Colombia Reef (Deep & Shallows)

South of Palancar, Colombia has two faces: Colombia Deep, a steep wall with huge coral pinnacles, tunnels and caverns, and Colombia Shallows, scattered coral heads on sand in 5–10 m. The deep wall is a fast drift where eagle rays, turtles and nurse sharks are common.

Facts

• Region: Mexico – Cozumel & Caribbean Coast
• Area: Cozumel
• Depth: 5–33 m
• Level: advanced
• Current: strong
• Type: wall, reef, drift
• Coordinates: 20.31645, -87.01687 (approximate)
• Highlights: towering coral pinnacles, caverns and tunnels, eagle rays, turtles, sea-fan forests, shallow coral heads (Shallows)
• Tips: Colombia Deep is for experienced drift divers (strong current possible); the Shallows suit newer divers. This area was in the CONANP SCTLD closure of Oct–Dec 2019.

Sources

• https://www.bluewaterdivetravel.com/top-dive-sites-cozumel
• https://cozumeldivecenter.com/cozumel-dive-sites
• https://www.divessi.com/blog/cozumel-scuba-diving-dive-sites-2805
• https://undercurrent.org/UCnow/dive_magazine/2020/CozumelReefClosureUpdate202001.html
• https://www.wannadive.net/spot/Central_America/Mexico/Yucatan/Cozumel_Isalnd/Columbia_Reef/index.html