Please recommend good dive op in Cozumel

[FliLady]

We are looking to book our dives with a private dive op rather than Carnival for our cruise in August. A few years back, I used Eagle Ray, but I'd like to try another company. Can anyone recommend a good place?

[river_sand_bar2]

We booked the dive op through our Cruise on the Carnival Miracle... dove with Pro Dive... and would NOT recommend these guys at all. The equipment in in really poor shape, no food or snacks in between dives. The wifes 2nd stage failed and ended up finishing her dives using the octo... DM no where to be found when the failure happened.

[Middleager]

There are many good dive ops in Cozumel. With 130+ of them, they are competitive, and one of the most economical place to get good dives.

 

If you do a search you'll find many dive ops recommended. Last year I booked privately with Blue Angel for a combo dive/snorkel tour. They have 100cf tanks which I requested. It was great, gave more bottom time. They were my best dives so far. My wife and friends also enjoyed the snorkeling. We went to Columbia Deep for my first dive while the rest snorkeled at Columbia Shallow. We had the SI at Palancar Beach. Our second site was at Palancar Gardens.

[FliLady]

I've heard of Blue Angel, so thanks for the reference on them. Yes, with so many dive shops, it's hard to pick one!! I'm tired of booking through the ship, because it seems we always go to the same dive sites.

[reddi]

Last year we used Alison. She is terrific and takes great care of her divers. Only takes small groups. She is out of Caleta Marina which is about 10 minutes from where the tender comes in and costs $6 each way in a taxi. See her website scubawithalison.com

Just e-mail her and she'll give you the details.

[bruce-r]

Last year we used Alison. She is terrific and takes great care of her divers. Only takes small groups. She is out of Caleta Marina which is about 10 minutes from where the tender comes in and costs $6 each way in a taxi. See her website scubawithalison.com

Just e-mail her and she'll give you the details.

My personal favorite is http://www.bluextseadiving.com

 

I haven't used Alison, but she does indeed get just about unanimously positive reviews. In fact, my friend Christi who own/operates http://www.bluextseadiving.com often recommends Alison when she (Christi) is full.

 

I'd also consider http://www.scubatony.com and Raul at http://bottomtimedivers.net/

 

Blue Angel is also a fine, value oriented operation.

 

I'm pretty sure that whoever you go with will have you go to the Caletta to meet them as almost all the dive boats depart there.

[FliLady]

Has anyone used dive with Christina?

[bruce-r]

Has anyone used dive with Christina?

 

I haven't, but I'll offer a few things to consider when choosing a dive operator in Cozumel.

 

There are basically 2 kinds of boat used, the small, fast boats with at most 6 to 8 divers, and the larger slow boats with the possibility of more than 12 divers. Each kind of boat has it's pluses and minuses.

 

Large boats often have a head, are a bit more stable, do a giant stride entry, do their surface interval out on the water, and are slower making for a little longer day.

 

Small boats don't have heads, have smaller groups, usually do their surface intervals at a beach club, do a back roll entry, and are faster which gets you to the diving and back to the ship a bit faster.

 

Christina has a larger slow boat. If you want the features offered by such a boat, she'd be a good choice for you. Few dive operators serve lunch and only some serve snacks. I'm pretty sure that all offer water between dives. I did note one thing Christina has on her boat that I really like, a fresh water shower. There is nothing better than a fresh water rinse after the second dive to make your hair feel normal again.

[jetskier]

I also recommend Alison. She has been great everytime we use her. If you use her and after the dive, you will see her snuggled up in a neoprene hoody jacket to keep warm. I gave the jacket to her on my next trip after seeing her in one that had better days. Tell Alison, her hurricane buddy says hello. We both got hit by two hurricanes in 2005.

 

Dave

[FliLady]

Thanks for the information....basically I was looking at Alison & Christina because I've read good reviews on both. Hmmmm, now I'll have a hard time making a decision! My goal is to get my dives in and still have time to explore a bit. So from what I'm reading, Christina tends to take out larger groups?

[bruce-r]

..... So from what I'm reading, Christina tends to take out larger groups?

I'm not sure is she does. I know that with a larger boat, she has the ability to take more people, but that doesn't mean she always does. I'd contact her directly and ask what her boat capacity is and how many she usually takes out.

[FliLady]

Great, thanks for the info everyone!

[jaguarprincess]

Try Scooby-Doo. I found them responsive and helpful. They are located on the grounds of El Presidente, so you have the added advantage of being able to swim in the pool and have a delicious pool-side lunch when you return. Have fun. Mary Sue

[caribdiver]

I strongly recommend Dive With Martin. I have dove with them numerous times during the past few years. They charge $70 for a 2-tank boat dive equipment included; that's tough to beat in Cozumel. They are located right on the International Pier. Their equipment was in great shape last time I dove with them.

 

Small fast boats and DM's that blend safety and fun. My favorite DM is David.

 

They work well with cruisers and will normally send a boat out at 10-11 a.m to accomodate cruise passengers.

 

You can check out their website and send them an email at:

http://www.divewithmartin.com/

[Diver Bob]

Ditto on Dive with Martin!! Excellent operation.

[mielyse]

We are staying in COZ for a week from July 28 - Aug 4 and are diving with Blue Angel. They are a good outfir and are very reasonably priced. $53 for 2 tank boat dives. They are willing to work with cruisers and will give you input on sites.

 

Have a good time!!!

[BethV114]

We dove with Blue Bubble Divers (they also go by the name of Roberta's Eco-Dive and Scuba Shack) a few weeks ago in Cozumel and had a very positive experience with them. They were one of the only dive operations that would hold a boat for us past their usual departure time so we could join them (our cruise ship was scheduled to arrive in port after most would have left for the morning) and were quite reasonably priced. Their equipment was not the newest I've seen, but in good working order and they were conveniently located within walking distance of International Pier, which was a plus. We dove from their small boat with another couple and the divemaster, Juan, who was terrific. My husband was newly certified and had been having trouble with his bouyancy, but Juan stuck close by him for both dives and really helped him work out his issues. My husband had hated the check-out dives we did in Pennsylvania (who wouldn't hate 45 degree water!) and had a bit of trouble with swim-throughs in Grand Caymen the day before so we starting to be pretty negative about the whole Scuba experience, but actually came up from the second diving smiling and saying that it was fun! They provided us with waters/sodas and some tasty coconut bread after the first dive and took us to a beach club for the shore interval. All in all, it was a wonderful day with Blue Bubble Divers and we will definitely look them up if we ever make our way to Cozumel again!:D