Coz shore dive site Tekila

[nodakdive]

It really depends on the current how far you would get. I have gone in at La Ceiba, swum on the surface through the sailboat moorings, dropped down and gone to the wall, drifted north until 1000psi, and swum in on the bottom. I have come up as far south as south of Villablanca and as far north as the lighthouse. Just north of the lighthouse is the new big ferry pier; I don't know how safe it would be to pass through that area on a dive.

This type of dive is not for novice divers.

I love the Villa Blanca flats and wall dive from a boat. We usually roll in just a little north of CDM. For this, I'd just like to do a 25-30 foot, near the shore dive. The reason I'd like to have it guided, at least at first, is not knowing any underwater landmarks north of CDM. Thanks for the info everyone and the pm northernone.

 

[Trailboss123]

 

[Texas Torpedo]

I used to live @ Palmar back in 2010 and I dove my "front yard" = "Tikila" / Del Mar all the time. It's not as nice a shore dive as doing one from Blue Angel unless you are willing and able to make it out to the wall and drift on down to (or past) BA. I had my double LP85's, sometimes slung an additional AL40 or AL80, as well as having my Cuda 650 DPV to drag me around, so I had considerable range.. One time I made it from the Del Mar Aquatics pier all the way down to the Aqua Safari's pier..

I wouldn't recommend this to anyone without the experience and proper gear but you can always surface swim out from Del Mar / Tikila until you get close to the wall and then drop down. (Be sure and have a SMB inflated near you anytime you are on the surface or coming up - there can be a fair amount of boat traffic in this area, as someone else mentioned previously) Depending on the current, your profile, RMV/SAC & gas capacity, you have the potential to make it down to BA or further... Anywhere along the way you can simply hit the surface / shore, get a taxi, and head back to wherever you want to be.. Again, this isn't a dive someone unfamiliar with diving in Coz should attempt but it is possible.. And don't forget your Nautilus LifeLine...

They had not completed the new car ferry pier/terminal before I did my last dive like this but there is a communications (?) cable coming up from the abyss before you hit that pier. I used to use it as my return to shore marker - unless I was really packing gas and had a good current.

Back to Del Mar / "Tikila"... It may have changed since 2010 but the coral was mostly in very poor condition when I dove there until you got closer to the wall. Again, BA is the better choice.. You can rent tanks and Eva will welcome you there regardless of whether or not you are staying there.

 

[ggunn]

They had not completed the new car ferry pier/terminal before I did my last dive like this but there is a communications (?) cable coming up from the abyss before you hit that pier. I used to use it as my return to shore marker - unless I was really packing gas and had a good current.

Actually, that's a power cable coming from the mainland. Cozumel has no power generating capability other than the gas turbine that used to run occasionally. I haven't heard the turbine running in many years; it may not be there any more. It is, or was, very loud, being basically a jet engine driving a generator.

Anyway, there is a chain of big yellow buoys that marks where the cable runs; there is a buoy anchored to the lip of the wall right where the cable comes up; it's almost directly offshore from Blue Angel. The cable comes ashore at the lighthouse. If you are diving the wall in that area and head in when you see that buoy's anchor chain, in normal current conditions you can usually take out at the Caletita, which is that little cove just south of the lighthouse.

 

[Sallygirl]

Lots of great information! Thank you.