Cozumel Dive Trip - January 2023

Although it was not my first time diving in Cozumel, there were quite a few firsts for me on this trip! I saw my first octopus moving around at night, my first seahorse, my first up-close encounter with a nurse shark, and my first submarine. Yes, you read that right, a submarine! All of this and more lies between the surface and more than 100' of incredible diving in the Great Mayan Reef, which stretches over 700 miles long and touches the coasts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras.

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I traveled with Ryan, one of my dive buddies from Egypt - 2022, who is a dive master in Marathon, FL. We share a love for foreign countries, everything under the water, and post-dive tequila shots! I never mind traveling alone but I would prefer to dive with someone I know and am comfortable being in the water with. It worked out that he could make the trip and I'm glad we had the chance to share this experience together!

We stayed at the InterContinental Presidente Cozumel Resort & Spa and the resort did not disappoint! An IHG hotel with all the bells and whistles, this hotel offered beach-side villas and pool-view patios and balconies to lounge on. There were 4 restaurants to choose from and plenty of space between beach chairs for privacy and peace and quiet. My favorite part of all of it was the outdoor shower! I don't know why, but outdoor showers just get me every time.

Although the resort had everything you needed to spend your days and nights right there, it was just a short ride into town and there were also bike and scooter rentals available. I would recommend this hotel but if you're looking to travel the cheap way, you might want to research some other options, especially ones that are all-inclusive or maybe only make you pay for your alcohol.

We dove with my friend and dive master, Raul David with Scuba Du! I met Raul last year on a dive trip and we stayed in contact via Facebook Messenger. He periodically sends me videos from the dive boat and pictures of after-work cervezas as a constant reminder of why I might want to go back to Mexico for more adventures! I was glad to reconnect with him and this year, we got some good photos to prove it!

Raul and Me

Raul David

Me and Raul

We adopted Tim from Wyoming, who we met on the dive boat and who was also staying at the resort. He listened to my thoughts on solving the world's problems, why pro football is not on my "favorites" list anymore, and all about my opinions on dive resorts versus liveaboards. That is honestly one of my favorite parts of traveling and taking dive trips - meeting other like-minded individuals who also want to travel and dive! Tim is a great diver, was easy to be on the boat with, and we all shared a most delicious steak dinner together at La Inombrable (go there if you like steak!) to wrap up an excellent week of diving the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, the second largest reef in the world and the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere!

There were so many photos and videos to go through, it took me over a week to organize and edit them all. I shot everything with a GoPro10 and edited the videos and captured photos from them in the GoPro Quik App. I highly recommend doing this a few times throughout your trip if you are doing multiple dives on multiple days.

To make it easier to find what you might like the most, I broke the galleries down into categories. Take a few moments and scroll through them...I hope you enjoy the scenery as much as I did!

The Octopus, Seahorse, and Submarine!

Getting good video at night is a bit difficult.

To begin with, you have to pay more attention to where you're going in the dark because stuff sneaks up on you quickly. Stuff like coral formations, marine life, other divers, etc. Another challenge is shining your light just perfectly so the camera can capture what you're seeing and not everything else, which is of course, is not lit up.

The seahorse would have been pretty easy to go right by if Raul hadn't pointed it out. It blends so perfectly into its surroundings that an untrained eye might never see it. I was super excited to film it up close and came back around a second time just to get a close up. I think it's a 'she' for some reason...so if there's anyone out there who knows about seahorse gender, let me know!

Um, I'm not sure what to say about this except when I looked over and saw a big white submarine heading our way, I couldn't help but swim as fast as possible to it. If you look closely, there is someone flashing a light inside one of the windows, saying "hello" to me as I'm filming them. The Atlantis Submarine is an underwater adventure for those of you who aren't into the whole "getting wet" thing. Family friendly and not too pricey, so check it out!

It's always a good dive when you get to see some turtles! Cozumel is home to many Hawksbill turtles, ranging in sizes and ages. Did you know there are only 7 remaining species of sea turtles that we know of? You can also see Green turtles and Loggerhead turtles when diving in this region.

One of the turtles, affectionately named Charlie, is a frequent visitor to the coral reefs and dive guides can always tell it's him because he is missing part of his shell, most likely from a boat propeller.

What's better than seeing turtles? Seeing some sharks, of course! Common to that area are nurse sharks, which are slow-moving bottom dwellers and are pretty much completely harmless to humans. They are not generally aggressive and will oftentimes go the other way if they see you coming. They have a powerful jaw and thousands of tiny little teeth but, nurse sharks don't want to eat us, and I saw many of them just hanging out under a ledge in the sand. My favorite part about them is their eyes! So small yet so piercing. Super cool fish!

Another highlight of the diving was seeing southern rays and the elusive spotted eagle rays!

My Favorites!

All The Fish!

And The Pretty Coral!

The Shipwreck!

Widely known as “The Cozumel Wreck” or the "Wreck of Chankanaab", the Felipe Xicotencatl or C-53 is a popular dive site in Mexico. It is 184' long and 33' wide, and stands 40' in 70' of water, making it an easier wreck dive for the less-experienced diver. There are many swim throughs and parts of the ship with ambient light, for plenty of open water exploration!

Once a minesweeper for the US Navy during WWII, the USS Scuffle was purchased by the Mexican Navy in 1962 and renamed the Feliope Xicotencati C-53.

Click HERE to learn more about this ship's incredible story and how it found itself at the bottom of the Caribbean Sea!

Other Cool Videos!