Question Cozumel Atmosphere

[sefuchs]

Everyone was vaccinated.

I apologize for being sarcastic but can't help myself .... Did they wear signs on their foreheads?

 

[morecowbells]

Cozumel can be tailored to make it a destination that can suit just about anybody's taste. I cannot give advise about spring breakers. I typically don't travel at that time of year. I usually rent a condo on the south end of the island. It puts me about 15-20 minutes away from town, but closer to the dive sites. The more remote location may be dull for people looking for shopping, bars and dining. I like the tranquility of being away from noises and crowds. When we head into town late afternoon/evening, the cruise ships are setting sail. It isn't a big deal for us to drive into town for groceries and dinner. Staying in town is not my cup of tea, although I am in the minority. When traveling with family members who are not divers, we stay on the North end. It is also quiet, but closer to town, however, further from the reefs and longer boat rides.

Topside, Roatan has far more interesting topography. The diving is good, inexpensive and with relatively short boat rides. While Cozumel lacks the lush and rugged landscaping of Roatan, the food and diving are far more diverse. The diving in Cozumel is usually deeper than Roatan, but I find the concentration of marine life more abundant. The visibility is better as well.

Full disclosure: On my last Cozumel vacation, I was surprised by the number of dive boats-especially at the Palancar sites. A good dive op will have you hang back if there is a crowd, then proceed to avoid the congregation of divers. There are unfortunate times that out of nowhere a cattle cart descends above you. Your DM will likely have you quickly move around them; making the crowd a non issue. There are dive ops that leave at 7 am in order to avoid the crowds. I am not a fan of early rising. Sometimes you will find that sweet spot of departing later and arriving to the site when other ops are ending the dive.

 

[TOMWIEDEMAN]

I apologize for being sarcastic but can't help myself .... Did they wear signs on their foreheads?

Actually they almost all universally volunteered their vaccination status plus wearing N and K 95 masks. Starting at the airport, being told all personnel are vaccinated.

 

[DougA]

The wonderful thing about this forum is that there is so much information; the difficult thing is finding what you're looking for. I appreciate all the effort everyone puts into the forum and apologize if the information I'm looking for has already been posted somewhere.

My wife and I each have 200+ dives, mostly in the Red Sea and Caribbean, and some in the Pacific. Most of our dive destinations have been small and off the beaten path. Cozumel seems like an entirely different sort of place. We have found the diving better in the western Caribbean than, say, in the ABC islands, and the diving in Cozumel must be great or this forum wouldn't be so huge. So we are interested in trying Mexico, but Cozumel seems overwhelming. Of course, lots of divers look for other distractions after the diving is done - beaches, restaurants, bars, clubs, etc. - but that's not really our thing. Perhaps I just picked a couple of bad threads, but need I be worried about mobs of spring breakers and cruise passengers? Are there parts of town that are more low key? Is the island packed this time of year? Are the dive sites crowded? Should we just go back to Roatan or Turneffe? There are clearly lots of fans of Cozumel here and I'd appreciate your perspective.

Glad to read your question & the responses. I have about 40 dives under my belt, going in April with my non-diving wife, and wondering who to dive with and where to stay. Not so worried about the crowds thanks in part to the responses below. We currently have a room at the small-ish Villas El Encanto, but am wondering about changing to Blue Angel or Scuba Club Cozumel. Want a place that will be nice for the wife, and nice diving & options for me ?

 

[DougA]

Not sure how to say this, but everything you are thinking is true and everything you are thinking is false, think about that for a minute. Sounds like you have not done Mexico, the land of mañana, most people think that it mean tomorrow but in Mexico it means not now. Cozumel is going to be what you make of it. We did Blue Angel hotel and did most diners there. I think we did down town 2 times. We are laid back. did a taxi to see the inland. We were not in town during the day so can not say about cruise ships ( they did not blow out the dive sites.). If you are on one of the 6 pack boat they are fast and not many people on the site, it is follow the leader but with current you would be going that way anyway. we have done a lot of the Caribbean, I would rate Cozumel about number 3 on our list
I would say that you need to do Cozumel at least once. I would say the diving is fair to good. I did see thing in the water that I had not seen before or not very often.
If I had to decide between, Roatan or Cozumel, I would do Cozumel but there are still places I have not been to yet.

I like it. Judging from your measured response, I am guessing your answer might be 'yes'. That said I am wondering between Blue Angel, and staying at a small hotel in town and going with dive shop dives. It is for me (40-ish dives) and my non-diving wife.

 

[waterone]

Want a place that will be nice for the wife, and nice diving & options for me ?

The Park Royal has pier access (most boats will pick you up and pay the fee for you), shore diving right across the street and Tikila is not even a block away. If you get a decent travel agent, it is quite cheap even with all inclusive and the food is pretty good.

 

[ggunn]

I like it. Judging from your measured response, I am guessing your answer might be 'yes'. That said I am wondering between Blue Angel, and staying at a small hotel in town and going with dive shop dives. It is for me (40-ish dives) and my non-diving wife.

If you have seen many of my contributions to this forum you probably know that I am a big fan of Blue Angel. It is a small property about halfway between town and the southern cruise ship docks. It has a great restaurant and bar, an excellent on site dive op, a smallish pool with a great sunset view, a dock for dive and fishing boats, and a courteous and attentive staff. It is within a cheap cab ride to the other great restaurants in town but it's far enough away so that cruise ship crowds won't affect your stay. It is about a 6 or 7 on the rustic to luxurious scale, which is totally fine for me and my group.

 

[DougA]

If you have seen many of my contributions to this forum you probably know that I am a big fan of Blue Angel. It is a small property about halfway between town and the southern cruise ship docks. It has a great restaurant and bar, an excellent on site dive op, a smallish pool with a great sunset view, a dock for dive and fishing boats, and a courteous and attentive staff. It is within a cheap cab ride to the other great restaurants in town but it's far enough away so that cruise ship crowds won't affect your stay. It is about a 6 or 7 on the rustic to luxurious scale, which is totally fine for me and my group.

Thanks - I am not expert at using the forum, just figuring it out, but that helps dial it in. Sounds like it would be a good option for me too.

 

[mcohen1021]

Just finished 4 days of diving with Dive House, we stayed at Secrets Aura which is adults only. It was very chill, food wasn’t bad, but the proximity to the pier and getting on the boat in the mornings was definitely a plus.

Amazing how are preferences vary so widely. the potential for 12 divers on a boat is too many for me, I found the food at secrets not edible and the walk from my room to the pier felt like it was 10 miles. Glad you enjoyed it, I guess ive become more introverted as ive gotten older.

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

Not introverted. Just more selective.