Advice for new diver on Cozumel?

[adran]

Hi Divers, I am a week away froam a 5 or six days of diving in Cozumel. I dont have a dive op chosen yet and I am feeling both positively excited and a little anxious.I got my OW on Little Corn Island , Nicaragua about two years ago. I went on maybe 6 0r 7 dives after my course and went back again this last Febuary for just a few dives.You can see I am really a semi-virgin diver. I feel was relatively comfortable underwater and certainly got the bug for this exciting and wonderfull way to appreciate nature. All the divers I have met before and since were really cool and interesting people ( with only one or two exceptions - to not be a polyanna or kiss *** about it

. Anyway Im looking for dive shop recs and maybe some notes on the possible dangers of Cozumel. All but one dive I went on in LCI seemed pretty easy so Im wondering what the challenges will be. My vacation partner has his AOW and has dove in a number o f places around the world but still less than 50 dives I think ( and he hasnt been for maybe 2 or 3 yrs). Will we be stuck diving shalower reefs and will that be a drag?I sort of feel like this trip will really seal it for me as far as how much diving will part of my life in the future so I want it to go well. Thanks in advance for any recs or advice.

 

[micagreen]

Cozumel is awesome. Best diving on this side of the globe IMHO.

I only dive with El Gran Azul. Victor is awesome! He gave me my open water cert about 19 years ago (was it really that long ago?? wow!) He's very friendly, has small boats (=small groups), has a tremendous amount of respect for the reefs and is a blast to dive with. There's lots of other operators out there (check the Cozumel sub-forum) and I'm sure most are good.

There's plenty of diving at or around 60' so that won't slow you down. My wife did her open water boat check dive at Palancar Gardens and that's some pretty nice diving (she did sneak down to 70' though... Ssshhh...)

Dangers? The water is sometime SO clear that you'll find yourself deeper than you think. At 90' at Santa Rosa wall, I could still clearly see the surface. Also the current can be quite strong. A lot of the diving is "drift diving", you motor out, go down, set your buyancy and watch the reef go by. You just have to be alert and stay near you buddy/group. It's easy to lose your buddy if you're not paying attention in that current.

Biggest danger? You will become a SCUBA addict. You will also be spoiled. Every place you go from now on you will try to compare to Cozumel.

Go have a blast! I know you will...

-Todd

 

[dogtownmax]

wow, there are so many dive ops to choose from on cozumel.

I have had excellent experinences with Dive Anita http://www.cozumel-diving.net/anita-divers/
they are independent operation, not affiliated with a corporation, chain, or hotel. the boat is well shaded, and the groups stay small. they are a very personal, owner-operated dive op. I recommend them highly. they would be a very good choice for working with your concerns about getting your partner refreshed and on the fun reefs.

Aldora Divers http://www.aldora.com/ is good as well. excellent rental equipment, and small, faster boat.

personally, i like to stay near town, but having visited the east side of the island, i see the possibilities there.

 

[Dave Zimmerly]

Make sure you both have a safety saugage (SMB), whistle and mirror.

Depending on your comfort level, recommend a full suit at least 2-3mm.

Everyone here will tell you there favorite dive ops, but for us we like Dive Paradise.

Have a great time.

Dave (aka "Squirt")

 

[ffestpirate]

Enjoy