Coral Princess Columbia Reef Money Bar Punta Sur
Reef Health 5 out of 5 5 out of 5 4 out of 5 5 out of 5
Accessibility from shore - guests only by boat from shore from shore
Depth 10' - 20' ft' 60' - 90' ft' 10' - 15' ft' 5' - 20' ft'
Difficulty Level beginner intermediate beginner beginner
Cost price of hotel room approx. $60 boat ride FREE approx. $16/person

Coral Princess Reef

Coral Princess Reef is a shallow sanctuary between 10’ and 20’ ft depth accessible from shore. The seawall underneath the shoreline of this hotel zone is alive and covered by colorful soft coral formations mimicking bushes, cones, mushrooms, feathers, and candelabras that move with the ebb and flow of the tide. It is a home for smaller marine creatures that weave themselves throughout the natural architecture.

This reef is only accessible by hotel guests or by those who can swim to it. Because of the limited human activity, the reef is continually active. Coral Princess reef is perfect for beginners and those who love to spend hours in the water. The water is calm and easy to swim north and south along the shoreline, and currents are usually mild. Coral Princess Dive Hotel offers a clean outdoor shower and deep basin sink area for rinsing off you and your gear.

Columbia Reef

Columbia Reef has three parts, Columbia Shallows (30’ – 50’ ft), Colombia (60’ – 90’ ft), and Columbia Deep (90’ – 120’) which not surprising is best suited for scuba divers.

Columbia Reef is in the middle and is a wide open space accessible by boat around 4 miles (2.5 km) offshore on the southern west end of Cozumel Island. It is an active area where you can find barracuda, hawksbill sea turtles, large ocean triggerfish, and giant eagle rays. This is also the area you are more likely to observe reef sharks, dolphins, and other larger animals.

Money Bar Beach Club at Dzul-Ha Reef

Money Bar Dzul-Ha Reef is located about 4.5 miles (7 km) south of the cruise ship port. This place is great for beginners and is a FREE location accessible from the shore where showers, bathrooms, and lounges are available. Dzul-Ha reef is only 10’ – 15’ ft deep with modular Reef Balls added to the bottom to help colonize and enhance the natural marine environment.

Dzul-Ha is free but it is good practice to stop by the Money Bar to grab some refreshments before or after as they help maintain the area in pristine condition.

Punta Sur (Punta Celarain)

Punta Sur, more precisely, Punta Celarain (5’ – 20’ ft deep) is a shallow white sandy bottom with large patches of sea grass. Although, it is quite shallow it is best to continuously swim so not to touch and damage the grass.

This area is a reliable food source for sea turtles in the area which is the main reason I mention it. Starting in May and through July, the area becomes a nesting ground for hundreds of sea turtles and it is highly probable to find them in the water feeding.

Punta Celarain is accessible from the shore, it costs around $16 per person for entry into Punta Sur Eco Park. NOTE: Punta Sur does not allow the use of sunscreen of any kind, best to bring a long sleeve rash guard and surf leggings if you are sun sensitive.