Cozumel

[scubasdaniel]

I want to inform anyone going to Cozumel to avoid the Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville there. We ate there one night and the service was terrible. I bought the both of a t-shirt with the really cute store logo on it with the Parrot in scuba gear. I was like to much trouble to ring up the sale and take my cash. Our last day there we did some shopping and off gassing. We wanted to get the polo shirts with same logo and I also wanted the hat too. All they had was small and medium polo shirts. So I tryed to buy a hat but with a travelers check and I think it would be easier to get into Ft. Knox. I signed my name on the check and was told the second signature was bigger than the original and not EXACTLY the same. Could I sign it on the back an I did and the examined it again like a CSI forensic expert and the told me they needed my drivers license which she disappeared for 10 minutes to have the manager examine to check do some more CSI forensics to then be told that my signatures where to perfectly the same in size and everything else and they could not take it. So here I am with a $ 50 dollar travelers check I cannot use. Well to be perfectly honest by that time I felt that since my travelers check was not good enough for them that I could not trust them with my credit card and walked out of the store not buying anything. I would recommend if your going to Cozumel steer clear of Margaritaville. Personally Cozumel is pretty far down on my list of places to dive at. They pushed the dive tables had no clue about nitrox and actually set my girl friend s gear up in 36% on the first dive that went to 100 feet even though we told in the briefing it was goin to be a maximum of 70 feet. We where never givien enough weight. I hate being shoved off the back of the boat.

 

[Doc]

Ditto for the Oakbrook, Illinois location.

But I didn't have to go there to figure that one out. What? No Mexican restaurants?

Back of the boat? I really hate being shoved off the front of the boat.

 

[PARADISE HUNTER]

I want to inform anyone going to Cozumel to avoid the Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville there. We ate there one night and the service was terrible. . I would recommend if your going to Cozumel steer clear of Margaritaville. Personally Cozumel is pretty far down on my list of places to dive at. They pushed the dive tables had no clue about nitrox and actually set my girl friend s gear up in 36% on the first dive that went to 100 feet even though we told in the briefing it was goin to be a maximum of 70 feet. We where never givien enough weight. I hate being shoved off the back of the boat.

I agree the service in JB's is bad. But I'm not sure about the rest of your comments. If you were not using a computer, I'm sure that a typical ascending Cozumel dive plan would appear to be pushing the "table limits". EAN36 is still safe at 100ft, not recommended for a planned depth, but still considered a safe contingency depth. Even so, if the plan was 70ft and you were not comfortable going deeper, no one is forcing you to change your plan.

Weight is the diver's responsibility, not the ops. You should know how much you need and ask appropriately.

I've never been shoved off any dive boat anywhere. Maybe is was something you said?

Who did you dive with?

PH

 

[scubawife]

Can't comment on Margaritaville since I've never been there (sorry, not a Buffet fan), but in their defense with the traveler's cheque, I do know that the banks in Mexico are VERY picky when cashing the cheques for businesses and if the signatures are not a near exact match they will not be accepted at the bank.

As for the dive op, there are around 80 to choose from on the island and most of them are fantastic - good boats, good DM's, good captains, competant and safety conscious. After our first trip to Cozumel we started comparing all other ops we use elsewhere to our dive op of choice in Cozumel, that's how good he is. Sounds like you unfortunately picked a dud.

Unless you request both tanks nitrox, it's customary in Cozumel to dive the first tank (deep dive) on air and your second tank nitrox. You'll get 32 or 36, depends on what the station is filling I believe. I have not heard of a shop that will guarantee you a specific %. If you are choosing to dive both tanks nitrox then you do have to watch your depth and dive within the limits of what's in your tank. If that means staying a little above the DM and the rest of the group then that's the way it is. If the DM heads deeper then you're comfortable with then just signal that you will stay above the group so they know where you are. 100ft on the first dive isn't unusual in Cozumel.

Aside from the service related issues, what did you think of the diving?

If you still have the cheque you can easily deposit it into your bank account, no problem. I've done it a few times with cheques after Mexico trips (penmanship isn't my husband's strongest point. )

 

[teknitroxdiver]

You'll find the signature thing to be standard ops for everything business related in Mexico. This can be a real pain sometimes. For example I got my passport renewed 4 or 5 years ago, and since then my signature has morphed into something a bit more refined than it used to be. But, because that's what was on the passport, I had to literally sit down and practice it for a while before signing my FM3 papers, etc etc.

As for the other stuff, maybe try another dive shop? As others have said there's plenty of choices. I once fell off a dive boat while underway, but have never been pushed off....

 

[scubawife]

I once fell off a dive boat while underway, but have never been pushed off....

That sounds like a good story. Do tell!

 

[Sue Sue]

You have posted your complaints on this thread as well as others. Your vacation sure does sound like it was disappointing all around. Lodging?? Diving?? Touring?? From what I have read, nothing really met your expectations. No matter where you went or what you did you were dissatisfied. Everyone and everyplace you went were incompetent and/or substandard. I can see why you feel Cozumel is not in your opinion a vacation Hot Spot.

 

[teknitroxdiver]

That sounds like a good story. Do tell!

Well, it was a dark and stormy night. Oh wait, no, that's another story...

I was on Emilio's boat doing the 3rd-to-last dive of the trimix course, in 2-4' seas. His boat (the Anita), has a upper deck with a rail all the way around that hits me just below the knee. I was sitting against the rail up there eating lunch, when one of the tourists uphill from me dropped a phone/computer/something which came sliding down the deck. I stood up to grab it, right about the time we hit a much larger wave. One stumbling step back had me tripping backwards over the rail. By some miracle I grabbed the rail with one hand on the way down and hung on upside down long enough to figure out how to get back right-side-up, and managed to stay dry and on-board.

Thankfully my sandwich didn't slide overboard too. That would have been truly tragic.

 

[Diver Kat]

You have posted your complaints on this thread as well as others. Your vacation sure does sound like it was disappointing all around. Lodging?? Diving?? Touring?? From what I have read, nothing really met your expectations. No matter where you went or what you did you were dissatisfied. Everyone and everyplace you went were incompetent and/or substandard. I can see why you feel Cozumel is not in your opinion a vacation Hot Spot.

I agree with Sue Sue, sounds like Coz is not your cup of tea, and maybe you're more used to resort type places, from the locations you've mentioned in other posts. I guess it's not for everyone, but when you spend enough time there you find the diving, the people, the food and the island are all quite wonderful in their own way.

 

[NudeDiver]

I've never been shoved off any dive boat anywhere. Maybe is was something you said?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

My wife and I thank you for the good chuckle