Cozumel is famous for its amazing reefs in the Cozumel Reefs National Park (Parque Nacional Arrecifes de Cozumel) but beautiful coral and fascinating marine creatures can be found just a few steps (and a few kicks) from the heart of the town.

Cozumel clear waters are also a great place to start your underwater photography adventure! Some of the photos on this website were taken with an Olympus TG or Nikon COOLPIX: you can read about these cameras here.

 

TIKILA BEACH

Most of the time we use the facilities of Tikila Beach Bar or the adjacent Sand Dollar Sports restaurant, located a short drive south of the town’s main plaza. Both places have showers, beverages & meals for purchase, lockers for rent, and a convenient entrance to the ocean. Usually, we dive in the morning (8 am meeting) or in the afternoon (1 pm), or both, all depending on the courses/fun dives bookings.

 

The coral is teeming with life: filefish, angelfish, jawfish, parrotfish, squirrelfish, barracudas, sea slugs, stingrays, and crustaceans, not to forget spotted eagle rays frequently making an appearance here in the winter season (November - March).

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The reefs start already at 6 m/18 ft depth and continue until past a small ‘drop’ to a 10 m/33 ft. Due to the proximity of the coral, easy entrance, and predominantly slow currents, this dive site is great for first-time divers, as well as those looking to refresh their skills after a long hiatus from the water.

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This dive site is also famous for Dr German Mendez' Cozumel Coral Restoration Project with platforms, monuments, and structures built in cooperation with Minecraft video game company to stimulate coral to grow, as well as for the underwater sculpture Zoe, monitored by an underwater camera.

 

For more experienced divers, there’s a proper wall around 15 minutes swim away from the shore, where depths reach 30 m/100 ft and more.

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THE BLOCKS

Another dive site easily accessible from the shore is located 10-15 minutes walk north from the main square and is known as The Blocks. As the current in the north tends to be a bit stronger, we recommend it mostly to more experienced divers with strong swimming skills.

 

To enter the water, we use old Shaka Bar beach and from there we dive or surface swim to the Blocks which is a group of huge concrete pillars, covered in coral and home for moray eels, lionfish, trumpet fish, drums, lobsters, and other fascinating species. If conditions permit, heading south-west from the Blocks we reach the other dive site, two sunken boats. They are two small, old patrol boats, sunken on purpose to create a dive site. As they are far less popular than the well-known C-53 wreck, you can really feel like an explorer! The area is known for stronger currents and frequent sights of eagle rays in the winter season.