Cozumel Dive Sites
Paso del 
Paso
del Cedral Reef (Cedar Pass) is one of those dives you won't
soon forget. Of all the Cozumel photos I've had published,
most of them were shot here. This is one of my favorite dite
sites in Cozumel.
Most dive operators dive Cedral as the morning second dive, but we have found it to be less crowded and even more photogenic when dived it as the first dive of the day. It is possible to start the dive on Cedral Wall, but its unlikely you'll have enought bottom time to do them both on the same dive.
This
reef bottoms out at about 60'. Because the currents are generally
moderate to strong you'll find
yourself close to the sand for most the dive so you won't
get pulled away by the current. Typically when done as a second
dive of the day its easy to go into deco if you're good on
air and want to maximize your bottom time. If you're diving
NITROX you probably won't have any problem with bottom time.
Cedral is considered to be a novice to intermediate level dive.
There is a sandy area south of where the reef starts that is worth checking out. Although the current can be strong here, ask your dive guide to point out the small caves where large lobster and giant green eels are sometimes found. Keep your eyes open for free swimming eels and sharks. There are ususally several pair of French angelfish and gray angelfish that also cruise over the sand just before the reef.
Once
you drift to the beginning of the reef you'll start to see
some large schools of grunts and snappers that congregate in
the shelter of the reef. Even if there's a current here, slow
down! You can easily wind your way back and forth across and
under the reef. You may even want to back-track if the current
isn't too strong. There are so many great places here to take
pictures and if
you go too fast you'll miss a lot of the tight coves and crevases
where schools of fish are hiding.
It
would be easy to spend 20-30 minutes in this area alone.
There's plenty to see. Once you wind your way past the reef
you'll find another mound of sandy bottom where barracuda hang
out. We've also seen a lot of turtles and eagle rays here.
By this point of
the dive you'll be ready to ascend.
The best camera set-up for this reef would be a wide angle angle lens. There is also plenty of great macro here but large schools of fish next to the vibrant orange, red and yellow sponges makes for some great photos. If you’re using a camera that allows you to switch lenses underwater this would be an ideal dive site to use it. You don’t want to miss a shot of this spectacular site.
As with all the dives in Cozumel, follow your dive guide. If you wish to dive any reef in Cozumel different the normal flow of things be sure to discuss this with your Divemaster before getting into the water.
RECENT IMAGES FROM PASO DEL CEDRAL
