A Scuba Diver’s Guide to Palancar Reef in Cozumel
Palancar Reef is a popular spot for scuba divers, and there’s no shortage of exciting things to explore. This top-rated dive site features towering coral walls, swim-throughs, and dramatic drop-offs of up to 110 feet (34 meters). The reef is home to many fish species, including barracuda, grouper, angelfish, grunts, snappers, and more. Visibility can range from 50 to 150 feet, depending on the season and weather conditions.
It looks already a little different at the first sight compared to other nearby dive sites like La Francesa or Dalila.
The sea terrain north of Palancar Reef consists of sloping walls and vibrant shallow reefs. Starting at Palancar Reef, you will see large coral pinnacles that form the underwater world all the way until Cozumel’s southern tip. The further southward your journey takes you on this island paradise, the more majestic and spread out the coral formations become.
Palancar Reef is really a combination of 4 dive sites: Palancar Gardens, Horseshoe, Caves, and Bricks. Combined, they are some of the best dive sites in Cozumel.
Dive Plan for Palancar Gardens in Cozumel
Palancar Gardens is the first and northernmost dive spot of Palancar Reef.
At a depth between 60 and 80 feet, the coral pinnacles stretch from the sandy ocean floors up to 30 feet high.
Depending on your dive level – Palancar Gardens is suitable for all experience levels – you will start your dive by descending to your depth limit. Open Water divers will stay at a depth of a maximum of 60 feet (18 meters) and explore the tips of the pinnacles. However, they soon will get jealous and probably want to sign up for the next certification-level Advanced Open water course. As they circle the pinnacles, they will likely see bubbles coming up through the cracks beneath them. Experienced divers can explore the many swim-throughs Palancar Gardens has to offer.
In between the rocky coral formations at depths between 60 and 80 feet, divers can encounter moray eels or lobsters. Usually, towards shallower areas or around the peaks of the pinnacles, turtles frequent the Palancar Gardens.
Dive plan for Palancar Horseshoe
Next up is the Palancar Horseshoe dive site. It’s just south of Palancar Gardens and the second spot in the Palancar Reef system.
Palancar Horseshoe is an ideal destination for intermediate and advanced divers. They can explore the depths of this reef ranging from 50 to 90 feet (15 – 27 meters), while those just wanting a glimpse of its beauty can take in the gorgeous coralline heads from above, thanks to Palancar’s crystal clear waters.
This spectacular natural horseshoe-shaped rock formation is a diver’s delight, with its intricate coral formations and countless aquatic species to discover. Here you are sure to cross paths with hungry sea turtles while admiring the vibrant colors and diverse shapes of numerous reef fish.
Dive plan for Palancar Caves
The third dive site in the Palancar Reef system is Palancar Caves. The pinnacles are larger than the ones in Palancar Gardens and Bricks. Those pinnacles form many swim-throughs and tunnels that give this dive spot its name. Anyway, it’s not real cave diving, and you won’t need a specialty certification or training.
With a PADI Open Water and Advanced Recreational Diving certification, you can have peace of mind knowing that your knowledge and skills are sufficient to dive in this gorgeous reef. The dive site starts at 40 feet (12 meters), but even advanced divers rarely go deeper than 83 feet (25 meters) here. However, the maximum depth of Palancar Caves is 120 feet (37 meters).
Another benefit of Palancar Caves is that the rock and coral formations shield divers from the currents and make this one of the most fun dives in the area.
In this reef, divers can find a variety of marine life, from toadfish and eels to eagle rays, as well as macro life.
Scuba diving in Palancar Bricks
Palancar Bricks, the southernmost region of Palancar Reef, is an ideal spot for divers to explore. Large coral heads rise from the sandy bottom, almost looking like a wall that features canyons cutting through them and providing stunning arches and swim-throughs. Sunlight beams down into these passages, creating showstopping contrasts that make this sight unforgettable.
The spot got its name from a ship accident in the 50s. The load of the ship was stone bricks that to this day can be found scattered across the ocean floor.
The depth at Palancar Bricks is also between 50 and 90 feet (15 to 27 meters). With an array of passages to discover, dive guides have ample opportunity for exploration. From cruising through tunnels and arches between coral formations to the grandeur of witnessing a large grouper swimming out over the wall or spying a nurse shark snoozing beneath its ledge – there is no shortage of remarkable scenes that divers get to enjoy.
Are the 4 dive sites at Palancar Reef worth a visit?
The four dive sites at Palancar Reef are some of the most beautiful and diverse in the whole Riviera Maya region. From a depth of 40 to 100 feet (12 to 30 meters), divers can explore and discover a multitude of colorful coral formations, tunnels, swim-throughs, arches, and so much more. Plus, the crystal-clear waters make it possible to observe a wide variety of marine life, such as eagle rays, turtles, nurse sharks, and many more. This unique spot is definitely worth a visit.
Related dive sites
If you are looking for similar dive sites, you should also have a look at the C-53 shipwreck, Paradise Reef, and Santa Rosa Wall in Cozumel.
But don’t limit yourself to the dive spots around this island paradise, check out nearby scuba-diving-Mekkas in Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum. From Cancun’s shipwrecks and underwater museums to bull shark observation, and incredible cenote dives.
