Dive With Julio – Cozumel Adventures
Julio of “Dive with Julio”
Why Dive With Julio
Julio of Dive With Julio is one of our favorite excursion and dive operators in Cozumel, Mexico. Whether you are a seasoned scuba pro or just getting your feet wet, Julio offers exceptional, personalized diving and snorkeling for all skill levels.
Cozumel is famous for crystal clear water, vibrant coral reefs, and abundant marine life. With Dive With Julio you can explore safely, relax, and create unforgettable memories.
Experience and Certifications
What truly sets Julio apart is his personalized approach. This isn’t a big dive shop churning out mass tours—Julio is a PADI-certified instructor with over 15 years of experience, and he’s in the water with you, focusing on comfort, safety, and fun. We dive all over the Caribbean, and Julio remains one of the most attentive and passionate dive professionals we have met.
What Sets Julio Apart
Julio runs this boutique dive operation with heart, soul, and serious underwater talent.
Personalized small-group service
Deep knowledge of Cozumel’s reefs and marine life
Patient instruction with a clear focus on safety
Convenient pier pickup for our Costa del Sol Villa guests — Dive With Julio can pick up our guests directly from the Costa del Sol community pier. Guests staying at our El Cantil Condo meet Julio at Caleta Marina, a short taxi or drive from the Condo.
Expert eyes for marine life — Julio has a knack for spotting underwater creatures that are easy to miss, from hidden octopuses to well-camouflaged reef life.
Scuba Diving in Cozumel – What to Expect
Crystal-clear Caribbean water and excellent visibility on many dive days
Famous Cozumel reefs including Palancar, Columbia, and Santa Rosa
Marine life that may include sea turtles, rays, nurse sharks, moray eels, and colorful tropical fish
Julio has a great eye for finding the smaller and better-hidden reef life that can be easy to swim right past
👉 Want to know our favorite dive sites?
Check out our post: Best Diving in Cozumel – A Guide for Adventure Seekers
Night Dives with Julio
One of our favorite experiences with Dive With Julio is night diving in Cozumel. As the sun dips below the horizon, the reef comes alive with a different kind of energy. Nocturnal creatures like octopuses, lobsters, and eels begin to emerge, and the glow of your dive light reveals colors and movement you’d never notice during the day.
Check out this video of our unforgettable night dive with Julio, where we encountered an octopus and watched the reef transform under the stars.
And for a little fun with our favorite underwater friend, here’s a playful dive moment I like to call “Dory’s Search for Hank the Octopus” - a tribute to the curious and magical moments you’ll experience exploring Cozumel’s reefs: 👉 Watch Dory’s Search for Hank the Octopus
Whether we’re diving by daylight or after dark, some of our favorite dives with Julio have been the ones where we slow down and let him show us the marine life we might otherwise swim right past.
Snorkeling with Julio - El Cielo
Julio isn’t just about scuba—his snorkeling trips are another way to experience Cozumel from the water. El Cielo is a shallow sandbar at the south end of the island known for clear turquoise water, starfish, rays, and relaxed toes-in-the-water vibes.
Packages and Offerings
Dive With Julio offers options for certified divers, new divers, and groups looking for a more personalized experience. Offerings can change, so check directly with Julio for current availability, pricing, and trip details.
Two-Tank Dives for Certified Divers
Explore Cozumel’s reefs on a two-tank boat dive with a surface interval between dives. Dive sites are selected based on conditions, experience levels, and the dive plan for the day.
Scuba Instruction and Certification
Dive With Julio offers scuba instruction for new and experienced divers, including Open Water certification, refresher training, Advanced Open Water, Rescue, and specialty courses. Check with Julio for current course requirements, schedules, and pricing.
Private and Small-Group Diving
One of the things we enjoy most about diving with Julio is the personalized experience. Contact Dive With Julio directly to discuss options for your group and the kind of diving you’d like to do.
El Cielo and Snorkeling
Not everyone has to be a diver to enjoy a day on the water. Ask Julio about current snorkeling and El Cielo options when planning your trip.
Dive Gear
If you aren’t traveling with all of your own equipment, ask Dive With Julio about current rental-gear options when you reserve your dives.
Why We Recommend Dive With Julio
Jefé and I have done dozens of dives around the Caribbean, and what keeps us coming back to Julio is how personal the experience feels. We’re not just getting on a boat and checking off another dive—we enjoy diving with him.
Julio knows Cozumel’s reefs, pays attention to his divers, and has a wonderful eye for marine life that would be easy to swim right past. Some of our favorite memories with him have been the unexpected ones: finding an octopus tucked into the reef, slowing down to investigate something tiny, or simply enjoying a beautiful drift together.
We also appreciate the small-group experience and the flexibility of having both scuba and snorkeling options, especially when traveling with a group that doesn’t all want to do the same thing.
💙 “Julio has a knack for discovering underwater gems and makes every guest feel like a VIP.” — Shannon Coleman (Dory), We’ve Gone Coastal
Location and Convenience
Dive With Julio can arrange pickup and drop-off from participating piers south of Caleta Marina.
Guests staying at our We’ve Gone Coastal Villa at Costa del Sol can be picked up by Dive With Julio directly from the Costa del Sol community pier.
Guests staying at our We’ve Gone Coastal Condo at El Cantil also have access to a private community pier for participating dive-boat and excursion pickups. Dive With Julio does not currently pick up at the El Cantil pier, so our Condo guests diving with Julio take a short taxi or drive to Caleta Marina for departure.
Ready to plan your dives with Julio? Contact Dive With Julio directly for current availability, pricing, certification requirements, and trip options.
If you’re staying with We’ve Gone Coastal and would like help connecting with Julio, reach out after reserving your stay and we’ll be happy to make the introduction.
💙 Dory’s Treasure Tip
Ask Julio about a twilight/night dive. Watching the light change as you head out and then seeing the reef come alive after dark makes for a completely different Cozumel diving experience. Night dives with Julio have given us some of our favorite underwater memories.
Plan Your Stay
Staying in the right location can make your Cozumel dive days even easier. Our two We’ve Gone Coastal vacation rentals offer very different home bases—our beach villa at Costa del Sol on Cozumel’s south side and our oceanfront condo at El Cantil in San Miguel.
If you’re diving with Julio, the biggest difference is departure: Dive With Julio can pick our Villa guests up directly from the Costa del Sol community pier, while our Condo guests take a short taxi or drive to Caleta Marina.
Beach Villa at Costa del Sol
3 bedrooms, 3 baths, steps from the beach and Caribbean Sea, an oceanfront infinity pool, and private community pier with convenient Dive With Julio pickup.
Explore Our Costa del Sol Beach Villa →
Oceanfront Condo at El Cantil
4 bedrooms, 4 baths, Caribbean views, a heated saltwater pool and hot tub, private community pier, and an easy walk to restaurants and shopping.
Explore Our Oceanfront Condo at El Cantil →
Planning a Cozumel Dive Trip?
Stay with We've Gone Coastal and enjoy a comfortable home base for your days above and below the water.
💙 More Dive Adventures from Dory
More Cozumel Guides
Keep planning your island adventures with more of Dory’s firsthand Cozumel guides.
Meet Dory (Shannon Coleman)
Hi, I’m Dory—aka Shannon Coleman. I’ve been diving since 1987 and am an SSI Open Water Instructor. My husband, Jefé, and I have dived throughout the Caribbean, but Cozumel is one of those places we never seem to get enough of.
Julio is one of the Cozumel dive professionals we’ve personally spent time underwater with, so this guide comes from our own experiences diving and exploring the island with him.
Jefé and I own We’ve Gone Coastal Cozumel, and I created Dory’s Blog to share the places, people, dive sites, and practical island tips we genuinely recommend from our own time in Cozumel.
