Dive News
Reef reports, dive-site deep dives, course comparisons and practical island advice.
Cozumel DivingYes, a non-swimmer can do Discover Scuba Diving in Cozumel: no swim test, direct instructor supervision, 12 metres maximum. Certifying is a different standard, requiring a 200 metre swim and 10 minutes of treading water with no aids.
Carmen Novelo · February 21, 2026 · 15 min read
Cozumel DivingOne animal justifies a Cozumel night dive: the splendid toadfish, sitting back under a ledge with yellow fin margins your torch catches first. Basket stars, reef octopus and lobsters out walking in the open come with it.
Carmen Novelo · February 21, 2026 · 15 min read
Trip PlanningThe Cozumel marine park fee is 225 Mexican pesos per person per day in 2026, roughly US$13. It is set in pesos rather than dollars, usually wanted in cash, and it is rarely part of the dive price you paid online.
Carmen Novelo · February 19, 2026 · 13 min read
Courses & TrainingOpen Water certification in Cozumel runs $450–650. Here is what that covers, the three costs that are usually extra, and why the cheapest quote on the island is cheap for a reason.
Carmen Novelo · February 16, 2026 · 9 min read
Gear & EquipmentPacking for Cozumel is mostly an exercise in bringing less. A 3mm wetsuit is the thickest thing most divers need, tanks and weights are always included in a boat dive, and gloves, knives and reef pointers are prohibited in the national park.
Carmen Novelo · February 8, 2026 · 16 min read
Trip PlanningA standard two-tank morning boat dive runs $120 to $180 USD per diver. That benchmark makes shops comparable; the spread comes down to boat size, group numbers and what the price actually includes.
Carmen Novelo · January 31, 2026 · 3 min read
Marine LifeTwo species do nearly all the work on Cozumel's west-side reefs: hawksbills picking at sponges and green turtles grazing the shallows, both there every month of the year. There is no turtle season, and you watch rather than swim with them.
Carmen Novelo · January 30, 2026 · 4 min read
Cozumel DivingWater between 26 and 29C all year, visibility of 30 metres or more, and shallow sheltered mid-island reefs make scuba diving Cozumel unusually forgiving for beginners. The one thing that catches people out is that nearly every dive is a drift.
Carmen Novelo · January 24, 2026 · 4 min read
Courses & TrainingTwo days, five dives, and access to Punta Sur, Maracaibo and Colombia Deep. What each adventure dive involves, which to pick in Cozumel, and who is better off waiting.
Carmen Novelo · January 23, 2026 · 10 min read
Cozumel DivingNearly every dive in Cozumel is a drift dive: you get in, the current carries you south to north along the reef, and the boat follows your bubbles. There is nothing to swim back to, and that water movement is why the reefs stay healthy.
Carmen Novelo · January 20, 2026 · 5 min read
Courses & TrainingGetting your PADI certification in Cozumel costs about $450 to $650 and eats three to four days of holiday. Finish the theory online before you fly and it drops to two and a half days, which is what most people should do.
Carmen Novelo · January 20, 2026 · 4 min read
