Belize and/or Cozumel+Tulum

[LeggoDiveyDivey]

Im thinking of going later in the year and am quite split between choosing either Belize and/or Cozumel.

My initial thoughts were to do a Belize Liveaboard on one of the aggressor boats to cover more ground and see the blue hole, then drive over to Cozumel and Tulum to do the cenotes. I am mainly doing it that way just because its a long trip away from home so I wanted to do as much as possible.

Although I recently met a diver who suggested focusing just on Cozumel as it has the best diving in the region (better than Playa Del Carmen). So I thought to expand my question to the good folks here. I am quite an experienced diver so I can handle myself in drifts, washing machine, surge currents. The only thing I am bad at is handling any temperature below 22C.

 

[caotoole]

They are both great options. Live aboard will always be be the best for getting a lot of dive done. The Blue Hole is a check off dive, good to say you have done it, but not a great dive; the reefs like Lighthouse around it are amazing.

Both Cozumel and Belize can get shut out for weather but Cozumel gives you the option of going across on the ferry to PDC for Cenotes if the weather is bad.

On land both Cozumel and San Pedro Belize are great.

You can't go wrong with any of them!

 

[Cornbread O'Malley]

@LeggoDiveyDivey Both Belize and Cozumel are great choices for diving, and you really ought to plan the time and do both on one trip. Belize has Belize Aggressor III and Belize Aggressor IV for liveaboard options. The BAIII has the better reputation. I enjoyed the BAIII as it took me to the sites more difficult to access and very healthy reefs. The boat itself is smaller but overall is fine. Caye Caulker is an option in Belize also. Some of my friends like going there (I have not visited).

Tulum for cenotes is an interesting stop on the way to Cozumel. For me, two consecutive days of diving cenotes is enough. I suggest seeing the interesting rock formations and the sulfur cloud. IMO not much variation in cenote diving after that. Tulum itself has progressed much from being a small village. Lots of good restaurants and hotels in the area now. Some interesting Mayan ruins in the immediate area too.

Cozumel is wonderful for the great diving and topside options for activities. I really enjoy the diving and then spending the afternoon in town at a restaurant or eatery along the waterfront. The restaurant scene and options are fantastic in Cozumel.

 

[LeggoDiveyDivey]

@LeggoDiveyDivey Both Belize and Cozumel are great choices for diving, and you really ought to plan the time and do both on one trip. Belize has Belize Aggressor III and Belize Aggressor IV for liveaboard options. The BAIII has the better reputation. I enjoyed the BAIII as it took me to the sites more difficult to access and very healthy reefs. The boat itself is smaller but overall is fine. Caye Caulker is an option in Belize also. Some of my friends like going there (I have not visited).

Tulum for cenotes is an interesting stop on the way to Cozumel. For me, two consecutive days of diving cenotes is enough. I suggest seeing the interesting rock formations and the sulfur cloud. IMO not much variation in cenote diving after that. Tulum itself has progressed much from being a small village. Lots of good restaurants and hotels in the area now. Some interesting Mayan ruins in the immediate area too.

Cozumel is wonderful for the great diving and topside options for activities. I really enjoy the diving and then spending the afternoon in town at a restaurant or eatery along the waterfront. The restaurant scene and options are fantastic in Cozumel.

Thanks and I had done some reading and agree on the BA3, the other one apparently ran into some reefs after a mooring broke.

Would you say the Cozumel dives are better or similar to Belize?

Based on reading it feels like the diving in Belize will be less busy and apparently the night dives there can be spectacular.

That said, your post has inspired me to try and make a trip to that part of the world!

 

[Cornbread O'Malley]

Thanks and I had done some reading and agree on the BA3, the other one apparently ran into some reefs after a mooring broke.

Would you say the Cozumel dives are better or similar to Belize?

Based on reading it feels like the diving in Belize will be less busy and apparently the night dives there can be spectacular.

That said, your post has inspired me to try and make a trip to that part of the world!

IMO the dives in Belize are a few degrees better than Cozumel especially if you take a liveaboard and head east. The reefs are very healthy with a good mix of both soft and hard corals when I visited in July 2023. I saw numerous Caribbean reef sharks and nurse sharks swimming amongst the reefs. The density of fish on the reefs in Belize is a bit more compared to Cozumel (but nothing like Thailand where the schools of fish swarm around you like The Blob). The night dives off a liveaboard in Belize are quite spectacular (except for the bloodworms).

The diving in Cozumel offers great opportunities too. Fortunately, the reefs in Cozumel are recovering nicely from the 2023 bleaching from heat stress. Some of the coral formations towards the south end of the island are amazing. They look like mountains rising out of the sand. Sharks tend to hang out at dive sites at the southern tip of Cozumel.

With your level of diving experience, I suggest you look into diving with Aldora Divers on Cozumel. They offer a wider choice of dives different from the normal ones in the marine park. Aldora is famous for their adventure dives, blackwater dives, and charters to the east side of the island when conditions permit. When you dive with Aldora, the staff assesses your diving and then groups you with divers of similar skill level. You might find yourself on the first day diving with a bunch of less-skilled people, but bear with it as Aldora DMs will get you on the boat with more experienced divers. You will have to go through this "assessment" if you want to sign up for the adventure dives as the staff want to see your buoyancy control, gas consumption, comfort in the water, etc.

I really enjoy the 3-tank adventure dive because the boat goes north of the island. Very few dive operators on Cozumel go north. The dive starts with a lionfish hunt, then a dive to the cavern of sleeping sharks (I have visited twice and never seen them there), then a shallow dive. During the surface interval between dives 2 and 3, the boat captain serves lunch of ceviche made from the lionfish harvested. My friends and I did a trip to Cozumel in November/December 2024, and I offer you my trip report: Cornbread's November/December 2024 Cozumel trip report. I wrote about Cozumel diving and cenote diving.

If you're into blackwater diving and the photography, world-famous Robert Stansfield offers charters on Cozumel. You can check him out and coordinate with him through his Facebook page under the name "Blackwater Cozumel."

On Cozumel, I suggest that you do not book a stay with the all-inclusive resorts. Instead, book a stay in the town of San Miguel or close enough to walk into town. You will enjoy the variety of restaurants, bars, eateries and the vibrant activity the town has to offer. The town is quite safe to walk around in. For comparison, when I was in Belize City a few days before my liveaboard departure, the locals warned me against walking around after dark.

 

[TWTXdiver]

Im thinking of going later in the year and am quite split between choosing either Belize and/or Cozumel.

My initial thoughts were to do a Belize Liveaboard on one of the aggressor boats to cover more ground and see the blue hole, then drive over to Cozumel and Tulum to do the cenotes. I am mainly doing it that way just because its a long trip away from home so I wanted to do as much as possible.

Although I recently met a diver who suggested focusing just on Cozumel as it has the best diving in the region (better than Playa Del Carmen). So I thought to expand my question to the good folks here. I am quite an experienced diver so I can handle myself in drifts, washing machine, surge currents. The only thing I am bad at is handling any temperature below 22C.

I can't comment on cozumel, but have heard nothing but great things. However, I have done several dives in Belize and it's great reef diving. The Blue Hole is overrated. Tulum, on the other hand, is where it's at for me. So much so that I'm buying land, building a house, and moving down there just for the diving. Completed my side mount course and working toward my full cave so I can go explore. However, The Reef diving in Tulum is also very nice. Akumal is a protected Reef 20 minutes from Tulum and is teaming with life. I have spent weeks in Tulum diving and visited maybe a dozen cenotes. It's never enough.

 

[Edward3c]

Im thinking of going later in the year and am quite split between choosing either Belize and/or Cozumel.

My initial thoughts were to do a Belize Liveaboard on one of the aggressor boats to cover more ground and see the blue hole, then drive over to Cozumel and Tulum to do the cenotes. I am mainly doing it that way just because its a long trip away from home so I wanted to do as much as possible.

Although I recently met a diver who suggested focusing just on Cozumel as it has the best diving in the region (better than Playa Del Carmen). So I thought to expand my question to the good folks here. I am quite an experienced diver so I can handle myself in drifts, washing machine, surge currents. The only thing I am bad at is handling any temperature below 22C.

Having racked up nearly 200 dives in Belize and a fare few in Mexico, my preference is Belize (and back again with the SB Invation).

Have a look at ReefCI as something different, but the diving out of San Pedro isn't too bad. The reef is quite a way off the mainland so its practical to stay on one of the Cays. The Blue Hole is not all its cracked up to be, dived it once and declined the offer at least a dozen times since.

Forget Playa del Carmen, unless you want to dive the Cenotes. The currents on Cozumel can be interesting.

Traveling between Belize and Cancun is best done by bus. And don't forget to get your US ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) sorted before booking any flights via the US.

Feel fre to DM me with any questions.