Backpacker Dive Shop in Cozumel
- Thread starter accioio
- Start date
Please register or login
I interpreted it as meaning budget diving and budget accommodations, like a dive shop that also operates a hostel or budget guesthouse place for their divers. The kind of places I found on Utila. I don't know Coz nearly as well as others here, but I don't think of Coz as attracting many backpacker types. When I backpacked in on a trip years ago, I found Coz quickly blew my backpacker's budget out of the water. If the OP is somehow able to budget a month of diving (scuba and/or freediving), kudos for that feat. I'd be curious to see how the OP fares.
If there are $20 a night places to stay that should help. Dive with Martin reportedly offers free gear rental so that may help. The following hotel map may help
Cozumel, Mexico map with hotel locations
Hello and welcome to the board. I did a quick Google on Backpacking in Cozumel and came across this: BackPacker Special
I don't know if it is still in effect, but that's a pretty good deal, I think. You could ask them.
I have never dived with Blue Magic, but they certainly have fans. Their shop is located very close to the hostel downtown and while they don't pick up from the pier in town, I think they may look after getting you to the caleta. As others have said, your biggest challenge to dive Cozumel on a small budget is that the cheap food and accommodations are located in town and the dive boat departures are out of town. Most dive ops expect you to get to the departure point on your own steam. So you need to figure in the added cost of taking a taxi or renting a scooter.
I don't know if it is still in effect, but that's a pretty good deal, I think. You could ask them.
I have never dived with Blue Magic, but they certainly have fans. Their shop is located very close to the hostel downtown and while they don't pick up from the pier in town, I think they may look after getting you to the caleta. As others have said, your biggest challenge to dive Cozumel on a small budget is that the cheap food and accommodations are located in town and the dive boat departures are out of town. Most dive ops expect you to get to the departure point on your own steam. So you need to figure in the added cost of taking a taxi or renting a scooter.
Generally speaking, "budget" dive operators are those will will do package deals if you're diving multiple days. It doesn't necessarily make them bad operators, just more suited towards people on budget and/or usually a younger vibe/crowd. This would be more geared towards backpackers.
Backpackers can be notoriously cheap usually because they're trying to stretch out their budget. Not meant to be insulting, when I backpacked through Central America and Southeast Asia, I spent far more on diving than I did accommodations.
For the OP,
Eco Divers (ECO DIVERS - Rates & Reservations) caters to backpacker crowd as they are very close to Hostelito. (Hostel Cozumel, comfortable, clean, spacious, and well located accommodations.)
They can provide package rates if you're diving 3-5+ days. 5 days of diving works out to $65/day if you're not renting equipment. I've never dove with them personally but I am friendly with owners and have dove with them before
There are many many other dive operators that do package deals like this if you search on this forum.
You would need to of course be Open Water certified before doing this otherwise you would be limited to what they call Discover Scuba Dives. A lot of people advocate/recommend doing your training at home to make most of your holiday. This makes a lot of sense but if you're going to be on the island for a month you would have plenty of time to take class here. Alternatively, I would suggest doing your classroom/pool portion at home to save yourself some time.
I've stayed at Hostelito before when I needed a cheap place for a few days. They have a nice little common area and are in a good location walking distance from most bars/restaurants. Pretty much any place in downtown San Miguel will be good walking distance to restaurants/bars. Hotel Marycarmen downtown has monthly rates. I think I paid around $300 for month but don't remember off top of my head.
Cozumel is not really a traditional backpacker destination compared to other places in Mexico and Central America. You will certainly be able to find good deals and cheap eats but it's usually not going to be nearly as cheap as places like Roatan or Utila for backpacking scene...
Hi everyone,
Thank you for all your input. I am mostly looking for a place that is not just affiliated with resorts and also wanting to maximize the amount of diving I can do without spending tons of money. I've heard of the cattle boats, so not wanting to end up on one of those... Its practically free for me to fly to Cozumel which is why I am headed there and then I'll be headed south later. As for freediving, I was just wondering if anyone knew about the freediving there, I don't dive alone and I am aware of the danger of freediving after diving on air.
Thank you for all your input. I am mostly looking for a place that is not just affiliated with resorts and also wanting to maximize the amount of diving I can do without spending tons of money. I've heard of the cattle boats, so not wanting to end up on one of those... Its practically free for me to fly to Cozumel which is why I am headed there and then I'll be headed south later. As for freediving, I was just wondering if anyone knew about the freediving there, I don't dive alone and I am aware of the danger of freediving after diving on air.
willmann_nc
Contributor
Dive with Martin does supply all gear accept wet suits and computers. The gear looks to be in good shape and I've never witnessed a malfunction but I've never used it.
lthomas132
Contributor
You might want to look at Utila, Honduras instead. This small island is backpacker heaven! Bay Island College of Diving (Bay Islands College of Diving - Dive Shop Utila) is mostly young, backpaker type people. They will give you a free dorm-type room if you do your certs. with them. They are also one of the cheapest places to get your certs. It is a great dive destination and can be done (is done) on a budget. We talked to many young folks there that said they could eat, and eat well on $5/day or less. We did our diving with Utila Lodge which is associated with BICD but dove with some of the young people and it was very refreshing to have so much enthusiasm on the docks and boats. There are cheap flights into San Pedro Sula, van ride to La Ceiba, then ferry to Utila. You can post your arrival times along with your transportation request on Utila's Buy & Sell Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/116804641783120/) and get responses back on travel schedules to/from the island. If I were young again, yea right, I would being in Utila as much as possible. And yes, they do have a shop that specializes in free diving. Have Fun!
It sounds like Utila might already be on the OP's radar, since he mentions heading south to continue his backpacking adventure. What backpacker worth his salt would not make a stop on Utila? Backpacker mecca!
That's easy to find.
Wouldn't we all!
Coz experts correct me if I'm over-stating the situation, but I suspect that the less money a dive operator charges, the more likely you will find yourself on one of their bigger boats. Bigger doesn't NECESSARILY mean worse. Everyone has their own notion of what "cattle boat" means, and you can look up old threads on here by that keyword if you're curious. If a big boat still has lots of room for divers to move around and aren't, well, crowded in like cattle, then to me that is not a cattle boat. A big, crowded boat where the divers are herded around is what I think of as a cattle boat.
Forgive me for being so forward, but for someone who isn't even certified yet, and is seeking to dive on a budget, the goal of avoiding a cattle boat seems like putting the cart before the horse (or ox) and asking for a lot. You have never scuba dived--for all you know, you may actually prefer a larger boat, as some divers do. There are operators who guarantee no more than six divers on a boat, which is what people who disparage bigger boats as "cattle boats" are generally seeking. But those so-called six-pack boats generally cost more. You get what you pay for. If you want a small, fast boat, you will likely pay a premium for it.
Similar threads
