Anchorage· Cozumel· Mexico
Banco Playa / Puerto de Abrigo Anchorage (Cozumel)
20° 31.6′ N · 86° 56.7′ W · approximate
The north end of the San Miguel roadstead, off the Banco Playa district and the breakwater of Puerto de Abrigo - Cozumel's only true harbour of refuge.
Practical
Coordinate is approximate: about 340 m west of the Puerto de Abrigo breakwater as mapped in OpenStreetMap (breakwater light at 20.52905 N, 86.93993 W), checked to fall in water; about 1 nm north of the main San Miguel anchorage. Noonsite: most yachts anchor anywhere between Puerto de Abrigo and the ferry dock; the bottom is sand over hard coral - swim down and check the set. Open to the west: in winter northers make anchoring anywhere on the west coast untenable (Noonsite). As a norther refuge this spot only helps if you can get INSIDE Puerto de Abrigo: the state port agency's basin held 148 vessels in September 2025 and demand already exceeds space (Riviera Maya News), so ask the Capitanía (VHF 16) or the harbour ahead of a front, in Spanish if possible. Otherwise leave early for Puerto Aventuras (about 15 nm, a recognised hurricane hole) before the front arrives. Further north the shore is lined with beach clubs and their piers (OSM) - keep clear of swimmers and tour boats. Not inside the national park, which starts south of the International Pier.
Best for
Staging off the harbour of refuge; overnight in settled easterlies
Season
Settled easterlies; move before a norther
Nearby
- Cozumel Deep-Sea Fishing0.3 NM away
- Puerto de Abrigo Marina (Banco Playa, Cozumel)0.3 NM away
- La Cocay (Cozumel)0.9 NM away
- Pastelería y Panadería Zermatt (Cozumel)0.9 NM away
- Cozumel Port Captain1 NM away
- El Morrito (Cozumel)1 NM away
- Muelle Fiscal Ferry Pier (San Miguel)1 NM away
- Northers and Cozumel West-Coast Exposure1 NM away