Cozumel

Cozumel lies on the Mesoamerican reef, the second-largest barrier reef system in the world, and a strong current runs along its western shore, which is why the diving here is done as drift diving: you descend and let the water carry you along walls and through swim-throughs while the reef passes by, with almost no effort. Palancar, Santa Rosa and Columbia are the famous walls; the story that Jacques Cousteau filmed here in the 1960s is repeated everywhere, but no such documentary was ever made - the reefs earned the reputation on their own. The sheltered west coast holds the town and the beach clubs; the windward east coast is undeveloped, wild and mostly unsafe for swimming, with a road running its length past empty beaches. Inland there is jungle, cenotes and a small Maya site at San Gervasio, once a pilgrimage destination.

What you actually see

• Drift diving the walls - Palancar, Santa Rosa and Columbia on the west reef.
• The wild east coast - undeveloped windward beaches along the coast road.
• San Gervasio - the Maya site, once a pilgrimage destination for Ixchel.
• Snorkelling from shore - reef within swimming distance at several beach clubs.

When to go

November to April has the calmest sea and best visibility; summer is hotter with a hurricane risk from August into October. Cruise ships dock most days and the town is busiest from mid-morning to late afternoon, so the shoulder hours are calmer.

Honest expectations

Up to several cruise ships a day dock here, and the waterfront near the terminals turns into a jewellery and souvenir gauntlet; the island's character is elsewhere. The east coast has powerful surf and undertow and most of it is genuinely unsafe for swimming despite looking idyllic. Reefs have suffered bleaching and storm damage, so conditions vary by site.

Nearby

Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya are across the channel; Tulum is an hour down the coast.