Cozumel dive shop Time Machine

[El Graduado]

Anybody ever dive with any of these (or other) pre-1980 Cozumel dive operations? If you did, want to write about it? If you want to write about post-1980 dive shops, please start a new thread!

Hotel Playa, Bob Marx (1957 and 1958). See his story in my book, the True History of Cozumel

Aventuras Tropicales, Julio Blanco (Dorotea was DM). Located next door to Aqua Safari back when Aqua Safari was north of Juarez on Melgar

El Clavado, Founded 1959 by Tiburcio García (at Chankanaab)

Deportes Acuaticos Damián Pizá, Founded by Damián Pizá on Calle 8 near Melgar and later purchased by Sergio Sandoval in the 1980s

Caribbean Divers, Founded 1976 by Mauro, Juan and Raúl González

Fantasia Divers, Founded 1978 in Sol Caribe Hotel (Carlos Nayar, GM and DM)

Discover Cozumel, Ernesto Kentzler. See my chapter on WWI German spies in my book, True History of Cozumel)

Dive Cozumel, Carlos Sierra (originally in Barracuda Hotel, but moved around a lot)

Aqua Safari, Founded 1960 by Juan Marrufo and Ramón Zapata, who later partnered with Dick Thompkins, who later sold his stake to Bill Horn.

La Ceiba Hotel, Pancho Morales

Scuba Adventures International, Ismay “Mary” Mykolyk (María la Bandida), 1970s

Scuba Cozumel, Pedro Delgadillo (in Galapago Inn and on Melgar between Calle 1 and Salas)

 

[DjDiverDan]

It wasn’t pre-1980, but I did dive with Fantasia Divers several times. My very first trip to Cozumel was in 1989, on a group dive trip organized by the local dive shop where I received my Open Water training, and Fantasia was the dive shop we used. That was back in the day before dive computers, everyone was diving tables, and the dive schedule was pretty much fixed - first dive, max depth 80’, max time 45 minutes, 45 minute surface interval on boat, second dive, max depth 60’, max time 40 minutes, then back to the pier. Fantasia was then owned by a woman originally from Texas - I can’t remember her name. But I do remember the DM, Johnson (at least that was the name he went by). I used Fantasia on pretty much all my following trips until it became a contract dive op for cruise ships - because I was a solo diver, I invariably got buddied up with some clown off of a cruise ship who hadn’t been diving for 4 or 5 years, didn’t know what they were doing, and didn’t pay any attention. About the third time that happened it was my last straw, so I looked for another dive op.

 

[Augustus]