Trip Report Scuba Club Cozumel Jan 28 2012

[rickthescot]

Scuba Club: Where do I start
First off I want to say that I reallywant to like Cozumel, I really do but I just don't feel like anyonethere appreciates the fact that I chose to spend my vacation dollarsthere. Just get the feeling they see so many people come through withthe cruise ships that they don't need to do anything special for you.Then there was the SUR 13 tag just a block or 2 north of the hotel,just makes you feel warm and fuzzy about an evening walk NOT. Westayed inside the gates at night. Still don't understand theeconomics of the place. The smell of sewage would regularly float byyou no matter where you were walking and overall most of the islandis a mess. Maybe I ask for too much.
As soon as you pass customs there arepacks of wolves, er... guys asking if you want a taxi. All have thelanyard around their neck with a laminated card that I am sure sayssomething important. We needed a taxi so I nodded and was taken to asmall table across the hall where I was told all were union and itwould cost me $10 each to get to the hotel or I could buy a packageof sorts for $70...... No thanks, hotel please. Strangely the rideback from the hotel ran just $12 for both or us on the same shuttlebus (???)


SCC was completely full and the Senoraat the front desk was running thin on patients when we got there ataround noon. Everyone wanted to know when their room would be readyand her answer was the same for all “when it is ready, now go havelunch”. The check in process seems to take a while although I amnot sure why. Bring a visa or MC (no AMEX) as they want a deposit foryour incidentals. They were unable to use the imprint machine with myCHASE Slate visa so I had to leave them $40 cash. Our room was yourtypical concrete everything (even the beds). One mattress was finethe other had passed its prime and after about 10 minutes you knewyou were on concrete. Asked to change rooms but were reminded theywere full. The hotel is located on the main drag so night and daythere are scads of scooters, dune buggies, trucks and cars so youhear them all the time, even on the third floor. The employees startto show up at 5:45 AM and like to talk loud to each other in thecourtyard which woke us up daily.


Food: I like good food and was notexpecting to have my socks knocked off but the quality is par withmaybe Denny's on an off day. They try and dress it up as though itwere gourmet by having the waiter dress is a white suit and bring thelittle packaged butter pads one at a time as if they were gold. Bestthing I had was the pico de gullo salsa at lunch and the rolls atdinner. Charging $2 for a coke and $3 for a bottle of beer was alittle steep, only drink that came with your meal was water. I wentdown the street to the MEGA store and bought a six pack for about 4bucks.


Organization: They seem to have asystem at first but then it becomes clear there is no system. Forinstance, every day at breakfast you choose lunch and dinner from amenu, then at lunch and dinner they ask you what you want (???).There did not appear to be anyone in charge of the place so it wasjust kind of confused. The dive shop is not a dive shop, it's justwhere they store and fill the tanks. Across the busy street is thedive shop and as one other guest put it “is actually more of aclothing store”. The two young girls working there as far as Icould tell spoke no English and I would guess had no knowledge ofdiving. Good thing my gear all worked well.
We were briefed on the first day aboutprocedure and were told that if we saw a lionfish, tell the staffimmediately. When I saw one on a shore dive and went to the dive shop(tank fill area) and told one of the guys what I saw, he seemed tounderstand but it was still there the next day.
On the first day or boat diving I wentto the dive shop (tank fill area) to ask which boat I was on. Theamigo at the counter was talking to a customer but I could see he hada clipboard with the assignments on it so I kind of leaned over tolook at it. Soon as I did he noticed and pulled the clipboard away,put it under the counter and sternly asked what I wanted. I smiledand said I just was looking to see which boat I was assigned to. Hepointed to my right and said nothing. So like a dope I walked over toa whit board and found listing. It really pissed me off though.


Diving: You have to sign up the daybefore you want to dive and they will assign you a boat, not alwaysthe same boat. The dive sites change I think up until the moment youget in the water as one day we changed twice on the way out. Boatrides are long, to the first site at least an hour. They leave ataround 8:15 and we were back at 1:00 or so. Water and juice wasavailable on our boat (no food) as was a bathroom and protection fromwind/rain. Other boats are quite exposed though so dress warm as thewind is serious at times. Polar fleece and Gore-tex worked for me.Water was 75 to 79 degrees and there was lots to see, just keep youreyes peeled as drift diving makes it hard to stop. Dive master wasgood, it just seemed like even though there is enough current todrift, I had to kick constantly to keep up. I chose not to go on theDevil's throat dive as I am not keen on cave diving at 130 ft. I knowthey call it a swim through but check out a you tube video and youwill see what I mean, besides I dive to see fish, coral and the like,caves are quite vacant of that. Also that is the absolute MAX depthfor recreational divers and I saw no need to take the risk with agroup and DM I was not terribly familiar with.


Would I go back? No, I will chooseanother location. We left a day early and paid the airline extra forthe privilege.


Before you flame me realize that thisis my opinion and I wanted to state it here. So many others haveraved about the place that I thought it would be worth a try. It isjust not the place for me.

 

[John Larsen]

Wow...thats really a bummer you had such a bad time...Ive been going to coz 3-4 times a year for the past 10 years and have always felt safe no matter what time or what part of town im in (and ive walked all over every part of town) and for the bad food you had leave the resort go back in town a few block and you can find some of the best food ive had and inexpensive also ( Fajitas with all the sides and 2-3 beers for ten bucks) sounds to me like you are one of those people that expect everyone to cater to them...but thats just my opinion ! so I guess you said it best with the comment .....Would I go back? No, I will chooseanother location. We left a day early and paid the airline extra forthe privilege. ...... I am glad you didnt have fun because Cozumel dont really need people with your attitude or opinion !

 

[nodakdive]

rickthescott,
I think your last line sums it up really well. Scuba Club, and possibly Cozumel just isn't the place for you. The thing about Cozumel, is that it's not a "one size fits all" place. There are many, many "dive, hotel, food, location" combinations on the island. From your post, I suspect your expectations of what Scuba Club Cozumel would be differed from your experience enough that it made for an uncomfortable trip. I suspect you'd have been far happier staying at an all-inclusive far south.

You've probably had some time to reflect, having gotten home a day early. You may have already figured some of this out. Cozumel is (has become) very touristy. The wolves at the airport are time share salespeople. In the Cancun airport, they used to call it the gauntlet. You'd "run the gauntlet" to get past them. Most travelers, myself anyhow, knew in advance about them and avoid them. Many people book their trip via Delta Vacations, or Apple Vacations, or stuff like that. The transfers are included. When your do it like that, the airport experience is different. After I get my baggage
through customs etc, it's about a 20 or 30 foot walk to the outside, where someone asks my name, and within a minute or two, someone with a clipboard hands me a packet of stuff with my name on it, including the transfers to the hotel. They take me to a van, put my stuff on, and a few minutes later, when they have a van full, away we go. Nothing could be easier. I'm always amazed, actually, because the person that asks my name often doesn't work for the company I booked through, but they whiz away anyhow, and get the person I need to talk to.

Scuba Club would not be my choice for staying and diving in Mexico. Not because it isn't a fine place, but because it doesn't hit my sweet spot. If I were bringing a big group, they'd be a first call. If I absolutely insisted on all inclusive that didn't include alcohol, they'd be my first call. There are many divers that happily stay there because it hits their sweet spot for those reasons and others. You likely thought you'd booked yourself into a/the premier scuba centric resort. Well, for some, it is premier. But where almost all the all inclusive resorts offer scuba diving, most of the resorts aren't full to the brim with scuba divers. Managing divers is not an easy thing to do. Managing an entire hotel full of them is a heck of a task.

I suspect you've figured out, based on Scuba Clubs quite low prices, and their offering of "modified all inclusive", that the reason they ask you what you want for lunch and dinner is so that they can keep their food cost down and their prices low. Frankly, I'm astonished that they asked you what you wanted at those meals in spite of your pre order at breakfast. They're thinking. You may have ordered the chicken at breakfast, but decided you wanted steak for supper instead. They've prepared for that by taking your order. Bully for them, IMHO. Think of it this way. At breakfast, 100 people pre-order chicken, and 10 pre-order steak. They know they don't need to make 110 chicken dinners and 110 steak diners. This kind of food management keeps prices low.

I feel for the gal at the front desk. 3pm is generally the check-in time at all hotels there. Here she is, with a full hotel, and people want to get in their rooms. Understandable, but it's noon, or 1 pm. Many of the previous guests haven't even been out of their rooms for an hour or two. So, and this is common at many of the resorts I've been to outside of Cozumel, they tell you to go have something to eat. It's lunchtime. Most of us just accept it and go sit down and have a bite to eat. Before you know it, you can get in your room. Super convenient? No. But many people, myself anyhow, are so happy to be somewhere beautiful that it's easy to just chill and be on vacation.

Now, if you compare what you spent to stay and dive at Scuba Club Cozumel with other all inclusives, you'll see that they don't come close to top dollar. They're a really great place for people that want all-inclusive, that want to dive with the resort op, that want to be relatively close to downtown, that don't want to pay for alcohol in their all-inclusive, that want to be able to dive all the reefs (not just the far south reefs), and that don't want to pay a bundle of money for it. I'll probably never stay there, but I think they provide a great option, again, there are many, many options on the island. And, to be honest, there are idiosyncrasies anywhere you go. I usually stay at Casa del Mar. Well, even if you're paying cash in the restaurant, you have to give them a room number. I don't get it, but it's not the end of the world. Also, it can take a minute or two to get the check. On the other hand, they'll bend over backwards to accomodate, such that I often roll in from the morning dive, order lunch while I'm walking past them, go up to my room to rinse off, and when I get back, they bring my food right out, and these days, they know I'm going back out to dive, so they have the check ready for me almost immediately.

I've gone on long enough already. I could answer to almost every point in your email, for instance, the lionfish. They're all over. They do want to know, but nobody's going to go jump in the water in front of the place to get rid of one lion fish. I suspect they wanted you to tell them if you see one when you're boat diving in the marine park, which starts a mile or two south of Scuba Club. Also, I may have just asked the man with the clipboard which boat I was on, instead of trying to glance at his paperwork. You know, and I know, that you didn't mean any harm or weren't trying to spy on anything, but you gotta remember, these guys deal with many, many divers and guests, etc. He may have pissed you off, but you may have pissed him off first. Also, the dive sites do change, en route, for a variety of reasons. It's not just Scuba Club. Wind, current, diver skills, the number of divers already at a site, etc. play into this. It happens all the time, and for most of us, it's all good.

In any event, it sounds like you've already figured out that Scuba Club and Cozumel were a mismatch for you. I just want to point out that the way you "did" Cozumel is not the only way to "do" Cozumel. There are almost endless options there, and you happened to pick one that wasn't right for you.

Good luck in your travels,
-Blair

 

[robint]

Cozumel is definitely not for this guy, so trying to tell him another resort would work is unnecessary. He needs to go somewhere that offers 5 star food, luxury accomodations, and a dive valet for his personal use. He isn't going to find that on Cozumel at all, anywhere.... it wasn't SCC that displeased him, it was everything about Cozumel displeased him.


robin

 

[coldwaterlloyd]

I can relate . My stay at Scuba Club put me off . I had been going to Coz for years before I bit on the cheap all in low price . I got less than I paid for and got a good bout of food poisoning there . I found out later the salad dressings sit out all day stewing in the heat. Diving was "get em in and out as fast as possible"
It is definately not a representation onf the overall Coz experience .

 

[jlyle]

Different strokes for different folks. I'm sorry anyone stayed at SCC and didn't have a great time, but that does happen.

For me, Scuba Club Cozumel is fantastic and we go back every year for several weeks of eat/sleep/dive. Personally, I like the food, the ambiance of the place, the friendly staff, the shore diving...all of it. My wife and I are "been there, done that" divers, so I have lots to compare to.

I wish you well in finding a dive location and resort that will meet your expectations.

 

[bbarada]

Ditto what Jim Lyle said. I'm happy that the OP didn't like SCC. More room for us. I've been diving for more than 50 years, all over the world. We've gone back to SCC over a dozen times. We find it clean, the food good, the dive masters good, the staff friendly and efficient. We're scheduled 4th of July for 12 days.

 

[Kilili]

I've stayed at SCC many times in the past, but gave up on it a long time ago. I liked may things about it, but thought the attitude of the dive staff and the dive operation left much to be desired. The first time I went diving in the western Pacific was the last time I ever gave thought to returning to the Caribbean. Diving in Indonesia, Philippines, plus Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands is much better. Far more to see, with greater variety, and the people lack the "attitude" problem. I just wish it hadn't taken me so long to realise this.

It's a bit harder to get there, but worth it. Of course, different people like different things. Maybe you like McDonald's, maybe you don't.

 

[Mike]

Why beat the guy up with Cozumel's not for him. It's obvious SCC is not for him, but why would that eliminate Cozumel? Just because you enter Mexico, it doesn't mean economic rules no longer apply. You still get what you pay for. If you want more amenities, more service, all you have to do is break open the wallet and upgrade to a more expensive resort that includes more with it. However, if you think a $2.00 coke is a ripoff you're going to have a hard time cause you aren't going to get your cake, eat it to and not have to pay more for it.

There is a hot dog stand on the corner that hands you a hot dog and you put your own relish and mustard on it, and you drink out of a soda can while standing up in the street. There is also a hot dog shack just down the street where you can choose from 100 different versions of the basic hot dog, they will put your soda in a cup with ice and put the fixins on the hot dog for you, you can take your hot dog and walk over to a table and sit down and when you're done you clean up your own trash, return the tray and leave. Of course the 2nd place charges more for their hotdog then the first place. Around the corner is a diner that will serve you a hot dog, a waitress will take your order and bring your hot dog to you at your table, when you're done you simply leave everything at the table and you leave a tip. The last place costs more than the other two combined.

SCC is not the only place to stay on Cozumel and it's not the only dive operation. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. If SCC isn't for you, just find a place that is more suitable, but don't pick a bargain provider and then complain like it should be a 5 start joint.

Cozumel's big attraction is what's under the water anyways.

 

[cvchief]

Don't be so hard on the guy. Personally I think I wouldn't like the whole being assigned to a boat thing. I tried the AI thing and I am over that too. I can't imagine going back to that. Some people love both. They don't have to worry about food and they can get grouped by dive ability and preference.

The thing that did suprise me was the lack of hospitality he noted. That seems out of place for Cozumel.

That being said, I would hope maybe sometime he would try it again in another venue perhaps. I know I meet alot of people who are gracious and happy just to share their island with the rest of us.