On my own (poor me) - Pepe Scuba

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

jonhall

Contributor
Messages
1,716
Reaction score
1,219
Location
Indianapolis
# of dives
100 - 199
As some of you may know, I prepared a chart of the “best ops” in Coz, located in another thread, mainly with the idea of letting my traveling/dive buddy pick the dive op(s) for our trip at the end of the month. A few weeks ago in a non-moving motorcycle accident, he broke his ankle, had a plate and screws inserted, and will not be able to dive (but can at least travel.) A few years back, he left me hanging on another trip, when he went and suffered a heart attack a couple of weeks before a trip. Since my wife had to give up diving several years ago, I’ll be on my own - except for the group and insta-buddy I may have.

Okay my real question is: Week 1, we’re staying at Coral Princess on the north end which has Pepe Scuba as the resort op. If I choose to dive with them, I know there will be 50 min boat rides to the dive sites (last time I stayed north, I took a taxi to the south.) Thinking of doing a few more shore dives - anyone with any knowledge of the area by the Coral Princess as to whether or not a shore dive is worth it?

Week 2, we’re at El Cid la Ceiba. I believe there are a few areas shore dives can be done in this area, but if anyone has knowledge of something decent, I’ll take it. I’m just looking for something to maybe get wet and not spend a ½ day, so I don’t feel too guilty being away from wife and friends!. Their on their own when I’m on a boat!!
 
I don't shore dive here but,
Pepe Scuba does shore diving off Playa Rocas to the north (Las Brisas) of Coral Princess - not far. This is where they bring students at least.
I have had friends that stayed at El Cid/La Ceiba and did shore dives around there and had no complaints. I would ask them details but they are leaving today.
I know some who shore dive starting at the boat ramp just south of Hemingways restaurant. It is also just to the north of the airport road and Melgar.

I will assume you are aware of the currents on the north end. I don't know when you are here but the currents at least in the south picked up yesterday.
 
Week 2, we’re at El Cid la Ceiba. I believe there are a few areas shore dives can be done in this area, but if anyone has knowledge of something decent, I’ll take it. I’m just looking for something to maybe get wet and not spend a ½ day, so I don’t feel too guilty being away from wife and friends!. Their on their own when I’m on a boat!!
The shore diving at Blue Angel is pretty good as far as Cozumel shore diving goes. It is about a mile north of the La Ceiba complex.
 
When diving at El Cid/La Ceiba, be mindful of cruise ship departure. Their departure horn (I have been told) can be a bit loud underwater.
 
It has been years, but I have stayed at the Coral Princess many times. In my first years as a diver, Cozumel was where I dived almost exclusively, the Coral Princess was where I stayed, and Pepe's was the dive operator I used. That changed over time, and the reasons may or may not pertain to you in your situation.

For the first years, I had no complaints about Pepe's at all. I had time for a leisurely breakfast before the two boats arrived right in front of the place to take us diving. The trips did not seem that long, and we got back in time for a nice lunch before I spent the rest of the day with my non-diving wife. I enjoyed it immensely.

As I got more experience, though, I started to be less satisfied. As the boats traveled south, the DM would ask where people wanted to dive, and it seemed as if that was the time on most trips that someone in the group would say, "Well, this is our first time since we were certified, so...." I would ask for a boat dedicated to more advanced sites, and sometimes it would happen, but once it became clear to me that the customer base for Pepe's tended to be on the beginner end of the spectrum, I shifted to other operators. I learned it was just a quick taxi ride to a pier in town that would give me access to any site in Cozumel.

As I said, it has been years since I was there. Assuming things are the same as they were then, I would happily stay at the Coral Princess and either take a taxi into town or have my wife drop me off in a rental car. The happy hour margaritas at the Coral Princess were outstanding, especially if they knew you are a good tipper.
 
Our friends had their flights cancelled or they got bumped so they are stuck here. Seems at least AA in Dallas is cancelling flights.
In any case, I spoke with them about shore diving El Cid/La Ceiba and they said it's decent and there is some reef further out but there is alot of boat traffic. She recommended a buoy to be safe and to stay closer towards shore. She also said there is an onsite dive op that could be of assistance.
 
I forgot to talk about shore diving near the Coral Princess.

The waterline there is a cliff, and it used to be spectacular for snorkeling or shallow diving, with beautiful corals and sponges covering the face of the cliff. I would venture to say it was then the best snorkeling location that I knew in Cozumel. Hurricane Wilma erased that in 2005. I don't know what it is like there now. As I recall, the hurricane deposited enough sand to make it considerably shallower there as well.

Still, you can enjoy a shallow dive along that edge for quite some distance, with no issues with boat traffic. When I went there, a lot of divers who had not been diving for a while would do a tuneup dive there before doing the boat dives.
 
It's mostly sea grass out front.
snorkel along the sea wall for the best sealife in the area.
Gustavo makes a great marg
 
I have a lot of experience snorkeling in the Coral Princess area . I also shore dive there every now and then. As others have said fhere is a roughly 12 foot deep wall right at the shoreline. There is a fair amount of coral and sponges on the wall. Since some of the sea life is very near the surface diving is only marginally better than snorkeling. I see eels almost every time (sharptail, golden tail, spotted and chain morays are the ones I see most often ). Usually see ballonfish , trumpet fish, and the occasional web burr fish. Peacock flounders also pretty common as well as adult spotted drum (which probably means there are more juveniles than I see while snorkeling). All of those are right at the shoreline within 20 feet. Mostly sea grass farther out . If you like macro stuff. I actually have good luck on the boat dives up north. Wouldn’t insist on going south every time if you appreciate macro. Used to have easier time finding batfish up north than down south. As you can tell I really enjoy the occasional northern boat dive.
 
Week 1, we’re staying at Coral Princess on the north end which has Pepe Scuba as the resort op. If I choose to dive with them, I know there will be 50 min boat rides to the dive sites

Week 2, we’re at El Cid la Ceiba.
I don't understand why your Coral Princess dive shop doesn't take divers to the three main named reefs up north--San Juan, Eagle Ray Wall, and Barracuda. They are beautiful dives. Usually pretty high current, but San Juan is shallow and there are places inshore of Eagle Ray Wall where you can fool around at 60'. My long time dive guide and dive shop owner has tried a number of times to get me to go with him on a swim out to Barracuda but I have never taken him up on it. I would suggest that it should not be a solo experience. I did swim in from Eagle Ray Wall two years ago when our pickup boat never showed up, and it almost ruined my day. As someone else noted here, if the current takes you past the bend in the island, you might as well start swimming to the mainland.

The area down around La Cieba used to have some nice clumps of coral until the hurricane wiped them out 15 years ago. Our favorite was off the Papa Hog's pier, where you can still rent tanks/weights and whatever else you need. But I can tell you that as of 2 years ago it had not grown back--give it another 50-75 years and cooler water. North of Papa Hogs across the road from, and north of, the Villa Blanca hotel is an area you might explore. There were some coral heads starting maybe 1/4th mile up from the hotel in shallow water without much boat traffic. The hurricane probably broke them up also, but it worth a snorkel to see if you should rent a tank and drag it there.

Finally, my snorkeling friends tell me that the area just south of the Fonatur Marina in front of the El Presidente all the way down to Money Beach is great for little critters. Much of the area next to the developed beaches is roped off, but you still can go around the ropes and buoys or between the developed areas. That said, I am not sure how you get down to the water.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

Back
Top Bottom