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Guide to Cozumel Beaches
Cozumel island has three distinct types of beaches:
  • Sandy walk-in beaches on the west or leeward side of the island generally have calm water. Snorkeling may be disappointing in the sandy areas since any disturbance on a sandy bottom [waves, walking, jumping, playing] suspends sand particles in the water which decrease visibility and make it very hard for coral polyps to thrive. Without coral for camoflage and protection, one will not see as much marine life.

  • Beaches with a rocky limestone shoreline on the west coast are the best forsnorkeling or shore dives since less sand is disturbed so visibility and coral growth are better.

  • Sandy surf and large waves alternating with rocky limestone coastlines on the east or windward side of the island are beautiful but can be dangerous. The roaring surf creates strong breakers and undertows. Never enter the water alone. Swimming is not recommended on most of the east side beaches. There are now many areas where flags are displayed showing the level of safety for a particular area. Despite the dangerous swimming conditions, these beaches are stunning and serene for those wanting sunbathing, long walks or playing in the water very close to shore.
Typical West (leeward) Beach
Typical East (windword) beach
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Cozumel Insider Beach Chart
Here is a Beach Chart with descriptions, photos, hours of operations and amenities! Just click on the names of each of the beaches for complete descriptions. May we suggest our: Do-it-youself Snorkel Tour
BEACHES

West Coast - North of San Miguel
Playa San Juan A E
Playa Azul A E
Playas Las Casitas S L
West Coast - South of San Miguel
Playa Calatita & Sun Park A L
Playa Villa Blanca E A
Playa Bella Vista E E
Sunset Beach E A
La Palapita E A
Marina Caleta Playa Paradise Reef E A
PalMar Estate Beach Club E E View All Coupons
Patas & Alas Butterfly Sanctuary E E View All Coupons
Dzul Ha Beach Club E A View All Coupons
Piratas Beach A A View All Coupons
Playa Uvas - Norte A L
Playa Uvas - Sur A E View All Coupons
Chankanaab National Park E L E View All Coupons
Playa Corona E A View All Coupons
Carlos N Charlie's Beach A E View All Coupons
Playa San Francisco S L E
Paradise Beach S E
Playa Sol - (Playa Mia) S L E
Mr. Sanchos S L E
Nachi-Cocom S E
Albertos Beach AKA Playa El Paso del Cedral S A View All Coupons
Playa Palancar S A View All Coupons
Punta Sur Ecological Park & Lighthouse A E
East Coast - Continuing from Southern Tip Northward
Paradise Café & Rasta's at Playa Box A
El Mirador
Playa Punta Chiqueros & Restaurant A
Playa San Martin & El Galeon A
Playa Chen Rio A L A View All Coupons
Coconuts A View All Coupons
Punta Morena L A View All Coupons
Playa Oriente & Sr. Iguana's A View All Coupons
Playa Oriente & Mezcalitos A View All Coupons
East Coast - Off Road by Tour Only
Punta Ixpalbarco
Playa Santa Cecilia
Playa Bonita Norte
Castillo Real
Punta Molas Lighthouse
Legend:
General: Yes / Available, C Entrance Coupon
Swimming: L Swimming with Lifeguard
Snorkeling: E Excellent, A Average
S Conditions Sparse due to lack of lack of coral in sandy beach areas
Restrooms: E Excellent, A Average
Beach Conservation - Do Your Part
Cozumel has a protected Marine Park area that extends from the southern cruise ship piers southward and all the way around the tip of the island and up the other (east) side to Punta Chiqueros. Inside this area, the taking of ANY items from the SEA OR BEACH is prohibited by federal law and punishable with fines and/or imprisonment if caught. Even shells that wash up on the shore can become a home for some critter so please leave them in place in order to help preserve the natural beauty of the area.

There are many stores and kiosks in town that sell shells however no one really knows the origin of these shells and if they were harvested from a protected area of the island or an open one. So in general, if your desire is to help our conservation efforts, it's best not to purchase shells at all. For this only encourages poaching and illegal harvesting when naturally available supplies are depleted.

I know they are all so beautiful and it is very tempting to say "well it's only one shell so..." But if you keep in mind that according to Carnival cruise lines recently, there will be a couple of MILLION cruise ship visitors this next year to Cozumel, then you can just imagine the impact if each person elects to take just one shell!

Perhaps consider adopting the SCUBA DIVER'S CREDO when travelling the world:

"Take only pictures and memories and leave only bubbles behind!"

~ Sherri ~
Diamonds International
Beach Safety is Important! "SWIM AT YOUR OWN RISK"

Beach Warning and CautionsBring life vests for any persons with limited water skills wishing to partake in water activities.

Observe all beach signage and warning flags posted on beaches which indicate current swimming conditions.

While only a few years old, Cozumel's Lifeguard Program now has over 30 Lifeguards on duty daily and continues to develop. Read more here about our Lifesaving Program.
With this program, there are lifeguard towers and lifeguards at some beaches but not all of them.

So please be cautious and consider all beaches to be "SWIM AT YOUR OWN RISK"

A few beachy things you might be interested in!
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Can you imagine exploring Cozumel coastline while moving on a Segway personal transporter? Use one to make your way to the finest snorkeling on the island! $64 Adults/$64 Kids
Personal Experiences
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i've been on your site for the last week just checking everything out i'm telling you that you have the best site for learning about cozumel to all the execursions that are offered. also the information about how to get to the hotel from the airport with the cost about the ferry to every question that a person like myself would have that is planning on travelling to your beautiful country we are planning on retiring there. our family and myself will be arriving in cancun on december 5, 2008 and then going on to cozumel on december 6, 2008 we will be staying at the reef and then park royal but i printed out coupons and all the info about the ferry the ado bus and all the execursions we want to do . i'm lucky because i speak the language and i love to talk to people i would love to also get the pleasure of meeting with you which i'm sure i will since we plan on doing alot of your execursions. thank you for this beautiful site i enjoyed every minute i spend on it i look forward to hearing back from you! fanny janet bennett ~ belleriver ontario canada

Sherri, I was browsing Cozumel Websites the last few days. I came across yours. I have never found a website so detailed to a destination in my life! You supply all the information a traveler could ever want!

You give us how to get there, what to do while we are there, where to stay, how to travel, what to do if we get sick, where to eat, and it just goes on and on!

Thank you for taking the time that you spent in making this my new favorite site!

I wish every vacation destination had a site like this! BRAVO! Jim Piere ~ Simi Valley CA 93063

Hello: Sorry about all the calls and e-mails yesterday ~ it appears that we had a problem with yahoo email and receiving your confirmations. But I had your staff send the confirmations to my work e-mail and all is good. Your staff was very helpful, customer service friendly and courteous and I think your agency is great! My wife is a travel/booking agent and she agrees with me and plans to use your services in the future to book excursions for her clients. Thanks again and have a good day; Michael Weinberger ~ not given

I want to take a moment to thank you at COZUMELINSIDER for all of your help. This is the first time I have ever booked activities such as these online and was very nervous about how it all worked. You took the time to answer all of my questions and even followed upwith a phone call to make sure you had all the information you needed to book the perfect vacation fun for my family. Thanks so much for making this a great experience! I can hardly wait to get there and enjoy all of these wonderful things! S. Daggett ~ Woodland Park, CO

Sherrie is a true star when it comes to being hostess. Always friendly, helpful and there to answers our questions she knows where to enjoy local cuisine, you'll get the best value for money and great food. H. Hawkins ~ Wilmington, DE
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