Trip Report Cozumel Trip Report, abbreviated

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Guitarcrazy

Contributor
Messages
402
Reaction score
354
Location
Montana
# of dives
100 - 199
We just returned from another great trip to Cozumel. We arrived on Feb 6th flying into Coz airport for the first time. We normally have to do the bag drag, but for this trip the stars aligned and we were able to fly in at least. The airport arrival was a breeze, much the same as Cancun, with fewer people. We took the shuttle to the Grand Park Royal. I don't know why anyone would walk 3 blocks to catch a cab, the cost was $6 per person, so not worth walking with 7 bags to find a cab. This was our 3rd stay at GPR, and it was much the same. Food is decent, but not great. Hotel is nice-ish. Drinks are good, with top shelf available for those who desire it. We booked 9 days and cost was a very reasonable $1700 for two.

We dove with Challenge Diving for the first time. We were meeting friends in Cozumel and that is their go-to dive op. We figured it was dumb to dive two different ops so we just joined them. Challenge was great, fast boats and good food during the S.I.s. The had tuna fish for sandwiches, ham and cheese, loads of fruit, chips, and even had a cake on board every day. I am sure I was always heavier for the second dive. The conditions were good on the days we dove. We saw loads of Eagle Rays and other wildlife. We were hoping to have a sighting of some blacktips or hammerhead that some have spotted, but for us only one nurse shark presented herself. We did a night dive and as usual, saw lots of octopus and other critters. Eric and Eric with Challenge were great to dive with. Eric Jr was our main guide and always spotted lots of animals for us. We lost 3 days due to Nortes, which is the worst we have experienced on a trip.

I am using a TG-5 with Backscatter wide angle, and two YS-01 strobes. Not super happy with my photos, but there are some decent ones. On a related note, I am considering upgrading to the Olympus E-PL 10 and Backscatter housing. Anyone with experience with them have thoughts? Thanks.

 
Nice to hear about a different dive op that I can't remember seeing anything about before - the food alone sounds worth it. Warning!!!! Found them on a Facebook page with a link to their webpage, supposedly - may have been hijacked, because it links to an Asian girlie site. TripAdvisor reviews are good but the website link shown there doesn't work.

Where did you meet Challenge Dive to get on the boat? Are their dive prices comparable to other ops?

Glad you had a great time and you took some nice pictures. Thanks for sharing.
 
We just returned from another great trip to Cozumel. We arrived on Feb 6th flying into Coz airport for the first time. We normally have to do the bag drag, but for this trip the stars aligned and we were able to fly in at least. The airport arrival was a breeze, much the same as Cancun, with fewer people. We took the shuttle to the Grand Park Royal. I don't know why anyone would walk 3 blocks to catch a cab, the cost was $6 per person, so not worth walking with 7 bags to find a cab. This was our 3rd stay at GPR, and it was much the same. Food is decent, but not great. Hotel is nice-ish. Drinks are good, with top shelf available for those who desire it. We booked 9 days and cost was a very reasonable $1700 for two.

We dove with Challenge Diving for the first time. We were meeting friends in Cozumel and that is their go-to dive op. We figured it was dumb to dive two different ops so we just joined them. Challenge was great, fast boats and good food during the S.I.s. The had tuna fish for sandwiches, ham and cheese, loads of fruit, chips, and even had a cake on board every day. I am sure I was always heavier for the second dive. The conditions were good on the days we dove. We saw loads of Eagle Rays and other wildlife. We were hoping to have a sighting of some blacktips or hammerhead that some have spotted, but for us only one nurse shark presented herself. We did a night dive and as usual, saw lots of octopus and other critters. Eric and Eric with Challenge were great to dive with. Eric Jr was our main guide and always spotted lots of animals for us. We lost 3 days due to Nortes, which is the worst we have experienced on a trip.

I am using a TG-5 with Backscatter wide angle, and two YS-01 strobes. Not super happy with my photos, but there are some decent ones. On a related note, I am considering upgrading to the Olympus E-PL 10 and Backscatter housing. Anyone with experience with them have thoughts? Thanks.

Great pix. Is #31 a crown of thorns starfish?
 
Nice to hear about a different dive op that I can't remember seeing anything about before - the food alone sounds worth it. Warning!!!! Found them on a Facebook page with a link to their webpage, supposedly - may have been hijacked, because it links to an Asian girlie site. TripAdvisor reviews are good but the website link shown there doesn't work.

Where did you meet Challenge Dive to get on the boat? Are their dive prices comparable to other ops?

Glad you had a great time and you took some nice pictures. Thanks for sharing.
Challenge picks you up at the pier at your resort, or if you are staying downtown you meet at the Marina Fonatur. Their FB page is accurate, but the website apparently is not. I believe it is $85 for a 2 tank dive. We dove on nitrox and did a night dive, but I didn't ask what the additional costs were. It was about the same as our usual dive op so I didn't bother to get the specifics.
 
Enjoyed your pics. Thanks for sharing.
 
Thanks for your report and for sharing your underwater photos. I miss the blue ocean and hearing my bubbles.......
 
Very cool- really like the levitating green turtle shots
 
Thanks for the post and the pics. Liked the grouper video, the octopus stills, and the turtle backlit by the sun.

Haven’t heard much about the Backscatter PL-10 combo other than from Backscatter. I think they tried to get enough volume for something at that price point that is is probably a good value relative to other things in the same price range. Obviously with Olympus being sold that could be an issue down the road with service/parts , but I think there is enough volume and money in the service that it will be Ok for 5-10 years. Others would know more , that is just my off the cuff
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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