It's no secret that Cozumel is known for its abundance of coral reefs and spectacular underwater wildlife. It was Jacques Cousteau who turned the sleepy fishing town into a diver's vacation paradise when he declared it to be one of the most beautiful scuba diving areas in the world.

Now, some 30 years later, divers come from all over the world to Cozumel, where the water clarity can give you up to 200ft of visibility! Hotels and resorts offer vacation packages catering specifically to divers. The Island is loaded with instructors, shops, and tour boats waiting to take passengers to the vast array of dive sites.

Cozumel's reefs are filled with a wide variety of underwater life such as the incredible toadfish, found in no other place on earth. Nutrients are fed in constantly from the strong northward currents, providing the marine life with an abundance of food. Because of these currents, all diving in Cozumel is drift diving: divers are dropped off at a designated spot and followed by the guide boat via the bubble trail to be picked up later when they surface. This creates an effortless dive where the divers float along the reefs admiring the underwater beauty.

The reefs themselves lie on the 12 mile-wide Yucatan Channel and are filled with giant sponges and hundreds of different species of tropical fish. Divers glide effortlessly as they explore each and every coral cavern where there is always the potential to see large groupers and Moray eels.

Cozumel caters to all levels of divers and houses some of the best dive operators in the Caribbean. If you're into diving, this is one place you don't want to miss! Dive Information Dive operators offer morning, afternoon, and in some cases, night dives; and since Cozumel is abundant with sites you should have no problem finding an available guide. Cozumel offers dives of up to 140ft as well as shallow dives as little as 20ft. You can purchase a two dive package which includes an early morning deep dive, a break for lunch, then an afternoon shallow dive.

Water temperatures are consistently around 75 F in the winter, and 85 F in the summer with visibility ranging between 100 and 200 ft. ( Some of the best you'll find in the Caribbean ) Dive Sites Below is a list of popular dive sites located in Cozumel ranging from easy to expert.
* Paradise Reef - An intermediate dive ( 30 - 40 ft ), this site offers an stunning array of colorful coral and marine life.
* Santa Rosa Wall - An intermediate dive ( 40 ft - 100ft ), where you can swim through tunnels and drift over coral reefs jutting out of the deep blue sea.
* Chankanaab Caves - A dive for novices ( 30 - 40 ft ). Reachable through Chankanaab Park. A variety of limestone caves home to many tropical fish..
* Paso de Cedral - An intermediate dive ( 35 - 60 ft ), where you'll get to see large groupers ( lots of 'em ) and even a friendly Moray eel.
* Punta Sur - Experienced divers only ( 90 - 140 ft ). A chance to see eagle rays, turtles, and maybe even a shark.

by Randy Long

Caribbean cruise and travel magazine