Scuba Club Cozumel was offering a 5 night dive special for $599 and we couldn’t resist. Our friends had already told us Cozumel is consistently good, akin to diving in an aquarium and we wanted to experience it for ourselves. But 5 days was way too short so we asked the dive center if they could accommodate two back to back specials for a 10 day dive trip and they happily agreed to our request. Frontier was offering budget flights from Orlando to Cancun, which meant we had to take the ADO bus to Playa del Carmen and a ferry over to Cozumel. This saved us hundred of dollars over flying directly into Cozumel so the extra hassle was worth it. Scuba Club Cozumel was created in 1976 as Cozumel’s first dive resort and it’s motto is “built by divers for divers”. It is unpretentious, simple and very efficient and we really liked the rustic Spanish colonial charm. Upon our arrival, we checked in and were given a quick rundown on when to take our COVID test for our return trip back to the US, how diving operations worked (the dive center is separate from the hotel), and how tips for the staff were designated. Breakfast and lunch were included in our rate, so we had to find dinner on our own which was fine by us. We quickly got settled into the routine of life at the Scuba club and loved it – eat, dive, repeat. Our divemaster, Geiser, was phenomenal and we were thrilled having him as our guide. Diving here was excellent with good boats, helpful crew, friendly fellow divers, great visibility, a strong current for an easy drift dive, and loads of marine life. Geiser found us not one but two short nose batfish, quite a feat considering how rare they are! Unlimited shore diving off the resort was included with our package and we were excited by the variety of life here – flying gurnards, an elusive eagle ray, octopus, squid, stonefish, stingrays, pufferfish, drum fish, and an underwater Mayan temple. Overall we were thoroughly impressed with Cozumel and wouldn’t hesitate to return for another visit. Great diving at an affordable price just a short flight away – yes please!
Standing over 50 feet high, this bronze beachside sculpture greets visitors to Playa del Carmen
Our first beautiful sunset in Cozumel
Grilled grouper and chicken fajitas for dinner at Colores y Sabores
Our divemaster Geiser swimming through a tunnel at Palancar Reef
On our first dive, an eagle ray glided by!
Hawksbill turtle munching on coral
Blue-striped grunt
Whitespotted filefish
Our home for 10 days - Scuba Club Cozumel
View of our walk from the hotel to downtown Cozumel
Tourists are slowly returning to Cozumel but most bars were empty
A Day of the Dead statue; Cozumel
Street art
Free samples of tequila offered to us daily in downtown Cozumel!
Habanos cigar shop
Becky at the Cozumel sign; Benito Juarez Park
Plaza Central; Cozumel
Souvenir shops in downtown Cozumel
A bronze statue of swallows at the ferry dock
Isla Cozumel without the cruise ships is a pleasant experience
Nurse shark; Yucab Reef
Hawksbill turtle
Pretty soft coral
Juvenile lionfish hiding in a purple vase sponge
Gray angelfish
Barracuda
Becky on Reef Divers, our boat for the first few days
Robby relaxing on a hammock in between dives
View of Scuba Club Cozumel as we head out for our night dive
Lobsters under a ledge; Paradise Reef
Purple anemone next to a purple vase sponge
A massive basket starfish uses its tendrils to feed at night
Caribbean king crab feeding at night
Octopus and a resting redtail parrotfish
A sharpnose puffer trying to hide in an anemone
Crabs are in hunting mode at night
Octopus retreating to a crevice
Morning view from the top deck of the dive boat as we get ready for another day of diving
Juvenile blue hued fish in this pretty underwater scene
Coney groupers
Porcupinefish
Grunts swimming past soft coral
Honeycomb cowfish
Cozumel street art
Massive mural paying tribute to doctors and nurses at the Palacio Municipal de Cozumel
Interesting SCUBA mural at the MEGA Supermarket
No Name beach bar; Cozumel
A massive mural of a man with a fish
Wall of dolphins
Our peaceful courtyard; Scuba Club
Hawksbill turtl
Bermuda chub
French angelfish
A queen angelfish keeps a green moray eel company
A school of fish hiding under a ledge
Queen triggerfish
Spotted drumfish
Becky at the underwater Mayan Temple
Spiny box puffer
Stonefish
Lionfish
Starfish
Sharptail eel
Cozumel toadfish
Slipper lobster
Iridescent squid
Statue in a courtyard at Plaza del Sol
Massive wall mural
Taking a breather
Trumpetfish
Green razorfish
Peacock flounder
Flying gurnard
Posing with Geiser, our amazing divemaster
Robby showing off his “Huarache Azteca” meal
Painted wooden bowls
Colorful sombreros
Rock beauty angelfish
Whitespotted filefish
Lizardfish
Mantis shrimp
Splendid toadfish - endemic to Cozumel
Rare sight of a splendid toadfish swimming out in the open
Balloonfish
Queen angelfish
Scrawled filefish
Green sea turtle
Squirrelfish
Fish hitching a ride from a stingray
Squid
Sponge brittle star
Yellow stringray
Stonefish
Splendid toadfish
Triggerfish about to hide in a crevice
Smooth trunkfish
SCUBA sculpture by the waterfront; Cozumel
Colorful shipwreck
Los Carnavaleros statue - carnival is huge in Cozumel!
Fruit and vegetable display at Los Cinco Soles, one of the island's most popular souvenir shops
Raccoon wall mural
Taking the fast ferry from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen
