Buying dive gear in Cozumel

[nodakdive]

You should give your local shops another look.

We sell dive gear to skiers/divers from Mexico and our friends in Cozumel. Have you considered a used suit in good condition?

Also, you might give Scubaboard Business Sponsors a try.

To the OP, as you've probably read by now, you're not going to find a "deal" on Cozumel. I'm a Cozumel Scuba Repair fan too, and that would be my recommendation based on my repair and service experiences with them. I'm looking at Javier Polanco's card right now. If you want to go there, the easiest way will be to get a taxi from the square as there are some one way streets, etc. Add $10-$15 to the price of your neoprene for taxi fare from the square.

Depending on your level of interest in diving, and your/the LDS, there's something to be said about developing a relationship with your/a LDS. As previously stated, many will match internet prices. They'll give you advice. They'll send it back if it doesn't fit. You might meet other like minded divers. The list goes on...

 

[cbm32]

" Add $10-$15 to the price of your neoprene for taxi fare from the square " ??? Really?

I was just staying in an apartment a bit farther from the square (on Miguel Borge by Universidad) and one way taxi fare was 30 pesos. Round trip would be sixty pesos, which is about $4 or just a tad more.

 

[ggunn]

Ooh, good to know about CSR! Been to Coz about a dozen times and somehow never heard of them before.

Another idea if you are not brand-conscious might be to check out a Sam's Club or Costco or something. A few years back my hubs found a 3 mm shorty (they had full length ones too) at Sam's for $20. I guess it's for tubing or something bc it says SeaDoo on it, but the neoprene seems to work the same as a diving one would!

I was going to suggest something like that myself. I bought my shorty at Academy for a lot less than it would have cost me at a dive shop. It was in the water skiing department. Once you put a dive outfitter logo on something it seems to double in price. :cool2:

 

[Brules]

Go local or check out ScubaToys.com - you can get some killer deals on there.

Also check your local Craigs List - you can find ppl selling suits on there all the time......

 

[nodakdive]

" Add $10-$15 to the price of your neoprene for taxi fare from the square " ??? Really?

I was just staying in an apartment a bit farther from the square (on Miguel Borge by Universidad) and one way taxi fare was 30 pesos. Round trip would be sixty pesos, which is about $4 or just a tad more.

Your information is far more recent than mine, and I've only been there from the square (area/zone) once, but I know I paid $6 each way. We may have been overcharged?

 

[cvchief]

but I know I paid $6 each way. We may have been overcharged?

Nah, come on that never happens.....

 

[mstevens]

I like CSR and that's where I would buy anything I needed while on the island or just didn't want to bring (such as bulky or sharp stuff). It's where we buy computer batteries for a fraction of Pro Dive or Studio Blue's price. That said, it's still typically cheaper to buy in the US as evidenced by my DM friends wanting to know when we're coming so they can order stuff to our US address and have us bring it. This is particularly true when you want a specific brand.

Taxi fares? Even though Christi got us a fare chart, most taxistas don't seem to have one and make up their own fares. There ARE some completely honest taxi drivers out there who are much more interested in building a clientele through service than in soaking cruise passengers. It's a good idea to have their phone numbers and call them whenever you can avoid hailing a taxi or using a sitio.

 

[Dan G]

I'm planning on getting a 3mm full wetsuit for my diving in Cozumel next month and am wondering if there are any dive shops in Cozumel that are recommended to buy gear at. I would buy it here at home (Denver Colorado) but the prices at the local dive shops are simply too expensive for my taste since they only carry the fancy name brands. I've looked online but I really like being able to try things on before I buy them and since I only dive a couple times a year, I'm really not interested in getting the "best of the best" but something that is affordable. The dive op that I have reserved with only offers 3mm shorties and after being stung a few times, I really prefer a full wet suit otherwise I'd just rent.

Recommendations? :goingdown:

I, too, am a fan of CSR. One thing to consider is this: if you do not find something you like or something that fits you correctly in Cozumel, you will be faced with two options: spend money on a suit you don't really want OR spend money on renting a suit you really don't want to rent.

I would prefer to spend, for example $150/ $200 on a suit that is perfect for me compared to $100 on a suit I will want to replace.

 

[gopbroek]

Nah, come on that never happens.....

Which brings us back to taxi's, CSR is between 90th & 85th ave on calle 1 Sur (about 3 blocks south of El Morro) does anyone know where to find a taxi zone map? I would like to know the proper fare for this area from downtown especially since I think El Morro is within it.

 

[cvchief]

does anyone know where to find a taxi zone map?

I do. And I almost got it last time I tried....




And El Moro is not El Centro. It is Emiliano Zapata I think. And 10 de April is the area in between Zapata and El Centro