Picture a beautiful Caribbean beach with white sand and clear, turquoise-blue water. A little ways out in the water snorkelers bob up and down, the tips of their snorkels still visible even when the undulations of the waves obstruct your view of the swimmers. Boats are anchored off the coast, and periodically a divers jump off, swims back, and dive off again. You watch all of this from your grass covered cabana. This place perfectly combines both fun and relaxation. It is called Cozumel.

Located just off the coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, Cozumel is relatively undeveloped. Therefore, the environment is very natural, both on the island and in the seas surrounding it, and lends itself to beautiful scenery, and world class snorkelling and scuba diving among the spectacular coral reef systems. Unsurprisingly, Cozumel’s economy is largely based on tourism.

If you do wind up scuba diving in Cozumel, you will be swimming among the Mesoamerican Reef, which is the largest reef system in America. When you scuba dive or snorkel in Cozumel, you have the chance to see hundreds of species of fish, turtles, and other forms of aquatic life. You may even encounter a toadfish, which does not exist anywhere else in the world.

Other caribbean islands have been featured on this page, and each has its own flavor and culture. One of the nice things about island hopping is that, while the entire time you are amidst beautiful caribbean scenery, you get to experience the different flare of the islands, and what each specific one has to offer.