This is the most challenging dive I’ve done. After exploring and diving this area previously, I found out about 2 nearby sunken ships yet no one could tell me the location or names of the ships, only hearsay. Luckily I asked a shop owner near playa casitas who told me exactly where one was. Right around this time, Corona Virus panic reached Cozumel and a majority of tourist had already left. This sunken ship is right in the middle of the heavy boat traffic zone going to and from Centro. Due to the pandemic, there was almost no boat traffic so I decided to go for it.

I entered from Playa Casitas and swam out through the Norte current once again to reach the docked boats about 200 yards from shore. I rested and explored below the boats for bit along the concrete slabs which contain many corals, sponges, fish and other beautiful Caribbean marine life. I had to figure out a strategy to find the ship and then get down to it while not getting wiped out. I swam out past the docked boats towards where the ship was supposed to be. I held onto the last boat floaty I could find to keep me in place from getting carried off by the current. I figured if there was a nearby sunken ship, there would surely be tourists tour boats going to visit it. So I waited and watched and sure enough periodically small snorkeling boats would drop people off nearby further out in the middle of no where. This had to be the sunken ship because there was nothing else to see in the area that far out. I waited for all the boats in every direction to go away and swam out with my high visibility dive floaty. I figured assuming I found the boat, I would tie it to the ship and stay near it at all times.

Sure enough I found the ship. 1 of 2. I never found the 2nd ship but one day I will go back and find it. It was about 20’ to the top of the bridge, 30’ to the top of the hull and the ocean floor had to be around 40’ deep. I remember first seeing it and being so excited yet scared because it looked so deep. I instantly new this was going to be my deepest and most challenging dive yet, especially due to the current and boat danger. Also I’m not scuba diving but freediving ! So all my dives are on one breath. It’s a lot to work through all while getting video footage and remaining safe. But this is what I live for, Game On !

My first couple attempts to get down to it were rough and scary. However my mind and body adapted and I overcame quickly. Each dive down I got further and further. Just getting to this location took about 2 hours so I was already tired but no where near my limit. I dived down to it about 15 times to a point I did feel I was getting fatigued and needed to have enough energy to get back to shore or deal with any mishaps along the way including getting back through the current. With a euphoric feeling of bliss, I made my way back to shore without issue. I’ll always remember this day that I worked through extreme fear and uncertainty yet was physically and mentally prepared to push myself and achieve. I do not recommend anyone swim out to this location no matter their skill level or physical conditioning. It would be much more relaxing and safe to just take a boat.

This dive comes with a long yet picturesque walk from Centro. Lot’s of interesting cultural statues and buildings along the way. Also need to bring plenty of water when making long walks on Cozumel as it’s super hot and humid. About 2.5 miles North of Centro along Av. Rafael Melgar we come to Cozumeleno Beach Resort. It’s tricky getting to the beaches here because the lush and thick jungle is a natural barrier between the main road and the beach. So you have to walk through one of the many beach resorts to get to the beach side. Problem is, each beach resort charges to access “Their” beach and makes their customers wear wristbands to signify payment. However, once you get in the water, no one knows the difference.

I began at the Cozumeleno to explore South along the shore reef to the Westin. North of the Cozumeleno becomes very murky with extremely bad visibility. All along this route, there is much to see as soon as you enter the water. Their are some sandy beach areas but it’s mostly shore reef 3’ to 6’ deep right at shore. Due to this, there is so much ocean life right when you get in. A little further out from shore but along the shore is more reef. More reef equals more fish ! lot’s of beautiful colorful fish everywhere swimming along. You’ll also see occasional colorful Corals, Sponges and Moray Eels.

The ocean and jungle view here are amazing. Only downfall is that you can’t fly a drone due to the proximity of the airport and military base. I highly recommend this route for snorkeling / diving for all levels, especially beginners. I haven’t stayed at Cozumeleno or Westin but both appear to be beautiful and clean filled with happy tourists. Either would be a good consideration to stay at if you like to explore right in front of your hotel and like a calmer environment as compared to busy and high traffic Centro where there are no sandy beaches to swim from. Also there are no boats close to shore and only occasionally much further out. You can stay close to shore the entire time and explore far or near easily and see so much interesting shore life. Pay close attention to the shore reef as that is where the most interesting life is concentrated.

This is also my last North side of the island dive. The remainder of my shore explorations will continue South of Centro.

This was an interesting site to find. I saw pictures of the mini Chichen Itza Pyramid online with no directions where to find it. I read that it used to be a statue out front of Hotel Cozumel Resort which is along Av. Rafael Melgar about a mile South of Centro. So I asked several employees at the Hotel for directions. None even knew of it’s existence but at the same time, I don’t even know if it really ever was out front either. So I started asking local snorkelers in the area and Bingo ! they all knew where it was.

The Pyramid is located about 100’ from shore directly across the street from Hotel Cozumel Resort. It’s about 12’ deep and pretty easy to find since the water is so clear, you can see if from far. On one side is a boat launch with several more boat launches as you go North. The Pyramid is just to the South of the first boat launch. Don’t ask any of the local dive shops as they will try to sell you tickets for tours and will deny any knowledge of the pyramid being right there. Ask local snorkelers or divers for accurate information.

I began at the pyramid which I found easily and explored along the shore reef and under the boat launches going North. There are many boats close to shore and constant back and forth ocean traffic. This area is extremely busy and not advisable to snorkel / dive as there are to many dangers. Also due to all the traffic and noise, there are minimal fish and other ocean shore life in this area. However, I find it very interesting to explore under the boat launches and piers so I gave it a shot.

There are boat launches and piers every 50’ to 100’ and many destroyed ones along the ocean floor. There are some fish spread out but not many. I love the way the bright blue sky looks with the glimmering sun from under the piers. I find piers to be very interesting structures. The hard concrete, representative of the city enters the beautiful blue ocean. Two opposites collide in a beautiful and intriguing visual combination.

One of the very interesting local fish I came across here was a Scrawled Filefish. They change colors quickly depending on their surroundings but have a very cool ability beyond that. They have florescent colors and patterns that they can light up. They look so cool when they’re florescent colors are lit while they’re swimming along. Like little florescent party fish. They’re very skittish so they don’t stick around very long. Among other interesting local shore life I came across was a Spotted Moray Eel, Foureye Butterflyfish, Redband Parrotfish, Yellow Stingrays, Ocean Surgeonfish, Yellowtail Parrotfish, Blue Tang Surgeonfish and lot’s of French Grunts.

This was one of my favorite and most anticipated dives on this trip. About 1.5 miles South of Centro along Av. Rafael Melgar is the Cozumel Car Ferry Pier and Punta Caletita Lighthouse. This Pier is guarded by Military personnel along with Federal Police so it’s very risky to explore. Not to mention the many boats coming and going from it constantly along with other hazards under the pier. I do not recommend anyone attempt to explore this area under or along side the pier.

With that said. I love being under piers, especially when there are many fish. I entered from Playa Caletita just south of the pier and swam along the shore reef to the base of the Pier. From there I went under and out of sight. This area is full of colorful and diverse Caribbean fish. There are many long Trumpetfish along side large French Angelfish and many many French Grunts. Towards the top of pier surface, there are many Sergeant Majorfish swimming around the pilings. But all the rest of the fish are along the bottom. From the surface, the bottom looks vacant and lifeless until you dive down 20 plus feet and see all the algae, corals and sponges spread about with many cool fish like Yellow Stingrays, Trunkfish, Angelfish and Blennies swimming. The middle end of the pier is about 25’ deep and very end gets down to 30’ plus.

I love the view from deep beneath the pier looking up at the sun shining in between the boats and pier. It’s a very surreal and peaceful feeling I get from being underneath this huge concrete structure. It feels like a dream world and time seems to extremely slow down. I never get tired of being under piers with beautiful views like this. I love the view from under the boats also but only go under them at deep depths so if one turns on abruptly as they have many times, I’m no where near it’s path or motor rotors and have planned to surface a reasonable distance from the boat. When I do these more risky dive locations, I don’t just carelessly throw caution into the wind or go with a yahoo’s reckless abandon, but very carefully plan and mitigate risk. I think of every likely negative scenario that will happen and does and how I’m going to handle it before even thinking about attempting locations like this. Also towards the end of the pier, the Norte current is super strong and it’s easy to get pulled away from the pier.

This was a very fun and rascally dive which ended in getting caught going under the Puerta Maya Pier. About 2 miles South of Centro along Av. Rafael Melgar is the Tikila Bar and Restaurant. Part of it or right next to it is a diving service. I entered just north of it from the shore reef which is really jagged and a public land. There are no sandy beach areas nearby here. I ventured south along the shore reef towards the Puerta Maya Pier. This area is safe and extremely hazardous at the same time. Along this area, there are many private diving services, restaurants, boat launches, even a tourist submarine launch. If you are in a designated area for diving or snorkeling, usually it is roped off from nearby boat access and is safe. But swimming along shore reef exploring all these locations, going under and around the boat launches etc is very dangerous. This area has heavy boat traffic with large cruise ships coming into port at Puerta Maya.

Almost immediately I came across the Atlantis Submarine for tourists. I did not know of it and was happily surprised to see it floating at dock. I checked to make sure it was not in use and not boarded before exploring around it which was tricky. I hid under the pier where it was docked and listened for a while. it became obvious it was not in operation that day as no one was around, tourist nor operators. So I began my exploration of the pier area and docked submarine. It was really cool looking in from outside. I was peeking in through all the windows, checking out the accommodations. It would have been semi funny if someone was inside and saw my face looking in.

I continued south along the shore reef under the boat launches and other structures. There weren’t too many fish assuming due to all the boat traffic and noise. I swam further out from shore for a bit to explore further down 20’ to 30’ which had sporadic coral reef clusters with many sponges and soft corals. Along these areas there were many colorful and diverse fish. However due to the heavy boat traffic, I could not concentrate too long in this area. It was also here that I came across one of the silliest named sea animals, the Donkey Dung Sea Cucumber.

I continued south along the shore reef once again which was the safest route to take considering all the hazards. Many of these properties don’t allow random people to swim there, but when you’re already in the water swimming across there property, they can’t well enforce it. I was scene by many property employees exploring about, most waved happily and did not seem to care. Some looked surprised and a very few angry. I always wave happily to everyone to ease my surprise sightings.

Towards the end of this adventure, I saw the Puerta Maya Pier a bit further south which I was not planning explore. This is a huge pier that goes far out to sea where cruise ships dock. I wanted to explore it, but thought it would be too dangerous and highly guarded by police and the military. However this day there were no cruise ships in dock. This caught my attention as I had plenty more energy to mosey on under for a bit if could be done strategically. So that’s what I did. When I got to the base of the pier, there were several security guards standing near the edge who saw me. They waved, I waved and they told me to be very careful in this area. I was surprised as I thought for sure I was going to be sent away. I assured them I would be careful and continued under the pier. As I dove down a few times near the base, a police officer saw me and told me to leave. I was caught. I complied, smiled and waved as I swam back along the shore reef.

The shore and offshore reefs starting from this area going south are much more marine life filled. Many more fish in quantity and diversity along with corals, sponges and algae. Entry is right past Intercontinental Presidente off Carretera Costera Sur. There is a little dirt road right past the resort entrance that leads to a wide open shore reef. Due to the distance from where I was staying, I road a bicycle here to dive. It’s extremely hot and humid so just getting to this spot is a challenge. I would guestimate this area is about 3 miles south of Centro and would not recommend walking it.

The shore reef is extremely jagged and there are no sandy beach areas to enter from. so I had to carefully climb down from the shore reef into the water without ripping my clothes and fin booties. I explored the shore reef North to the front of Intercontinental Presidente which is a fancy resort. You can not access their beach unless you are staying there or pay for daily access. But if you swim over from the side, it’s fair game. There are many colorful fish, especially Parrotfish. The schools of fish here are much larger and frequent. Also the life along the shore reef is more diverse. There is much to see in every direction.

After swimming along the front of Intercontinental Presidente, I swam out away from shore about 100 yards and circled back to explore deeper. This this area, there are many coral reef clusters with many fish. This area is about 18’ to 24’ dept and you have to dive down to see the marine life which is concentrated along the bottom. Out front of Intercontinental, there are several sections of a ship placed in the water to create a man made reef. These sections are filled with fish and corals. Going further out away from shore the bottom becomes more baron. There is a steep shelf off shore that begins in this area and continues south. This shelf has many coral cluster and fish along the steep part. This area is about 25’ to 30’ down in this area. Also there are occasional boats in this zone so caution and a high visibility dive buoy are needed.

When accessing these further out locations, it’s important to plan accordingly. Take lots of water and snacks. Take way more liquids than you think you will need and also clothing that protects you from the sun. Don’t depend on sun screen to keep you from getting severely burnt here. I prefer to wear long sleeve shirts and compression pants along with wide brimmed hats to protect me from the sun. Even having your hands exposed while walking can end in a painful sunburn. However the diversity of life, peaceful less traveled locations and increasingly interesting corals going south make this and further south dives well worth the effort.

Along Carretera Costera Sur. this area gets extremely secluded and facilities are spread out over long distances. From the road, the view of the ocean is gorgeous. You’ll see a few people riding bikes along this route but rarely anyone walking it as it’s far from everything and extremely hot. Once you get to the Money Bar which is out front of a large resort, there is a public beach area with palm trees for shade. Any shade out this far is hard to come by and much appreciated.

Even though there is a public beach area, it is a coarse shore reef, no sand. Near the palm trees, there is a short wooden walk that extends into the water for an easy and comfortable entry. As soon as you enter, you’ll notice how clear and far you can see. It’s amazing. The ground is a very light color almost white which makes the water look bluer and lighter. The underwater terrain near shore is very barren but don’t get discouraged. There is much to see with a short swim further out.

About 60 to 100 yards out which is amazingly still relatively shallow, you’ll start to see more coral clusters with many fish in these areas. At first the clusters are spread pretty far apart until you get further out. The best area for the most coral and fish is roughly 150 yards out. At this point there is a sharp drop off in depth almost like a wall. Along the top of the drop off, there are many corals and lots and lots of fish cruising this zone. This area goes from about 22’ deep to 30’ + in a short distance. Luckily everything there is to see is at the top of the drop off. Past the drop off, it become barren again for as far as you can see.

There are occasional boats in the area so It’s best to use a high visibility diving float. If you are able to dive down along the drop off, you are in for a treat. There are so many cool soft coral sea fans and hard corals with so many diverse and colorful fish everywhere. The best places to explore are along the bottom and under the clusters of corals. Also from the Money Bar, the best direction to explore in is south. Along this area of the island, south is almost always the best direction to head in as corals and fish frequescy increases this direction.

I’ve found sharks, huge king crabs, large schools of fish along with many parrotfish species and other colorful fish around the coral reefs clusters and at the drop off zone. The ocean and sky view from this area is so amazing and blue in every direction. One of my favorite places to dive and I highly recommend it if you are able to dive down15’ plus or scubadive it. And bring plenty of water !

Just further south of the Money Bar, we come across the Chankanaab Beach Adventure Park. This is a pay to use beach with many amenities and worth the fee. However, when I travel to dive, I’m on a strict budget which means I don’t pay for anything unless absolutely necessary. So I entered the water south of the Adventure park propery through an open shore reef. I swam north along the shore to access the entire front of the Adventure Park. Doing this, i’m not allowed to use their beach, restrooms or facilities.

i started by exploring along the entire shore reef south of the proprty all the way to the north end. This was extremely fun and there were lots of fish, soft corals and very cool reef structures to experience. Towards the south end of the proprty, there are several swim throughs, some that go in pretty deep. There also appears to be a fresh water source from the jungle joining the ocean here as there is an area with Brackish water where fresh water and salt water can’t mix and it becomes cloudy and oily looking. You can also tell due to the temperature of the water going from warm to cold in the same area. The fish like to be in this area as there were many congregating here. This shore reef is perfect for snorkeling as it’s only 4’ to 7’ deep at shore and very clear.

Once I made it to the north end, I swam out about 100 yards away from shore to explore deeper. I ventured back south from the north end making sure I didn’t miss anything I heard there was to see. The first thing I came across suprisingly were pieces of a ship placed in the ocean to create an artificial reef. They weren’t too big, but big enough to accomplish the purpose. There are so many fish in and around these chunks of ship. This area is now much deeper in the 16’ to 20’ range and where most of the cooler stuff is to see along with much more sea life.

After the chunks of ship, I came across several huge rock reef structures surrounded by barren sea floor. Away from the shore reef, the majority of the sea floor is either grassy or sandy and pretty barren except for these occasional sites. These reef structure though are filled with many schools of fish and corals. They are deep, so to get a good look, you have to dive down. These reef structures are what they show in pictures and boast as their reef. They are not that big or numerous but worth exploring.

Midway infront of the park, I came across one of my favorite underwater sites to date. Their 14’ tall Jesus Statue. And the top of it is about 8’ to 10’ down from the surface. This statue is very cool looking below the surface, especially from below with the sun glimmering in the sky. It’s a beautiful surreal experience. There were a few other smaller statues placed spread out which I couldn’t even make out what they were of and didn’t bother to check them out. Once passing the big reef and tall statue, there isn’t much else to see futher out and becomes barren again. There are large areas of sea grass but not too many fish swimming there.

The shore reef mixed with the deeper reef sections, chunks of ship and tall statue made this a great experience. However, this was a lot of ground to cover and took some time. I would definitely go back again and highly recommend this for snorkeling and freediving.

About another half mile south of Chakanaab Adventure Park is a restaurant called the Sky Reef. Next to it there is also Playa Corona seafood restaurant. Both are rarely mentioned for diving purposes but have amazing shore and off shore reefs with lot’s of fish, corals, sea fans and reef structures. There are rarely tourists going south to this area or past it unless they are staying south which is minimal. The shore reefs are wide open with sparse facilities in any direction, especially going south where beach access become extremely limited due to the the road turning inland a bit with the dense jungle now paralleling the coast. You can no longer just walk to the water from the road further south.

I entered off the course shore reef south of the Sky Reef and explored north bound past the Playa Corona along the shore to start. This area is perfect for snorkeling as it is shallow and packed with sea fans, whips, corals, rocky reef structures and many fish. It’s a surreal feeling swimming through all the purple sea fans surrounded by beautiful fish in the clear blue water. The depth right off shore remains shallow for about 50 yards out. However going away from shore gets you to the first barren underwater landscape.

About 80 yards off shore is the first small drop off which there are many corals and fish inhabiting. This area is small but lasts a long distance from north to south. If you continue further out to around 150 yards off shore, you come to the deep drop off. This is about 18’ to 22’ deep along the top of the drop off and 30’ + deep below and gets deeper quick. This drop off has a wide coral reef along the top and over the side. After the drop off, it is barren for as far as you can see. I highly recommend using a high visibility floaty in this area as this is the boat zone.

This coral area is packed with many types of fish and in larger quantities than the central or northern beach areas. Also the variety of corals, sea fans, whips, sponges and along wth colorful fish is much more diverse. Swimming along the bottom at the drop off is a beautiful experience. This coral and fish packed area continues north and south. From the top though, you can barely see anything looking down. You have to dive down or scuba here to get the experience. Inbetween the shore reef and outer drop off is mostly barren.

Along the bottom of the outer reef drop off is among my favorite places to get lost in my mind . It feels like another world.