuba Diving

The Mexican Caribbean: Cozumel & More

Long a favorite of lots of divers, the Mexican Caribbean’s island of Cozumel, as well as the mainland coastal region called Riviera Maya, are better than ever for underwater wanderers. With some of the world’s best diving and topside activities with a Mexican accent, the Mexican Caribbean is better than ever for dive travelers.

Cozumel

When the late Jacques Cousteau first visited Cozumel and the Yucatan area in 1962, it didn’t take long for him to declare it one of the most spectacular diving areas in the world. Since that time, the island has gained an international reputation as one of the planet’s premier diving spots, attracting thousands of new and veteran divers to its underwater panorama.

The island is approximately 30 miles long and 10 miles wide, but it is the coral reef network just offshore that has become the big draw to divers. The resulting infrastructure of great dive operators, accommodations, dining, and other activities has made the island a top dive destination.

Home of the world’s second largest coral reef, Cozumel is ringed by more than 35 dive sites teeming with tropical fish and a kaleidoscope of multi-colored coral reefs. The exceptionally clear aquamarine waters are virtually transparent, providing divers with up to 200 feet of visibility. Contributing to the island’s allure is the bathtub-like water temperature, which ranges from 77 to 82 degrees year-round. Topside, Cozumel is embraced by an average temperature of 76 degrees.

Cozumel’s reef system is sprinkled with limestone caves, tunnels, and rare trees of black coral. More than 30 reefs, ranging in depth from 15 to 90 feet and deeper, teem with marine flora and fauna--red hinds, moray eels, giant anemone, huge groupers, queen angels, hermit crabs, parrotfish, giant sponges, gorgonian fans, and multi-colored globes of brain coral, cactus coral, galon, and more.

The island offers a plethora of underwater adventure. Divers can explore great mounds of coral, called “Bolones,” at famed Chankanaab Park, face off with groupers and morays at Tormentos, or plunge 120 feet into the brilliant green abyss of San Francisco.

Located just south of the town of San Miguel, Chankanaab Park is a one-of-a-kind destination for divers and non-divers alike. Encompassing nearly 450,000 square feet, this natural aquarium features more than 60 species of tropical fish, crustaceans, and corals. Chankanaab Lagoon is a popular dive site, with the aforementioned Bolones and incredibly colorful marine life for both divers and snorkelers. It’s also home to the popular Dolphin Discovery program. Topside, there are four dive operators, a huge botanical garden, a reproduction of a Mayan village, and more.

But veteran divers also return often to the island’s most famous area, the magnificent mountain of coral called Palancar, where monstrous heads of coral climb to 80 feet and are crowned by red gorgonian fans and enormous yellow sponges. Here and elsewhere, internal fissures create dramatic passages between the masses of coral, which plummet abruptly into the depths below. Other popular sites that never lose their allure include Paraiso Reef, Airplane Flats, Beachcomber Cavern, Tormentos, Yucab, El Paso del Cedra Cardona, San Francisco, Punta Sur, Columbia, Maracaibo, and many more.

An offshore current of two to four knots typically runs northward throughout the year, forming the beginning of the Gulf Stream. The current poses very little risk and is actually a draw for many divers. The Cozumel Association of Dive Operators currently has more than 50 certified dive shops on the island and many, if not most, hotels have on-site dive operators.

Along with the widely varied diving, there are lots of accommodations options to suit any budget (currently more than 3,600 rooms), many restaurants, and varied topside activities to enjoy between dives. Many resorts and dive operators offer money-saving packages for accommodations, food, and more. “Whether you’re looking for a romantic setting on the ocean, a rollicking all-inclusive resort, or a beachfront hotel near San Miguel, we have a hotel to suit every guest,” says Gasto’n Cantarell Diaz, president of the Cozumel Hotel Association.

A duty-free zone, Cozumel is recognized for its wide variety of jewelry, including sterling silver, gold, precious and semi-precious stones, and brand-name watches. Village shops and retail boutique in the hotels offer a wide selection of fashions, casual attire, Mexican crafts, and souvenirs. Several downtown shops feature indigenous black coral in the form of jewelry and sculptures (Cozumel adheres strictly to regulations governing the preservation of black coral). In addition, dive operators and other retailers carry full lines of dive equipment and accessories (along with full service).

Besides underwater treasures, Cozumel is also rich in other natural wonders and history. Popular destinations include: the ancient Maya ruins on the north side of the island; the sanctuary of the fertility goddess Ixchel at San Gervasio; the Museum of the Island of Cozumel; El Cedral, the oldest Maya structure on Cozumel; Punta Celarain, a towering lighthouse; Punta Sur, a new ecotourism park; the botanical gardens at Chankanaab Park (mentioned above); and much more.

Day (or multi-day) tours to Mayan ruins located on the Yucatan peninsula are also very popular and very easily arranged through local travel agencies. Popular destinations include Chichen Itza, Tulum Spring, Xel-Ha (an underwater park in a lagoon considered sacred by the Maya), Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, Coba, and Excaret.

The Riviera Maya

Dive travelers don’t just head to the Mexican mainland for quick Maya meanderings these days--they also go to the Riviera Maya for great diving. With thriving coral reefs, caves, caverns (cenotes), and a vast network of underground rivers to explore, the Riviera Maya provides divers with a world of underwater options.

A region long known for its white sand beaches, as well as cultural and historical attractions, the Riviera Maya is quickly becoming known as a top dive destination. Home to more than 500 species of fish and many turtles, the Riviera Maya’s Great Maya Reef offers spectacular reef diving. Easily accessible from Playa del Carmen, Puerto Aventuras, Akumal, and Tulum, the Riviera Maya’s 13 marked dive sites are just a short boat ride away.

Emptying into the ocean, the Riviera Maya’s network of underground rivers provides divers with a unique setting in which to explore one of nature’s most fascinating ecosystems. Accessed by cenotes, these underground water-filled tunnels, which span over 400 kilometers, showcase impressive rock formations (stalactites and stalagmites), plant, and fish life.

The Riviera Maya boasts more than 100 cenotes, 52 of which have been identified as good for diving and snorkeling, including Gran Cenote, Taj Mahal, Choc Mool, and Dos Ojos. Gateway to an underwater world of rivers, caverns (which are illuminated by natural skylights), and cave systems, the Riviera Maya is one of the only places in the world where divers can experience cenote or cavern diving (no additional certification beyond open-water certification is required for cavern diving).

The 75-mile stretch known as the Riviera Maya is situated in the Mexican Caribbean on the coastline of the Yucatan Peninsula in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. Beginning 18 miles south of the Cancun International Airport in Playa del Secreto, the Riviera Maya extends to Punta Allen, a small fishing village located within the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve.