January....yea? No?

[wildbill9]

We are looking at a January trip. We just got back from Bonaire and wifey got chilled after the 3rd dive. What are the water temps like in January? I see it is high season, how bad are the crowds? Air temps? Vis and currents better or worse? Our last trip was in July and it will probably be tad cooler. Looking at vrbo and El Cantil. Any other tips for traveling this time of year? We love to hang at the pool with an adult beverage in the afternoon but pools may be too cold the. So any advice on January travel is appreciated. Tanks Bill and DeeDee

 

[JamesBon92007]

I've been to Cozumel twice in December and once in November and the only time I thought it was cold was last November. The December dives were incredible and November was not too bad either.

Christi has a "sticky" on the Cozumel Forum and in January of this year it says the port was closed 5 days so you might want to check your dive op's refund policy before sending them any money

 

[Mr. Manfrenjensenden]

I was there over Christmas this past year, departing on New Year's Day. Weather was delightful, warm but not too humid. Can't recall the exact temp but low to mid 80s in the afternoon perhaps? Water temp was 79. Currents weren't a problem, visibility was great. Pool was certainly not too cold to go in. The sun was still hot -- I spent most of my time in the shade.

 

[uncfnp]

Its going to be overall cooler for you then your recent Bonaire trip. Probably not much different water temp, it was around 79 mid February past two Coz trips. But the air temp top side can be chilly between dives so second dive can be down right cold after the SI. I’m talking Boat coat weather, at least for me. And according to posts by Dave and Christy’s sticky, historically Janurary has a fairly high chance of port closures.

Historical Port Closures by month/year for Cozumel

 

[Trailboss123]

I was also there over Christmas and New Year this past December. Concur with @Mr. Manfrenjensenden
Water temps were 79-80. Sunny and beautiful. Enjoyable surface interval temps. No days lost to diving and was there 11 days. I know a few days were lost earlier in December and some in January after I departed the island. What I like about December-February is that there is relativity no humidity. Makes for some nice walking around weather. I also have been the end of January and first week of February. Lost the first 1/2 day of that trip due to high winds, but the rest of the trip was perfect with 80 degree water temps and perfect day time temps. I will be back on island for another 10 days this Xmas and New Year.
As for your recent trip to Bonaire, I have heard that water temps this spring have been unseasonably cold and not indicative of normal.

 

[Streydog]

I went the last two January's and am glad I did but if I was only able to go once a year I would pick another time. This January the port was closed 3 of my 7 planned dive days. I still ended up diving 6 days by going to Playa two days. I am not very cold natured but two dives a day was all I wanted to do and I did get pretty chilled between many of the dives but I did one 90 minute dive in board shorts and a Lavacore hooded vest and was fine. Eagle rays are out in good numbers that time of year. Both times I went were mid January and the crowds were not bad, I would assume the first week would be busier. Where else would you go?

 

[MMM]

January is about the coldest time to dive in Coz. Temps are around 79F or thereabouts. I wear a 7 mm. full suit with a hooded vest underneath but I routinely do 70+ minutes dives. YMMV. Vis and currents are fine this time of the year and you may be there during eagle ray season for up north (if you choose a dive op that will take you there).

This past January was crappy with lots of port closures due to muchos nortes. Crowds are only as bad as your DM allows. I dive with ops that will switch to another part of the reef when they see a herd coming in or else we just duck down and wait for them to pass over. Air temps are nearly always good but you can have a cool boat ride back if you don't have a boat jacket or an op that provides them.

 

[Trailboss123]

January is about the coldest time to dive in Coz. Temps are around 79F or thereabouts. I wear a 7 mm. full suit with a hooded vest underneath but I routinely do 70+ minutes dives. YMMV. Vis and currents are fine this time of the year and you may be there during eagle ray season for up north (if you choose a dive op that will take you there).

This past January was crappy with lots of port closures due to muchos nortes. Crowds are only as bad as your DM allows. I dive with ops that will switch to another part of the reef when they see a herd coming in or else we just duck down and wait for them to pass over. Air temps are nearly always good but you can have a cool boat ride back if you don't have a boat jacket or an op that provides them.

We had Eagle Ray sightings nearly every other dive this past December/January. Everywhere from Palancar to way up north and all dive sites in between:

 

[Streydog]

This video is a little shaky. This was January 2017, this year we saw the same number in the exact same spot.

 

[morecowbells]

When I first started diving, we would visit Cozumel in Jan. Visibility was pristine, but with the dry air and cooler breezes, it was difficult to really warm up between dives, especially with multiple dives. On our first visit to the island, we lost 1 day of diving due to Nortes. The second visit we lost 2 days. While it may be a first world problem, it sucked when my vacation was only one week. My favorite time to visit the island is Oct. The crowds are gone, water warm and the weather pleasant. I have still lost some diving days in Oct. and and while visiting this April, but the systems were short lived and typically no more than one day of diving is lost.