Cozumel · Mexico · Reef · Pinnacle · Drift
Colombia Deep
Giant coral pinnacles cut with caves, tunnels and caverns
Area photo: Matthew T Rader · CC BY-SA 4.0
The deep half of the Colombia Reef complex in southern Cozumel, dived between roughly 18 and 27 metres along a drop-off and a run of giant coral pinnacles cut with caves, tunnels and caverns. It is usually run as a drift on a moderate current, and eagle rays, turtles and large barracuda are the animals people come back talking about.
Also known as Columbia Deep.
Where it is and how deep
20.3057° N, 87.0348° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site is normally run as a drift with a moderate current, so the group drops in together and lets the flow set the pace along the reef. The drop-off is the first structure you meet, at somewhere between 18 and 24 metres, and the profile stays deep for the first part of the dive before the reef steps back up towards the boat's pickup.
What makes it worth the depth is the topography rather than any one feature: a series of gigantic coral pinnacles standing off the reef, marked with caves, tunnels and caverns, with sand chutes running between them. Groups thread the gaps rather than following a single edge, which is slower work than it looks on a current. Eagle rays, turtles and large barracuda are all seen here.
Marine life and season
- Eagle rays
- Sea turtles
- Barracuda
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good |
Season follows Cozumel: January–April is prime with December close behind; lighter trades keep the leeward side calm, though winter nortes can shut the port for a day. Peak hurricane risk falls in September and October.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Colombia Deep?+
The usual recreational profile runs between about 18 and 27 metres, with the drop-off and the tops of the coral pinnacles taking up the deeper first half of the dive.
Sources
- Colombia Deep dive site — Scuba Du
- Colombia Deep — Scubago
- Colombia Reef — Scubago
More dive sites in Cozumel
Splendid toadfish, nurse sharks and turtles along the coral
Coral heads rising from 30 m to within 6 m of the surface
Mild current in a protected pocket, 9 to 15 m
Reef
Swim-throughs at several depths with usually mild current
Wall
A deep drop-off from 29 m with a large arch through the wall
The Cathedral cave sits in the same block of reef as the throat
Cave & cavern
Sunlight streaking through a vaulted cavern ceiling
Reef
Permit cruising over coral heads on open sand
Similar dives elsewhere
Swim-throughs between giant boulders where shy nurse sharks hide
Jacks and barracuda stacked in the current
Three huge rocks with coral slopes, quieter than East of Eden
Manta cleaning stations on an amphitheatre of rock at 21-26 m