Blackwater Cozumel

Mike Bartick · Issue 121, Jul/Aug 2021 · pp. 50–53

Products mentioned: Nikon D850, Sea and Sea housing, 60mm lens, YSD-3 Lightning strobes, Kraken Hydra 3500s

Cozumel is known to be a quick get away dive destination throughout the US with many of the divers repeating the same trip several times each year. Exploring the lush, sponge covered reefs while drift diving is the norm for this area and I must say, it is easy diving and very beautiful. I recently spent 12 days shooting there, mostly wide angle and some macro during the daylight hours but that wasn’t really the primary reason for my visit. The main goal for this trip was to train a dive operation in the fine art of blackwater diving, or drift diving in the open ocean, at night. I enjoy blackwater dive in any location that I visit as I feel exploring the night sea offers a unique perspective of the local environment. BW diving also provides local divers and DM’s the chance to see another layer of their home turf and elevates their own ability to understand the reef systems that they frequ…