Book a operator before coz or wait till on the ground?

[jlpjr1966]

Hiya

First time going to coz and gonna get there in a week. July1-July5. Staying at the intercontinental. Do I need a reservation with a dive operator or can I just show up ? I know its alittle late ;-) ? I was thinking of using a different one each day to see how they are... good or bad idea ? I know this last question in particular is somewhat subjective... answer will vary. Just wondering what people will say. Thank You.

 

[outlaws]

Hi,
I have only been to Cozumel once but was told June-July were the slower off season times so I would guess that it would be easy enough to get a dive charter. As far as using different ones you will get a discount by using the same one for all your dives.
http://www.xtabaydivers.com/ this is the web site for the operator I dove with. The DM was Pepe Moy. I was well pleased but if you look on here there are several operators that others have suggested. Have fun and dive safe.

Butch

 

[mjh]

Often the best operations are booked in advance. Nothing wrong with trying someone new everyday, you'll just have to drag all your gear around. Either way suggest Blue XT Sea great operation and only 4-5 fellow divers.

 

[jlpjr1966]

Thanks guys... appreciate the info.

 

[Canucklehead]

Ditto what mjh said about booking ahead. We were there this year over the Memorial Day weekend, arriving Saturday. If we had not booked ahead, neither the on-site dive op (Dive Palancar at the Allegro/Grand) nor the dive op we reserved with (Scuba With Alison) would have been able to take us until the following Tuesday! So consider the fact that you're going to be there over the 4th of July weekend and judge accordingly. Even though it's the "slow" season, the place could be swamped that weekend.

 

[HammerNoMore]

If you book with a different operator each day, I wouldn't count on getting to the better sites. Often DM's take new people on easier dives the first day while they evaluate their skills.

James

 

[parrotheaddiver]

If you book with a different operator each day, I wouldn't count on getting to the better sites. Often DM's take new people on easier dives the first day while they evaluate their skills.

James

I agree. Plus the op you have chosen to dive with for the day may be full and that may leave you scrambling to find another at the last minute.

 

[ggunn]

Hiya

First time going to coz and gonna get there in a week. July1-July5. Staying at the intercontinental. Do I need a reservation with a dive operator or can I just show up ? I know its alittle late ;-) ? I was thinking of using a different one each day to see how they are... good or bad idea ? I know this last question in particular is somewhat subjective... answer will vary. Just wondering what people will say. Thank You.

An argument against using a different op each day is that most Coz ops will give you a significant discount if you dive 3 or more days with them.

Another is that since there are a lot of novice divers that go to Cozumel, the ops there tend to be conservative and "babysitterish" to folks they don't know, but as they learn the degree of your skills they back off if your expertise warrants it. As someone else pointed out, no op that doesn't know your skills will (or should) take you to Punta Sur or Maracaibo.

Still another is the logistical one of how you are going to coordinate with all these different dive shops, since you'll be staying pretty far away from most of their offices. They will generally want to see you and have you sign all their paperwork before they agree to take you out; how much vacation time do you want to burn doing that?.

But of course, as in all things, YMMV.

 

[BungyJumper]

I stayed at the Intercon May 23-30 and dove with the on-site dive operator, ScubaDu. They were great and I can recommend them highly. I would call ahead (or email Vanessa at info@scubadu.com to book ahead. They get booked up pretty quickly. You can visit their website at www.scubadu.com My favorite dives with ScubaDu were Colombia (Deep), Santa Rosa and Paradise Garden. Santa Rosa was a really cool wall/drift dive with numerous swim-throughs. Have a blast!

 

[Oxygen Guru]

I love Coz.

I agree with the above post, you should rec'v a discount if you book in advance with one shop for three dives.

I always go to a less advertised Dive Shop that is right on the water with its own dock called the Blue Angle Dive Shop at the Lorena Hotel. Servando is fantastic and the Manager Alejandra is fantastic as well. Small groups the largest I was with was 4 divers and a DM. Great experience and can't wait to go back.

We stayed at the Lorena and all the Shore Diving you want is included, loved the experience.

Pick up on their dock, Rinse Tank on the Dock as well as a shower and rinse station near the shop, a small cafe for a quick breaky, and they kept my gear for me as well. We encountered more sea life than I was expecting each time we dove. They didn't have the best interval energy food, so I picked up a healthy sandwich for our next dives.

Dive Deep and Experience every Second as though it were your last...