Underwater Photographer's Guide to Cozumel, Mexico
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Cozumel, Mexico's largest island, is located in the Caribbean near the Yucatan peninsula, a few miles
southeast of the resort, Cancun.
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Diving
Cozumel offers a unique combination of convenience, affordability, safely, and abundant marine life
that attracts many underwater photographers to its warm, clear waters. Yes, there are better
destinations for taking pictures of big animals, wrecks, and exotic critters, but the lee side of Cozumel is
a fully protected marine park, home to many colorful fish and creatures, both large and small. The
opportunities for wide angle, fish portraits, and macro photography are endless.
Drift diving is the norm in a current that generally runs from the south to the north. All diving in the
marine park is guided. Dive boats drop groups of divers and their licensed dive guides off and pick them
up when they surface at the end of the dive. Reefs farthest to the south consist of huge coral
formations, the size of apartment houses, with walls that drop off into a blue abyss. The farther north
you go, the shallower the reefs become, the smaller the coral heads, and the more abundant the fish
life. A few resorts offer shore diving but the main coral reefs are only accessible from a dive boat. On
the other hand, shore dives offer the opportunity of muck diving for smaller, macro subjects and the
opportunity to spend lots of time playing with the camera.
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Palancar is too long of a reef to do in one dive and, so, is divided into named sections: Palancar Bricks,
Palancar Horseshoe, Palancar Caves, and Palancar Gardens. Jacque Cousteau made this reef system
famous in the 1950's when he brought Calypso to Cozumel and filmed his team of divers on the reef for
television. Large coral formations are bordered on the east with sand and on the west with deep water.
Scuba dives are normally done along the drop off with the possibility of some penetration of the wall via
large swim-throughs. This is the ideal place for wide angle images of divers against the wall and huge,
colorful sponges. Palancar is also where you are very likely to encounter numerous hawksbill turtles.
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El Paso del Cedral, north of Palancar, can be dived either along the wall or shallow. The wall offers large
fish, nurse sharks, big parrotfish, and turtles feeding on sponges. The main reef is intermediate in size
and has an amazing tunnel system through the reef. This reef is the best bet to find a large green moray
eel, and is home to a large school of resident porkfish (Anisotremus virginicus).
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Paradise Reef is the other end of the spectrum and the northern most portion of the marine park. Here,
the reef is shallower and full of many, colorful tropical fish. The coral heads are smaller than on the
reefs to the south. Paradise is a popular second dive site after diving on a deep reef to the south or as a
night dive. The dive guide may point out a colorful splendid toadfish (Sanopus splendidus) in its den, a
colorful purple and yellow fish found only in to Cozumel's waters. This is also a great reef to photograph
the beautiful queen angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris). Some dive guides like to take photographers onto
the turtle grass area to look for seahorses. The grassy area is a wonderful place for muck diving,
Cozumel style.
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Shore
A few hotels and dive resorts offer shore diving off the iron shore in front of their locations. Here, an
underwater photographer can dive without a guide and find many interesting macro subjects to film.
Shore dives are fantastic opportunities to play with a camera and capture images not possible on the
reefs during a drift dive.
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Critters
The "trifecta" - nurse shark, turtle, and green moray eel.
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Larger fish - groupers, parrotfish, permits, jacks, barracuda. Protection in the marine park means there
are many large fish often absent in places where they have been overfished.
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Intermediate fish – grunts/snappers, angelfish, eels, butterfly fish, et al.
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Macro subjects – shrimps, crabs, pipehorses
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Nearly all the fish and creatures described in Paul Humann's guides to Florida, Caribbean, and Bahamas
are found in Cozumel's waters.
Photo equipment
While a point-and-shoot underwater camera can capture some great images, more serious
photographers will want to bring a good DSLR or one of the newer mirrorless cameras with
interchangeable lenses.
I recommend packing at least three lenses when going to Cozumel: WA, portrait, and macro. A wide
angle or fish-eye lens (~15 mm) is appropriate for deep, wall dives; a portrait or intermediate zoom lens
is best for pictures on the shallower reefs; and a good macro lens (105 mm) is an absolute necessity for
shore diving. In short, bring them all!
Videographers are finding GoPro cameras to be fantastic for underwater shooting. It is best to use
orange filters for wide angle and available, flip macro diopters are convenient for little stuff where you
will want video lights to bring out the color.
Photo tips and techniques
If you are going to Cozumel, you should have good buoyancy control and be comfortable diving in a
current. Since you won't have much time to spend with each photo opportunity, think about your
camera settings in anticipation of getting that award winning image, you may only get that one chance.
Periodically, take throwaway pictures of the water and underexpose for dark blue backgrounds.
Drift diving can make macro photography challenging. This doesn't mean it can't be done, but it
requires dropping out of the current and taking only a couple of shots before moving on with the group.
Once again, anticipate, preset exposure, etc. on a rock before you shoot the critter. Photographers may
also want to carry a "muck stick" to aid in stopping and to avoid touching the reef.
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Taking pictures of fish hiding in holes, like the splendid toadfish requires using a long focal length lens or
setting, moving the strobes in close to the lens and pointing straight forward in order to get light into
the hole.
Planning
From the United States, Cozumel is very easy to get to. American and United Airlines offer daily flights
from several gateway cities. English (with a Texas accent) is widely spoken and American dollars are
accepted everywhere.
What is the best time of year to visit Cozumel? All year long, but keep in mind winter is the high season,
the water is cooler (high 70's F), and there is the possibility of a "norther" storm that may close the port
for dive boats. But, winter is also the best time of the year to see spotted eagle rays. Summer is the offseason, water is warm (low to mid 80's), and you run the slight possibility of a hurricane.
Where to stay? Cozumel offers a full range of accommodations and amenities from upscale to
inexpensive, from room-only to all-inclusive, the choice is yours.
My recommendations:
Popular with scuba divers: Scuba Club Cozumel or Blue Angel
Upscale resorts: Cozumel Palace, El Presidente
Budget accommodations: many to choose from
Dive operators
XTC diving
Aquasafaris
Many, many others.
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