Cozumel vs. Bonaire & top Asian/Pacific dive spots??

[jasonreid50]

Guys -

Thanks for all of your responses. This has been great feedback. I think that I will check out Cozumel and probably use a smaller dive op to avoid the crowds.

Best to everyone!

 

[jasonreid50]

Thanks a lot...do you have any recommendation for your favorite couple of smaller dive ops there?

 

[DeltaWardog]

There are literally dozens. Searching in this forum will turn up more recommendations than you can read before you go on your trip. I can personally recommend ScubaTony. He runs a great operation... and the same can be said for most ops on Cozumel if what you read on this board is true. Enjoy your vacation!

 

[Where2Next]

Check out the 'STICKY' at the top of the forum threads.

 

[Sue Sue]

Thanks a lot...do you have any recommendation for your favorite couple of smaller dive ops there?

The recommendation I always give is:

1) Search the reviews you find here on Scubaboard as well as other sites.
2) Narrow your list down to your top 3 or 5
3) Get a list of questions that are specific to your needs.
ie: 6 pack or larger groups, dive times, dive op policies, price/costs, location, etc.
4) Contact the dive ops on your short list directly.
5) Confirm your dive op, air and lodging.
6) Pack up and go have a GREAT time !!!

Sue

 

[bradsab]

I've been to Bonnaire and Coz.

Bonnaire pros:
The reef is amazing. Much better shape than Coz. Far enough south it misses most hurricanes. Most sites we dove were so dense you had to look for the sand.
The absolute freedom of shore diving.
No current. When you find something interesting, you can hang there and watch as long as you like.
Good viz.
The reef spans the entire length of the island, starts at 12fsw and drops as deep as you want to go. Your safety stop is on reef most of the time, and since there's no boat waiting, you can poke around in the shallows a long time draining your tank. Bottom time, bottom time, bottom time.
Good food.

Cons:
Expensive food.
All-day affair & $$$ to get there from most places.
Shore diving is a lot more work. U take care of everything.
Don't leave stuff in your truck. And don't lock the doors, that's an invitation.

Cozumel pros:
Great Coral formations.
Drift diving; cover more territory
Effortless, spoiled diving, depending on the op. I use Blue Magic Scuba; they take care of EVERYTHING.
Better variety of fish.
Good viz.
Good food.
Cheap food.
For me (Chicago area) it's the cheapest & easiest dive destination to get to.

Cons:
Drift diving, sometimes the current is stiff, and I like to poke around.
No realistic shore dive option. I like the freedom, and it's cheap
A little cooler in winter.

FWIW, the clearest water I've been in was Grand Caymen. On the deep wall @ 140fsw I want to say it was 200', but that's so much farther than anywhere else I've seen, I'm not sure how to judge it. Other than that, the diving wasn't as good as Bonnaire or Cozumel, and everything was pricy.

 

[lmorin]

I've been to Bonnaire and Coz.

Bonnaire pros:
The reef is amazing. Much better shape than Coz. Far enough south it misses most hurricanes. Most sites we dove were so dense you had to look for the sand.
The absolute freedom of shore diving.
No current. When you find something interesting, you can hang there and watch as long as you like.
Good viz.
The reef spans the entire length of the island, starts at 12fsw and drops as deep as you want to go. Your safety stop is on reef most of the time, and since there's no boat waiting, you can poke around in the shallows a long time draining your tank. Bottom time, bottom time, bottom time.
Good food.

Cons:
Expensive food.
All-day affair & $$$ to get there from most places.
Shore diving is a lot more work. U take care of everything.
Don't leave stuff in your truck. And don't lock the doors, that's an invitation.

Cozumel pros:
Great Coral formations.
Drift diving; cover more territory
Effortless, spoiled diving, depending on the op. I use Blue Magic Scuba; they take care of EVERYTHING.
Better variety of fish.
Good viz.
Good food.
Cheap food.
For me (Chicago area) it's the cheapest & easiest dive destination to get to.

Cons:
Drift diving, sometimes the current is stiff, and I like to poke around.
No realistic shore dive option. I like the freedom, and it's cheap
A little cooler in winter.

FWIW, the clearest water I've been in was Grand Caymen. On the deep wall @ 140fsw I want to say it was 200', but that's so much farther than anywhere else I've seen, I'm not sure how to judge it. Other than that, the diving wasn't as good as Bonnaire or Cozumel, and everything was pricy.

I disagree strongly with some of what you have written.

Bonaire reef "Much better shape than Coz. " This is the most arguable, but I'd say that it is not true. Or, at least, on most dive sites it is not true. Some sites on Bonaire are much worse than Coz average. Storm-damaged sites on Coz have rebounded a lot. Also, most sites on Coz are at least as good as Bonaire, if not better.

Cozumel "Better variety of fish." Bari reef on Bonaire has the largest number of documented fish species of any location in the Caribbean. But, you have know what you are looking at, when to look and where to look.

Cozumel "No realistic shore dive option." Several resorts have well established shore diving. Scuba Club Cozumel is one that offers 24/7 shore diving right out front.

 

[halocline]

I think that the best sites on Cozumel, i.e some spots in Colombia and Palancar, are more spectacular than anything I've seen in Bonaire, although I've only been to Bonaire once for just over a week. It is tough to compare, because the shore diving aspect and the fact that you dive your own schedule on Bonaire is just fantastic. But if you're on the right boat in Coz, with the right people, at the right site, it's better diving IMO. So, the trick is to get with a quality dive op that will take you to the more southern sites. I've been back to Coz many times since Wilma, and I still think the shallower more northern sites like yucab, anything north of Santa Rosa really, are nothing like they were pre-Wilma. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it is really interesting to see the new growth coming in. But, there are still large stretches of sand where there once were thriving reef crests.

I felt that there was a pretty fair amount of damage to the reefs in Bonaire as well, and the night diving I did in Bonaire could not compare to night dives in Cozumel.

Topside, I really like Cozumel much better than Bonaire, although on a busy cruiseship day it can be pretty maddening. There are terrific cheap restaurants in town. OTOH, Bonaire does have a nice grocery store so cooking is easy.

The one big plus to me with Coz is the availability of cenote diving on the mainland. I could EASILY enjoy a week of cenote diving and a week of reef diving. This is not something that appeals to everyone, though.

The ease of grabbing tanks and diving strictly with friends on your own schedule on Bonaire is pretty cool, I must say. I found myself going back to Karpata over and over, though, as I didn't think that much of the more southern sites. I also enjoyed using AL63s instead of 80s; they're great for schlepping around, and who cares if your dive is a few minutes shorter? Just do another one...and it's pretty shallow, so it's a breeze to get very long dive on 63s. Next time I go I'm going to do at least one deep dive on Karpata with an AL80 and a slung 63, and try to head a little further north.

 

[jbtut]

Hi, I'm new to the site. I can't give you any comparison between Bonaire and Cozumel, but I between SE asia and cozumel, I'd say SE asia is better. Much better actually. That doesn't mean cozumel's bad, but it's hard to beat SE asia. I've been to Lembeh, Bunaken, and Sipadan. All of those sites are spectacular. Sipadan being the best of them. It's unreal. It's like being in the middle of those amazing planet earth scenes every dive.

That said, Cozumel has great reefs. When we were there last, some of the diving was a bit crowded. We were on a small boat with only 4 divers plus guide. And we did encounter other large groups a number of times. The biggest problem is if you try to dive in the middle of the day. Like noon or so. There are just so many cruise passengers at times that it's pretty crowded. Diving early or late is much better.

For something unique you could take a day and go over to Playa del carmen and dive the reefs in that area. I found them to be good, not great, but completely uncrowded. And we dove with a group of huge tarpon. That was one of my best experiences there.

I would go back to Cozumel for diving in a heartbeat. Plus Cozumel is a heck of a lot of fun just to hang out. And it's cheap.

 

[DandyDon]

Hi jbtut & welcome to SB

This has been an interesting thread to follow as the three destinations seem so very different. Here on the Coz forum of course, you're going to get a lot of support for Coz - and I agree with all of that. I've never been to Bonaire because it takes so much longer and the crime on tourists, and I have certainly never done Asia. Just three different trip ideas, but the OP did get a lot of feedback.