Tikila Bar — Restaurant in San Miguel de Cozumel

Best shore scuba dive on the island! Its amazing how much there is to see just a few dozen feet from shore, and the amenities on shore make it very convenient to access and clean up afterwards. Best of all it's cheap!

The spot in front of Tikila is blessed with a "mini wall" that drops from about 15 ft down to 25 ft, studded with coral teeming with life. You can swim under the concrete pier and look for critters (we wary of boats docking), or go north to see numerous artificial reefs. Some are concrete domes with holes, others are crisscrossed metal rebar. If you go far enough north there are statues of famous people. If you go "too far" north there are pipes on the ground and ropes and buoys on the surface to funnel you to shore near Sunset beach club.

If the current is too strong pushing north to swim back to Tikila then you can get out at Sunset and walk back on the street to Tikila. Be sure to thank the folks and Sunset and give a few pesos so we can all keep doing this.

Consider doing a refresher dive here at the start of your trip, before your the deep ocean dives, to dial in your gear and get your feet wet. It's also a great place to do a night dive. Ask around to find a private DM to take you here if you're not comfortable going with just your buddy. I believe they rent tanks and equipment here, but I brought all my stuff (my airbnd host provided tanks and weights) so I can't comment on that.

I believe there is free parking behind Paprika restaurant across the street. I was told this and parked there several times and never had anyone tell me not to. But of course this could change so be sure to ask.

As of summer 2021 I believe it cost $3 per diver and $2 for a locker. But if you mention you will eat or drink then they just apply that to your tab so then it's free! The nachos were quite good.

There are open air showers to rinse off your body and gear. There are dunk tanks but a friend advised against it, and the showers were sufficient to rinse the gear. They have oversized wooden tables and benches that you can pile up with scuba gear to get ready, plus a low wooden platform near the water to make it easy to don your heavy bcd/tank. There are stone steps and metal railings into the water so it's relatively easy to get in fully loaded with gear. For $2 there are lockers about the size of a backpack where you can safely store a wallet, car key, etc. We just left the rest of our low value scuba stuff on the picnic table (mesh bag, plastic mask containers, clothing, towel, etc). Several DMs said they'd never heard of anyone's stuff...

Great place to hangout for a while! Found this place by accident to be honest but its absolutley amazing!!! I was here while 4 cruise ships where in cozumel and yet, there wasnt nearly anyone at this place! Great cocktails and amazing food. The service is fantastic and the views are to die for no matter where you sit. There is a big fan blowing and plenty of shade so its nice and cool. They do have immediate access to crystal clear water. Now its NOT a white sand beach, in fact there is only a little walkway in the water you can use to get out farther but watch your step because there are rocks out there, after all one of their main buisnesses is the scuba diving lessons they run out of it which i didnt get to try but everyone always came out of the water smiling! They also have a freshwater shower available right as you get out of the salt water. Its slightly warm and just dumps water so its easy to get the salt off. This place is amazing and i cant give it enough praise. I love this place. The drink in the pic was an extremely tasty...

We spent two perfect afternoons at Tikila with Misael and Julio our meseros. Two of our group had never snorkeled before Coz so this was a great place to get in and start seeing stuff from an easy entry. Saw two spotted eels, a small ray, a trunkfish, and plenty of other pretty fish. Perfect for novices getting started, they were blown away by what they saw, lol!! The smooth-surface coral pathway out into the shallow water from the stairway was pretty easy to navigate, maybe not for all, but it was nice. We were on the north side of the bar downstairs, little more rustic than the upside but we loved it. Shaded, showers, bathrooms, great service. It was cool to watch the divers come and go too. Not rock bottom cheap but fair considering the setting, good guac and the drinks were good too. Thanks Tikila, for a great laid back experience...