heard from a local dive op that they are shooting to open the shop june 8. we'll see i guess.
Can we go to Coz yet?
- Thread starter wildbill9
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Pillpusher
Contributor
I was looking into dive shops near where I'll be staying (El Cid) for a July trip I just booked and saw this op. His webpage states that, today, they pushed it back until the 15th. It *could* just be his shop, but the way it's worded makes me think it's all of them.
https://divewithmartin.com
https://divewithmartin.com
i have heard a lot of good things about dive with martin. i have never used them. our shop uses marine world when we bring groups. great outfit. we have also had guys who regularly use the scuba shack. they are both in that area. i hope your july trip works out for you.
Pillpusher
Contributor
I ended up noticing on his website that they aren't able to stow customer gear at this time, which would be a deal breaker for me since I have all my own equipment and no interest in hauling all my wet gear plus my camera back and forth to my room every day. I'm also reevaluating my El Cid booking, as I've found some great deals on AirBnB, but I'm hesitant to book anything right now that isn't fully refundable (my El Cid booking and flights are) in case they decide to shut things back down again. But most of the ones I'm considering are within a mile of El Cid.
My head is pretty much spinning right now looking at all the dive ops. Trip advisor is nearly useless as just about all of them have 4.5-5 average ratings. I would say that means that I can't go wrong, but I know better...lol. I'm just looking for a good, fun shop that offers 3 dives/day, has good guides that actively help spot little critters (and don't just merely float along guiding the dive), don't run large cattle boats, and can stow my gear. Any suggestions would be welcomed.
cozcharlie
Contributor
Cozumel is generally designed around 2 tank diving, not 3 so you are limiting your options quite a bit—especially in a pandemic with limited dive traffic. Shops generally run a 2 tank in the morning, with the possibility of a 2 tank in the afternoon if the demand is there (usually just high season or if they have groups that can make the economics of an afternoon dive work without additional divers ). Some shops do run 3 tanks , but that is a pretty small subset , especially if you are talking about fast boats. You will be gone 7 hours+ for a 3 tank with AL 80s which is a little much You might consider Aldora or one of the other shops that run big tanks Two of their dives roughly equals 3 AL80s
In ordinary times a lot of shops could probably pick you up for a 2 tank in the La Ceiba area (though I am not sure exactly where since you need permission to use the various piers in the area ). If you are married to 3 tanks you might consider some place with a house reef like Scuba Club (people on this board mention then house reef there, i don’t know anything about it) Casa Del Mar also has a dive area across the street (not certain how it works there, but I know people do training there )
In ordinary times a lot of shops could probably pick you up for a 2 tank in the La Ceiba area (though I am not sure exactly where since you need permission to use the various piers in the area ). If you are married to 3 tanks you might consider some place with a house reef like Scuba Club (people on this board mention then house reef there, i don’t know anything about it) Casa Del Mar also has a dive area across the street (not certain how it works there, but I know people do training there )
I think everyone is going to be figuring things out the first few weeks - if they hold to the limited capacity, you might see more three or 2 two tank trips to get people in the water. One thing not lacking here is creativity and the desire to make customers happy.
There’s a tropical something been sitting over the Yucatán for a few days and lasting they the weekend - it’s slowed some things down a bit but you really don’t see a lot of activity - I’m sure behind closed doors things are moving. It’ll be some time before we come close to normal though.....
There’s a tropical something been sitting over the Yucatán for a few days and lasting they the weekend - it’s slowed some things down a bit but you really don’t see a lot of activity - I’m sure behind closed doors things are moving. It’ll be some time before we come close to normal though.....
Check out Blue Angel Hotel & onsite Dive Op.
Your room is just a few steps from the BA pier. They stowed gear prior to Covid, although I always store my own. The rooms all have oceanfront balconies that are great for drying stuff.
near el cid you can also look at casa del mar. mid range accom but rooms are comfy. park royal right next door. higher end. great place. marine world right across the street. shore diving also avail off the pier there. scuba shack has accom across the street called tan kha. dive / room packages avail. lower end accom. i know guys that spend a month there every year. these are all right near each other. no long walks with gear etc.
if you want something closer to town you can look at hotel cozumel. we love it there. brkfst included. all incl option is avail as well. dive paradise is on site. shore diving also avail there. shallow but nice for night dives. many also like scuba club right next door. these both are much closer to town so you can walk (or take a bike from hotel coz) into town.
lots to choose from. for me, it always depends on how close to town i want / need to be. we found our packages from canada allowed us to get the all inclusive option at hotel coz for about 20 or 25 bucks extra a day. so it was cheap enough that it was well worth the cost, and we didn't feel guilty about going out for some dinners in town.
dbernard01
Registered
Have you checked with Hotel Cozumel and Resort / Dive Paradise? Dive shop is on site and they offer gear lockers. Our favorite way to dive here are the fast boat 2 tank AM dive, return, eat, sleep, then hop on the PM 1 tank boat.
Pillpusher
Contributor
Scratch El Cid. I decided to book this place (pending) since she has a friendly cancellation policy, even though I hopefully won't need to use it. It was just too good of a deal to pass up. It's on the north side of town, so I'll probably rent a car since most shops won't pick up that far north. I'd be spending almost as much taxiing back and forth as I would on a rental. But this place is nearly $1200 cheaper for the 10 nights, so having to get a rental still makes it a great deal, and gives me more flexibility for the entire trip.
Vacation Rentals, Homes, Experiences & Places - Airbnb
I saw that CozuDive (as well as a few others) offers 3 tanks, but I think y'all are correct in that a lot of things will be in flux between now and then. If not, I don't mind doing 4 tankers, even though those $8-$12/tank Nx fees add up pretty quickly. So I'll probably have to wait a few weeks before making a decision on my dive op.
Vacation Rentals, Homes, Experiences & Places - Airbnb
I saw that CozuDive (as well as a few others) offers 3 tanks, but I think y'all are correct in that a lot of things will be in flux between now and then. If not, I don't mind doing 4 tankers, even though those $8-$12/tank Nx fees add up pretty quickly. So I'll probably have to wait a few weeks before making a decision on my dive op.
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