hi, i'm pretty new to diving but have done a few trips to Cozumel so far. i love it, and could just keep going back there (in fact, i hope to), but am also curious about maybe trying another place.
i'm a solo traveler / single diver, so i really like how simple it is to travel & dive in Cozumel. i'll list the things that i like about Cozumel, and perhaps someone could suggest what other places might have similar attributes?
1. warm weather & warm water with good visibility
2. lots of fish, sea life
3. easy to not go deeper than about 80 feet and can spend significant time at 30 to 60 feet where the fish are — i’m more interested in relaxed wildlife-watching than anything deep or adventurous. although i love drifting in cozumel’s currents.
4. affordable flights from usa (usually to cancun, which offers cheap/easy access to cozumel) -- i think any other destination will require a bit more air fare, so i accept that.
5. a town i can stay in that is mostly walkable with good food/restaurants
6. plenty of cheap hotels that are modern & comfortable (i'm not really into resorts or all-inclusives, although i guess i could try it if the diving was really worth it)
7. mostly boat diving, with a big customer base -- this is pretty important since i can jump aboard a boat with anywhere from two to eight other people plus a divemaster. i prefer this over trying to find a stranger to shore dive with, since i like to just rest or wander around doing my own thing when not diving.
8. lots of dive ops, so can find one that you like (safe, longer bottom times, rental equipment, etc.)
i guess the only thing i dis-like about cozumel is the industry that's developed around the cruise traffic. i'm not bothered by cruise ships so much, but i do get irritated at wildly aggressive salespeople lurching at me 10 times on every block i understand it, i can work around it, etc., but... that's just my least favorite part of the trip
places i'm considering:
-roatan or utila (any opinion on which has better fish & marine life?)
-cabo or puerto vallarta?
-the caymans
-hawaii (probably a way more expensive trip on every level)
-bonaire (although it seems like this is geared toward bring-a-buddy / shore diving / no divemaster - maybe not great for a loner? or is it possible/enjoyable to just boat dive here?)
-curaçao
-any good places in europe? maybe the canary islands…malta…
i am probably not able to reach asia for the time being, but hopefully someday i can shoot for thailand, indonesia, the red sea…
thanks for any input or advice you may have on choosing a 2nd dive destination based on what i like about cozumel! i appreciate any help. (sorry for the long post)
i'm a solo traveler / single diver, so i really like how simple it is to travel & dive in Cozumel. i'll list the things that i like about Cozumel, and perhaps someone could suggest what other places might have similar attributes?
1. warm weather & warm water with good visibility
2. lots of fish, sea life
3. easy to not go deeper than about 80 feet and can spend significant time at 30 to 60 feet where the fish are — i’m more interested in relaxed wildlife-watching than anything deep or adventurous. although i love drifting in cozumel’s currents.
4. affordable flights from usa (usually to cancun, which offers cheap/easy access to cozumel) -- i think any other destination will require a bit more air fare, so i accept that.
5. a town i can stay in that is mostly walkable with good food/restaurants
6. plenty of cheap hotels that are modern & comfortable (i'm not really into resorts or all-inclusives, although i guess i could try it if the diving was really worth it)
7. mostly boat diving, with a big customer base -- this is pretty important since i can jump aboard a boat with anywhere from two to eight other people plus a divemaster. i prefer this over trying to find a stranger to shore dive with, since i like to just rest or wander around doing my own thing when not diving.
8. lots of dive ops, so can find one that you like (safe, longer bottom times, rental equipment, etc.)
i guess the only thing i dis-like about cozumel is the industry that's developed around the cruise traffic. i'm not bothered by cruise ships so much, but i do get irritated at wildly aggressive salespeople lurching at me 10 times on every block i understand it, i can work around it, etc., but... that's just my least favorite part of the trip
places i'm considering:
-roatan or utila (any opinion on which has better fish & marine life?)
-cabo or puerto vallarta?
-the caymans
-hawaii (probably a way more expensive trip on every level)
-bonaire (although it seems like this is geared toward bring-a-buddy / shore diving / no divemaster - maybe not great for a loner? or is it possible/enjoyable to just boat dive here?)
-curaçao
-any good places in europe? maybe the canary islands…malta…
i am probably not able to reach asia for the time being, but hopefully someday i can shoot for thailand, indonesia, the red sea…
thanks for any input or advice you may have on choosing a 2nd dive destination based on what i like about cozumel! i appreciate any help. (sorry for the long post)