Explore the seafloor in a submarine
Take Your Family On An Unforgettable Deep Sea Submarine Tour
Day trip idea: Atlantis Submarine Tour Mexico
Take your all-inclusive vacation in Cozumel to the next level by tacking on an amazing deep sea adventure aboard a mini submarine. No need to pay for an ‘excursion’ from the resort. You can just book the tickets online and take a 10 minute taxi ride to the office in downtown Cozumel.
Highly recommended.
Our kids love snorkelling but are too young to go scuba diving. As soon as they are old enough to get their open water certification, we’ll sign them up – but in the meantime, while visiting Cozumel, Mexico, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take them down below the surface and do some deep sea exploring as part of a mini-submarine tour.
Just minutes from the centre of Cozumel, and easily accessible by taxi, is the head office of Atlantis Submarine Tour Mexico. This was a totally unique excursion, and even though we have a number of dives under our belts, felt that this was exciting. Watching our kids peer out the port windows at the underwater life, floating past coral, fish and rays was like a mini-marine biology class.
The crew ferry you out to the submarine, which is about 40 minutes from the Atlantis Submarine Tours office. When you arrive, the sub breaches the surface and you’re invited to board through the access hatch. The submarine is quite large inside and doesn’t feel cramped or crowded. It has 13 port windows on each side, and seats about 40 people. The submarine itself dives down to 100 feet below sea level and spends about 45 minutes submerged, maneuvering along the sea floor. The crew points out interesting features as the sub cruises along. Our route took us past a decommissioned battle ship where we saw divers as excited to see us as we were them.
It’s hard to say anything negative about this excursion. The prices are $105 for adults and $65 for between 4 and 12, which we thought was pretty reasonable for the 3 hours.
Are submarines safe?
With all the media attention that surrounded the 2023 Titan submarine disaster and the questions that arose from the safety record of the parent company OceanGate, this is a fair question.
First, here is what Atlantis has to say about safety:
Atlantis Submarines has operated 24 years in Cozumel without incident or accidents.
All systems on the submarine are duplicated and the vessel floats to the surface in the event of no power. At surface control vessel follows the submarine and is in constant communication with the crew throughout its journey.
Likewise, we have rigorous audit and compliance processes with demanding requirements for insurance purposes that function as a check and balance system with our insurer and parent company.
We are certified by the American Bureau of Shipping Standards and the US Coast Guard.
Read more in their FAQs.
In short, this is not the same kind of submarine, and while there are still some associated risks, the comparison between these two vessels is not really a fair one. In the ocean, pressure comes from the weight of the water above you. The deeper you go, the more water above you, and thus, the higher the pressure. The Atlantis submersible visits a depth of 100 feet (30m). The pressure at this depth is 9.8 bar. The Titan visited 12,000 feet (3800m). The pressure the Titan was under was about 400 bar.
So, are submarines dangerous? We felt safe the whole time. There was a boat above our position the entire duration of the trip, and our captain was in constant communication with it. Unlike the photos you may have seen of the Titan, the Atlantis Sub is much less cramped. The submersible can not accommodate wheelchairs, or people with mobility issues, but aside from climbing down the ladder, the whole thing was a pretty smooth operation.
Getting there
A short ride from Centro, this is a little too far for a comfortable walk, but it’s an easy taxi ride. Ask your hotel or resort to call you a taxi and negotiate a price beforehand. We were coming from our nearby resort, and because our driver was expecting to take us to the ferry, he got a little huffy about having to drive us such a short distance for a lower fare. Keeping expectations in line might help avert similar issues.
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