Blue Magic is our pick for Cozumel

[mrhappydiver]

My family and I just got back from five days in Cozumel. We had a spectacular week diving with Blue Magic Scuba for the second time. (Our local dive shop in Portland originally recommended them last year.) I have nothing but raves for Blue Magic. They're professional, fun and accommodating. Joyce runs a tight ship but in a relaxed way.

BMS' fast, small boats=no crowds. And they stored our dive gear for a few days while we were off the island with no qualms. Pumba is our dive master of choice. He makes each dive different and interesting by finding critters and pointing out cool stuff. He's a funny cat too.

As for my kids, they aren’t yet certified but did the "Discover Scuba" course and loved it. Their dive master Hugo was patient and fun, so they said. Now the kids insist on getting certified. I told them they'd better start saving their money.

 

[d_aviddiver]

from first-time posters.

Would sure like to hear some specifics, eg bottom times, sites dived, depth allowed, docks used, services provided (gear cleaning and storage, water, snacks ...), etc, other than just a "happy post".

Otherwise, it just smells like spam to me and doesn't reflect well on the dive shop.

 

[Gdog]

We are going in February, have dove with Sandro for several years, had friends that returned from Coz after diving with Blue Magic and nothing but praise. Will be our first time with Blue Magic, but feel really good about it with their staff, and the reviews here and from friends.

PS...this isnt spam, pm me if you have any questions!

 

[d_aviddiver]

Nope, I don't have any questions and am quite familiar with Gabriel & Sandro.

I am, however, suspicious of posts like this that are often made at the request of the dive op and do not contain any helpful information. That makes it spam IMHO.

I have heard good things about Blue Magic & I don't think these types of posts do them any good.

 

[ibj40]

Nope, I don't have any questions and am quite familiar with Gabriel & Sandro.

I am, however, suspicious of posts like this that are often made at the request of the dive op and do not contain any helpful information. That makes it spam IMHO.

I have heard good things about Blue Magic & I don't think these types of posts do them any good.

I'm glad someone else feels this way. I dove with Gabe and Sandro when they were with Deep Blue. If you ever see Sandro, ask him about his Viper hat. I gave it to him the last time we dove with him at DB. :cool2:

That notwithstanding, I would dive with Blue Magic in a heartbeat, and they would be the first dive shop we would contact if we were heading back down there; but I have to agree, there are too many one-time posters coming on here, and it makes one suspicious.

We all know that new dive shops need to build their reputation, but I would feel much better about someone with a history here (Heck, I've got less than 200 posts, so would I even meet my own criteria?) posting the same accolades.

 

[Gdog]

Ease down, fellas. Im not a new poster, and when I get back I will be happy to post my trip report and set your worried minds at ease!

 

[Gdog]

hey mr happydiver...I see you got your cert from Aquatic Sports, and live in PDX. We were certified from Aquatic Sports also, and moved from PDX about 2 years ago. Maybe one day we will bump into you up here in the Puget Sound!

 

[ibj40]

We are going in February, have dove with Sandro for several years, had friends that returned from Coz after diving with Blue Magic and nothing but praise. Will be our first time with Blue Magic, but feel really good about it with their staff, and the reviews here and from friends.

PS...this isnt spam, pm me if you have any questions!

My point exactly! I want to see a "seasoned" reaction to Blue Magic. We dove with Sandro for close to five years, and we have a personal relationship with him (and Gabe, and Pumba).

"Marketing" posts is one thing, "experienced" diver posts are another.

I look forward to your trip report!

 

[BaileyM]

Thanks Gdog whomever you are. I don't know how to quote 2 different posts in my reply, or I would, but I find it amazing that people are so quick to discount others' opinions, implying that their own might be more important. I don't post much here because I have too many other things to do, but does that make my opinion any less relevant than yours' ibj40 or d aviddiver's, who believe that new or junior members' opinions are nothing but spam??? I've been diving all up and down the coast of California and throughout the Caribbean; I like Cozumel the best. Water is warmer than home, reefs are cool, drift diving is divine, and the marine life and coral formations beautiful. Plus, it's relatively cheap and easy to get to. I've done over 150 dives in Coz alone, with several operators, but because I don't always post on THE ALMIGHTY SCUBABOARD why should my opinion or experience be belittled? That is why people don't want to post here; they feel intimidated by those who believe their diving experiences and opinions are superior. So all we see are the same people offering up the same things all the time. Frankly, I thought this board was about information sharing, not information bashing. Every dive op in Coz has a loyal following, for good reason; so why shoot down a diver who has a good opinion of any dive operator? If their experience wasn't good, you wouldn't see the positive post here, right? If you have valid questions, just ask. Bottom times with Blue Magic Scuba, 45 minutes to an hour or more, air hogs get sent up early; dive sites - everything from Barracuda to Maracaibo (I've been to all of them with this op); gear storage, yes; fruit/snacks and water yes; great dive masters, yes; nice owners, yes. The same could be said for many ops on the island. But I'm happy where I am now, and I don't think you should make me, or anyone, feel bad about my choice. And, that doesn't mean that I won't be happier with another at some point in the future. I am an experienced diver, have dove in many places with many operators, so my opinion is valid - to me, at least.

 

[kwest]

Ok I'll chime in now. I can empathize with both sides here. I've met Joyce and Mark the owners of Blue Magic (they live part time in my neck of the woods) and will be in Cozumel next week diving with them. I can say with confidence that they are not twisting any arms to write good reviews here. That said, because I've known for a while I will be diving with them I have been following all the posts here that mention Blue Magic and some of them make me anxious for the shops reputation. I've worked in hotels most of my adult life and am very wary of Trip Advisor and other easily manipulated online forums. There is a hotel in my town for example that has always been a top rated inn on Trip Advisor because they write their own positive reviews. In fact, some of their "candid traveler photos" are exact duplicates of photos from their website. It's obvious to me, but many folks choose to stay with them based solely on their TA rating. In the case of Blue Magic I feel people are genuinely enthusiastic, but it does the shop no good when someone starts a post by saying it was their first time to the island and concludes the post by saying "Blue Magic is by far the best dive op on the island". Even worse is when people say such and such Dive Op "has the fastest boats on the island" - I'm still waiting for the regatta results to determine this one
Like BailyM points out we are lucky to have so many fantastic choices on Cozumel and we shouldn't jump to conclusions, even if like me you don't always trust what you read. If something seems suspicious, just do a little more research and never rely completely on just one source to make a decision. You can also send someone a private message to find out more.
I will post a detailed report when I get back from my trip and will even be able to compare to the Dive Op I used last year. I just need to somehow make it through these next five days before I leave without blowing up from excitement.

(((kevin)))