Cozumel = "hell on earth?!"

[scubawife]

It kinda cracks me up when tourists go to a resort area and try to find "non-touristy places". Truly "non-touristy places" don't want you there. That said, however, there are plenty of places you can go on Cozumel where you won't see any "pod people" or folks that are on an AI plan. As a one-time visitor you may not have found them.

One thing I really like about Cozumel vs other places I've gone and still go along the Yucatan coast is that it's a real, diverse, working community and not just a beach "town" built by and for ex-pats and foreign tourists. If you want touristy or places that cater to American tastes, speak English, etc, then you can easily find them. If you want more local flavor or slightly quieter places, you can find that too. If I'm staying in a condo or somewhere I can get some of my own snacks and drinks, it's nice to have stores to walk to or a few minutes drive away and not have to plan and stock up for a week.

I've been to Australia (an excellent 4+ wk trip that I hope to do again), been to Hawaii a few times, traveled to Europe several times, and to lots of places in the Caribbean and Mexico for diving and non-diving trips. For the near future, for a variety of reasons, we just can't really go places where it could take 2 days to get back home and that we're completely out of touch. For us, Cozumel provides the best of what we want right now - easy to get to, affordable, good diving, a chance to get away and still be "connected" to work and family as needed.

 

[caseybird]

If you research this further....meaning more than counting pages in a couple of books.. you'll find that the Indo Pacific is more species rich.

Absolutely correct, Hank. Remember, I started out by saying "as long as we're making silly comparisons....". However I'm sure you remember who started comparing the thickness of dive guides.
Talking about silly comparisons, some people here seem to expect that poor little Cozumel, with about 2 or 3 dozen named reefs, should match the diving in the Pacific. Which covers about 1/3rd of the world's surface. (feel free to check my math) This is asking a lot from Coz.
I'm also thinking a "blob" is the size of the whipped cream that goes on pudding. (YMMV) Six or seven divers cannot swim thru a "blob" this size. Unless they are very tiny. Sad to say, I have not seen divers this size. Their SAC would be AWESOME.
I love diving Coz, I love diving the Pacific, H**l, I am fond of diving off New Jersey, with has any number of fish species, as long as they are brown or green.
It's all good.
And I love Sunday Fiesta in the square. Show me where I can get a 10 peso Taco on Guam. With a band. Then we'll talk.

 

[Hank49]

Absolutely correct, Hank. Remember, I started out by saying "as long as we're making silly comparisons....". However I'm sure you remember who started comparing the thickness of dive guides.
Talking about silly comparisons, some people here seem to expect that poor little Cozumel, with about 2 or 3 dozen named reefs, should match the diving in the Pacific. Which covers about 1/3rd of the world's surface. (feel free to check my math) This is asking a lot from Coz.
I'm also thinking a "blob" is the size of the whipped cream that goes on pudding. (YMMV) Six or seven divers cannot swim thru a "blob" this size. Unless they are very tiny. Sad to say, I have not seen divers this size. Their SAC would be AWESOME.
I love diving Coz, I love diving the Pacific, H**l, I am fond of diving off New Jersey, with has any number of fish species, as long as they are brown or green.
It's all good.
And I love Sunday Fiesta in the square. Show me where I can get a 10 peso Taco on Guam. With a band. Then we'll talk.

Hey, I'm not knocking Cozumel. I live just down the coast and the diving here has it's pluses over species rich SE Asia. More big stuff for one. I've seen more sharks and rays here per 100 dives than I did in Malaysia and the Philippines (over 1000 dives there. maybe because no one here eats shark fin soup?) And whale sharks.
Also, dive guides tend to be that.... the most common fish. I was thinking more along the lines of the more scientific books. New Jersey??? My hat's off to you amigo. You DO love diving.

 

[caseybird]

Hey, I'm not knocking Cozumel. I live just down the coast and the diving here has it's pluses over species rich SE Asia. More big stuff for one. I've seen more sharks and rays here per 100 dives than I did in Malaysia and the Philippines (over 1000 dives there. maybe because no one here eats shark fin soup?) And whale sharks.
Also, dive guides tend to be that.... the most common fish. I was thinking more along the lines of the more scientific books. New Jersey??? My hat's off to you amigo. You DO love diving.

Word. Hey, I didn't notice your Belize address. Is it very different from Coz? I have looked at doing a trip to Ambergis Caye, but I haven't done it because: the extra travel time; I needed more things for my non-diving spouse to do; and I Just like going to Coz. Do you work in the dive industry there?
I dive recreational depths in NJ. We're not all crazy suicidal maniacs. However none of us can see more than 4 feet away. Or need to.

 

[Sue Sue]

Geez ... Houston South???:no Now that's really HELL on earth!!!

Hi Kat, The Austinites can just join the Houston crowd, what do you think? I am ready to go....you are going soon, yes? Let's see, we jump on a plane and we are there in a few hours.. I can deal with it. Sue

 

[scuba_guy62]

Man I love this board, way cheaper than cable and much more entertaining...in a good way. I have been diving in the Coral Sea (week on a liveaboard with horrible food) and the diving was fantastic. I have just returned from a second trip to Roatan (got to dive north and south sides this trip) did a bit of diving in Cuba the last couple of years (Bay of Pigs wall like Coz unfortunately without as many fish and no current, it's a shore dive, but still a great dive). I've had some great dives in Bonaire and California as well as Florida. I have also had a few decent dives in Colombia and Venezuela. My favorite dive destination, the mix of diving, food, people, and affordable options is and remains Cozumel. I liked all the other places and even a few I didn't mention (Bahamas, Great Lakes) and I know people who didn't enjoy some of the same dives and those who would love to be able to just hit Coz just once before they die. Just because someone's impression or memory doesn't fit your experience of the same place doesn't make it wrong, it's just their impression.
As for the cruise ships in Coz, I guess other than seeing them and the odd crowd if I venture downtown during the day they don't have much of an impact on my stay. Mind you if they start coming in at supper time and disgorging the crowds when I am heading out for one of the many fine dinners I have had in San Miguel, well that might make this born in Scotland raised in Canada Scotsman consider things to have gone to "hell" but for now it's a wee bit o heaven for me (and me a heathen to boot).
Many of the brits I have met on holiday love to complain. It's a bit of a national pastime. Heck I'm even looking forward to hitting the Starbucks I've heard rumored to be there next time I go just for the "hell of it"....lol.

 

[fireflock]

I would venture to say that the same person can go to Cozumel and have (a) an experience they throughly enjoy or (b) an experience they completely hate. I'll be honest. I don't care much for the face Cozumel puts in the area around the square, or at the big AI's. Here's the thing though. It's very easy for someone who is willing to do just the tinniest bit of homework to find an experience that is exactly what they are looking for unless they just don't care for reefs or tropical fish or something.

Come dive NC (where I live) and the experiences on the dive boats are likely to be more similar than different, no matter who you dive with. The hotels....same story. The restaurants...same deal. There are some variations of course, but for the most part they come from minor differences in the restaurants and hotels .

In cozumel you can travel easily on your own schedule, and find whatever you are looking for if you're willing to put a small amount of effort into it. Make an effort to find a dive op that suits your style, consider staying/eating outside of the core cruise ship zone, do your best to speak a little Spanish, and you can be rewarded in spades.

If you prefer to stay at a glitzy hotel and eat food that could have come from your hometown...while yelling louder under the impression that it will help with the language barrier...you can find that too.

I could care less about convincing the people who have already been to Coz and didn't like it. More important, I think, is to point out the diversity you can find if you're willing to look for it (for people who have not been there yet).

FWIW - I don't care much for the face American tourists (I am one) put on in the core cruise ship zone either. I probably spend too much time apologizing for the jerks among us, and I hope it makes some small bit of difference to the local view of gringos.

If you have a well defined image of what you're looking for, you can probably find it. If not, you're at the mercy of whoever gets to your attention first.

Rich

 

[Tigerman]

My only question is what everyone who talk about the "unamericanized" cozumel put in their pipe and smoke??

 

[caseybird]

Fortunately, the cruise ships seem to have all decided to pull out at the same time, about 5-7PM. This leaves the town nice and quiet for the leftover riff-raff and divers. I won't go to town during the day anymore, I too find myself apologizing for the jerks.
We stay a FA, specifically for the AI. It mostly pays for itself for breakfast, lunch and drinks. We've stayed there so often we know pretty much everyone on staff, so we get the small hotel vibe from the place. It's nice being welcomed back.
Coz may not be bathed in the unspoiled purity that people like to remember, but what is? Everyone of us changes a place whenever we go. I'm sure there are a few on SB who can truly afford to get off the beaten path: I can't. So I like Coz, warts, Wilma and all.

 

[fireflock]

I'm not sure what you're looking for Tigerman? If you want to see any American brands, logos, TV, movies, culture, or whatever, you're going to have to look to another part of the world. I have not found a place that is 100% 'unamericanized' despite travels off the regular tourist path in Nicaragua, Panama, or the Dominican Republic. Don't confuse 'local flavor' with 'devoid of anything with American influence'. You just won't find that anywhere in Mexico or Central America unless you really work hard to keep your eyes closed every time you pass a business of any kind.

Rich