Liveaboard in Cozumel: Why there isn’t any diving from liveaboards in Cozumel

This topic has become a recurring question for our information department… Why is there no diving from a liveaboard in Cozumel?

Tell me something,

• Do you want to enjoy spectacular dive sites and more than 3 dives a day?
• Do you intend to have accommodation with all the comforts and luxury?
• Longing for a place to store your gear and easily manage it without carrying it from one place to another?
• Do you want to share a lively chat and a cold beer at sunset with fellow divers?
• Do you aspire to scuba dive non-stop, and be constantly taken care of?

If you are surprised because you have answered all these questions with:  “Yes, I want this in Cozumel.” You have to read on.

In this article, we are going to talk about:

What a Liveaboard Diving Cruise is?

A liveaboard boat is a vessel on which divers can live for some time. When these boats are on diving cruises, they also have all the facilities and equipment to be floating dive centers.

Thus, a liveaboard diving cruise adds un a hotel + a diving center + transportation to the diving spots.

Why Are There No Liveaboard Cozumel Cruise Options?

There are several reasons why there are no Cozumel liveaboards.

1. It is prohibited

The Cozumel reef system is protected by “Arrecifes de Cozumel” National Marine Park.

Due to its incalculable ecological value, the Mexican government cares about tourism, and scuba divers attracted by its incredible reefs, are sustainable and do not harm them. For this reason, the passage of boats within the park is limited.

Rule 7.- The anchoring or navigation of tourist cruises or boats with a greater than 2 m /6,5 ft. draft is not allowed.

Rule 32.- Only the use of boats with less than 20 m / 65 ft length, a draft of less than 2 m /6,5 ft, and a maximum capacity of 60 passengers will be allowed.

By their very nature Cozumel liveaboard cruises, would have to bigger vessels that provide onboard accommodation and service as a dive center. The truth is that such liveaboards are big yachts, with 5-20 bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, a solarium, a living room, compressors for different gases, a diving platform, and sometimes even a Jacuzzi!

So, inevitably they need a draft that is greater than 2 meters / 6,5ft. Therefore, they are not allowed to enter the Cozumel Reefs Park. Only smaller boats have permission. And even these must be registered to get a license, with a maximum number of licenses available. In other words, there is a strictly limited amount of dive boats in Cozumel.

2. The best dive sites are very close to shore

Another reason liveaboards make little sense is that all the famous dive sites are stretched along the shore. But how close you are to them, depends very much on your choice of dive center location. Dressel Divers has a superb location right at the heart of the marine park and is less than 15 minutes from Cozumel’s best reefs by boat.

3. You can have everything a Cozumel liveaboard offers from land

How? With Dressel Divers stay and dive packages that give you a luxury divers base camp right inside the Cozumel Marine Park, so inside it’s like being on a liveaboard.

With rooms so close to every world-famous reef, all the advantages of a liveaboard without the inconveniences is what best defines the Iberostar Stay & Dive resort in Cozumel.

Imagine reefs so plentiful, so perfect and so close to the dive resort a liveaboard no longer makes sense even if there were one. Dive all day and into the night, up to five dives a day, from the Iberostar Cozumel dive resort, which has the ambiance of a liveaboard or small diver town, replete with passionate divers and cozy bars and restaurants.

Cozumel Dive Resorts: The Closest Thing to a Cozumel Liveaboard Diving Cruise

–All-inclusive service. Dressel Divers’ Stay and Dive diving packages mean an all-inclusive stay at the Iberostar Cozumel and top-quality diving with Free Nitrox.

Our diving center in Cozumel has been ranked sixth in the world, and the best dive center in Mexico, by Dive Magazine, because we guarantee a world-class scuba experience at a great value.

We are very close to the dive sites due to our incredible location in the Cozumel Marine Park. This means we can normally be on the reefs first, avoiding other divers as much as possible, and our boat trips are very short.

More importantly, this means we can return to the pier between dives for people to have a break for a snack and drink at the hotel cafeteria, which is what makes our setup truly feel like a liveaboard because all the nondiving amenities are always right there at your fingertips.

– More diving. With Dressel Divers dive packages, you can do up to 5 dives per day. Including night dives. We are talking about diving packages with excellent prices, which include EXTRA DIVES, free of charge. You can even take our popular diving excursions to the most famous dives on the mainland to see the Cenotes or the Bull Sharks!

– Expert staff is attentive to you and your team. Both the Iberostar Cozumel staff and the Dressel Divers staff take care of you, from the chambermaid to the chef. From the Base Leader to the captains and the dive equipment staff.

All Dressel Divers boats are designed for diving. We have comfortable and very spacious boats that can take three groups of 8 divers. We organize groups as much as possible based on experience levels, and given the popularity of our dive shop, we normally have enough guests to do this very effectively.

There is always at least one Dive Master or Diving Instructor as a guide for every 8 divers. Our deck staff will help you with your equipment, hold your tank and hoist it up if you need help getting back on board. Upon returning to the dive center, your equipment will be taken care of by our staff, although you can also rent it.

In the hotel, Spa, gym, and 4 themed restaurants adapted to the most demanding tastes await you.

Enjoy all the comfort of having your accommodation a few meters from your dive center with a pier and a myriad of nearby reefs.

This hotel feels like it was designed for and by nature-loving divers, that know exactly what is important. Everything becomes one with you, the dive center, and the reefs.

Everything a Cozumel liveaboard could offer and more.