Am in Coz now, had my Dive Op cancel due to lack of bookings

[kmurray719]

I tend to avoid posts that are in the least negative, because it does not seem to be worth the trouble to be jumped on by those who have had a different experience..

Jackie-

Your perception of your experience is the reality for you, so I'm not going to comment on any of that. I think the fact that Tony is sending out a full boat 1-2 trips most days, and often turning away business speaks to the fact that your experience seems to be very different from most other peoples', including my own as both a student and "regular" diver. There are two points I would like to note:

.We eventually did end up in 20' of water to do the O/W skills.We did not do a safety stop on this dive as it was so shallow (I had never heard of this and I made it as far as DM candidate).

The recommendation for dives above 100 feet is a 3 minute safety stop BETWEEN 10-20 feet, most often done at 15 feet. If most of your dive was spent at or above 20 feet, it was one long safety stop anyway, and there was no need to do an additional 3 minutes specifically at 15 feet.

I also believe that Tony caters best to the very new diver (although not in our specific instance), which is perhaps why he gets such glowing reviews.

I'm not sure where you got this information, or if this is just your own guess, but this has not been my experience at all. I have most often been out with a boat full of relatively experienced divers who are repeat customers, not brand new divers who have no dive experiences for comparison. They certainly do a great job with new divers, keeping an extra eye on them and helping them out if necessary, but also cater to more experienced divers by allowing them to dive their air and NDL's, going to more "advanced" sites and giving them more leeway to "do their own thing" in the water.

I'm sorry that between illness and other factors you didn't have the trip you expected or hoped for. It stinks when that happens. No one business can be everyone's cup of tea, and there are plenty of dive ops in Cozumel to choose from. I hope your next trip is better and you become a cozaholic like the rest of us!

 

[Jackie]

Tony told me that he gets mostly new divers. I guess on any given day the composition of the boat differs.
Agree with you on the safety stop. Generally this is more of a teaching tool or a standard operating procedure as opposed to a mandatory one, unless someone has exceeded limits.
I am ALREADY a cozaholic! I got certified there myself about 7 years ago with Dive Paradise but saw Tony's reviews on tripadvisor which spoke specifically to him working well with new students. That's why I thought that I would give him a try. Obviously an overwhelming number of people have a good experience with him, so mine was in the minority. While there are a lot of advantages to the personal service of a small operation, there are also downsides, as in the case of the OP who was cancelled and then left to find someone to rebook with.

 

[judydivescoz]

Tony told me that he gets mostly new divers. I guess on any given day the composition of the boat differs.
Agree with you on the safety stop. Generally this is more of a teaching tool or a standard operating procedure as opposed to a mandatory one, unless someone has exceeded limits.
I am ALREADY a cozaholic! I got certified there myself about 7 years ago with Dive Paradise but saw Tony's reviews on tripadvisor which spoke specifically to him working well with new students. That's why I thought that I would give him a try. Obviously an overwhelming number of people have a good experience with him, so mine was in the minority. While there are a lot of advantages to the personal service of a small operation, there are also downsides, as in the case of the OP who was canceled and then left to find someone to rebook with.

I am sorry to hear you had a bad dive experience in Cozumel. I have never dove with Tony but I have heard that he is a great guy and runs a great op from not only his customers but other dive op owners.
If you read the OP comments, its clear that Tony referred him to another dive op that offers a similar service. He might have been disappointed that he did not dive with Tony, but he was not left to fend for himself. I dive with a small dive op and have been referred to other shops when I was the only diver. I always regarded it as an adventure and an opportunity to meet some new people. Never did I have a bad experience.
I see from another thread that you are booking another trip. I hope that on this one you both stay healthy and enjoy your visit.

 

[dewayne405]

Not to be a cheerleader, but I know that many of the Dive Ops should be rated 4-5 stars in customer service... Although when it comes to Scuba Mau, I have to give 6 stars!! On my last visit, Opal sent my wife and I out, with our DM Gabby and a DM-in-training... We had a blast...

The folks at Scuba Mau go out of their way to ensure that you have a great time... We will be visiting again in March, and can't wait to see Opal and Mau, Gabby, Monkey, and the rest of the crew...

 

[Aquabear]

Not to be a cheerleader, but I know that many of the Dive Ops should be rated 4-5 stars in customer service... Although when it comes to Scuba Mau, I have to give 6 stars!! On my last visit, Opal sent my wife and I out, with our DM Gabby and a DM-in-training... We had a blast...

The folks at Scuba Mau go out of their way to ensure that you have a great time... We will be visiting again in March, and can't wait to see Opal and Mau, Gabby, Monkey, and the rest of the crew...

Ditto. Dove with them over xmas break and they were awesome.

 

[DandyDon]

My daughter's family will be in Coz for a day later this month, we did the pool snorkeling class today, and they will be going out on the Trimaran docked there near Scuba Mau. Gawd, trying to teach 2 women and 2 teenager boys. I did mention that if they have any problems, go to Scuba Mau, tell them your DandyDon's family, and you need help. Great folks, and wonderful dive Op.