On Mexico's largest island, active life revolves around warm breezes. For surfers, windsurfers and kiteboarders, tropical trade winds and the occasional winter norther provide the sporty lift. For scuba divers and snorkelers, a north-flowing liquid breeze called the Yucatán Current supports spectacular coral reefs. That same clear stream of Caribbean-blue water carries marlin and wahoo to sport fishermen and floats swimmers in its balmy embrace.
Lying 12 miles off Playa del Carmen, Cozumel's 360 degrees of coastline mean there's always a lee shore for those who want to play on or under the water and, except during the September-October doldrums, there's always a breezy side for those looking to shred along the surface. Of course, man (and woman) cannot live by water alone, and Cozumel offers enough activities, restaurants, bars, tours and shopping to satisfy millions who arrive by cruise ship each year. Once the megaships weigh anchor each evening, the island belongs to locals and stay-over visitors lodged in everything from cozy guesthouses to large all-inclusive resorts.
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Taken together, Cozumel's ideal natural conditions, high-caliber professional outfitters and abundance of things to do even when you're dry make it one of the world's premier water-sports destinations.
DIVING
Cozumel has long been synonymous with scuba diving. The short version of the island's history: 1) Ancient Maya travel to their "Land of Swallows" for fertility rituals. 2) Jacques Cousteau shows up in the late '50s and crowns the island a dive paradise. Since then, divers have consistently ranked Cozumel among the best for its voluptuous coral growth and legendary visibility. Each morning, a regatta of dive boats - from slender outboard pangas to big commercial craft - buzz to the piers on the western, lee side of the island to load up, and then rush just offshore to drop their divers on one of dozens of named sites.Along the west coast, clear water washes over a 20-mile-long reef that rises from massive coral bulwarks into towering sand-castle turrets pierced with secret passageways and moated by bright sand chutes that spill over a 3,000-foot precipice. The dramatic underwater scenery is shaped and fed by the current sweeping past the island, which also dictates the style of diving.
To talk of "flying" along the reefs and pinnacles is no exaggeration. As the Yucatán Current funnels between Cozumel and the Riviera Maya, it accelerates to a speed of up to 4 knots. It's impossible to fight it, so instead, divers use it to their advantage by drifting like pieces of plankton. Drift diving is the easiest form of open-water diving. You descend with the divemaster, adjust your buoyancy and then just ride the current and watch the spectacle of life. (Neutral buoyancy skills are the most important aspect of drift diving, so if you're rusty, brush up before hitting Cozumel's deep reefs.)
The Yucatán Current runs north, past Cozumel and Cuba, and pours into the Gulf of Mexico, eventually feeding the Gulf Stream. On days when the current is ripping, it's common to begin a dive on one Cozumel site and end up on an entirely different site to the north. This is a boon to underwater sightseers, who cover lots of ground and can see eagle rays, sea turtles, sharks and big pelagics, though it can frustrate photographers hoping to take fish portraits or macro shots. Those who want to stop and smell the roses (or spot the nudibranchs and sea horses) need to think like a trout in a stream, using the contours of the reef to duck the current.
The most dramatic reefs are off the southern half of the island. There divers witness what Paul Flower, dive operations manager at Iberostar Cozumel, calls "the spectacle of the massive pinnacles." Sites such as Punta Sur, with its dramatic coral skyline riddled with caves and sponge-painted swim-throughs, and Colombia, where divers fly past living spires of sponge and coral - often in the company of eagle rays - are must-dos. It's also down south that expert divers can visit edgier spots like Maracaibo, with its deep swirling currents, and the Devil's Throat, an ominous, winding gullet that swallows divers at 90 feet and expels them off the wall at 130.
Every Cozumel diver will get his chance at Palancar, a vast stretch of reef with deep, medium and shallow spots that are done as separate dives (such as Caves, Horseshoe and the shallower Gardens). Santa Rosa Wall is a dizzying vertical drop, with canyons of coral and cave entrances dripping with colorful sponges. Chankanaab National Park offers another unique diving experience. You do it as a beach dive along the rugged ironshore, swimming south from the dive-equipment kiosks to small caves filled with silversides and haunted by big tarpon.
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The north and south shores have scuba diving and snorkeling spots for all skill levels
