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
Open Water≤18 m
Paradise Reef
Dive site in Cozumel, Mexico
Three long coral ridges in mild current off Marina Caleta, popular for night dives; look out for toadfish.
- Usual dive
- 12 m
- Deepest point
- 15 m
- Level
- Open Water
- Best months
- May–Aug
- Current
- Mild
The dive
A drift and reef dive. Known for octopus.
Who it's for
Open Water≤18 mSource: prodiveinternational.com
Recommended minimum: Open Water (PADI Open Water, CMAS/FFESSM N1).
- DriftYou move with the current and surface away from where you started.
Conditions
- Dive type
- Drift, Reef
- Environment
- Open water
- Water
- Sea water
What you might see
- Octopus
- Moray eels
- Splendid toadfish
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
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
Drift
down to 30 m
Colombia Deep
Wall dive known for towering pinnacles, drifting north at about 27 m through swim-throughs and canyons.
- Experienced
- Nurse sharks
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
- Swim-through on Palancar Reef, Cozumel, Johnnie Flashlite, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
