Cozumel’s diving is so “rushed”

[WetInPortland]

I stay at the Casa Mexicana and they provide a buffet breakfast, so breakfast isn't the issue, but it's a rush to get through breakfast and to the shop on time for the morning trip.

You didn't mention your DiveOp, but Casa Mexicana + Tres Pelicanos is often mentioned, and it's also often mentioned that it's a bit of a rush to get to the shop for their 7:45am departure. As @Christi points out, there are other options for later departures.

Regardless of the Op, driving to the marina is going to feel rushed, as limited routes and cruise ship passenger traffic tends to clog the roadways. If you're departing from the marina, it is a short boat trip out and back, and it is a bit of a rush to setup / pack up in that amount of time. I personally prefer the drives and shorter boat rides, but I'll have to try a downtown departure sometime. Sitting on the boat, staring at each other, or trying to yell over the engine isn't something I find interesting, though. It's something you may want to experiment with, although with shop-hopping you lose the convenience of having them keep your gear overnight.

 

[WetInPortland]

Maybe it was a great place 20 or 30 years ago, but there are way too many people going to Cozumel now. I much prefer diving elsewhere in the Caribbean.

Reminds me of a comment by a marine biologist I heard not too long ago. "Q: Where's the best place to dive? A: Almost anywhere in the world -- 20 or 30 years ago."

 

[ReefHound]

I personally prefer the drives and shorter boat rides, but I'll have to try a downtown departure sometime. Sitting on the boat, staring at each other, or trying to yell over the engine isn't something I find interesting, though. It's something you may want to experiment with, although with shop-hopping you lose the convenience of having them keep your gear overnight.

Same here. My hearing isn't the best in noisy environments. But you mostly lose the gear handling benefits anyway if you shore dive. We usually take our gear home each day unless we know we're taking an afternoon off for east side or something.

 

[MrBigfins]

I'm late to the party, and while I can understand that might be something you could experience, it has not been my experience. My op picks up gear before diving begins so I arrive for my 8 a.m. pick up in town with nothing but my dry bag. Everything is already set up. After the first dive, we do an hour long surface interval at a beach club where I usually have a sandwich. (There's also food on the boat - fruit and cake usually, water, soda etc. - so if you skip breakfast, you have the option of a continental breakfast on the boat!). Tanks are changed while we are on shore, so no rushing. After the dive, the crew rinses and breaks down all the gear on the trip back into town. Wetsuits go into a bag to go back to the shop to be washed separately and I get off the boat 2 pm-ish, with my dry bag, feeling relaxed and mellow. I don't lift a finger if I don't want to. No rushing ever. My biggest challenge for the day is getting my 7 mm wetsuit and hooded vest on and off; I am a lazy, lazy diver. Everything is waiting for me under my seat on the following dive. Only once or twice, max, has my hooded vest not made it onto the boat after its separate shampoo.

I think it makes a difference if the op does afternoon dives as they have to fit into a schedule that sees getting that second group out and back on time. Mine does not, as a rule, do afternoon dives. That might be a question you wish to explore in future.

If you stay down south, you will never be offered the opportunity to dive sites in the north, not to mention you'll spend a fortune in cab fees.

Blue Angel might work for you. Not too far out of town, good restaurant on site, dive op on site. Ditto Villa Blanca (although I think the hotel isn't the best). Couple of dive ops right in front of it you could dive with (Scuba Mau, Papa Hogs and, I think maybe Dive Paradise).

The vast majority of divers that frequent Cozumel dont dive San Jaun, Eagle ray, or Barracuda reefs. So the argument that you wont get to visit northern sites isnt a very valid reason not to consider southern resorts. We have had the opportunity to dive Barracuda from a southern resort, so it's not out of the realm of possibility. Not sure how it would differ from any of the northern ops traveling to the southern dive sites? Ops in town still dive Punta sur, maracaibo etc.

 

[MMM]

The vast majority of divers that frequent Cozumel dont dive San Jaun, Eagle ray, or Barracuda reefs. So the argument that you wont get to visit northern sites isnt a very valid reason not to consider southern resorts. We have had the opportunity to dive Barracuda from a southern resort, so it's not out of the realm of possibility. Not sure how it would differ from any of the northern ops traveling to the southern dive sites? Ops in town still dive Punta sur, maracaibo etc.

If you are staying at a southern resort, you also won't be offered San Francisco, Yucab, Paradise, Tormentos, Villa Blanca and a whole lot of others. Yes, ops in town still dive southern sites. They just do their two dives in that region and then call it a day. They will NOT go down south to pick up divers and then bring them to more northern sites and then back south again without a hefty surcharge. You just can't go back and forth. And when I say more "northern" sites, I am including some that are south of town. The economics don't allow picking up divers at southern hotels, going back up north, and then back south, and then back north.

 

[MrBigfins]

If you are staying at a southern resort, you also won't be offered San Francisco, Yucab, Paradise, Tormentos, Villa Blanca and a whole lot of others. Yes, ops in town still dive southern sites. They just do their two dives in that region and then call it a day. They will NOT go down south to pick up divers and then bring them to more northern sites and then back south again without a hefty surcharge. You just can't go back and forth. And when I say more "northern" sites, I am including some that are south of town. The economics don't allow picking up divers at southern hotels, going back up north, and then back south, and then back north.

We normally stay at south AIs and I have dove every site you listed without issue from said southern AIs with a mere 15 min boat ride. You may be correct that a northern OP may not come south and take them back north and return them south, I cant speak to that.

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

Jay - I think I remember you all, are you here this week?

No, it's gonna be a while before we are back down, probably Spring of 2020 unless Southwest offers $200 round trip to Cancun anytime soon. We were there in March and are in Cuba at the end of August. Had to buy more cows and daughter starts College at Oklahoma State next fall. Travel dollars are a little short. We dive with Aldora and prefer to stay at CM.

If you are there, please drink a Bohemia Obscura for me and spend a litttle extra time with a few trunk fish for me!

Safe travels,
Jay

 

[WetInPortland]

Same here. My hearing isn't the best in noisy environments.

WHAT?! OH, YEAH, MY HERRING ISN"T THE BEST, EITHER. I PREFER GROUPER ...

 

[ggunn]

Speaking strictly for myself, I have no problem with the pace of Cozumel diving. I have no problem with Cozumel taxis. I have no problem with Cozumel restaurants. I have no problem with Cozumel... anything. It's why I go back year after year after year, and I'll be there again the day after tomorrow!

 

[ggunn]

We normally stay at south AIs and I have dove every site you listed without issue from said southern AIs with a mere 15 min boat ride. You may be correct that a northern OP may not come south and take them back north and return them south, I cant speak to that.

If you got from a far southern resort to Villablanca Wall in 15 minutes you were on a faster boat than I'd care to ride on.