Overview

Four decades ago, Cozumel, Mexico's largest island, was a quiet fishing hamlet that received only a handful of visitors each year. Today it's one of the world's top diving destinations - thanks in part to Jacques Cousteau, who introduced the local reefs to the diving world.

More than 70 dive shops cater to those who come to enjoy the myriad reefs (including renowned Palancar, which lies just offshore), the more than 200 species of fish that inhabit them, and visibility of up to 100 feet. Not to mention the island's amazing water-filled caves called cenotes.

From April through August, when you're not looking through a face mask, you can fish for marlin and sailfish. The white-sand beaches are magnificent, and the most popular strands front the hotels and the calm waters of the island's west side. In summer, biologists from Cozumel's museum lead tours to watch sea turtles lay eggs on the secluded eastern shore. And just an 11-mile ferry hop away lies the Yucatán peninsula, gateway to the spectacular Mayan ruins at Tulum and Chichen Itzá.

 Plan Your Trip

BEACHES

Playa Corona, just south of Chankanaab, is a duplicate of that better-known lagoon. Both are great for shallow-water snorkeling amid schools of colorful tropical fish. Cozumel's most secluded beaches are on the largely deserted east side. Chen Rio and Punta Chiquero are easy to find, but ask directions to Playa Oriente, an unmarked favorite of the islanders. (Caution: Waves and strong currents make swimming dangerous on the east side.)

DIVING

Much of Cozumel's 20 miles of reef - including the deep walls and canyons of Columbia Pinnacles - are best left to the experts. But novice divers will appreciate the gentle currents at Palancar Gardens, and find plenty to marvel at on this long stretch of reef, with its rich array of corals and other marine life that thrive in 20 to 70 feet of water. For a deeper dive (to 100-plus feet), swim through the canyons at Palancar Caves, where turtles and eagle rays sometimes appear.

SIGHTSEEING

Take time to visit the old Mayan temples and pyramids on the northern end of the island, especially at San Gervasio park; there ruins have been restored at a site where Mayan women once worshipped a fertility goddess. Another restoration effort has transformed Chankanaab Lagoon. A shoreside sinkhole that fills with seawater via underground tunnels, the lagoon has long been the island's favorite snorkeling spot. It now also includes a botanical garden and an archaeological park featuring a museum and a re-created Mayan village.

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