Cozumel Dive Trip with Cenotes, Whale Sharks, and Resort Life

Last month, I went to Cozumel for a fun trip that included twelve of us at a resort, two friends celebrating their 40th birthdays, scuba diving, beach and pool swimming, cenotes, and whale sharks. This post shares all the details.

Scuba Diving in Cozumel

The main reason we went to Cozumel was for scuba diving. Four of us are scuba divers and I had never dove in Mexico. Cozumel is one of the best places to dive in the Caribbean, and it’s a quick two-and-a-half-hour direct flight from Austin.

We did 3 days and 8 dives with Dive with Martin. Our resort has its own dive company, but we opted for a smaller company that offered semi-private boats. The semi-private boat limit is 6 people but we typically had 4 people max. Our resort’s boat had 8+ divers. For an additional fee, the company picked us up from our resort’s pier, so we didn’t have to take a taxi to the marina every day. The company also had free gear rental.

The diving was good! We saw typical Caribbean creatures like lobster, green moray eels, nurse sharks, green turtles, loggerhead turtles, yellow stingrays, and starfish. We were excited to see toadfish and my favorite, multiple nudibranchs!

Here’s a quick breakdown of our fees:

2-tank dives: $112
Marine park fee: $7 daily
Wetsuit rental: $10 daily
Hotel dock fee: $3.50 daily

Cenote Diving

One bucket list thing for the trip was visiting and diving a cenote. We took the ferry to Playa del Carmen and the company – Xpu Ha Divers – drove us south to the cenotes. We paid for a cenote upgrade and visited Eden and Chikin-Ha. Typically, the dive company will give their recommendations.

Our dive guide shared that divers typically don’t enjoy their first cenote dives, which was the experience for me. It was enjoyable at times, like seeing the light rays, but at other times, it was uncomfortable and scary. Imagine diving in a dark tunnel! At this point, it was a one-and-done diving experience, but I’m glad we got to do it!

If you’re looking to dive a cenote, here are some additional ones to try:

Dos Ojos
Calavera Cenote
Taj Mahal
The Pit
Chichen Itza
Angelita
Dream Gate

Whale Shark Tour

Another excursion we did was a whale shark tour. Again we took the ferry to Playa del Carmen and took a shuttle north (1 hour) to Cancun. Then we took a boat about 45 minutes out, past Isla Mujeres. There was a large radius where the whale sharks, about 20-30 feet long, were feeding. There were many boats out there but 2 snorkelers and 1 guide per boat were allowed in the water at a time.

While the experience is slightly chaotic – whale sharks don’t stay still and you have to move fast – but for a few seconds, the experience is magical. The whale sharks were so majestic! I’m not sure if I’ll ever see a whale shark while diving (hopefully one day!), so this somewhat manufactured experience was cool.

Resort Life

This was my first experience at Iberostar, a global hotel chain. We picked this all-inclusive resort because it was ideal for divers and had amenities, like a beachfront and a large pool, for non-divers. For us divers, we usually did a 2-tank morning trip from 7:45 – 11 am. Then we checked in when we returned for lunch, beach time, pool drinks, and games organized by the hotel.

The resort provides free daily use of snorkel gear, catamarans, and other water sports equipment for an hour (though there are additional fees like a Marine Park Fee). The pier is a great place to snorkel and see creatures.

Downtown Cozumel was about a 20-minute cab ride and some of us ventured out for souvenir shopping. Our cenote and whale shark excursions started and ended with being downtown, so we used that trip to shop. Otherwise, we spent all of our time at the resort.

The resort hosts different games and shows every night to entertain guests. The shows are music-themed with performers, and they also host a silent disco night and karaoke night. Alberto’s is the only restaurant/bar in walking distance from the resort and it can be accessed by the beachfront. They sometimes have live music.

Iberostar Cozumel was a spacious resort with multiple dining options, so I didn’t get tired of it. There was variety and I could typically find something tasty on the buffet or menu. They have breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffet options, and also three specialty dinner options (first come, first serve) offering Mexican, Asian, and barbecue cuisine. There’s also a grill by the pool that serves burgers, hot dogs, and fries all afternoon, so you can typically find food anywhere in the daytime.

Don’t forget the bars. The one in the main lobby is open all day (where to get coffee in the morning too) while the beachfront bar and pool bar are open mid-morning. The specialty restaurants also have their own bars.

All in all, we enjoyed the property and offerings and would visit other properties by the brand.

Things to Bring to a Beach Resort

We were making this list throughout the week, so I thought I’d share for your next trip (and leave a reminder for myself).

Towel clips – These are for clipping your towel to your beach chair so it doesn’t blow away
Reusable cup – There are refillable water stations, so this is great for staying hydrated
$1 bills – While it’s all-inclusive, tipping bartenders and servers is nice
Activated charcoal pills – Sickness prevention if you’ll be drinking or for minor stomach issues
Stomach medicine – If you get sick when you travel, you’ll want this
Motion sickness medicine – Bring this if you’ll be on a boat
Bug spray – Heavy rain in Mexico brought TERRIBLE mosquitos during our trip, so we used this multiple times a day. Buying a spray can here will set you back about $17
Tote bag – For carrying all your things from your room to the pool/beach
Playing cards – Always good to have to cure boredom