COZUMEL: Ready or not, here I come

[lowwall]

You should have no trouble finding a place in Coz for what you are paying in PDC plus the $15 roundtrip ferry fare. It probably won't be waterfront, but you are saving at least 2 hours per day on the ferry commute so you'll still be ahead even after a little walking.

Discomfort? Wait until you get some swells and people start throwing up around you. I also find standing in lines less than comfortable.

As to the CDC, they already know it's a bad idea to have a large group clustered indoors. There is no outdoor seating on those ferries. I wouldn't do that trip once under current conditions.

Edit: the ferries do have outdoor seating unless the seas are rough.

 

[RayfromTX]

The ferries do have outdoor seating but I agree that staying in PDC and diving Coz is impractical to put it mildly. The ferry takes an hour plus the wait time each way and sometimes seas are rough. Waiting the boat on someone coming across on the ferry is a pain for everyone involved. There are plenty of reasonable places to stay on Coz. What is your budget?

 

[lowwall]

The ferries do have outdoor seating

That's good to know. I've only taken them when its too rough to dive in Coz, maybe that's why they didn't offer outside seating on my trips.

 

[LACityBoy]

I'm actually having my company look into Cozumel. We'll see what they come up with...It's a budget balance between accommodations and diving...What gets sacrificed...

 

[Mark IV]

That's good to know. I've only taken them when its too rough to dive in Coz, maybe that's why they didn't offer outside seating on my trips.

Here's a couple good tips for riding the ferries during bad weather :
First, if at all possible, ALWAYS try to sit outside during rough crossings. Inside, the screaming, puking (seasick) infants can make the ride a horrifically unpleasant experience.
Second : When boarding in Playa, find an outside seat close to the front, and on the side the wind and spray are coming from (that'll nearly always be the starboard/right / northern side).
That way, when the boat turns around for the trip to cozumel, you'll be on the leeward side, and largely protected from the wind and spray. Everyone sitting further back, and/or on the port side, will constantly get hit by wind and ocean spray, because back on the pier, they grabbed the seats that were out of the wind and spray, before realizing too late that everything reverses for the trip over.

 

[LACityBoy]

Great tips...Turns out, I'll be staying in Coz the entire month..so no ferry issues. Thanks!

 

[flyboy08]

Great tips...Turns out, I'll be staying in Coz the entire month..so no ferry issues. Thanks!

You’re one lucky SAP!

I would try a different restaurant each nite only to repeat the ones I consider 4 star or more....

 

[pauldw]

Seems like since you've been blessed with so much good fortune, you owe the world a good deed in return. If you're there for a month, why not try a bunch of places, and post a comparison? Aldora, Tres Pelicanos, Salty Endeavors, Scuba Club Cozumel, Liquid Blue, Maple Leaf, etc.

 

[lowwall]

How big is your crew? Most of the boats you would want to dive with are set up for 6 to 10. I'm not sure what the capacity is under current Covid rules.

Four of us once chartered a boat (which includes a guide and captain) for a week from Pelagic. It cost the same as paying for 4 2-tank dives a day on a larger boat and we were in control of the schedule and where we went.

But you may want to do try out some different ops before committing to a long charter. Remember, it's Mexico so everything is negotiable.

Back to you. You said you have 14 dives. Unless part of the storyline is showing how you progress as a diver, you should start by paying an instructor to work with you on bouyancy and trim. A couple of days of instruction will save you at least a couple of weeks of learning by trial and error. It will make filming easier as well because you'll have more control. And then when you get to the cenotes, the guides won't let you get near anything interesting if you don't have good control in the water.

 

[LACityBoy]

I actually am pretty confident with my bouyancy, generally speaking. I think it has more to do with my trim, than anything else.

During AOWD I did very well... My instructor kept handing me different weights to hold, which, as you know, forced me to readjust my bouyabcy, through breathing, etc...

But at times, while horizontal, I felt as if I was rolling left or right, which kinda threw everything off kilter... LoL... That's "trim" right.

I liked my instructors and thought they were well qualified... But I felt they really rushed me through my skills training... I seemed to have functioned well, but after the dive, I felt like, I performed the skill well, but was it 2nd nature?

I think if anyone is teaching you skills that your life literally depends on, they should make sure those skills are are part of who you are!!! Don't just have me locate my lost regulator once, and then go on to the next thing...Have me do it 10 times...and then, on the 7th time, knock my mask off...turn off my cannister...Have me ascend, by myself, performing my safety stop...

I know all these skills take practice and practice and more practice... I know I can latch on to any beginners group and hang tight... But, all these drive trips move so fast... Boom, your on the boat... You gear up... Go through safety checks (sometimes), and then... SPLASH! Everybody's off and running... Hey look at that turtle... Look at that ray... Check out that reef... Let's turn the dive... Up we go... Snacks... SPLASH...

Hahaha... What the hell is the rush?...LoL... Where's the ?

4-6 divers per group. All paid good money to be there... But it would be nice to be able to stop at some point and as the guide, "hey, why am I flipping over sometimes?" Maybe I'm not weighted correctly... Not trimmed properly... Who knows...

That's why I'm looking for private dives... To go along with some group dives...

I'll let myself out.