On top of the age-old structures of the Mesoamerican Reef, stands the Island of Cozumel. Located at the Easter tip, of the Yucatán Peninsula, Cozumel was formed by coralline limestone rock and sandy soils, is the largest inhabited island in Mexico and Caribbean´s premier dive spot. (declared a national park in 1996).

The Island of Cozumel measures 48 km (30 miles) from north to south but only 16 (10 miles ) from east to west. On either side of the island, beaches form a long, white sandy coast. Gentle waves and transparent waters wash the western side of the island, while huge waves crash against the eastern side.

Once known mainly for its great scuba diving, Cozumel has flowered into a popular destination for duty-free bargain hunters, sun lovers and those just in search of the quiet life.

Cozumel was once the exclusive haunt of divers following in the footsteps of oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, who filmed a documentary here in 1961.

San Francisco Beach and Chankanaab lagoon Park are both popular tourist attractions. There is party atmosphere at this busy beach, with its open-air restaurants and bar. Chankanaab also rates as a must-see on tourist agendas. Aside from an attractive crescent-shaped beach, a small museum and botanical garden, Chankanaab boasts a wonderful natural lagoon connected to the Caribbean by a series of underwater tunnels and caves.

Famous all over the world for its coral reefs, there are plenty of water sports such as diving, deep-sea fishing, snorkeling, kayaking and more. Cozumel's mostly undeveloped territory at the center of the island is covered by jungle and swampy lagoons, which are home to tiny mammals and endemic birds that have never left the island.

With their crystal-clear water and incredible variety of marine life, Cozumel's reefs offer an underwater experience you won't soon forget.

The waters surrounding the island are so clear that visibility can be up to 250 feet, opening up a world of beauty unlike any other.

As many as 250 different species of fish can be seen in Cozumel's waters; one of the most spectacular is the Queen Angelfish, possessing bright blue-and-yellow markings and the distinctive blue "crown" on the top of the head. You can even catch a glimpse of the Toad fish, found nowhere else in the world. Making it's home in the holes along the reef, this fish grows from 12 to 16 inches in length.

In addition to the colorful fish, Cozumel boasts some of the biggest and most spectacular sponge formations in the world. Fed by a continuous current bringing a steady supply of food to the reefs, some sponges, such as the Elephant Ear sponge, can grow as large as 12 feet across. Other sponges, like the Barrel sponge, gain considerable size as well.

On the surface Cozumel has a number of unusual features and include certain endemic species, such as the dwarf raccoon (procyon pygmaeus) and the Cozumel wren (nasua nelsoni). Migratory birds also rely heavily on the richly productive feeding grounds of the reef, which supports populations of magnificent frigate birds, brown pelican, olivaceous cormorant, and many others. The prehistoric iguana and the crocodile are the state's largest lizards and there are a host of amphibians, tree frogs are particularly colorful, their bright hues a warning to predators.