SCUBA - Cozumel or Grand Cayman???

[pinkcup]

We are going in December and my husband wants to scuba dive, but he's only a beginner. Which would be the best place for him to dive? Would a beginner be able to go deep enough in Cozumel to get to the undamaged parts?

[Wennfred]

Waters will probably be pretty murky due to the resent storm.

[Perrys100]

The question really becomes where CAN we dive? I have over a 100 dives in Cozumel and consider it the best dive site in the world. I also Love Aldora divers! www.aldora.com having said that. Rememer weather has a pretty big effect on diving. Last year we dove Cozumel and loved it.

 

We looked foward to a dive in cayman But we found out that all...yup all water activities were canceled. We could not even find a pier side walk in dive. There are 2 shops right near the pier and ther both have really cool dives, so i am told.

 

So plan to dive both and take what you get.

 

Cozumel is out of this world....

[oldmedic]

we are scheduled to be in GC and Cozumel in Jan.. we had booked with eden rock dive center but due to hurricane wilma we were not able to make it into port, so we have rescheduled for our trip in Jan. I have read that Eden rock and Devils Grotto are two great dives. (both walk ins).

[bruce-r]

We are going in December and my husband wants to scuba dive, but he's only a beginner. Which would be the best place for him to dive? Would a beginner be able to go deep enough in Cozumel to get to the undamaged parts?

IMO, GCM would be a better choice this year, weather permitting. The diving in GMC is usually very easy; good visibility, little if any current, and pleasant temperatures. The dive site Eden Rock with is right off shore from http://abanksdivers.com.ky/ and http://www.edenrockdive.com would be fine for a beginning dive. A better site would be accessed from the http://www.divetech.com shop, but you would have to take a taxi there. The Turtle Farm site is in better condition and will be less crowded.

[slabeaume]

we are scheduled to be in GC and Cozumel in Jan.. we had booked with eden rock dive center but due to hurricane wilma we were not able to make it into port, so we have rescheduled for our trip in Jan. I have read that Eden rock and Devils Grotto are two great dives. (both walk ins).

 

I snorkeled at Eden rock and it was great. There are (or where about 5 years ago when I was there) lots of caverns in the rocks at Eden rock. We saw lots of divers there. I would think that would be a great place to dive.

[gybuynew]

we were freshly certified also and just got back from diving GC and ocho rios, we were supposed to do Coz but wilma had other plans

We liked the service and diving http://www.eagleraydivers.com in coz better then ANY other place we have been . With out a doubt the nicest people you could ever dive with. Antonio and Chellie are the best!! it felt like we were diving with friends and the group was always kept small Didnt get that in GC when we booked thru the ship

chris

[gybuynew]

we also saw more fish in Coz!

[Capt_BJ]

Have a slew of dives in both places over the last 30 years. A few comparisons

 

* which is better? Depends on the day of the week, the specific site, the weather and sea conditions and the attitude of the guide that day, the other people on the boat, what critters happen by, general karma etc etc. aka - no winner

 

* Most Coz sites are going to be drift dives from a boat cuz standard conditions are a strong current. For a novice this can add extra complications. My 2 cents is a diver should be experienced with boat dives b4 adding the complications of drift on top of it. The dive is a blast as the current sweeps you along, but dealing with the chase boat, especially if you must surface earlier than the group can add a little, shall we say, risk? If there are good shore dive options in Coz I haven't been there....by my first trip to Coz I was not a novice so went straight to the good stuff. Just my opinion tho as plenty of folks have done their first dives after class in Coz... But by nature of my job I'm a safety junkie.

 

* Most CI sites are going to be boat dives as well, but the boat will be anchored vice chasing your bubbles. & there are shore dive options. As mentioned, Eden Rock is walking distance from the tender landing and a nice site. And as it is so close, it also tends to be crowded (some boats will end up going there too). I like walking down the road a bit to Sunset House ... but that's just me. For shore dives, and generally easier dives I think CI is the winner.

 

* Current is very seldom an issue anywhere in CI. But as some here note, the swell can pick up and then unless you can get to the lee side of the island, where there are way fewer dive shops, you can be out of luck. When spousal unit got certified (10 yr after me) her first 100 dives were split between Key Largo and Sunset House trips. Easy dives that built a solid base. From a wx perspective I think it is a tie.

 

* Both places, a standard boat trip will be two dives with the first @ 80 to 100 feet, and the second around 30 40. Again, a novice should be aware up front to ensure they are comfortable. In CI you can find plenty of shore dives in the 20 to 50 foot range. Again I like taking novices to Sunset House (where there is also a nice beach bar for Mrs to wait and lunch after). Available options - a tie unless a shore dive on your own is what you really want...then it's CI.

 

* Both will have similar arrangements available via the ship, and PLENTY of options to go it on your own (which will cost less but you need to do the leg work). But a novice is kinda shooting in the blind huh?

 

good luck

[sportsterjohn]

I just dove both GC and Coz during a cruise this week. For novice, I would suggest diving GC over Coz. Coz had alot of reef damage and some of the shallow dive sites are destoyed. I will post more an that late if I remember to bring my log book to work tomorrow. Also as mentioned, Coz is drift diving with a very strong current, it can unnerve new comers. In GC, there was no current, 100+ foot vis and water temps about 84 degrees. Neptune divers will pick you up in thier boat right at sea grape beach. I will post a review of my diving in coz and gc tomorrow.

[AgVball]

My husband and I will be cruising 12/10-12/17 on Grand Princess.

 

We were thinking about trying Emerald Dolphin - a local shop uses them for trips. I hope there is something worth diving for!

 

Cayman - we dove Red Sail a few years ago. We had no problem w/ them - they were arranged through the boat. We would like to book our own excursion - but I'm interested in going to Stingray City since I haven't been before. I'm not sure if there are dive shops that have similar packages (diving a wall and STCity)?

 

Last year in Costa Maya, we just walked to a beach and snorkelled and hung out. Not sure if we should try to Scuba there or not.

 

Belize - we book through the ship - its pretty convenient with those guys picking you up from the ship directly.

 

Anyway - I am anxious to hear what you post.

 

If anyone has recommendations on dive shops - I'm all ears. I would say we are intermediate divers @ 30 dives each. We enjoy night dives, swim throughs, etc. We've used Eagle Ray in Coz. before. They are very nice and we had no problem with them - but we are wanting to try another shop.

[bruce-r]

If anyone has recommendations on dive shops - I'm all ears. I would say we are intermediate divers @ 30 dives each. We enjoy night dives, swim throughs, etc. We've used Eagle Ray in Coz. before. They are very nice and we had no problem with them - but we are wanting to try another shop.

OK, since you asked. In Cozumel first choice would be http://www.bluextseadiving.com, close second would be http://www.scubawithalison.com.

 

In GCM go with http://www.neptunesdivers.com Casey and Keith will go to stingray city if the majority of the customers agree and weather permits. http://www.redbarondivers.com would be a good first choice too if their schedule permits, they usually leave pretty early in the morning. I know that the Grand has inconvenient port times, so if you can't arrange a boat trip, a shore dive at either http://www.divetech.com 's Turtle farm site or right off shore from http://www.sunsethouse.com Sunset House is in Georgetown just a few blocks to the right of where the tenders dock. You will walk past another dive site called Eden Rock. While Eden Rock is convenient, I think Sunset house will be less crowded and I'd bet their site is in better condition.