Casa Del Mar

[cb5150]

Spending a week (Labor Day) at Casa Del Mar with a group from our LDS. I'm also dragging along my non-diving, but adventurous, wife.

The trip price includes unlimited shore diving, but Casa Del Mar looks like its on the other side of a road that you traverse via skybridge. Does anyone know if you have to drag your gear/ tanks/weights from the resort, accross the skybridge, to the beach or do they have a gear shack closer to the water?

Other than the generic touristy stuff, is there any activity I should recommend to the wifey?

 

[soonerwink]

There is a dive shop right on the water, Del Mar Aquatics. The resort is on the other side of the road. The dive shop isn't owned by the resort, so your group may be using another Dive OP. Check your LDS and find out who they are using, because there are numerous Ops that will pick you up at their pier. There is decent shore diving in front of the dive shop. It is an area where many snorkel boats drop off their customers.

 

[scubawife]

The dive shop is on the water side of the road. You don't need to worry about lugging tanks & weight with you.

What sort of things is your wife interested in, and much diving are you doing? (so how much time does she have to fill on her own?)

For something completely un-tourist, if she's interested, the Human Society is always in need of volunteers, even if it's just for a few hours. There's also a horse sancturary on the island that can always use another set of hands.

Other options - yoga class by the water, several places to go for some snorkeling, a beach club (Casa del Mar runs shuttles for guests to Nachi Cocum, or at least they used to. It's a very nice club and hotel guests get a discount on food & bevvies), a drive to the east side, bike riding (there is a dedicated ciclopista with fabulous views), just wandering around town... just out of the tourist area there are great places to go for breakfast, lunch, bakeries, shops, etc., get a feel for local life, the mercado is always interesting. There really is lots do to beyond just laying on a beach or by the pool. It depends what her interests are. Is she the only non-diver in your group? If not, I'm sure they'll all get together and find things to do while the rest of your are out diving.

 

[DjDiverDan]

I've stayed at Casa Del Mar each of the last three Decembers, and I like the Hotel. Rooms are nice, AC works well. It is a very pleasant mid-range Hotel. But I dove on each of those trips with Dive with Martin, which will pick you up at the Del Mar Aquatics pier. I personally would not dive with Del Mar Aquatics. It has a long history on Coz as a cattle boat operator - many divers all on a big slow boat, putting 18-20 divers into the water with 1 DM at the front and 1DM at the back, everyone goes down together, everyone comes up together, no diving your air or your computer. No thanks. If you go with Dive with Martin, you just need to lug your gear to its office at the back end of the Cruise Ship Pier area at the beginning of your trip and lug it back at the end. There is some shore diving in that area, back behind the El Cid, though it's not great. If you are intent on shore diving, you might want to check with Del Mar Aquatics to see if they'll rent you a gear locker and tanks and weights even if you aren't doing the boat dives with them. They may well say no, but at least ask. If Del Mar does say no, I'd punt on the shore diving in favor of better boat dives.

 

[cb5150]

I've stayed at Casa Del Mar each of the last three Decembers, and I like the Hotel. Rooms are nice, AC works well. It is a very pleasant mid-range Hotel. But I dove on each of those trips with Dive with Martin, which will pick you up at the Del Mar Aquatics pier. I personally would not dive with Del Mar Aquatics. It has a long history on Coz as a cattle boat operator - many divers all on a big slow boat, putting 18-20 divers into the water with 1 DM at the front and 1DM at the back, everyone goes down together, everyone comes up together, no diving your air or your computer. No thanks. If you go with Dive with Martin, you just need to lug your gear to its office at the back end of the Cruise Ship Pier area at the beginning of your trip and lug it back at the end. There is some shore diving in that area, back behind the El Cid, though it's not great. If you are intent on shore diving, you might want to check with Del Mar Aquatics to see if they'll rent you a gear locker and tanks and weights even if you aren't doing the boat dives with them. They may well say no, but at least ask. If Del Mar does say no, I'd punt on the shore diving in favor of better boat dives.

Thanks for the info. Del Mar Aquatics is the op that we are all booked with on this trip. The group on this trip is about 50% instructors and DMs who work all together. I suspect we'll find a way to work around the common dive profile thing if it becomes an issue.

 

[halocline]

There's a good dive op right next door to Casa Del Mar, called scuba shack. Lots of divers staying at Casa Del Mar dive with them. It's just as convenient as the Del Mar shop. You can get tanks for shore diving at scuba shack and keep your gear in the locker room. Its a small dive op with a few small boats and typically a nice assortment of divers.

The shore diving there is not bad at all. If you go due west (240o) from the entry point, about a good 10 minute swim you'll come to the remains of part of paradise reef, north of where the cruise ship channel was dug. It's a good night dive. There are a few moorings for the catamarans that help guide the way.

 

[DandyDon]

Tanks and weights for shore diving can be picked up at the dock, and there are a limited number of gear lockers there - BYO lock. When I have stayed there and dived with them on a couple of trips, I still took a lot of my stuff to the room for clean water rinsing and hanging on the balcony to dry. In the morning, I'd take my half full dive bag to the cafe, lay it down out of the way, and enjoy breakfast before crossing the bridge.

 

[DjDiverDan]

Is Scuba Shack the operator that is right next door to Ernesto's? I remember years and years ago diving from that location - it was then Fantasia Divers, owned by an American ex-pat. I quit diving with them after they contracted with the Cruise Ships to take on divers off the Cruise Ships. I was diving alone, so I invariably got buddied up with a Cruise Ship passenger - they were usually hungover, inexperienced, and they rarely paid attention to what they were doing, grabbing on to the coral, flailing their way through swim throughs, paying no attention to their depth or their air consumption. I now only dive with Ops that leave before the Cruise Ship passengers arrive.

 

[soonerwink]

I must dis-agree with DJ that they are a cattle boat operation. I have dove with them on 4 different trips there, I have never had more than 8 divers on a dive and usually 6 divers. I have always been allowed to dive my profile and have several dives over an hour. They do not make you come up as a group. I have also dove with DWM and got longer dives with Del Mar. Also they give you free tanks for shore dives, and will leave tank and weights out for you if you want to do a night dive shore dive at no additional charge. DWM doesn't have any dive lockers to keep your gear in either, Del Mar does, you must have your own lock though. I hate it when someone offers an oppinion on something they have never tried.

 

[halocline]

Is Scuba Shack the operator that is right next door to Ernesto's? I remember years and years ago diving from that location - it was then Fantasia Divers, owned by an American ex-pat.

It is next to Ernesto's, but I've never known it as Fantasia Divers. Maybe before Roberta bought it right around Hurricane Gilbert.....I really don't know. It's definitely not a cattle boat or cruise ship oriented dive op.