I am coming to Cozumel with 5 recently PADI certified divers off a cruise ship. We arrive at 10:30am on April 4, 2018 and would like a private boat. Can someone recommend a good company? Aldora comes highly rated but very expensive versus Phocea or Cozumel Marine World. Any help is appreciated. I am new to this site too.
Cozumel dive company recommendations
- Thread starter Dan Diver Morrissey
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cicopo
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Aldora is more expensive because they use larger tanks for more bottom time.
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Aldora is also not taking cruisers anymore. It was a whole thing...
There are a lot of dive ops in Cozumel, almost all of them are great. Many people are fiercely loyal to their regular crew, so you aren't likely to get a recommendation; you're going to get hundreds.
Don't book with your cruise ship. You won't be happy.
Bigger ops that have more boats are more likely to be able to accommodate your request for a private boat for your group of 6, but they may make you pay a little more. April 6 is barely two weeks away, so your options may be limited. Make sure you communicate very clearly what your expectations are with whatever op you choose so there are no surprises.
There are a lot of dive ops in Cozumel, almost all of them are great. Many people are fiercely loyal to their regular crew, so you aren't likely to get a recommendation; you're going to get hundreds.
Don't book with your cruise ship. You won't be happy.
Bigger ops that have more boats are more likely to be able to accommodate your request for a private boat for your group of 6, but they may make you pay a little more. April 6 is barely two weeks away, so your options may be limited. Make sure you communicate very clearly what your expectations are with whatever op you choose so there are no surprises.
Skittl1321
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They might if the cruisers charter the whole boat.
I agree with you that with 2 weeks, finding a full boat charter, or even 5 spots on a boat would be tough.
I'd just start reading threads and contact the usual suspects: Tres Pelicanos (2 boats), BlueXTsea (many boats?), Aldora (many boats), Dive with Martin (only takes cruisers who charter boats based on their website, but they have many boats).
My personal favorite is Scuba with Alison, and I'd always message her- but with only 1 boat, a charter would be tough with so little notice.
Agree with don't book with the cruise ship. I've never heard anyone that happy with that, and heard many upset; and the price is high.
cicopo
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Blue XT Sea has 2 boats.
Bigtank1958
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I like Deep Blue Deep Blue Cozumel Diving: Deep Blue Cozumel I've used a few others but I always go back to Deep Blue, They have 3 Boats
Aldora will take full boat loads from cruisers, just not singles. Or if we know the diver very well, who also understands our procedures. We have 7 boats, 50% more air in our tanks.
Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers
deepsea21
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@ Dan Diver... Your ship arrives at 10:30am so I'd figure at least an hour by the time you get off the ship and are able to get to a pick-up or departure point. What time does the ship depart in the afternoon or evening? With your arrival so close and it being the busy season you need to start contacting dive ops NOW (like right now). Luckily you'll be looking at an afternoon 2-tank trip that are not as popular as the AM trips but it being the busy season the afternoon boats can be full as well. I dive with Tres Pelicanos and they run afternoon 2-tank just as everyone else does. Lots of great dive ops to chose from but you don't have the luxury of shopping for days. Contact Jeanie through 3P's website to at least put them on your list or eliminate them from it if they are full or can't work with your departure time. Jeanie generally responds to emails within a few hours while others can take days.
Scuba Diving Cozumel -Dive Packages-Top Rated Cozumel Dive Shop
Scuba Diving Cozumel -Dive Packages-Top Rated Cozumel Dive Shop
Chartering you own boat with 5 divers is definately the way to go. Thats what we did when we cruised Carnival and docked at the International pier. We dove with Dive With Martin the first time because they were an easy walk from the International pier. It was a great choice!!
We dive with Aldora now, predominately for the big tanks. Keep in mind they offer a 10% cash discount so the 90ish price drops to 80ish which is the same as most 2 tank dives, but with lots of air. Big tanks are a plus for new divers. Chartering your own 6 pack boat may be cheaper...shoot them an email.
As you are shopping for a dive op, the main differences will be cost, tank size, departure point, surface interval location, surface interval snacks provided, number of divers per boat, rental equipment provided, and surface strategy.
Since you are there for one day, convenience would be the biggest issue for me. Unless you know the secret handshake (I don't), getting off the ship can take longer than ever expected. 4000 people or so through one door is going to take a while no matter who you cruise with. If DWM is close, they do include basic rental equipment with their cost. You might see if there is a dock within walking distance of the ship that any other dive ops can pick you up at. Definately chartering you own boat eliminates any time crunches involved with getting off the ship and the boat will be waiting on your arrival. It also lets you decide where to dive (within your skill level).
As far as who? Because of the multiple variables listed above...and variables of variables...each dive op will do something a little different. Finding the perfect dive op for you will take a little trial and error. Aldora works best for us now, but we have dove with DWM and Blue Magic and I can absolutely recommend them without hesitation. I have not dove with Blue XTSea or Tres Pelicanos but they have a large fan base on this site and can recommend them by reputation and glowing reviews on this site. Christi, the owner of Blue XTSea, is a frequent contributor to this site and runs an excellent operation by any definition.
Be warned... a dive in Cozumel is absolutely addictive.
Safe travels, good luck.
Jay
We dive with Aldora now, predominately for the big tanks. Keep in mind they offer a 10% cash discount so the 90ish price drops to 80ish which is the same as most 2 tank dives, but with lots of air. Big tanks are a plus for new divers. Chartering your own 6 pack boat may be cheaper...shoot them an email.
As you are shopping for a dive op, the main differences will be cost, tank size, departure point, surface interval location, surface interval snacks provided, number of divers per boat, rental equipment provided, and surface strategy.
Since you are there for one day, convenience would be the biggest issue for me. Unless you know the secret handshake (I don't), getting off the ship can take longer than ever expected. 4000 people or so through one door is going to take a while no matter who you cruise with. If DWM is close, they do include basic rental equipment with their cost. You might see if there is a dock within walking distance of the ship that any other dive ops can pick you up at. Definately chartering you own boat eliminates any time crunches involved with getting off the ship and the boat will be waiting on your arrival. It also lets you decide where to dive (within your skill level).
As far as who? Because of the multiple variables listed above...and variables of variables...each dive op will do something a little different. Finding the perfect dive op for you will take a little trial and error. Aldora works best for us now, but we have dove with DWM and Blue Magic and I can absolutely recommend them without hesitation. I have not dove with Blue XTSea or Tres Pelicanos but they have a large fan base on this site and can recommend them by reputation and glowing reviews on this site. Christi, the owner of Blue XTSea, is a frequent contributor to this site and runs an excellent operation by any definition.
Be warned... a dive in Cozumel is absolutely addictive.
Safe travels, good luck.
Jay
