Welcome to the board Robert!!!!!! You are going to have a great time in Cozumel!
Since it is my home and what I do for a living is u/w photography I can tell you that the nature of Cozumel is currents - not necessarily ripping currents (okay sometimes), but the geological makeup of the island & our location are why we have currents - BUT that is also why we have some of the most colorful reefs & marine life in the world! The currents feed our reef system and allow it to flourish!
EVERY dive site (including Chankannab and all beach dives) CAN have currents. Now, some of our dives are known to almost always have currents, yet I have been on them with NO current. SO I guess what I am trying to tel you is, you never really know until you get underwater! I have been on dives with no current, or where the current has been strong, then suddenly stopped, visa versa, and even have been down & had the current change directions on me in the dive - that goes for beach dives as well as boat dives. SO what does a u/w photographer do? Be flexible! Adapt to the situation. You can still take pictures in current (now if it really strong, taking images can be extremely challenging if you are not used to it). And if it comes down to it, stop frustrating yourself by trying to take images in strong current, and enjoy the dive! Enjoy the way you can move through the water with no effort! Take the images in your mind and be thankful for the opportunity to be in such a glorious place!
Since you will not be taking the ship dive trip, and want to do a beach dive, you are going to need to check with a few dive operators that offer beach diving, and you are going to need to keep checking as your trip gets closer. Also check with them to see about going out on a boat dive to shallow reefs - you never know!!!
Here are some of the dive ops (you can find their e-mail on the web) that offer beach diving (in alphabetical order only)
Blue Angel @ Caribe Blue Hotel
Dive Paradise @ Hotel Cozumel
Dive with Martin @ the international pier
Roberta's Dive EcoCozumel/Scuba Shack in front of Casa del Mar
Also check with Chriti from Blue XTSea Diving - she is a wealth of information!!!! (She is on vacation this week, but will answer you when she gets back!)
Enjoy Cozumel (even if there are currents)l!!!!
Best Regards,