Diving Cozumel at Iberostar with Dressel Divers
An all-inclusive dive week at Iberostar Cozumel with Dressel Divers. This page covers room location tips, resort layout, boat routines, diver mix, and staying close to the reefs. It also includes practical gear notes, travel details, and a quick note on celebrating a 50th dive milestone.
Travel To and From Cozumel
Travel was straightforward. We departed Chicago O Hare early, connected in Dallas, and arrived in Cozumel before midday. On arrival several flights landed close together, which created about an hour queue at security. Agents were professional, and the green light button at customs simply determines whether you are selected for an extra check. Outside the terminal you will encounter aggressive taxi reps; we bypassed them and met our group shuttle.
Outbound: Sat Apr 13, 2024 Chicago O Hare to Dallas 6:25 am, American 2754. Dallas to Cozumel 10:25 am, American 1180.
Return: Sat Apr 20, 2024 Cozumel to Dallas 12:15 pm, American 2576. Dallas to Chicago O Hare 6:30 pm, American 1199.
Water Conditions
- Minimal swell and minimal current
- 81 F at 90 ft with no thermocline observed
Basic Gear Used
- xDeep Zen with stainless steel backplate
- Mares Avanti Quattro+ fins
- Mares Genius computer with AI transmitter
- Bare Velocity Ultra 3 mm wetsuit with 6 lb additional weight
- After day one I switched to skin only with no added weight and it felt great
Resort Layout and Rooms
The property is compact for a resort, which makes moving between rooms, pool, buffet, and dock quick. We sampled all on-site restaurants and found the buffet more reliable than the sit down options. We did not submit special room requests and were assigned Room 1203, which turned out to be ideal. It sat steps from the dive shop, beach grill, beach bar, pool, and a buffet, making turnarounds between dives easy. One maintenance visit next door resulted in a courtesy bottle of wine and an apology from staff.
If you plan to use the beach, note that loungers are first come first serve and shaded options are limited. Arrive early to claim shade. There is little to see snorkeling off the beach, but staff allow it if you want to splash around.
Diving with Dressel Divers
The shop handled high volume smoothly, often coordinating four boats at the dock and another circling. A whiteboard outside lists boats and assigned divers, which makes staging simple. For Nitrox, analysis and log sheets were handled at the dock before boarding. The Iberostar sits mid corridor along the reefs, so rides to sites were usually under 30 minutes and boats returned to the resort between dives.
Our group had a dedicated boat and the same divemaster team all week. The platform was standard with covered bench seating, a small forward galley, dunk tanks midships, a top sun deck, and a forward bow where snorkelers relaxed. The engine was very loud, so briefings were easiest to hear if you stood close to your divemaster.
With so many boats on the water, sites can get crowded. Captains and divemasters routinely adjusted plans to avoid traffic and preserve safety. Palencar Caves was my favorite site on the trip, though all the dives were enjoyable.
Milestone and Site Proximity
I completed my 50th dive on this trip with guide Marta, whose gas use was impressively low. She regularly finished 50 minute dives on an aluminum 80 and still surfaced with about 1500 psi. Proximity to the dock meant easy access to real bathrooms and quick snacks between dives, which kept the day relaxed and efficient. We would happily return under the same setup.