Dive· Cozumel· Mexico
Palancar Reef (Cozumel)
20° 20.6′ N · 87° 1.6′ W
Cozumel's signature reef: towering coral buttresses on the southwest wall split by swim-throughs and caves, dropping from 50 to 110 ft into the blue.
Practical
Coordinate from the Wikipedia article (a reference point; the reef runs for kilometres along the southwest shelf edge). Sections: Palancar Horseshoe, Caves, Gardens, Shallows and Deep. Dive depths 50-110 ft; the edge of the insular shelf at 20-30 m drops near-vertically past 400 m. Inside the national park: no touching or taking. Dived as a drift with licensed operators; a typical two-tank boat dive is about US$70 plus equipment and the marine park fee (Wikivoyage, price date not given - verify locally). Sealife includes turtles, nurse sharks, eagle rays, splendid toadfish (endemic) and big groupers. Sections were rotated closed in 2019 for reef recovery - confirm current status.
Best for
Advanced and intermediate wall diving
Nearby
- Punta Dalila (Cozumel)1 NM away
- Playa Palancar (Cozumel)1.1 NM away
- Playa Palancar to Alberto's Beach Walk (Cozumel)1.4 NM away
- Alberto's Beach Bar (Cozumel)1.7 NM away
- Paso del Cedral (Cozumel)1.7 NM away
- Colombia Reef (Cozumel)2.6 NM away
- Santa Rosa Wall (Cozumel)2.6 NM away
- Punta Sur Ecological Park (Cozumel)2.9 NM away