In mid XX century characters such as explorer Jacques Cousteau and cuban-mexican filmmaker René Cardona produced different underwater films that boosted Scuba Diving activity and many different locations in the world, such as Australia´s great coral reef and Cozumel island. Which helped our island escalate into the Tourism Industry. In 1996 a federal decree created the National Marine Park (Parque Nacional Arrecifes de Cozumel) to preserve the marine ecosystem and all its biodiversity.
Nowadays Cozumel is one international Scuba Diving destiny, the most accessible and one of the most beautiful marine environments in the world. It is recognized for a vast marine life, stunning coral reef formations, endemic species and with a regular condition of 100ft vision underwater.
Cozumel´s National Marine Park covers the 80% of the diving spots, its most famous reefs are: Punta Sur, Palancar, Columbia and Paso del Cedral.
But there are many other locations outside the marine park such as San Juan, Barracuda and Cantarell, ask your diving operator. An official diving certification is required in order to access all the diving sites. Fortunately, you can certificate here in one of Cozumel’s many businesses, plus the island´s conditions make most of its reefs accessible to beginners and first timers!
