Cozumel questions

[psiborg1812]

Hey all, I am going to Cozumel in January with my girlfriend and a group of divers. I've never been to the island before, and me and my girlfriend are on a pretty tight budget. We're staying at Casa Del Mar and are all inclusive there, but we would still like to go out and experience Cozumel's night life and food. our budget is something like $30 per night, what restaurants and activities would you all recommend?


OK, Question 2. I would like to do some shore diving along with the scheduled boat diving on this trip, where are some good places to go shore diving?

Thanks! We are REALLY looking forward to diving in Cozumel, it'll be my second time in the ocean and her 1st!

 

[Zman96]

Restaurants to check out that are good and cheaper right near the square, lots more besides this:
Del Sur empanadas
El Foco Late night Taco joint
Los Otates Tacos
Wet Wendys for awesome margaritas as big as your head
Cuban restaurant (Can't remember the name) right next door to El Foco
Casa Dennis huge selection
Mosaicas on Sunday night to people watch with good pizza and cheap beer.

There is decent shore diving right by where you are staying, check one of the dive shops near your hotel for tanks.

Have a blast.

 

[Diver Kat]

Also try Parilla Mission on 30th. The food is great, the staff is super-nice and the prices are very inexpensive! Parrilla Mission Restaurant - menu I'm addicted to the grilled pork chop dinner (around $5) and the DH often has the Arrechera-steak dinner ($7) or the Arrechera tacos ($4).

And if you're picking up any bottles of liquor to take home, the liquor store next door has very good prices! (Always good to multi-task!! LOL!)

 

[pjhansman]

Great 1/2 price drinks and appetizers at Blue Angel every day 3:30 to 6:30

 

[DandyDon]

$30 per night for the two of you? Not much left after round trip taxi. Skip the dives known as Senor Frogs and Carlos & Charlies, unless you like dives. Mostly you want to get two blocks from the waterfront street in town. I could suggest a better map but since you will be at CDM on the AI, you probly just want to get a cheap one at the airport.

If you are tempted to take bottles home, keep in mind that you may need to pack them in checked luggage. That's why I quit. If you are flying non-stop Coz to Dallas, that might be different.

Since you're kinda new and she is very new, hire a private DM for your first day of diving. Money well spent. You have 200+ dives and have been in the ocean once?

Do you each have DAN dive insurance ? Get the middle plan at least, if not the top plan. http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/insurance/compare.asp

The shore diving there at Casa del Mar can be interesting if you poke around slowly, looking at what is hiding in the rocks - and free if you are diving with del Mar aquatics. Don't forget to tip good DMs on boat dives. $5 US per tank or more is usual.

If you're in town on Sunday evening, the main plaza/town square is fun. How long will you be there? What signaling devises will you each carry on dives?

 

[pelagic_by_nature]

I was staying at Casa Del Mar 3 weeks ago and did a couple of shore dives. I thought it was great. Saw a couple of moreys, a sharp tail eel, a scorpion fish, baracudas, too many other things to list. The reef is about a 1 minute swim out from the pier. I am going back to CDM in a couple of months and am planning on doing mostly shore diving.
I have to second what DD said about going to the town square on Sunday night - not to be missed!!.

 

[DandyDon]

The reef is about a 1 minute swim out from the pier.

Under boat traffic? :shocked2: Did you drag a flag or sausage on a reel or how? I was thinking more about the rocks just north of the dock. I saw some interesting sights in the junk south of the dock once, but that was before H.Wilma cleaned out that area. Night shore diving could be neat if they have their own lights and good at compass swimming.

 

[pelagic_by_nature]

Under boat traffic? :shocked2: Did you drag a flag or sausage on a reel or how?

We just stayed on the bottom. Had a SMB on a reel if needed. We didn't surface until well within the roped off snorkelling area right by the entry/exit steps.

 

[pelagic_by_nature]

Night shore diving could be neat if they have their own lights and good at compass swimming.

There is a lot of unique structure (some "junk" but also some nice coral heads) on the bottom south of the pier. In February, my plan is to familiarize myself with the bottom topography during some day dives so I can navigate at night going from one thing to the next. Shouldn't be hard to do. I'll break out the compass if needed.

 

[psiborg1812]

$30 per night for the two of you? Not much left after round trip taxi. Skip the dives known as Senor Frogs and Carlos & Charlies, unless you like dives. Mostly you want to get two blocks from the waterfront street in town. I could suggest a better map but since you will be at CDM on the AI, you probly just want to get a cheap one at the airport.

If you are tempted to take bottles home, keep in mind that you may need to pack them in checked luggage. That's why I quit. If you are flying non-stop Coz to Dallas, that might be different.

Since you're kinda new and she is very new, hire a private DM for your first day of diving. Money well spent. You have 200+ dives and have been in the ocean once? :confused

Hey man, poor college student here who just became an instructor last summer. I love being in the water, i can't help it if all i can afford is driving to a lake and poking around rocks!

Do you each have DAN dive insurance ? Get the middle plan at least, if not the top plan. http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/insurance/compare.asp

We both have the middle plan, i'm a big believer in DAN.

If you're in town on Sunday evening, the main plaza/town square is fun. How long will you be there? What signaling devises will you each carry on dives?

We will both have safety sausages and whistles, I've made my bonnie lass get in the pool and practice with her SMB till she got comfortable deploying it. We also got her buoyancy better and got her comfortable in the gear she'll be wearing down there. Do you think i should bring along signal mirrors as well?



Thanks for all the replies , guys! I really appreciate it!