Scuba Travel Ventures, Inc. - Cozumel

Down in the northwestern Caribbean Sea, in the waters between Cuba and the Yucatan peninsula, you’ll find this lively Mexican island, which offers both party and chillout atmospheres, depending on what you want. Cozumel is one of those destinations that provide a diversity of dives that accommodate all levels of divers. Novices can enjoy gentle reef dives and if they’re feeling confident, can take on more challenging dives. Experienced divers can plunge in to thrill-ride sites where the currents rip in fast-moving drift dives.

One of the many eateries and watering holes around the town square in San Miguel, where tourists and locals intermingle, is a great place to recount the day’s dive adventures over a few lime-garnished cold ones and tortilla chips and hot salsa. Don’t be surprised if your first visit to Cozumel isn’t your last – the island is a classic favorite among divers.

Diving here is mostly done on the island’s west coast, with more plentiful sites in the south. The reef-laden sites closest to the shoreline offer calmer conditions, but further away from shore, the lure of racing currents, vertical walls, dropoffs, pinnacles and deep sites is a siren call to intermediate and advanced thrill-seeking divers. At a few sites, there are opportunities to spot sharks and schools of barracuda Cozumel’s eastern shores are where you’ll find much more mellow diving, with shallow reefs in about 50 feet or less in a series of small atolls featuring a variety of hard corals, caves and schools of colorful, topical fish.

Scuba Travel Ventures’ partner properties appeal to your desires, whether you’re feeling festive or mellow, with dive shops dedicated to getting you to the sites you most want to explore.