Cozumel 

"Island Of The Swallows" 

Cozumel is an island in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen, and close to the Yucatán Channel. Cozumel is a tourist destination for its scuba diving and snorkeling. The main town on the island is San Miguel de Cozumel. The name Cozumel was derived from the Mayan language which means the "Island of Swallows".

The island is 28 miles long and 10 miles wide. With a population of a little over 75,000, Cozumel entertains about 2.5 million visitors yearly. 

The Maya are believed to have first settled Cozumel by the early part of the 1st millennium AD. The island was sacred to Ix Chel, the Maya Moon Goddess, and the temples here were a place of pilgrimage, especially by women desiring fertility.  The Mayan's of Cozumel are very friendly and are happy to share their history with visitors.

In 1956, Mexican film director Rene Cardona shot the movie Un Mundo Nuevo under the waters of Cozumel at what is now known as Cardona Reef. In 1957, this film was translated into English and broadcast over American television as A New World. 

 Cardona's movie is often confused with Jacques Cousteau's 1956 documentary Monde du Silence, but Cousteau's film was shot entirely in the Eastern Hemisphere, and it was Cardona's film that brought the crystal clear waters of Cozumel to the attention of American divers. Cousteau did not visit the island for the first time until the late 1960s.

The island of Cozumel protects the reefs from the powerful open ocean waves on its eastern side. This reverse barrier reef system and the gentle current from the Gulf Stream provide Cozumel with incredibly clear water for diving and snorkeling. Cozumel has hotels and resorts that provide great diving to meet any budget. There are also a multitude of dive shops and dive outfitters to meet your individual diving needs. Cozumel's diving offers something for every diver from novice to expert. Bottom line is, if you love diving and snorkeling in crystal clear water, seeing colorful abundant sea life, and getting the most bang for your scuba diving buck, then Cozumel is for you.

San Miguel de Cozumel 

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