About the country
Cozumel in Mexico was made famous in the 1960s by Commandant Cousteau. The Palancar sites are beautiful spots for fixed marine life, located on the Caribbean’s barrier reef. It’s a protected area, and it shows : every tropical fish is oversized and there in abundance.
The Yucatán peninsula is packed with dive spots, but the most famous remain the island of Cozumel and the cenotes between Playa del Carmen and Tulum. Cenotes, or sacred wells, offer breathtaking plays of light and shadow.
In Cozumel, the best of : Palancar Gardens.
From Playa del Carmen, the best of : El Pit.
Our opinion
Difficulty
Visibility
Diversity
Atmosphere
Practical
In December 2016.
Phocéa Cozumel et Playa is a very large club, it offers several services including airport pickup from Cancún and interesting packages : Cozumel and/or Cenotes. The slightly impersonal welcome is quickly forgotten once underwater, where the guides are passionate and environmentally conscious (briefing on sunscreen and how fragile the corals are).
It’s possible to do 2 dives a day and a night dive on request. The only downside : crowded, with groups of mixed levels, including complete beginners alongside Level 2 divers and above.
The club closed on Cozumel around 2019.
In December 2016.
To avoid taking the ferry every morning, it’s better to stay on Cozumel. We didn’t enjoy the hotel attached to the dive club, (Villa blanca, dated and poorly maintained, poor value for money, especially since there’s basically no bar or restaurant). We had excellent breakfasts at the Blue Angel just steps away.
Plan on a scooter if you’re staying far from the club, as there’s no pickup. For the cenotes, you can either take the early morning ferry from Cozumel, or stay in the very lively Playa del Carmen. Two ferry companies run between Playa and Cozumel, leaving early in the morning (7am) and getting you back late in the evening (9pm).
The east coast of Cozumel, and sip a fresh coconut at Freedom in Paradise.
The Mayan and Toltec temples : Tulum, Cobá and Chichén Itzá.