Blue angel questions

[PARADISE HUNTER]

I'm thinking of staying at the Blue Angel Hotel in March for the first time and I have a couple of questions about the shore dives. This will be my first trip using an underwater camera and I'd like to take a few shore dives to acclimate myself to it.

So my questions are:

1. I know the shore diving on Cozumel is not very good, but is there anything in front of B A of interest?

2. Will the B A dive shop rent me a tank if I'm using another dive op for the rest of my diving?

3. Is there any protection from rock or structure to reduce the current?

4. Non dive question - Is there a particular room or floor that offers a better view, more privacy or less noise that I should try and request?

If anyone has any pictures of the B A shore dive they would like to post, it would be much appreciated.

Thanks for the help.

PH

 

[cicopo]

I've snorkeled past it but didn't do any shore diving and there isn't anything exceptional to see but the Stingray pen is next door so that should supply something to to see. There isn't any shelter from the current. For rooms with a view I'd say the higher the better, and the quieter rooms will have the higher numbers. We stayed in 301 which is right beside the restaurant & staircase up to each floor. This little album was shot from 301.

http://picasaweb.google.com/116179596240613012497/LookingOutMyBackDoor#

And this is my BA Album with a few more photos of the view.

Picasa Web Albums - Larry - Blue Angel Re...

 

[MMM]

I rather like the shore dive in front and am pretty sure they will rent you tanks for shore dives regardless of who you are diving with.

 

[etexdiver]

cicopo is right: 3rd or 4th floor is the best view. Palm trees in the way of 1 and 2. Ray pen has some critters in it, but the best shore dive at BA is a night dive when you take a tank down to the pier by Villa Blanca and drift to BA, lots and lots of eels and octopii, in the little blocks and scattered corals. I don't know if BA rents tanks...send them an email, they'll reply.

 

[sharky60]

I'm thinking of staying at the Blue Angel Hotel in March for the first time and I have a couple of questions about the shore dives. This will be my first trip using an underwater camera and I'd like to take a few shore dives to acclimate myself to it.

So my questions are:

1. I know the shore diving on Cozumel is not very good, but is there anything in front of B A of interest?

2. Will the B A dive shop rent me a tank if I'm using another dive op for the rest of my diving?

3. Is there any protection from rock or structure to reduce the current?

4. Non dive question - Is there a particular room or floor that offers a better view, more privacy or less noise that I should try and request?

If anyone has any pictures of the B A shore dive they would like to post, it would be much appreciated.

Thanks for the help.

PH

1. yes, the shore dive in front and just to the south of the BA is a very nice shore dive (Villablanca Shallows). You can spend an entire tank exploring around the stingray enclosure next door alone...day or night.

2. yes, not sure of the price $5-7 I would imagine.

3. no, other than the stingray enclosure, but you need to get to the end of it to start seeing the cool stuff. this will put you pretty much I open current. Once past the enclosure, there are only small coral heads & some debris to hide behind.

4. all rooms face the ocean. The 2nd floor is just above street level and probably the noisiest. ground floor is below street level and very quiet. 3 & 4 have the best views, simply because you are higher up.

Look at my Trip Report links below, the first dives of the trips are on "Villablanca Shallows" there are probably some topside shots of the hotel in there somewhere as well...

 

[PARADISE HUNTER]

Thanks Cicopo. The resort pictures are helpful and give a nice look at the layout of the hotel. I wasn't able to open the OutMyBackDoor pic though.

Do you remember how the shore entry was when you snorkeled (if you used BA's)?

PH

 

[Brian2828]

I really enjoy the shore dive in front of BA, especially as a long sunset into night dive. The stingray pens seem to attract all kinds of life to the surrounding rocks. It is also a great place to learn to use your camera, practice buoyancy, or just kill some time between meals. The drift dive from Villa Blanca is also fun. I don't remember ever having a problem with current on the shore dives but I'm sure conditions vary. Room-wise, I've been on the second and third floors. If I had my choice in the future, I'd stay on the ground floor. After a long day of four dives, even the few steps seems like a lot. The view may be better as you go up, but every room has a great view. Road noise and the sound of tanks being delivered in the morning can't be helped and I'm not sure it would matter much which room you were in. As for tank rental, just email them, but I wouldn't be surprised if you were free to grab a tank and weights whenever, as long as you're staying at the hotel.

 

[PARADISE HUNTER]

Thanks for the replies folks!

 

[cicopo]

For my snorkeling past that area I entered at Park Royal & drifted back to Hotel Cozumel where I was staying. Way back on my first visit to Coz I had done that drift many times (before hurricane Wilma) but in 07 I took a last minute special & went solo & had time to kill so re did my old route to see what survived Wilma. Try this link to that album, seems I had set it to private.

Picasa Web Albums - Larry Ingram - Looking out m...

 

[blue steal]

I'm thinking of staying at the Blue Angel Hotel in March for the first time and I have a couple of questions about the shore dives. This will be my first trip using an underwater camera and I'd like to take a few shore dives to acclimate myself to it.

So my questions are:

1. I know the shore diving on Cozumel is not very good, but is there anything in front of B A of interest?

Depends on what you mean by not very good. It certainly is not anything like the off shore reefs, but if you slow down and take your time you can see all kinds of critters. I often go out every afternoon, evening for an extended shore dive. Around the string ray prison there are lots and lots of critters, then as you head further souther south toward the villablanca resort there are quite a few small coral heads each with there own little eco sytem going on. It is a nice shallow dive 18-20' so your BT can be quite long, maybe even 2 hours+. I often take a hawaiian sling and go for the pez de leon, however on this last trip only saw maybe 2-3. Matteo one of the DM's told me a very good dive to to taxi it down to Park Royal and drift on back. Almost did it one day, but as luck would have it the current changed direction, so I opted out on that one. I guess it's not for everyone, but for me I really enjoy it, lunch/siesta/afternoon shore dive/Happy Hour yeah.

2.
3. Is there any protection from rock or structure to reduce the current?

No real protection, but as a general rule the current flows from south to north, I start by going upcurrent towards villablanca resort , then turn and just drift on back. Never really had a current that was super fast.

4. Non dive question - Is there a particular room or floor that offers a better view, more privacy or less noise that I should try and request?

Some people prefer the ground floor as then there are no stairs to climb and you can just walk out your patio door to the grounds, pool, dock, etc. All rooms face the ocean. I like the top floor, I get some exercise and the views are great.

PH

Ok have fun, go for the shore dives