The Cozumel Reefs National Park is considered as part of the barrier reef called "Great Reef Belt of the Western Atlantic" (also known as "Great Mayan Reef" and belongs to "Mesoamerican Reef"). The island of Cozumel is mostly surrounded by coral reefs, however the park area falls within the southern half of the island, south of the international docks, and surrounding the West coast, south and a portion on the east coast. It is a natural resource of great importance to the regional economy because it recreation, conservation, development, education, dissemination and monitoring at a distance of 40 km northwest National Park is Arrecife de Puerto Morelos are made, and a distance of 60 km to the southwest is the Tulum National Park. There are two ways to the mainland on the island of Cozumel: air, through Cozumel International Airport, with domestic and international flights; and sea from Playa del Carmen, with boats that carry passengers and conduct tours to the island in 25 minutes at different times; and from Calica, tip Deer with a shipping company, through the ferry service. A warm humid climate with abundant rains in summer, above 40 mm in the driest month is presented. The daily oscillation between the maximum and minimum temperatures is very small, so that the average temperature of 25.5 ° C is uniform for almost every month of the year except the winter when temperatures hover around 20 ° C. The rainfall recorded throughout the year, with maximum values for June and September-October season between 190 and 220 mm and the minimum in March-April with an average of 45 mm.

The reefs are formed by a coral community that, like all of its kind, are among the most diverse and complex in the seas. It is inhabited by thousands of indigenous organisms in tropical waters, where hundreds of species are represented in all realms. The animal kingdom stand corals (hard and soft), and Hydrozoans zoanthids and sponges, crustaceans, molluscs, echinoderms and reef fish. The plant communities are represented both by algae, of which there is a huge variety, such as seagrass. Cyanobacteria sonde great ecological importance and like many microorganisms are ubiquitous in this ecosystem. Within the reef ecosystems are territorial species and only roam on the reef for shelter and food base, and in some cases as breeding area, also feed on algae growing on and between the corals. In the night season, and with prior permission from local authorities, observing turtle nesting south of the island is possible. The snorkelling in shallow reefs can be made from some beaches or boats through service providers. The diving course is the biggest attraction of Cozumel, the water temperature ranges from 25 ° C to 32 ° C during the year may be slightly higher at 40 and 50 m., And the diversity of flora and fauna have placed the island as one of the top five destinations in the world to practice this activity. The conditions of the island allow initiation courses open water, since in some coastal points really seem confined water. Certified divers can find options according to their skill level, whether novice, intermediate or advanced.

Both Cozumel and the peninsula are lowlying terraces of limestone covered with jungle. The limestone is derived largely from coral that has been solidified and compressed into hard rock during the eons. You can see the fossilized imprints of shells and corals from ancient reefs that make up the limestone if you look carefully along the shore. Much of the coast of Cozumel, especially along the western side, has no sandy beaches but is made up of eroded limestone or ironshore. On the eastern side, sandy beaches cover the ironshore in many areas. The limestone is porous, retaining rainwater like a sponge and slowly dissolving. As a result, a halo of fresh water is sometimes seen in the ocean near some spots on the coast. The jungle is dotted with fresh-water springs, caverns, wells, and pools (cenotes), which may contain brackish or fresh water depending on the level of the water table and the amount of seawater intruding through passageways in the rock. At the southern tip of the island, salt marshes create a swampy environment that attracts and holds tourist vehicles like a magnet. The island is separated from the mainland by a channel only 12 miles (19km) wide. On most nights, if you look to the west, you can see the lights of the Yucatán coast from the shores of Cozumel. Most of the mainland coast is still solid jungle; the only clearings are an occasional ranch or farm and the cenotes. Cozumel’s native plant and animal life is similar to that of the mainland, although there are some species such as the Cozumel raccoon, the Cozumel whiptail lizard and the Cozumel thrasher (an extremely rare bird) not found anywhere else.

If you go hiking on Cozumel, take mosquito repellent also, look out for insects such as wasps and ants. In particular, don’t sit or stand on or near fire ant hills. Fire ants are small, ordinary-looking ants that will come boiling out of their homes if you disturb them, and crawl all over you and sting and bite. They are to other ants what chili peppers are to tomatoes. Cozumel also has boa constrictors, non-venomous large snakes that are native to the mainland but were introduced to the island by a film crew making a movie there in 1971. They have spent the past few decades eating up as many birds, lizards and small mammals as they can hold. American crocodiles are another predatory part of the Cozumel landscape. You are likely to find them hanging out in or near the ponds on the golf course at the Cozumel Country Club just north of town, or at the Parque Punta Sur, an ecological park near the southern tip of the island. The park has walkways and trails, observation towers, etc. Unless you have your diver’s certification card with you, you will not be able to rent tanks or charter boats from any reputable operator. In other words, no card, no diving, no fun. Be sure to bring your dive log, too, so that you can show dive operators how much (or how little) experience you have before jumping into the water. Cozumel is no place to pretend you have more experience than you do. If you haven’t dived in high-current environments or along steep dropoffs, make sure your operator knows this in advance and takes it into account before you go diving.

Cozumel has the usual suite of Caribbean reef fish, invertebrates and plants. Some species likely to be seen are described in this section. Observant divers will notice a definite zonation, where groups of species change with increasing depth, and with distance from shore. The zonation reflects decreasing levels of light and wave exposure with increasing depth, and current velocities offshore as the Gulf Stream rips along on its way to Florida, and then to the North Atlantic. The zonation is most obvious among such reef-forming invertebrates as corals and sponges, but many fish are closely associated with the reef-builders and so show zonation themselves. Very close to shore, perhaps the most prominent species is the elkhorn coral. It forms huge colonies that shelter longspined sea urchins during the daytime. At night, the urchins move away from their shelters and graze on plants on the surrounding bottom. The largest gorgonians, or sea fans and sea whips, are also near shore. Divers are more likely to encounter fire coral in shallow water, growing on gorgonian skeletons, dead coral or other surfaces. Farther from shore, most of the reefs are dominated by the mountainous star coral and the cavernous star coral. In shallow water, these tend to grow as large mounds. As you probably know, corals are animals but have internal plants (zooxanthellae) which produce the food and oxygen used by their hosts. The zooxanthellae need light to exist, and many species of corals that change their growth forms depend on where they live in order to capture as much light as possible for their zooxanthellae. As a result, in deeper water (where there is not as much light), species such as the star corals tend to form sheets or plates that act like natural solar collectors. The large buttresses, such as those on Palancar Reef, are built mainly by star corals and the various growth forms can be seen at different depths. Species can always be recognized by the shape of the individual polyps, whatever the shape of the entire colony. The massive corals, such as the giant brain coral, are found over a wide depth range but are often larger in deeper water. Other corals, such as sheet or plate corals, specialize in living in lower-light situations (in crevices, under overhangs or in deep water). These corals can become very large, thin and fragile in depths at which they are not likely to be broken by waves.

The giant Caribbean anemone is frequently seen with fluorescent tentacle tips, which bear the stinging cells it uses to capture tiny crustaceans and other prey. Different colored tentacles do not indicate different species but rather color phases of the same species. There are sponges wherever coral is found in Cozumel, and large sponges can be seen on nearly every dive. Look for brittle stars in purple vase sponges. Bristle worms (also called fire worms) are common everywhere, but can be seen breeding on purple vase sponges at night during the late fall. Many sponges look brown by daylight but are orange or blood-red by night or in strobe-lit photographs. The basket sponges on the drop-offs have grown into funnel shapes under the influence of the usual south-to-north current. Their open cavities face north so that more stagnant water is extracted from the funnel by the passing current, and water with food and oxygen surrounds the outer filtering surface of the sponge. A lot of sponges secrete chemicals that allow them to bore holes in coral skeletons, and if you look closely at ‘dead coral,’ you’ll often see bits of living sponge sticking out of cracks and holes. The fish life around Cozumel is extremely diverse, and most of the abundant reef species in the Caribbean can be seen on dives. A few common nearshore species include yellow stingrays, barracudas, black groupers (hand-fed and tamed by divers on Palancar and Santa Rosa reefs, in particular), moray eels, angelfish, butterflyfish, wrasses, barjacks, grunts, snapper and triggerfish. Chubs and yellow and black barred sergeant-majors will surround you, begging for food. Damselfish will nip at you on every reef and various parrotfish can be seen and heard breaking coral with their jaws. Bigeye, glasseye snappers, and glassy sweepers are often seen hiding in shaded crevices during the day. Despite the temptation to feed fish, keep in mind the practice is generally frowned upon by ecologists as it upsets normal fish eating habits and can encourage aggressive behavior. Most photographers will want to search under coral heads at the edge of sandy patches for the elusive, splendid toadfish, a magnificent species in a family of fishes otherwise not known for their beauty. The splendid toadfish is believed to be common only in the vicinity of Cozumel. While looking under ledges for toadfish, you may also see large spiny lobsters and crabs.

Diving in Cozumel is a flowing diving, which has an average speed of 1-2 knots. Each particular location of diving receives a name, often referring to the name of the beach where it is, the best known in the park options are the following Cozumel Dive Sites; PARAÍSO REEF NORTH Location: Just north of the El Cid La Ceiba Beach Hotel Depth range: 40-50ft (12-14m) Access: Shore. THE JUNKYARD (FORMERLY AIRPLANE FLATS) Location: In front of the El Cid La Ceiba Beach Hotel Depth range: 10-40ft (12-14m) Access: Shore. PARAÍSO REEF SOUTH Location: South of the International Pier Complex Depth range: 35-45ft (11-14m) Access: Boat. PARQUE CHANKANAAB Location: 9km south of San Miguel on the road to Punta Sur Depth range: 10-40ft (3-12m) Access: Shore. LA QUEBRADA / BEACHCOMBER CAVERN Location: Southern edge of Parque Chankanaab Depth range: 15-30ft (5-9m) outer cavern Access: Shore. THE FELIPE XICOTENCATL WRECK Site closed. TORMENTOS REEF Location: Just south of Parque Chankanaab and La Quebrada Depth range: 50-70ft (15-20m) Access: Boat. YUCAB REEF Location: Between Tormentos Reef and Punta Tunich Depth range: 40-60ft (12-18m) Access: Boat. EL PASO DEL CEDRAL REEF Location: Offshore of El Cedral (inland, not visible from sea) Depth range: 40-60ft (12-18m) Access: Boat. TUNICH REEF Location: Near Punta Tunich between Punta Tormentos and San Francisco Beach Depth range: 60-80ft (16-24m) Access: Boat. CARDONA REEF Location: North and offshore of San Francisco Beach Depth range: 60-80ft (16-24m) Access: Boat. SAN FRANCISCO REEF Location: Directly off San Francisco Beach Depth range: 20-60ft (6-18m) Access: Boat. SANTA ROSA REEF Location: Offshore of Playa Sol and Playa San Francisco Depth range: 60-130+ft (18-40+m) Access: Boat. PALANCAR REEF Location: South of Punta Dalila off Playa Palancar Depth range: 30-130+ft (9-40+m) Access: Boat. PUNTA SUR Location: Near the southern end of Cozumel Depth range: 60-130+ft (9-40+m) Access: Boat. COLOMBIA REEF Location: Near the southern end of Cozumel Depth range: 60-130+ft (9-40+m) Access: Boat. MARACAIBO REEF Location: Off the southern end of Cozumel Depth range: 100-130+ft (30-40+m) Access: Boat. COLOMBIA SHALLOWS Location: Near the southern end of Cozumel inshore of Colombia Reef Depth range: 20-40ft (6-12m) Access: Boat. PUNTA DALILA Location: Northern-most end of the Palancar Reef complex Depth range: 45-70ft (12-14m) Access: Boat. DZUL-HA Location: Between the Fiesta Americana Hotel and the El Presidente Hotel Depth range: 10-30ft (12-14m) Access: Shore.