Completely new to SCUBA and going to Cozumel

[BTravlin]

You might as well reserve more than two boat dives now because once you've done the first two you'll definitely want more!

 

[Sue Sue]

Hi,
I know nothing about SCUBA diving whatsoever, I live in Colorado and spend most of my time climbing. I recently got back from a trip to a friend's house in Florida and he got me thinking that a SCUBA vacation might be a good way to celebrate my fifth wedding anniversary.


I've just booked a 5 day trip to Playa Del Carmen and a 4 day trip to Cozumel. I will be doing my pool and classroom certification in Colorado. I'm planning on going with one of the local DMs in Cozumel for my open water referral and then one or two boat dives after finishing my PADI certification.

Right now I am thinking of Dive with Martin or Aqua Safari. I'd appreciate any suggestions about these or other good shops. My wife is a bit afraid of the water so I'd prefer more safety conscious and more personal attention. I do not want to go with a cattle train provider.

I'll be staying here as it scored very high on tripadvisor.com but would also appreciate any suggestions for things to do on the island or specific dive spots to go to.

As an aside, we are interested in the best bird/wildlife watching places near Playa Del Carmen. We are thinking of doing a kayak tour of Sian Kaan one day and maybe a horse back ride through Punta Venando.

Thanks in advance,
Jared

Welcome to Scubaboard and Welcome to Diving !!! My son and daughter-in-law also started their certification before arriving to Cozumel. They finished their instruction with Arturo of Blue XT SEA. DH and I have been diving for 5 +years and I must say that Arturo was wonderful. Very patient and very professional. However, this is typical of Blue XT Sea diving. Have a wonderful time in Cozumel and Congrats ! Sue Sue

 

[cicopo]

Another very good op to consider for a very fresh diver is Scubatony, who I can verify as having all of the needed patience to make everything go as natural as it gets, and who has excellent communication skills re the teaching side of things. Worth considering, but so is Blue XT Sea. (Welcome to Scuba Tony in Cozumel Mexico, Scuba Instrution, Private Dive Trips, Hotel reservations and more.)

 

[tedgarner]

Let me put in a plug for Sergio Sandoval and family they are great this is there site Scuba Cozumel Great new boat and very very safe I did my open water with them and it is like diving with your family. Sergio Sr has great stories about diving and how he got stated. Give them a try.

 

[mstevens]

Psst! Hey, kid! One or two boat dives won't hurt ya - you can quit any time you want!

Seriously, you're going to want more than a couple boat dives no matter where you start. If you're in Cozumel, that is even more true.

 

[jared w]

Another very good op to consider for a very fresh diver is Scubatony, who I can verify as having all of the needed patience to make everything go as natural as it gets, and who has excellent communication skills re the teaching side of things. Worth considering, but so is Blue XT Sea. (Welcome to Scuba Tony in Cozumel Mexico, Scuba Instrution, Private Dive Trips, Hotel reservations and more.)

After talking to about ten shops down there and spending the last 8 horus on the net I decided to go with Scuba Tony. He seemed quite friendly and will do the PADI open water dives with just my wife and myself. He also offered to throw all rental gear in for free for the remainder of our trip since we'd be doing the course with him. I liked the smaller group size and his personality plus the money savings so I am going with him. I'll post a TR when I get back.

Now, he mentioned that the place I am staying is a bit of fthe beaten path and that if I moved to a place like Caribe he could pick me up at the dock. Does anyone have any suggestions for pretty waterfront hotels/inns/B&Bs? I do not want the big resort type places and would prefer a more sedate and adult crowd.

Thanks again. I'm pretty excited about this trip. It will be the first time I aim downwards on a vacation.

 

[Fatboy rider]

I think your plan is a good one. My wife did her open water dives in Cozumel last year and had a much better experience than I did in the sand pits of Nebraska. We used and continue to use Deep Blue, but there are a lot of great dive ops in Coz. Contact them in advance to and explain what you need so there are no surprises.

enjoy the sport

Walt

 

[cicopo]

You will like Tony and his staff and Caribe Blue is being discussed in several recent messages, and I certainly wouldn't mind staying there. I have photo albums from shoots at several of the Hotels & resorts here, plus some dive photos so pick the album titles that you think need looking at and say hello to Tony from me, Larry aka cicopo and he will know that screen name.
Picasa Web Albums - Larry

 

[mimiscuba]

Deep Blue is great. There are also plenty of shallow dive sites here in Playa del Carmen! As far as nature watching - there's a bird sanctuary in Playacar - like $15 to get in (expensive), Xel-Ha is a great suggestion, as would be Xcaret. Xcaret is a little more like a disneyland with shows and things but they have done great things for conservationism! There's a dive site right near them that is a feeding ground for tons of hawksbill sea turtles! Any other questions on Playa, I live here, would be glad to help!

 

[sharky60]

First of all, welcome to the family.

I have dove with Dive with Martin for years, they are a very good dive op and will do you right.