Cozumel
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The island of Cozumel has a rich history dating back thousands of years. Its first inhabitants, the Maya, came here for religious pilgrimages. Originally named Ah-Cuzamil-Peten (“Island of Swallows”), it is today the Yucatán’s largest, most-visited island. In 1961, dive aficionado Jacques Cousteau filmed a documentary on its extensive coral reefs and turquoise waters, proclaiming it one of the world’s premiere diving destinations. Once the film aired, tourism hit almost instantaneously. Yet, despite its wondrous ecology and ocean floors, the island has remained relatively undeveloped.

Although diving is easily the island’s principal attraction, it is not the only one. Cozumel measures 28 by 10 miles, and in whichever direction you travel you will find the calm, warm Caribbean the ideal environment for most water sports. On almost every beach, you can locate businesses that run diving, snorkeling, kayaking, sailing, windsurfing, and deep-sea fishing trips.

The undeveloped center of the island is covered by jungle and swampy lagoons still rich with wildlife such as the coati and armadillo as well as birds, including multicolored parrots, spoonbill flamingos, egrets and blue warblers. The Punta Sur Ecological Reserve (open daily 9am–4pm) is home to many of the island’s native species, and is also a marine turtle nesting area.

In addition to its natural endowments, the island is dotted with ancient Mayan ruins such as at San Gervacio and Caracol. Its most popular beaches are Playas San Francisco and Palancar. San Miguel, established well over 100 years ago, remains Cozumel’s only town, packed with jewelry stores and duty-free shops that cater to the thousands of cruise ship passengers, loud bars and busy restaurants serving Mexican and international cuisine.

With 20 miles of coral reef, more than 100 superb dive sites, and excellent visibility and currents, Cozumel is the mecca for open water diving in Mexico, attracting more than 80,000 divers a year. From Palancar and Colombia reefs to Santa Rosa and Chankanaab, the Cozumel reef systems are teeming with colorful marine life. Below the surface, visitors discover a fantasyland of coral gardens, caverns, caves, tube sponges, coral ridges, barrel rope, colorful gorgonian sea fans, swim-throughs, overhangs, underhangs, and intimidating, near-vertical reef walls.

Depths along these reefs range from 30 to 150 feet, and beyond the walls visitors can dive down past 500 feet. Shallower dives, such as the Chankanaab Lagoon and parts of the Santa Rosa Wall and the Palancar reefs, have relatively tame currents and are excellent for novice divers. Here you can expect to see several types of tropical fish, including parrot fish, angel fish, butterfly fish, damsel fish, eels, and stingrays, as well as the majority of underwater terrain. On the opposite end of the spectrum, at greater depths, divers will encounter stronger currents and large sea creatures such as barracuda, sharks, rays, jacks, and sailfish.

Rough surf and strong undertows on Cozumel make swimming dangerous. Visitors should not go in the sea alone, and all but the strongest of swimmers should avoid swimming on the east side of the island, reserving these beaches for sunbathing, walking, and paddling.

Cozumel Beach Safety Advisory


Cozumel’s Department of Civilian Protection has developed a beach flag system to inform bathers of swimming conditions. Remember, beach conditions change frequently.

Dirt roads in Cozumel can be hazardous at the end of and just after the rainy season, and car rental insurance usually covers only travel on paved roads. There have been many accidents involving mopeds because of road conditions. Many of the island’s mopeds are in poor condition and the roads around the island are poorly kept and extremely dangerous. Cozumel was badly hit by Hurricanes Emily and Wilma, so check road conditions before driving any vehicle around the island.