Cozumel/Cancun Info wanted

[bohemoth]

Greetings
I just joined the "club" because I am currently heading down to Cozumel/Cancun in Feb/March. I have dove there before on a "cattle boat" out of cozumel and the dive was O.K. looking for some info on some operators down there that will have smaller groups and I really want to do some Cenote dives.
I have been diving for over 20 years and my wife is an Advanced Diver we are both competent divers just out of shape!
So if any one has any info on a good smaller outfitter for Cancun?cozumel or Isla Mujeres? Dives let me know. Also are the Cenote dives all kinda the same or are there some that are better than others.
We will be staying at the Tres Rios Resort. I would be willing to rent a car, I am pretty comfortable in Mex and speak a decent amount of spanish.
Thanks looking forward to pulling from the "depth" of experince at SB.
El Bohem

 

[TV Mark]

Get in touch with Memo at Aldora Divers. Aldora Divers of Cozumel I've dove with them for the past five years.
One year he set it up for us to dive the Dos Ojos Cenote just south of Playa Del Carmen.
My dive buddy and I went Whale Shark watching with Searious Diving on Isle Mujures
two summers ago. Whale Sharks Tours on Isla Mujeres Mexico
Have fun.

 

[baystr]

Got to put a plug in for Dennis Weeks, Pez Diablo on the board, I used him for Cenote dives in November, and he was great, easy going, and very competent, picked us up at the Ferry, and took care of everything. I found him from searching reviews of Cenote operators, and was pleased. Just PM him on the site, that is how I worked with him, very easy! Or use his website and email

email info@diablodivers.com www.diablodivers.com

 

[firstdive2005]

I agree with baystr Dennis would be a great choice for doing a cenote dive.
Give Opal an email at Scuba Mau Cozumel this is a great dive op. Small boats, great dms, dive your gas, great prices, too much fun. kevin

 

[vlkr]

good advice from tvmark

 

[annlaur]

There are many good dive ops with small boats in Cozumel.
Since you will be coming from the mainland by ferry, you probably want to choose a dive op that picks up in town, so you can walk there and save on traveling time/taxi costs.
Aldora (the only op I tried on the island — loved them), Dive XT Sea and Living Underwater pick up their customers downtown and get great reviews here.
Deep Blue and Aqua Safari also pick up there, but I haven't read much about their operation so will let others comment on them.
Scuba Mau also have lots of fans, but you'll probably want a cab to get there.

Can't comment on dive ops on the mainland to do ocean dives/cenotes.

 

[Ms. Ann Thrope]

I'm not offering a dive op recommendation, but you say, "Cozumel or Isla Mujeres." If you find yourself waffling between the two, comparing ease of access vs. quality of diving, Cozumel really does have the better diving, as far as I can tell. We did a few dives about 5 years ago at IM and came to that much-shared opinion, and we were on a boat a few weeks ago with a couple that had been traveling about and agreed that they weren't too impressed by their Isla Mujeres dives--although they did dive the sculpture installation, which they said was pretty interesting. And if it's the middle of summer, the ability to snorkel with whale sharks could change the equation a bit.

Shops we've tried on Cozumel over the years have included Dive With Martin, Living Underwater, Blue Angel, Scuba Mau and one cattle-boat op. We've liked them all for different reasons (except for the cattle boat, which led short dives and short surface intervals). A lot of our choices have ended up being largely about logistics and where we're staying. It seems most operators have smaller boats, although a few have mostly small boats and a couple of bigger ones as well--just ask the right questions/make your desires known, and you should be fine. Your biggest issues on Cozumel might be ones of timing--unless you stay on the island, you're probably going to miss the main wave of outgoing morning boats. Some do afternoon dives as well. A few even send out mid-morning boats, but those might tend to be larger and may have cruise-ship passengers on them (I'm thinking here of Blue Angel, which is one of my favorite small-boat shops, but I wouldn't choose the 10 am boat). That's just why you have to ask.

I've only done the cenotes once, about 10 years ago. I don't know if all guides work like this, but our second cavern was definitely better than the first--and there was a reason for that. Our guide said they didn't like to take clients to places with much decoration to kick/mess up until they had seen for themselves if they had good buoyancy control. I'm thinking that the biggest rewards, then, for cenote diving, would be to plan for a couple of days of it.