Must Dive Spots in Cozumel

[nodakdive]

Though there are other dives that many prefer, Palancar, which has 4 different named portions (Caves, Bricks, Horseshoe and Gardens), is sort of considered the signature Cozumel dive/s. Unless you're only diving a day or two, and the circumstances are strange, you'll no-doubt dive a Palancar site. Palancar Gardens is a great first dive for everyone, imo, including the shop that's never been diving with you before. You roll into 30 feet of water over the sand and then make your way over to the reef. You'll likely dive to 80ish feet max, and as you make your way up throughout the dive, you'll have reef, even at 30ish feet. Due to sunlight penetration, I'm guessing, there's more life in shallower water than in the deep.

As others have said, there aren't any really bad dives especially since it'll all be new to you.

Have a great time!!

 

[uncfnp]

Instead of sites, it is usually better to ask to see certain things.......ie: turtles - the DM's will know where they have been seeing them vs not, sea horses - DM's will know where to find them - they are super hard to see! and the splendid toadfish - a must see creature!!!!

Excellent suggestion. ^^^ Tell them what you would like and from my experience they will do their best to meet it. (Well except when I asked for the mermaid.

 

[dwellerbottom]

The only reef I would not recommend in Coz is Paradise reef.
It's like diving the baby pool.

 

[Lorenzoid]

The only reef I would not recommend in Coz is Paradise reef.
It's like diving the baby pool.

True, almost. One of my most memorable night dives was on Paradise Reef.

 

[ChrisM]

Usually, but you never know. I've seen seahorses and dolphins there. It was also a quality night dive (but that was a few years back)

 

[dwellerbottom]

I have not done a night dive on Paradise reef, I guess it could be good for that.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I have not done a night dive on Paradise reef, I guess it could be good for that.

Maybe that brings up another point. One could do the same dive in the day and the night and not see the same things, just as one could do the same dive two days in a row and not see the same things. For the most part, fish move around.

The suggestion to tell the DM what kinds of dives you like best, what kinds of things you enjoy seeing, etc., and utilize their expertise, is the bottom line. My wife and I prefer seeing marine life over swim-throughs, for example, and we usually tell the DM so. We're often out-voted by other divers, though, as swim-throughs are a popular Coz feature.

 

[Brules]

Also, the DM's will be observing you and how you dive, that will sometimes determine if you go to certain sites. Feel free to ask them how you did, what can you improve, any suggestions to do better. Most of them love to share tips and tricks - which will usually help you tremendously. I still do it even after 20+ years of diving.

 

[Charred]

My favorite dive from my spring trip was Santa Rosa Wall.

You need great buoyancy control so you can hover at the top of the wall with the drop off right below you. A lot of people in my group were not comfortable doing this and to them it was a "meh" dive. They just stayed over the reef making it like any other reef dive.

For me, dives like that are a religious experience when the universe reminds you how small and insignificant you are.

 

[DjDiverDan]

My favorite shallow dives, great to get acclimated to Cozumel, are Columbia Shallows and Palancar Gardens. Favorite deeper dives are Columbia Deep, Palancar Bricks (a great swimthrough down to the wall, and tons of beautiful soaring coral structure), Palancar Caves, Palancar Horseshoe, and Santa Rosa Wall. But there are really no bad dives on Cozumel (though I agree that Paradise Reef is pretty pedestrian during the day - it really picks up on a night dive, when the Octopuses, Lobsters, crabs and morays go out to hunt).