Cozumel in April?

[nldunn]

Hi all,
I'm thinking of returning to Cozumel in April with my daughter who is not yet certified for Scuba diving. She is 30 years old. I was certified 30 years ago, rarely dove, and did the Refresher Course in Cozumel Nov 2023. I have a few questions about Cozumel in April. I'd like to stay at the Playa Azul again, as we loved it and it was very reasonably priced.
- Is the diving good/safe for beginners in April?
- What is the closest excellent dive operation to the Playa Azul (It's at the northwest end of the island.)
- Would it be worth it to stay closer to a place with their own dive operation and if so, is there a reasonably priced hotel with excellent food and a beach?

Thank you in advance for any help! It's just my daughter and I which is why I am leaning toward the Playa Azul. It was smaller and felt very safe when I was there in November 2023.
Nancy

 

[ggunn]

Hi all,
I'm thinking of returning to Cozumel in April with my daughter who is not yet certified for Scuba diving. She is 30 years old. I was certified 30 years ago, rarely dove, and did the Refresher Course in Cozumel Nov 2023. I have a few questions about Cozumel in April. I'd like to stay at the Playa Azul again, as we loved it and it was very reasonably priced.
- Is the diving good/safe for beginners in April?
- What is the closest excellent dive operation to the Playa Azul (It's at the northwest end of the island.)
- Would it be worth it to stay closer to a place with their own dive operation and if so, is there a reasonably priced hotel with excellent food and a beach?

Thank you in advance for any help! It's just my daughter and I which is why I am leaning toward the Playa Azul. It was smaller and felt very safe when I was there in November 2023.
Nancy

I go to Cozumel at least once a year and most often in April, but I have been there a few times at other times of the year. For the most part the diving is pretty much the same no matter when I go. Currents vary site to site and day to day but there's not much seasonal variation that I have seen.

I like the convenience of an on site operator; I always stay at Blue Angel where the dive shop is excellent and right there open from 7AM to 5PM. The restaurant is great but there is no beach. There's a nice smallish pool and a dock where their boats load up. There's a decent shore dive there and a ladder to the water on the dock. It's also close to town so cab rides to other eateries are cheap. There are only 24 rooms.

A downside of staying in the north hotel zone is that most of the dive sites and virtually all of them suitable for new divers are south, so the boat rides are longer. Your choice of dive ops that will pick you up there is limited, but I do not know what choices you will have. You might need to cab it to the marina.

Cozumel in April is great. The last time I went it was late June into early July. and when it wasn't raining it was very hot. Have a great trip!

 

[Rob9876]

Hi all,
I'm thinking of returning to Cozumel in April with my daughter who is not yet certified for Scuba diving. She is 30 years old. I was certified 30 years ago, rarely dove, and did the Refresher Course in Cozumel Nov 2023. I have a few questions about Cozumel in April. I'd like to stay at the Playa Azul again, as we loved it and it was very reasonably priced.
- Is the diving good/safe for beginners in April?
- What is the closest excellent dive operation to the Playa Azul (It's at the northwest end of the island.)
- Would it be worth it to stay closer to a place with their own dive operation and if so, is there a reasonably priced hotel with excellent food and a beach?

Thank you in advance for any help! It's just my daughter and I which is why I am leaning toward the Playa Azul. It was smaller and felt very safe when I was there in November 2023.
Nancy

As far as April, I agree with @ggunn above -- it's a great time to visit (I was there last April).

I've never stayed at Playa Azul, but doing a quick search it looks like Bluedream Cozumel is actually on-site at Playa Azul. I don't know much about them, but you can probably find some reviews here on ScubaBoard, on TripAdvisor, on Google, etc.

If for some reason Bluedream does not work for you, your most convenient options may be dive ops at other northern hotels. Closest is liklely Pro Dive at the Westin. Another option might be Pepe Scuba out of El Cozumeleno Hotel -- it's farther north, but they leave from El Coz via taxis paid by the shop and take divers down to the northern marina (Puerto de Abrigo), so they could probably pick you up on the way. Oh, and while searching I accidentally stumbled upon Salty Endeavors' web site -- they are well regarded on Scubaboard, and it looks like they may pick up at Playa Azul (EDIT: also looks like they have a package deal for lodging + diving). On any of these, you'll want to confirm that the web site info is still accurate.

Have fun!

 

[gianster]

Only advantage dive wise staying up north is if you wanted to dive with the squadrons of eagle rays that come in the winter up north and the sites Turbicio, cave of the sleeping sharks, san juan, barracuda, etc..........Oh and if you enjoy hunting up north outside of the marine park.

 

[ggunn]

Only advantage dive wise staying up north is if you wanted to dive with the squadrons of eagle rays that come in the winter up north and the sites Turbicio, cave of the sleeping sharks, san juan, barracuda, etc..........Oh and if you enjoy hunting up north outside of the marine park.

She is going with her daughter, who is not yet certified but whom I hope will be by April; the sites you mention are not sites where I would take a novice diver. The OP has apparently been out of the water for ~30 years except for a refresher course over a year ago; IMO those sites are not suitable for her, either.

 

[gianster]

I read her post. I never said she should go to those sites and she isn't going in the winter. I only said the advantage to staying up there dive wise is if you wanted to go to those sites which of coarse she wouldn't.

 

[nldunn]

I go to Cozumel at least once a year and most often in April, but I have been there a few times at other times of the year. For the most part the diving is pretty much the same no matter when I go. Currents vary site to site and day to day but there's not much seasonal variation that I have seen.

I like the convenience of an on site operator; I always stay at Blue Angel where the dive shop is excellent and right there open from 7AM to 5PM. The restaurant is great but there is no beach. There's a nice smallish pool and a dock where their boats load up. There's a decent shore dive there and a ladder to the water on the dock. It's also close to town so cab rides to other eateries are cheap. There are only 24 rooms.

A downside of staying in the north hotel zone is that most of the dive sites and virtually all of them suitable for new divers are south, so the boat rides are longer. Your choice of dive ops that will pick you up there is limited, but I do not know what choices you will have. You might need to cab it to the marina.

Cozumel in April is great. The last time I went it was late June into early July. and when it wasn't raining it was very hot. Have a great trip!

Thank you so much! I appreciate all your information!

 

[nldunn]

As far as April, I agree with @ggunn above -- it's a great time to visit (I was there last April).

I've never stayed at Playa Azul, but doing a quick search it looks like Bluedream Cozumel is actually on-site at Playa Azul. I don't know much about them, but you can probably find some reviews here on ScubaBoard, on TripAdvisor, on Google, etc.

If for some reason Bluedream does not work for you, your most convenient options may be dive ops at other northern hotels. Closest is liklely Pro Dive at the Westin. Another option might be Pepe Scuba out of El Cozumeleno Hotel -- it's farther north, but they leave from El Coz via taxis paid by the shop and take divers down to the northern marina (Puerto de Abrigo), so they could probably pick you up on the way. Oh, and while searching I accidentally stumbled upon Salty Endeavors' web site -- they are well regarded on Scubaboard, and it looks like they may pick up at Playa Azul (EDIT: also looks like they have a package deal for lodging + diving). On any of these, you'll want to confirm that the web site info is still accurate.

Have fun!

Thank you so much!! I appreciate it very much.

 

[nldunn]

She is going with her daughter, who is not yet certified but whom I hope will be by April; the sites you mention are not sites where I would take a novice diver. The OP has apparently been out of the water for ~30 years except for a refresher course over a year ago; IMO those sites are not suitable for her, either.

Thanks for the heads up. I know Cozumel isn't as beginner friendly than some other places so much appreciated.

 

[ggunn]

Thanks for the heads up. I know Cozumel isn't as beginner friendly than some other places so much appreciated.

You are most welcome. In general, the dive sites north of town are advanced sites where the current is more of an issue and the topography is more extreme. There are plenty of sites south of town that are not as challenging and are better suited to new divers, although I like those sites a lot as well.