Cozumel Snorkeling: Dalila Divers or another Playa Palancar Dive Co.

[amy2313]

We will be in Cozumel for the first time in March and have decided to do the 2 reef snorkel at Palancar reef and Colombia. On Cozumel Insider, they listed Dalila Divers as the dive shop to use for snorkeling at Playa Palancar out to the reef.

Anyone have experience with this dive shop?

Would you recommend Dalila Divers or another company for the 2 reef snorkel excursion?

How long does the snorkel trip last?

Do we need to reserve spots in advance?

Do the trips out to the reef run at certain times or can you just set up a time to go when you get there?

 

We have other things planned to do for the day as well so we were hoping to get off the ship, go to Playa Palancar, do the 2 reef snorkel and move on to our other Cozumel adventures. I tried emailing Dalila Divers but haven't heard back from them so that makes me nervous. I've read other posts that mention many companies are slow to respond to emails, but I'd rather hear back from the company I'm going to use to answer our many questions. So if anyone can help us out, that would be great!

[booth22]

Can't help with the original dive op, but a good place to check is http://www.scubaboard.com there is a Cozumel forum which you can search for the company. If you dont' get any opinions, I'll suggest checking with Eagle Ray Divers. They are pretty flexible, especially with a small group. they'll take you where you want to go, for how long you want to go and you leave when you make it over to the pier. They were very accomodating for my MIL who had been snorkeling once, she had a private guide for all three trips in the water, and she had - in her words- the best time of our whole cruise. Alex was her guide and he was great. If he was able to make it through a day without drowning my MIL, he must be good. :D

[amy2313]

Can't help with the original dive op, but a good place to check is www.scubaboard.com there is a Cozumel forum which you can search for the company. If you dont' get any opinions, I'll suggest checking with Eagle Ray Divers. They are pretty flexible, especially with a small group. they'll take you where you want to go, for how long you want to go and you leave when you make it over to the pier. They were very accomodating for my MIL who had been snorkeling once, she had a private guide for all three trips in the water, and she had - in her words- the best time of our whole cruise. Alex was her guide and he was great. If he was able to make it through a day without drowning my MIL, he must be good. :D

 

Thank you so much for the info. Unfortunately only the main page of the link you gave is currently working. Everything else you get the message: "Dive Directory will return shortly - Server Move In Progress. Thank you for your patience." I'll keep trying though b/c that looks like a great site.

 

I've also already checked into Eagle Ray Divers and while they sound great, they were a bit more money ($50 per person for their 2 reef snorkel vs. $30 at Dalila). This particular excursion was my gift to my sisters who I am traveling with and while I do not mind at all paying more money for them and a just all around better excursion, if the different dive shops are all comparable, it's about $80 less with Dalila. But then again, Dalila Dive Shop hasn't emailed me back concerning my questions!!

Such a big decision!! But I will keep checking that site you gave. We leave in exactly 2 weeks from today so we still have some time.

 

Thanks again for your help.