One of the things Cozumel is world famous for is its beauty below the waves. Cozumel shares being situated along a section of a very long coral reef system, with several sections of the reef in some of the shallow areas along the west coast of Cozumel. Because of the coral reef, there is a great variety of fish, rays, turtles and eels, and all kinds of other marine life at various depths. A lot of this can be seen by snorkeling or scuba diving, but for those who do not want to do it that way, there are several other ways to still see it. Cozumel has businesses operating glass bottom boats, fake submarines (you sit below the waterline making it seem like you are in a submarine), and even a true submarine that takes passengers down to the depths that the divers explore. Generally the water is very clear, which adds to experience.
For those interested in diving, Cozumel can offer you many reputable shops to take you, from small fast boats with groups of 6 divers or less, and as well on big easy on and off larger boats which can handle big groups, but the groups usually get divided up into 2 or 3 smaller groups. That style of boat is often referred to as "cattle boats" and are common at many of the resorts due to the number of divers staying in them. If you have never been diving, but want to try it you can sign up for the complete certification coarse, or you can take what is referred to as "The resort course" which teaches you enough of the basics to do some shallow diving under careful supervision of an instructor or divemaster. This instruction is done with the understanding it is only a temporary thing, only valid at the time with the shop that gave the instructions and felt that you learned them well enough to safely dive while being supervised. Many people use Cozumel to be their test location after taking the pool and classroom part of the course from a diveshop in their home area. This is a convenient way to take the course in the winter months and still go diving on your vacation. As for the diving, it is most often drift diving, where the boat drops all the divers off at one location, and they drift with the current along the reef area, and then surface; the highly skilled boat crew follow the bubble trail to know where the divers are. Some of the resorts will offer a very simple pool lesson for guests to try the feel of scuba (normally free) but this is not the resort course, and is offered to entice you into signing up for at least the resort course, or more hopefully the full course. Most forum users agree that if you are serious about learning to dive it is best to do the course at home, rather than spend a big part of your vacation doing class and book work.
The photo above shows just how clear the water usually is along the reef system in Cozumel.
If you want to see the undersea world of Cozumel by snorkeling, there are many tour operators who can take you, again in various sized boats. Some supply drinks and a meal as part of the package and some even stop for a beach picnic & party. Like everything there are differing packages with prices to match. However, you can snorkel in many top quality areas from a shore entry, at no cost, and with no schedule. Many of the very same sites that the tours go to are only a stones throw from the shoreline. If you are looking for information on all the popular sites to visit, how to choose equipment, and some safety rules use this link to a now rather lengthy but informative post on the Cozumel travel forum when it was in it's infancy
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-...
Since it was first written it has had many very good updates added by forum users. Hurricane Wilma changed the bottom topography, but the areas mentioned are still getting good reviews by recent visitors. It is generally a good idea to buy your own basic gear, rather than rent it, but in Cozumel it is very easily rented from the many dive shops. Some resorts supply it's use free of charge, but only for short periods so others can also use it.
The photo above shows a very popular snorkeling area used by many of the tour operators. Because of the size of the photo it is hard to see, but those 3 boats have each brought full loads of snorkelers who are in the water around them. The area is right beside the main road, between the Villablanca Hotel and the Casa Del Mar hotel. The international pier is in the background.
Another way to explore the undersea world that is becoming marginally popular is known as SNUBA, and it uses a tank of compressed air and the same regulator system that SCUBA does, except the tank is put onto a floating device and has long (about 20 to 25 foot) hoses attached to it. You can go down a ways, but not the full length of the hose. Please note that there are some very important safety rules to breathing compressed air, and unless the person instructing you does a full job explaining all the potential problems, you may injure yourself. It is not my job to judge it's use, but please if you are thinking of trying it make sure you get good instruction, and that you feel you fully understand it all. Snuba can be part of a boat / snorkel trip, so if you are interested check with the tour provider for availability.
The photo shows the raft style floatation device used for the tank, and the swimmers are wearing a harness which will hold the hose to their bodies, to prevent them swimming down until the hose pulls the breathing regulator from their mouths. This photo was taken in the same area as the other.
For those who prefer to see it by boat, you have several choices. If you are worried about motion sickness due to big wave movement then it is a good idea to take one of the common medications in advance of your boat ride, but because all the tours are on the leeward side of the island the boat ride is generally smooth. The difference between the styles of boat and size will in some way dictate what you see, and it is worth taking the time to compare prices and just how long the trip is scheduled to last, as well as where it will take you. If you don't dive or snorkel, a boat tour will give you at least a glimpse of things you otherwise would miss. Take the time to see the vast beauty hiding below the surface that has made Cozumel famous world wide, and that the Mexican government felt was important enough to protect from abuse by declaring a big area of it as a national marine park. Enjoy Cozumel.
