Cozumel is a small island just of the coast of Yucatan. It is an ideal place to go scuba diving. It has some of the best underwater scenery in the world.

According to the Mayan legend, Cozumel was the home of the godess Ixchel, devoted to love and fertility. Religious temples were dedicated with honor to the godess and in return she sent her favorite bird as a sign of gratitude and good fortune. For this reason, the Mayans named the island "The Land of the Swallows". Today, Cozumel is renowned for having the second largest reef in the world. It offers the most spectacular diving and snorkeling in México. With this in mind, hundreds of cruise ships sail to this island paradise for a fun filled day of sun, nature beauty and endless explorations thoughout this island.

Cozumel caters for tourists rather than travelers. There are many activities organized by the hotel complexes, that are best booked directly form the US / Europe.

Should you find yourself on one of those cruises you can visit Chankanaab National Marine Park via a short taxi ride from town(~$20). For you entrance fee ($15) you can snorkel from the beach with your own gear and relax in the sun. The park has a large number of people but it is much more fun than getting packed on a small boat or bus for a day of snorkeling. If you are on an extended dive vacation, you may want to spend a surface interval day at one of the many other cheaper beaches south of town or head over to the east side of the island. Chankanaab is definitely for the day tourist, with all the expensive amenities. Taxi drivers will charge you big time to get to the park, but you can negotiate a lower fare if you like to do that sort of thing.