Cozumel diving

[Sharkbully]

We will be going to Cozumel with some non-diving friends. They like all-inclusive resorts. I am more concerned about the dive shops. My wife will not be diving due to back issues, so I will not have a (regular) dive buddy. I am an experienced diver, so I dont need a hand-holding operation. I just want a competent, safe and professional dive shop.

The resorts have been narrowed to Intercontinental Presidente, Cozumel Palace, Iberostar,and Secrets. The dive shops at these resorts are Gold Palm, Scuba Du, Aqua Safari, and Dressel Divers.

Can anyone provide me with input/recommendations as to which dive shops to use or which dive shops to avoid.

Thanks.

 

[flyboy08]

Occidental and Pro Dive for us....nice resort, free Nitrox!

Did u try the search function? This has been posted 100's of times in the Coz forum...

 

[kmarks]

You should try reposting this (or maybe ask a moderator to move it) to the Cozumel Forum.

Iberostar is ridiculous about their pier. Scuba divers who are not diving with the in-house op have to swim to the boat. Secrets can be hit or miss whether or not you need to buy a wristband to use the pier to get on a boat. Most ops will pick you up from either place. Intercontinental Presidente is really nice, also expensive, and located right next door to the marina, so it's very easy to get on just about any boat.

Most people are very opinionated about how much they love their dive shop, but you'll often be told not to dive with the in-house op at your resort because they tend to be more limiting. Asking in the Cozumel forum will get you a lot of different responses. Tres Pelícanos has recently become very, very popular, especially among people staying in town (I dove with them in 2014 and they were great); Aldora Divers is pricey, but they offer bigger tanks and longer dives and a few other extras; I've also dove a couple of times with Scuba with Alison (and will be back with her next week); Christi, who is very active here, runs a highly regarded shop called Blue XT Sea. I could list ops all day, there are so many (apologies to anybody I didn't name).

 

[Charles2]

As far as AI resorts, I have only stayed at Iberostar w/Dressel Divers and Occidental Grand w/Pro Dive. Both resorts and dive operations were very good. I would probably give a slight edge to Occidental Grand. Free Nitrox at both.

 

[Diver0001]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

moved to the Cozumel forum

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[Trailboss123]

As far as AI resorts, I have only stayed at Iberostar w/Dressel Divers and Occidental Grand w/Pro Dive. Both resorts and dive operations were very good. I would probably give a slight edge to Occidental Grand. Free Nitrox at both.

Out of curiosity, what gives the Occidental the slight edge for you?

 

[Charles2]

Out of curiosity, what gives the Occidental the slight edge for you?

Pro Dive cleaned and stored my equipment for me and had it ready and laid out for the next day.

With Dressel, cleaning and storage is a DIY process.

The air-conditioning worked a little better at the Occidental Grand. I liked the Occidental rooms better. Food was about the same at both unless you take the 'Royal Level' accommodations - then the Occidental has a little better menu.

 

[Dogbowl]

@Sharkbully , I don't believe Intercontinental Presidente is an all-inclusive...but I could be wrong or maybe they have an option to add meals.

 

[Trailboss123]

Pro Dive cleaned and stored my equipment for me and had it ready and laid out for the next day.

With Dressel, cleaning and storage is a DIY process.

The air-conditioning worked a little better at the Occidental Grand. I liked the Occidental rooms better. Food was about the same at both.

Good feedback!

 

[drrich2]

I've been itching to take a 1-week crack at Cozumel, so I've been following some of these discussions for awhile. From what others have shared elsewhere, couple of follow up points:

1.) Pro Divers offers no-added charge nitrox. Whether you dive often &/or deep enough for that to matter, something to think about.
2.) It's my understanding the southern A.I.s tend to feature shorter boat rides to the reef, and sandy beaches. In town options aren't as likely to offer nice, sandy beaches sloping into the water (there may be exceptions?) and boat rides are longer.
3.) Cozumel Palace is in town, so discriminating between it and the southern A.I.'s might ought to factor in what region you want to stay. When I looked into C.P. I saw it was expensive but you get credits you can use for various things; I'd put together a tentative package price and compare to the other options. Your checkbook may help you decide.
4.) Last I checked, Secrets was adults only; was anyone planning to bring a kid? Sunscape Sabor is family-friendly.

Apologies if I misunderstood what I've read elsewhere.

Richard.