Resplendent Reefs
As the next day dawns we reset our sights on the big
picture: the storied reefs that are the main attraction
for Cozumel’s diving masses. Stretching for 30 miles
along the island’s western flank, the richly decorated
reefs and plunging walls will keep us busy for the
next week. There are dozens of sites that cater to
all skill levels. Depths range from 15 feet to 150 and
conditions from mild to wild. Mark has a plan to show
us around his favorite spots, and he suggests we begin
by venturing south. “We’ll suss out the conditions
and probably do
Colombia Deep
for our first drop.
Colombia is classic Coz — current, coral and critters.
Coolness all around.” Nitrox mixes from 28 to 34
percent will carry us through the day and provide
flexibility for safely maximizing our bottom time.
Colombia Deep
is a crowd favorite. Coolness all
around, indeed: There’s crystalline 120-foot visibility,
a sheer wall disappearing into the abyss, coral-covered
spires thrusting upward and innumerable sponges,
sea fans and shimmering fish. The current moves us
steadily along as countless photo ops whizz by. No
worries; we know to go with the flow. We drop to 110
feet then ride the ocean thermals back up to 70, where
Alex leads us into a jagged split to the reef’s heart. We
swim through twisting tunnels and tight passageways
into a large chamber. I capitalize on the dramatic
architecture by shooting from the dark out toward the
light. It makes for powerful compositions with divers
silhouetted against the blue, surrounded by menacing,
encroaching blackness.
Colombia Shallows
or the adjacent
Palancar Reef
complex are often follow-up dives when you’re down
in the southern reaches. But with the seas picking up in
the stiff breeze, we pencil in these sites for later and turn
north to motor halfway home, to
Tormentos
. Mark
promises color and current at this intermediate site, and
he’s right on both counts. The reef’s profile resembles the
crenellated battlements of a castle wall — up and down,
up and down, one riot of color after another in 10- and
20-foot-high blocks. Fingers and blobs of red, yellow and
orange sponges decorate the reef heads,
giving the appearance of bubbling,
flowing and pooling lava.
Tormentos is awhirl with life. Our
drift along its ramparts at 50-60 feet is
like spiraling through a kaleidoscope. Fish sometimes
cruise with us and sometimes explode backward in the
opposite direction. There are rivers of snappers and
grunts. Angels and damsels flit about. Sea fans stretch
into the current, their branches forming hungry
hands poised to grasp passing plankton. A sneering
barracuda launches out of a crevice to photobomb
my carefully composed picture. It startles me so
completely that I lose my footing in the current and
am swept away to the next coral head, where I tuck in
behind the formation to set up another shot.
The Spice of Life
“Today we’re going to mix it up: steep and deep,
shallow and mellow, colors that will pop your eyes out
and maybe a surprise or two. Onward and downward!
You’ll love it — trust me,” Mark says. I don’t know
what all this means, but I trust him. I’ve followed his
lead before, and good times were had.
The hull slices through calm blueness. The
captain names dive site after dive site as they slip
past underneath us while we motor along Cozumel’s
coastline. Millions of visitors to Mexico’s Yucatan
Peninsula think the only place to be is Cancun or Playa
del Carmen, partying it up on the mainland 12 miles
to the west of us. But they’re wrong. I longingly stare
down into the blue below; this is where the action is.
“And here’s
Maracaibo
.” My head snaps up.
Unless Mark is lying, we’ve reached reef’s end, the
southernmost corner of the island. Maracaibo is
exposed. Some days it’s Victory at Sea
out here but luckily not today. There’s
no swell and no wind. Mark smiles
hugely. “What did I tell y’all? The sea
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COZUMEL
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
CARIBBEAN
SEA
1. Paradise Reef
2. Colombia Deep
3. Tormentos
4. Maracaibo
5. C53 Shipwreck
6. Punta Sur
7. Santa Rosa
8. Palancar Bricks
9. Paso de Cedral
MEXICO
