Cozumel questions from new member

[DandyDon]

Howdy!

And welcome to SB - the biggest, the best, the fastest growing, and the friendliest! If you'll click ScubaBoard.com above, you'll be taken to our long list of forums, a wealth of information and resources. At the bottom, be sure to notice the Local & Singles Dive Club forums.

For a wealth of Info on Cozumel, simply go to that forum and get comfy. You can read for hours, then ask questions there.

PM me if I can help you learn your way around; that is - click my username to the upper left, then follow the prompts to send me a "Personal Message."

don

 

[Sirto]

Thanks for the advice. Is anyone familiar with "Dive with Martin?" Someone in my dive group likes that he goes out to the reef at 7:30, before too many divers scare the fish away.

I dove with DWM a couple of years ago and was very pleased with them. If any of your group needs equipment then they'll appreciate that it's free. DWM also gives you a free night dive and a free video of your dive with a multiday package. When we went we were at the Allegro which is near the Iberostar and we were getting picked up around 8:15 so I'm not sure if they really leave at 7:30 but then again it was in October when it's not so busy down there.

Ed

 

[murphdivers286]

Welcome to the board.

 

[rockbeauty]

Hi Cheryl,
I am a new member too and just wrote my first post today!
I dive with "dive with martin" last august in Cozumel and I really liked it. The guy at the shop was not that friendly but the dive masters and captain were all very nice. We were 6 divers max, sometimes 4 on the boat and we decided on the boat which sites to go according to what we have done the day before. It was also not very expensive--around 200$ for 3 x 2 morning dives and two night dives equipment included (except flashlight-6$-I had mine). It's true that most of the time, we were the first boat on the morning dive site and that is always nice-the fishes have not been scared yet!
I think if you buy a package with DWM, you can do illimited shore dive from the pier (Int'l) where they are located but I don't know if there's something to see or not...

Like lake travis diver says-don't miss palancar and columbia shallows -it was great and no safety stop needed!
Enjoy your diving...

 

[scotteman]

Hi to ScubaBoard members from someone who has never used a message board before, so bear with me. Looking forward to Cozumel trip in late May, and would appreciate any suggestions. Especially interested in good dive operator. Four divers in our group, small boats prefered. Staying at Iberostar, and understand their dive operation is to be avoided. Would like option of added afternoon or night dives. Thanks for the help.

Just returned from Cozumel last week. Stayed at the Fiesta Americana, great place! We dove through Dive House which is just in front of the Hotel. Prior to diving in Cozumel, I was in Maui last year..so I am still new to all this. I was well taken care of by the Dive House crew. You take of all dive equipment in the water prior to re-boarding after each dive, the rinse it for you, and set up your equipment for the next dive. They provide fresh fruit , energy bars, bottled water or soft drinks for your surface interval. We also did two night dives..I would use them again and highly recommend this facility.

Scott

 

[ggunn]

Hi to ScubaBoard members from someone who has never used a message board before, so bear with me. Looking forward to Cozumel trip in late May, and would appreciate any suggestions. Especially interested in good dive operator. Four divers in our group, small boats prefered. Staying at Iberostar, and understand their dive operation is to be avoided. Would like option of added afternoon or night dives. Thanks for the help.

Hi, Cheryl. Welcome to ScubabBoard! You'll meet some great people in here, and some knowledgeable people, and even a few great knowlegeable people... ;^)

If you've been reading the other SB threads lately, you already know this, but in case you haven't, the Iberostar (Spanish owned) has an on-site dive op (Dressel, also Spanish owned), and has reportedly been openly hostile to other dive ops who try to pick up divers at their pier. Iberostar charges them for each diver picked up and again when they are dropped off (no other hotel on the island does this), Dressel boats are obstructionist to them at the dock, and beyond the dock charges, Iberostar demands a raft of paperwork from any other dive op picking up from their dock, including (of all things) financial and tax records. In one case I am aware of, they even tried to prevent a dive op from picking up divers from the beach near their dock, citing bogus "marine park regulations" against it.

In any case, be forewarned, staying at the Iberostar and diving with a dive op other than Dressel may be problematic for you.

 

[Sirto]

Hi Cheryl,
I dive with "dive with martin" last august in Cozumel and I really liked it.

....
I think if you buy a package with DWM, you can do illimited shore dive from the pier (Int'l) where they are located but I don't know if there's something to see or not...

You can indeed do unlimited shore dives by the shop which is located next to the beach near LaCeiba Hotel. There is the remains of an airplane out about 30 - 40 yards in about 30ft of water. Not that much left of it and there's no reef so it's probably not a dive you'd do more than once or twice but it's a good way to set your weighting or get in some practice. The plane is near a bouy north of DWM about 50-60 yards and 20 yards offshore. You can take a sighting on it with your compass and find it pretty easily. Sometimes the current (north bound) can make it tough to swim back. Don't try, just head toward shore and it will slow down and make your swim back much easier.

Sirto

 

[WOODMAN]

Welcome to Scubaboard, and particularly to this forum. My bride and I will be down there before you, on April 22, and I will try to leave you a fresh update on things when we return. This will be our second trip down there, and now that we are veterans , we are going to go on our own and avoid the cattle boats (I'm sure you know who I'm talking about). Going with a group has it's advantages if you don't know what you are doing or where to go, but I've never liked the "tour" mentality. This forum (and the others here) is an indispensible resource for people like us, and you can get almost any conceivable question answered here. Please feel free to ask away- we are at your command! (Well, most of us, anyway...)

Woody

 

[scubajim]

It's not rude to rent tanks from an operator for a shore dive even if your not using them for boat dives. Their used to it. Dive Paradise charged 5 bucks last Dec for a tank at the Barracuda Hotel. I've used them and Caribbean Diver's during my last 5 trips, with no problems. Christi runs a great operation too, but she books quickly. Have a great time in Coz. You'll fall in love with diving there as I did

 

[Dive-Ho]

Hi to ScubaBoard members from someone who has never used a message board before, so bear with me. Looking forward to Cozumel trip in late May, and would appreciate any suggestions. Especially interested in good dive operator. Four divers in our group, small boats prefered. Staying at Iberostar, and understand their dive operation is to be avoided. Would like option of added afternoon or night dives. Thanks for the help.[/QUOTtE]

Dive With Martin is one of my favorites.Service & Price
Good as any better than most