Cancun and Cozumel experts: Share your opinion

[BoundForElsewhere]

Start in Cozumel diving. On the last day check out of your hotel before your dive. After diving that day pick up your luggage and take the ferry to Playa and check into hotel. Dive a cenote the next day then, rinses your gear as well. Then head to Cancun. If you stay down town you can taxi to the port where the boats leave for whalesharks and you are a 20 minute bus ride to the airport.

I second the "rinse your gear in the cenotes" plan for scheduling dives. There are a couple of cheap hotels just before you get to the lighthouse at puerto juarez for the ferry. not in downtown cancun so less douchy and cheaper. i don't know any names but the best one I stayed at was right across the street from an oxxo for beer and two separate abuelita taco places. we walked to the ferry from there so it is that close. its right by an elevated highway, if that helps.

ok, google street view shows it as Hotel Terra Carribe and its a Pemex, not an OXXO.

 

[meesier42]

Diving stay in Cozumel.. Pick your hotel/resort. I haven't found a dive operator in Cozumel I wouldn't dive with again. The farther south you go in Cozumel the closer to dive site (shorter boat trips) you get. ScubaClub is a nice place if you want to shore dive day or night, they have their own boats and staff that are some of the best around, but they are far North and have long boat trips. Other resorts have all inclusive packages that may or may not include diving and are generally aligned with a preferred operator. Cancun is for nightlife with diving as a side excursion (generally diving at Isla Mujeres), Cozumel is for divers

 

[Sharkbait John]

I just finished sidemount and full cave training with Carlos and Nico at CenoteXperience in PDC and consider it some of the best training I have ever had. And doing some post-training cave dives with Martin, was equally entertaining. As a "recovering perfectionist," I have pretty big expectations, which they actually exceeded. They are well-organized, punctual, personable, patient, and very effective when it comes to dive training. I left feeling empowered with new dive skills and a richer understanding of the local environment and history. I cannot say enough good things about how impressed I was with their operation. Even if you're just diving for fun, you'll have a great time with them. Diving cenotes offers a glimpse into another world (the Mayan underworld) that most divers never get to experience, and which makes it hard to justify diving open water, when you have this alternative available. Have fun; I certainly did.