Sitting just off Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, Cozumel boasts crystal clear, warm waters every day of the year and is home to a wide array of marine life. Wildlife encounters include spotted eagle rays, nurse sharks, turtles, stingrays, moray eels, tons of reef fish, and the endemic splendid toadfish, only found in Cozumel.

At Iberostar Waves Cozumel, live a 5-star experience along one of the most famous coral reefs on Earth. This all-inclusive hotel is located on the island of Cozumel, about 12.5 miles from the international airport. It has a diving center with its own boats to help you explore the second-largest coral reef in the world. If you love connecting with nature, just wait until you immerse yourself in the waters of Cozumel. You’ll fall in love with what you see! Enjoy a family atmosphere in their fully equipped bungalow-style rooms from which you can easily access the pools, spa and the extensive white sandy beach. They’ll serve up your favorite meal at either their international buffet or in their themed restaurants so you can enjoy their gastronomy to the fullest. They offer a healthy, tasty and natural menu that varies according to the local produce and the season.  

Iberostar Waves Cozumel is expertly located between an array of top dive sites, all within 15 minutes of the resort. You can easily explore the tropical reefs and observe its vibrant underwater sea life from up close. 

Click here to check out the resort!

Villa Blanca Wall

Villa Blanca gets a lot of current, so the reef is low profile. The sponges and coral here are in really good health. You will see lots of basket sponges, and barrel sponges, with black gorgonian throughout.

There are scrawled filefish, spotted moray eels, honeycomb trunkfish, and some white spot trigger fish, as well as a few sea turtles.

Palancar Reef 

Located near the southwest side of the island of Cozumel, Palancar Reef spans 3.5 miles in length, it's part of the Great Barrier Reef of the Western Atlantic. Well-suited to the interests and abilities of beginner swimmers and expert divers alike, Palancar Reef is everything you would hope an underwater paradise to be. From natural rock formations through to an extraordinary array of vegetation, you can explore the Palancar Gardens, Caves, Bricks and Horseshoe all at different depths of your dive, and blends various types of coral, creating spectacular splashes of color and the perfect spot for eagle rays, sea turtles and impressive schools of fish to congregate. 

Santa Rosa Wall

On the top edge of the wall towards shore are sandy bottom areas and with nice big overhangs to hide out from the current. The coral is rocky with large rocky outcrops that are 30-40' tall. The wall drops steeply, but there are ledges and some sandy areas on the way down. There are beautiful swim throughs that take you from the wall back to the sandy area, and vice versa. Look for French grunts and schoolmasters in the darker areas. 

Be on the lookout for scrawled filefish, sea turtles, groupers, giant parrotfish, French and queen angelfish, and quite a few toadfish. There is also a good chance of spotting a giant green moray eel. 

Yucab Reef

Being a shallower reef, Yucab is a very popular second dive. The reef is very colorful and healthy with lots of hard coral species and huge barrel sponges. There is usually a strong current here so this is typically done as a drift dive.

Wildlife encounters include spotted eagle rays, nurse sharks, turtles, stingrays, moray eels, tons of reef fish, and the endemic Splendid toadfish.

This trip is kid-friendly! Enjoy peace of mind knowing that your kids will be having just as much fun as you are on your family vacation. This resort features a kids’ camp packed with games and activities for your little ones. Between kids camps and nanny services, we’ve got your non-divers covered while you explore the reefs. 

This location is also suitable for younger or newer divers seeking warm, clear waters for easy diving. This is a perfect trip for divers in our SSI Explorers program. Explorers ages ten and up are welcome to complete their SSI Junior Open Water Diver certification here with our very own instructors. This takes the difficulty of cold California waters out of the equation, encouraging a lifelong passion for scuba diving. Watch as your kids experience warm, colorful reefs, share their joy seeing their first sea turtle, and dive without all the restrictions of cold water suits. This is an adventure they will talk about for years to come!  

Click here to read the "Know Before You Go".  

Please click here to download the Medical Statement from Iberostar & Dressel Divers. This form is required for anyone participating in diving activities. This will need to be printed, filled out, and turned in at the pre-trip meeting. If for any reason you are unable to attend the pre-trip meeting, bring your filled out form with you to Cozumel to turn in prior to your first dive. 

For all travelers joining us on international dive trips we recommend DiveAssure for dive accident insurance and travel insurance. Dive accident insurance can protect you in the event of a dive-related injury and is strongly recommended for all of our guests. Travel insurance can protect you in the event of an unexpected trip cancellation or trip interruption and can also cover lost or damaged luggage expenses, unexpected itinerary changes, and more.    

We all know the issues with airlines these days with crazy flight schedules and prices….. Please contact Bob with Aggressor Travel to secure your airfare just as soon as possible. Bob can be reached at 800.348.2628 and located on the east coast so please call him in the morning. He can also can be eMailed at [email protected] and he will need your passport details. Airfare is varies for a rate that includes the appropriate baggage allowance acceptable for Scuba Divers and has proposed the flights detailed below.

Please call Bob just as soon as possible and let him know “You are traveling to Cozumel Mexico Trip with Dolphin Scuba Center this January” and he’ll know what to do….  

American 1544 11th January Sacramento to Dallas Depart 6:17AM Arrive 11:39AM

American 2813 11th January Dallas to Cozumel Depart 12:19PM Arrive 3:59PM

American 2727 18th January Cozumel to Charlotte Depart 1:54PM Arrive 4:45PM

American 1252 18th January Charlotte to Sacramento Depart 6:00PM Arrive 8:38PM

To set up an account or change your Dolphin Travel password just go to www.WETravel.com. Click on "Sign In" and enter the email you used to book the trip and send yourself a "Set Password" email. Go to your email inbox to find the latest email that will help you set a password. You will be able to manage all of your Dolphin trips and adventures under one account.

 Each participant is required to complete a Release of Liability waiver. You will find the waiver within your WETravel account and we ask that you do so at your earliest convenience. It's simple and easy to do:

1. Select “My Trips” 
2. On the left hand side, select "Trips I've Joined"
3. Look for the relevant trip title
4. Select “Manage Booking”
5. In the bottom of the right column you will see “eSignature”
6. Select “View and Sign Document”
7. Select “Start” 
8. As you read the document, “Initial” if prompted
9. At the end of the document fill out the “Signature” 

For those with multiple participants on the same booking, or if you are having difficulties signing your trip release, please click here: Dolphin Scuba Trip Release of Liability Please ensure that you select the correct trip & trip dates from the drop down arrow at the bottom of the form. You will find this selection after signing and filling out your personal information. The above form sufficiently takes place of the WETravel waiver. Note that every participant, not just the primary participant on the booking, is required to sign. Any participant that has not signed the waiver will not be able to participate in trip activities.  

Click here to see the video of Iberostar Waves Resort and Cozumel diving.

Iberostar is delighted to present their new APP for iOS, with exciting new features so you can get even greater enjoyment from your stay.

• Access the web check-in service to make your arrival faster and more convenient

• Enjoy permanent access to all event and activity times, and add them to your diary to make sure you don’t miss a thing

• Book a table in our restaurants or order dinner in your room

• Obtain full details of all the hotel services and facilities with our interactive map

• Chat with the hotel staff and eConcierge to solve all your needs and queries

Iberostar App