Cozumel Island belongs to the Quintana Roo State of the Mexican Republic, and is located 13 miles off the eastern side of the Yucatan Peninsula. Geographically, it's located between 20º 15' and 20º 35' North Latitude and 86º 45' West Longitude.
Cozumel has a warm, tropical climate with an average annual temperature of 76º F. The warmest months occur between April and November when temperatures average around 85º.
The island is a limestone formation with an area of 282 square miles (10.5 miles x 25 miles). It's highest elevation is only 45 feet above sea level,
The island has only one major city, San Miguel, located on the western side of the island. The interior and eastern coast are jungle and mangrove swamp, inhabited by only iguana and the occasional alligator or freshwater crocodile.
Travel west on the cross-island highway for 3 kilometers, and you are in the interior. They aren't a lot of spectacular Mayan ruins here, but there are some interesting archeological sites.
I'll include some information about the Mayans of Cozumel soon.
Cozumel is famous for it's remarkably clear waters. Average visibilities of 100 to 200 feet are normal, In fact, when the visibility underwater is 100 feet, many divers consider it as bad.
Water temperature varies between 75 and 85 with the season.
In order to protect the underwater treasures for future generations, the government of Mexico declared the area between the Cozumel Pier and Punta Celarain, the southern tip of the island, a national park. Removing any object from these waters is prohibited.
I have been diving with Blue Bubble Divers, Chino's Dive Shop and Pepe Scuba. I can recommend all three with confidence that you will enjoy your dive.
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Click here for a page with links to most Cozumel Dive Operators. |