We did two days of diving in Cozumel in August of 2023, after our diving trip to Malpelo in Colombia and before heading to Tulum. Cozumel is famous for strong currents and drift dives. But with all the warm water and El Nino, or for whatever reason, the currents were very weak when we were there. Diving was very nice with good visibility, warm water, incredible huge coral formations and quite a lot of fish. Cozumel Marine park was established in 1996 and conservation efforts have been successful in restoring fish populations. Here is a short vide with highlights from the dives.
We dove with Tres Pelicanos dive center. They were excellent and well organized. There are many dive shops in Cozumel. We would see half a dozen dive boats around each dive site – quite a shock after Malpelo. This was a low season and we were told that during the high season there would be at least double or triple the number of divers that we saw in August.
Logistics
We flew to Cancun and took a ferry over to Cozumel. There is an international airport in Cozumel, but it has fewer flights. The connection from the airport, by bus to the ferry in Playa de Carmen works very well. There are two ferry companies and there is a ferry going to Cozumel every our.
In Cancun one can stay in the main town or in one of the resorts along the shore. We stayed in town in one of the many small hotels – ours had 4 units in it. Since we were only there for a couple of days, we did not hire a car. We walked around the main town and its shops and restaurants. And one afternoon hired a motorbike to explore the island.
Even during the low season in August there were two or three cruise ships in Cozumel every day.
On one of the days, after finishing diving we hired a motorbike and went around the island. There is a road that makes a loop around the southern part of the island. I tis a very good paved road with not many vehicles on it once you get out of the town itself.
Along the eastern shore there are several beaches. It was quite windy and the water was pretty rough when we were there. There was also fair bit of sargassum washed up on the shores. The beaches are sites for turtles laying eggs. There is a large turtle conservation program on Cozumel and sites were all marked. There are also special tours where one can help conservation program.
We drove through the Punta Sur eco beach park. The road inside of the park is not paved but it is a good compacted road and two wheel drive or motorbike works fine.
On the main road, next to the entrance to the Punta Sur eco beach park, there is a Bob Marley Bar – also known as Rasta Bar and Reggae beach bar. Having lived in Ethiopia and Jamaica we were very determined to make it there for a drink. Unfortunately, we did not read the sign and did not realize it closed at 5pm. By the time were done with Eco beach park and ready for a sundowner, it was closed. Maybe for the next time then.
The next day we headed to Tulum to try diving in cenotes and explore Maya ruins.