Palancar Gardens
Sloping reef and wall with gentle currents, much of the dive at 12–25 m, a good introduction to drift diving.
- Advanced
- Drift
- Turtles
Advanced≤30 m
Palancar Horseshoe
Dive site in Cozumel, Mexico
U-shaped amphitheatre of Palancar reef, usually dived as an 18–24 m multi-level drift, ending on the reef top.
- Usual dive
- 24 m
- Deepest point
- 30 m
- Level
- Advanced
- Best months
- May–Aug
- Current
- Strong
The dive
A drift and reef dive. Known for nurse sharks and turtles.
Who it's for
Advanced≤30 mSource: dive.site
Recommended minimum: Advanced (PADI Advanced Open Water, N2).
- DepthThe usual dive goes deeper than lower certifications allow.
- DriftYou move with the current and surface away from where you started.
- Strong current: dive with a local guide and carry a surface marker buoy.
Conditions
- Dive type
- Drift, Reef
- Environment
- Open water
- Water
- Sea water
What you might see
- Nurse sharks
- Turtles
Season in Cozumel
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Best months: May–Aug.
Source: padi.comWhere is Cozumel?
The point shows the Cozumel area, not the exact dive site.
More dives in Cozumel
Paradise Reef
Three long coral ridges in mild current off Marina Caleta, popular for night dives; look out for toadfish.
- Open Water
- Drift
- Octopus
Palancar Bricks
A maze of swim-throughs by a 30–50 ft mini wall and Palancar's main wall (14–27 m), with big groupers and hawksbill turtles.
- Advanced
- Wall
- Turtles
Drift
down to 36 m
Santa Rosa Wall
Drift a vertical wall that drops into deep blue past giant barrel sponges, with spotted eagle rays a regular presence in winter.
- Advanced
- Nurse sharks
Drift
down to 18 m
Yucab Reef
A shallower, colorful drift reef of hard corals and huge barrel sponges, a popular second dive on Cozumel charters.
- Advanced
- Nudibranchs
Wreck
down to 25 m
C-53 Wreck (Felipe Xicotencatl)
Wreck sunk as an artificial reef, 10–25 m, covered in corals and sponges with black grouper and cubera snapper.
- Advanced
- Groupers
About this page
Values marked “Estimated” come from our original catalogue and are being checked against published sources one by one. Sourced values link to where they come from. Conditions change with the season, the weather and the tide: confirm with a local dive centre before you dive.
Photo credits
- Palancar Gardens dive site, Cozumel, Mexico, Matthewselig2019, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Paradise Reef Cozumel dive site, Cozumel, Mexico, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Swim-through on Palancar Reef, Cozumel, Johnnie Flashlite, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
