Down in the northwestern Caribbean Sea, 12 miles off the coastline of the Yucatan Peninsula and about 45 miles south of Cancun, lies the oh-so-beautiful Cozumel – the largest Island in the Mexican Caribbean and the most populated island of Mexico, edged with pristine white sandy beaches and craggy black castles of limestone and coral.

Famed for its numerous Maya ruins, duty-free shopping, deep sea fishing and windsurfing, add to this perfect year-round warm temperatures, Cozumel is also a scuba divers’ paradise, offering some of the BEST diving in the world with fantastic visibility, impressive wall dives and abundant marine life.

A sleepy little fishing community until 1961, when Jacques Cousteau – a famous underwater explorer declared it one of the most beautiful scuba diving areas on Earth, Cozumel is now a mecca for divers of all levels as it houses the largest reef system in the Americas, which has been declared an underwater National Marine Park to protect the balance of its amazing coral reefs and abundant variety of colorful tropical fish and sea life.

To enjoy all inclusive luxury and make your dive vacation a fun, safe and truly irresistible experience, the island offers a range of spectacular dive resorts, including Fiesta Americana Cozumel Dive Resort, Allegro Resort Cozumel, Cozumel Palace, and Occidental Grand Cozumel that organize dive tours you do not want to miss out.

Most diving in Cozumel is drift diving, where divers are dropped off by the boat up the current at the start of the dive and are carried along the reed by the current accompanied by their dive guides. Naturally, some dives are more advanced than others and your guide will help you to evaluate your diving comfort level so that you can choose the dive sites best suited to your skill level. At a few sites, there are opportunities to spot sharks and schools of barracuda.

The newest site in Cozumel is the wreck of Felipe Xicotencatl, found very close to the resort on nearby Tormentos Reef, which is an adventure you won’t soon forget.

No matter you are a novice or an experienced diver, the clarity of the Caribbean always opens up a world of beauty unlike any other, so let the drift just take you…

Photo credits to 1,2,3,4

The Cozumel Island

Dreaming of an adventurous holiday at a perfect destination? Well let us attempt to turn your dream into a reality. Cozumel, an island in the Caribbean Sea, also known as the Island of the Swallows is the perfect destination to for all. Located on the central time zone, having a close proximity with the eastern coast of Mexico this island has the potential of being a perfect vacation spot. Now the gargantuan question, why so? The answer lies in the fact that the place presents a great potential for tourism. The island is known for various fun-related and exciting activities especially scuba diving and snorkeling.
Lying in the Atlantic Ocean at a distance of about 48 km (38 miles) from Mexico and including numerous off shore islets the Cozumel island can be dubbed as ‘a potential spot’ in real terms for  tourism. It is amongst the best scuba diving destinations in the world, where every dive is like a dream coming true for the divers. The place enjoys popularity amongst non scuba divers too. These facts coupled with the exciting and adventurous looking waters of the Atlantic Ocean and added upon with the serenity and the quietness of the place enables it to graduate as a perfect destination for the thrill seekers.

Scuba Diving in Cozumel Island

The activity of scuba diving is mainly centered around the reefs and shallow coral formations having an extension from the southern tip of the island to the south of San Miguel, on the western coast. Protected under and as a part of the underwater national park, the beaches of this island are simply a treat for the eyes and soul.
The Island of Cozumel offers a diverse marine life to its visitors. It is surrounded by the two main coral reef systems namely the Columbia and Palancar reefs spanning almost 280 km (170 miles) between the Gulf of Mexico and Honduras. The system is the second largest of its kind in the world. The underwater life includes the extinct Toad fish. Also one may see the Moral eels, sea turtles, brilliant queen Angelfish and plenty of other vast coral heads and much more. Apart from that there are a large number of sponges like Elephant ear sponge, the Barrel sponge along with hundreds of tropical fishes in the rich eco-systems and steep walls that sank into the abyss due to the continuously flowing currents around the Island. There are also tunnels and caves twisting through the reef providing a suitable and very rich environment for the species under water. A lagoon, namely the Chankanaab Lagoon is touted as one of the most visited sites on the island where the divers and snorkelers can observe small coral and limestone formations at the depth of 6 to 30 feet / 2 to 9 meters. The exceptionally rich and diverse reef formations added upon by the marine life and equally exceptional waters in terms of clarity makes this island one of the most suitable “scuba diving destination” in the world.
Apart from this activity this place is also famous for other activities like the deep sea excursion and snorkeling but the activity of the Scuba Diving has its own flavor and taste as derived and gauged from the above discussion. The assistance is also available to the travelers in the form of various diving schools and institutions which not only provide various crash courses to learn scuba diving but also provides for the necessary equipment along with daily diving trips and the amazing diving vacations. There is a special arrangement for handling any untoward incident that may happen during the course of performing scuba diving.
The place is well connected with the outside world. The island has an international airport having direct flights from Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Toronto, and Miami along with the regional flights from Mexico as well. Apart from that, alternate ways are also available for reaching the Island which the visitor can choose according to his/her ease and convenience.
The climate of the place is subtropical with rains lashing onto for most part of the year, plenty of tropical breezes and a lot of sunshine. The rainy period lasts from May to mid-October. But still, most, the entire year is suitable for this activity. The average water temperature is around 77-82 F (25-28 C) whereas the atmospheric temperature ranges from 75 to 85 F (25 to 29 C) with the currents flowing in south to north direction. The waters are crystal clear with visibility ranging from 100 to 200 feet.
Since the dive sites are protected under a conservation plan hence a voluntary $2 fees is levied on the divers for funding the same. The rich and diverse Cozumel Island is all set for enthralling its visitors.
What are you thinking now? Just pack your bags…

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