This guide will acquaint you with a variety of dive sites and provide information that you can use to help decide whether a particular location is appropriate for your abilities and intended dive plan.

Hardcore divers who travel fully suited-up with fins, mask, snorkel and BC, and expect to leap directly from the plane into the water, will find this information detailed on a dive-by-dive basis in Diving in Cozumel.

Novice divers and snorkelers will also find a good selection of shallower sites in more protected water.

The Diving in Cozumel and Diving Accident Management sections discuss both routine and emergency procedures.

Photographers and budding marine biologists will want to refer to Marine Life, which describes some of the most abundant and interesting creatures likely to be seen in Cozumel, and summarizes legal regulations pertaining to divers. Note that these regulations can change over time, so before you go diving, check with the local dive professionals to make sure that nothing you are planning to do will bring the law down on you.

Sooner or later, even the most fanatical divers have to come out of the water. In some places, depending on the shore-based facilities, this can be cause to rejoice or weep. Perhaps you have been to other locations that offered fine diving but could have been improved if everything above the waterline was scraped off and started over. This most assuredly is not true for Cozumel. Although the diving in Cozumel is spectacular, taking the time to let your gear dry will give you an opportunity to enjoy one of the most charming islands in the Caribbean.

Cozumel Practicalities offers a brief description of the island’s history, geography, scenery, natural history, and some general information on accommodations, services other than diving, shopping, and other useful tips.

Reproduced with permission from D & S Cozumel 4, 2006, Lonely Planet Publications.

Note: This text contains standard British spelling.