Blue Angel Resort (Cozumel) vs. CoCoView (Roatan)

[dpspaceman]

So my trip is already booked for Sept. 2015 at CoCoView, this is just to get a reaction from the community around pricing and quality of resort + dives.

It looks like the trip to CoCoView including taxes, tips and flight is going to be ~$2,400 per person for one week. We are so excited.

Today I was just surfing and found folks talking about Blue Angel Resort and I decided to check it out. The pricing for 7 days, 1 boat ride with 2 distinct locations and unlimited shore diving is substantially low. Granted, food is not included and I'm sure that the shore diving (having seen some videos) isn't nearly as remarkable.

Flights are half the cost at around $300-$400 vs. $700+...

Are the boat rides at CoCoView amazing? Googling some videos online only really shows me Mary's Place, and that doesn't seem to have too much life on it - albeit amazing natural formation. Now that I think about it, searching for Roatan Dive sites on youtube, and trying to find the ones listed on the CoCoView resort website as places visited... having a hard time finding.

What are your thoughts folks? A 7 day trip appears to be half the cost of spending 7 days at CoCoView with some nice boat dives and some okay shore diving... for half the cost? easier trip for some to swallow?

DPS

 

[ReefHound]

These are two distinct places and it's rather pointless to try to compare. Besides, there must be a hundred ways to do the comparison depending on your personal preferences and needs.

But since you seem to be focused more on cost just be sure to compare apples to apples. The shore diving at BA is fun and interesting but not comparable to the boat diving. You will get lots of bottom time at max 20-25' depth, see lots of fish and critters, but you will not be on the reef and there is little coral beyond small isolated coral heads. So to match the 4 boat dives at CCV you'll need to add a 2-tank trip each day at about $70 plus tips, so add $400 to the $1200 for BA and you're at $1600.

Food is harder to figure. You can eat pretty cheaply in Mexico, probably under $50/day. It won't be as convenient as AI but most people would prefer the authenticity and quality over AI. So add about $300 and you're at $1900. Still cheaper but nowhere near half.

I think those two scenarios are so different that there really is only one reasonable choice - do both.

 

[dpspaceman]

Hahah, true! I just wanted to gauge what some people thought.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jbjclj]

You will probably get a better response if you post in the Cozumel forum. We go to Coz 2 or 3 times a year and feel it is the best bang for your buck. We stay in town for 10 days and eat at all the local restaurants and then stay at an AI with friends for 12 days Our bill for 3 weeks with air for 2 is under $8000 including diving.

We have stayed at CocoView and enjoyed it, but were disappointed in the fish life and the bugs. We are not big macro divers, so that is probably the disappointment.

Use Orbitz Promo Codes and you can save considerably


Good luck
Cheryl

 

[DogDiver]

Great choice. We are going to CoCo View for two weeks Feb 2016. This will be our 8th trip there.
coco view is the most returned to dive resort in the carribien for good reason.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Doc]

I didn't know anything about Blue Angel, so I searched and found two distinct websites, one describing what seems to be a very nice resort property... The other website was about SCUBA, maybe from an in-house contractor?

BA is a resort that offers diving. The current pricing is $40 per tank, there is no reference to shore diving, if that's available, viable, or the price.

i go to CCV once a year. It can only be described as an old school dive resort. I bang out 27 dives, so at $40 per (at the BA price), I'd be looking at $1080 worth of add ons.

At at the pace of 5 a day, I have no time to go out to a restaurant. I came to dive.

But it must be apples to apples. Some folks want 2 or 3 dives a day. That's where oranges come in.

I have dozens of videos on YouTube under my screen name of HollywoodWalkOfFame. The CCV videos are tagged with CCV, CoCoView, Roatan. Give it a search. And you're right, Mary's Place is as over rated as the Belize Blue Hole.

Your upcoming week at CCV will become a yardstick by which you will measure all other dive resorts... Not just resorts that offer diving.

 

[drrich2]

DPS:

Some people like drift diving; some don't. Some people like to get out, explore town and eat at different places; some like to 'stay home' and get fed well on-site. Some want to engage the local culture; some want the dive boat staffed and a good guide.

Some people like seeing some 'big stuff' - in which case I imagine Cozumel, by reputation, would get the nod?

I suppose every 'big draw' scuba location has its advantages. Your profile puts you in south Florida; it'd be like me asking you why bother going to Cozumel when you could stay local & dive Key Largo, which can be pretty cheap. That's where you have to cross reference what's specific about the destination with your individual preferences. If you ever hit both, I'd be interested to know how you think they stack up. CocoView is a place I hope to hit someday (maybe in a few years, Lord willing & providing?).

Richard.

 

[dpspaceman]

Richard and all,

Appreciate the time taken to respond to my post. Understand it was kind of a rambling of my thoughts. For my first year wedding anniversary, I told my wife I wanted to do our advanced cert. I think we are going to be doing it in the Keys for $275 each. Not bad... we'll also be diving the keys. I know there is a lot of exploring to be done in my own back yard.

We have on the calendar a central/north Florida dive trip in which we are going to hit many caverns. We also want to do a keys trip.

We are doing CoCoView in Sept '15, so I'll let you know how we like it as well. Given my in-laws are older (not that old), I'm sure they will love the ease of the diving at this facility.

David

 

[diver 85]

Roatan---IMO----but---I'm very biased........


EDIT:.........just read the 2400 PP thingy--........Isn't that high??...We(wife & I) heading to Rangiroa in 2 months for not much more than that----staying @ Kia Ora to boot......Brac Reef Resort when we went last Oct was much less than that--also--& you can NOT beat CI diving in the Caribbean---except for Dominica.......

 

[dpspaceman]

Here's the math...

2 People 1 week in CoCoView is $3k (Tax of 19% included)
Flights $1.4k ($700 each)
Total: $4.4k

Tip: $400 for DM/Hotel

$2,400 each.

Not sure where you are flying from, but from Florida round trip to your location RGI is $2,500+ per person for the flight alone.