Cozumel Trip Report 2026

Iberostar Resort & Dressel Divers | May 9 - 16, 2026

By Trip Leader Mike Chiado

Bluewater Travel’s Cozumel 2026 edition was once again a delight at the Iberostar Resort. Our group, like many other resort guests, was primarily focused on scuba diving, so it was easy to feel at home in our rash guards. Iberostar is an all-inclusive resort that offers multiple restaurants without the hassle of reservations. There’s even an outdoor restaurant adjacent to the dive center, which is perfect for a quick lunch between morning and afternoon dives, even in dive gear. One of my favorite features of the resort is the room key, which is replaced by a saltwater-safe wristband that avoids potential mishaps with other types of keys.

The dive operation at Iberostar is operated by Dressel Divers, an independent business that seamlessly integrates into the resort’s daily life. The dive operation is based in a standalone building at the edge of the sand, adjacent to the dive boat dock. Behind the dive building are two large rinse tanks. One of the tanks has disinfectant for wet suits, fins, and BCDs, while the other has fresh water for regulators and cameras.

One surprise this year was the closure of the restaurant in the resort’s lobby. This lobby location was the place for breakfast and dinner in previous years. To replace the lobby eatery, Iberostar shifted breakfast to the large El Cedral restaurant closer to pools and beach. El Cedral was previously used for lunch and dinner, but not for morning meals. This may sound like a loss of service, but it made things easier by shifting breakfast closer to the dive operations. I much preferred this setup and didn’t miss the lobby location.

This year, the weather was exceptionally favorable, mirroring last year’s conditions. Light breezes and days ranging from partly sunny to full sun made for an ideal diving experience. Temperatures hovered in the low 80s, providing a comfortable environment that prevented chills after dives. As a result, no dives were canceled, and the dive boats were always able to safely tie up at the resort’s docks.

The Bluewater Team went above and beyond to ensure that all necessary paperwork was completed, received, and reviewed by Dressel Divers before our arrival. This meticulous preparation saved us an hour of time on the first day, allowing us to dive sooner and enjoy a more relaxed lunch break. We truly appreciate the efforts of the BW Team.

This year, our group was smaller, so we shared one of Dressel’s boats with another group. Despite sharing a boat, our dedicated dive guide ensured that our experience remained seamless and enjoyable. Our dive days followed a consistent pattern: arriving at the dive center at 8:30 am, embarking on two morning boat dives, having lunch at the resort, diving again in the afternoon, taking a break, and concluding with a group dinner.

On our first dive day, we explored the Yucab, Santa Rosa Reef, and Palancar Caves. The water was warm at 84°F, visibility was excellent, and the currents were gentle. The marine life was impressive, with sightings of the endemic Splendid Toadfish, a massive Loggerhead Turtle, Barracuda, Queen, French, and Grey Angelfish, Caribbean Squid, Eyed Flounder, Oceanic and Queen Triggerfish, Spotted and Green Moray Eels, Blennies, Parrotfish, Scrawled and Orangespotted Filefish, schools of Grunts and Snappers, Pufferfish, Squirrelfish, and Yellow Stingray. It was an incredible start to our diving adventure!

The second day of diving brought an exciting treat—the C-53 Wreck. This former U.S. Navy minesweeper was sunk in 1999 as an artificial reef. Originally named the USS Scuffle, it was renamed the Felipe Xicoténcatl when sold to the Mexican Navy. Due to its distance from the resort, the C-53 Wreck isn’t often visited by Dressel boats. However, clear water and a marker buoy made it easy to find. The ship sits vertically in 80 feet of water, with its highest point at 45 feet. As prepared for diving before sinking, large holes in the hull allow for easy exploration of the interior. The wreck’s size of 180 feet in length provides ample time to circumnavigate the exterior, venture inside, cover the top decks, and follow the marker line for a safety stop.

Love wrecks? Check out our list of the Best Wreck Diving in the World!

After the C-53 Wreck dive, we headed to a shallower Santa Rosa Reef dive and lunch. The afternoon dive took us to the topographically interesting Palancar Caves. While “caves” is a bit of a misnomer, it’s actually a series of short swim-throughs and pinnacles. The clear water made it easy to follow the group if you stray off, like I did to take photographs. Just look up and see a stream of bubbles around the next turn. Our group was fortunate to encounter the second large loggerhead of the trip while cruising by the ‘Caves’ in search of a delicious sponge. To add to the spectacle, a Hawksbill Turtle was close behind, seemingly deciding to let its larger cousin find lunch.

The following days followed the easy schedule of eating, diving, eating, diving, and sleeping. Underwater encounters included juvenile Spotted Drums, Reef and Nurse sharks, Blue, Midnight, Stoplight, and Queen Parrotfish, Trumpetfish, Rock Beauty, Arrow, and Hermit Crabs, Conch, Jawfish, Smooth Trunkfish, and many massive Spiny Lobsters. Most of the dive area in Cozumel is protected marine park, allowing creatures like the Spiny Lobster to mature and feel comfortable walking freely around the reef during daylight.

This year, the Smooth Trunkfish were abundant. During one dive, we spotted dozens beyond the safety of the reef grouping midwater. Our guide, Juan, a marine biologist and Cozumel diver of many years, had never witnessed such an aggregation of Trunkfish, leaving us to speculate about the reason, perhaps mating.

Bluewater builds in an extra non-diving day into the schedule for either a make-up day in case of bad weather or to tour off-resort sites. With the week’s perfect weather and lack of interest in off-site attractions, our group opted for additional dives on the last day. These dives were timed to allow for a 24-hour break before flying. The first of the additional morning dives was a Columbia Deep. This deeper reef is in great shape, adorned with the ever-present orange sponges, and provided entertainment with large Gray and French Angels and another Hawksbill.

Thanks to the good weather, which allowed an extra dive day, the group completed a total of 17 dives. Dive sites visited during the week included Albertos, Columbia Deep, C-53 Wreck, Cedral Wall, La Francesa, Palancar Caves, Palancar Cuevones, Paso del Cedral, Punta Sur, San Francisco Wall, Santa Rosa Reef, Santa Rosa Wall, and Yucab. We would like to thank our guides Juan and Nick for a fantastic week on the water!