Dive operator advice

[MissDoo]

Hey all,

Planning a week in Cozumel end of June. This will be our first time ever there and I'm very confused as to which dive operator to go for. Have been reading various reviews but I'm not sure about locations, best areas etc etc. We're planning to stay at Secrets (wherever that is) so we'll need pick up from there. We are both quite experienced divers (over 200 dives) so would rather a boat with similar divers and hopefully not a production line kind of operator. Anyone know about Alison? There are great reviews on tripadvisor but there are so many other operators mentioned too, I have no idea who to go for... Any advice will be appreciated.

 

[fishi]

Secrets is located close to the dive sites south of town on a nice stretch of beach. It is very convenient for diving, but it's not very diver friendly. The most important thing is that you choose a dive op that will take care of your gear for you. You don't want to be dragging your gear on and off the boat at Secrets. Amazingly there's no shortage of dive ops that will do this and pick you up right in front of your hotel. I would use one of the ops that are recommended on this board. They all specialize in their way of doing things and cost from $28 to $55 a tank. You will get a lot of recommendations you just have to pick one that dose the things you're looking for. They all go to the same general area, and will all pick up at Secrets.

 

[Mossman]

Hey all,

Planning a week in Cozumel end of June. This will be our first time ever there and I'm very confused as to which dive operator to go for. Have been reading various reviews but I'm not sure about locations, best areas etc etc. We're planning to stay at Secrets (wherever that is) so we'll need pick up from there. We are both quite experienced divers (over 200 dives) so would rather a boat with similar divers and hopefully not a production line kind of operator. Anyone know about Alison? There are great reviews on tripadvisor but there are so many other operators mentioned too, I have no idea who to go for... Any advice will be appreciated.

fishi gave good information. The problem with asking for "any advice" is that you'll get hordes of people all advising their favorites and you'll still be left with 20-30 dive ops to choose from.

Personally, I like the "boutique" dive ops that provide more service and smaller boats. Many will retain all your dive gear between dives so you don't have to drag it back and forth, offer larger tanks so you can easily get 70-90 minute dives, and hopefully attract a more experienced clientele so you're not limited on the dive sites. They cost more, but you get more bottom time so your cost per dive hour is about the same or actually less even with the additional services provided.

Aldora is the most popular of these types of dive ops. Being one who goes against the crowd, however, I prefer a smaller op called Living Underwater where you usually get to dive with the owner himself, the best guide I've ever had the pleasure to follow underwater. So, counting Allison, that makes 3 so far. I'm sure others will chime in with their favorites.

I'm staying at Secrets June 14-18, then relocating to the Cozumel Palace. If our dates overlap, I hope to see you there. There's a June "roll call" thread (Back to the Summer) with a developing list of divers on island that month. Feel free to add your info their once you figure out who you're diving with. It's often a good way to meet a friendly face.

 

[ColoDale]

The dive ops people use most here can mostly be found in the monthly dive lists (roll calls). If you look at many months you'll see patterns of dive ops. While we all have our favorites, the dive ops in the list are going to be the most solid.

I would also suggest the boutique type dive op as they are not into the burn and churn of large ops. They will generally have smaller boats and one group of divers.

I have not dived with Scuba with Alison but my dive op places divers on her boat when my op does not have enough divers to go out (singles). She has a good reputation.

Secrets is not a dedicated dive resort but generally has quite a few divers staying there. Any op can pick up at the resort. It used to be Sabor and from what I understand it's not quite up to the general Secrets standards but I will find out in 5 days when we leave for Coz.

 

[cobra269]

Never had any issues with dive equipment at the now Secrets. Stayed twice in the last 4 years at the then called Sabor side. By the pool was a shower to rinse dive equipment. A little bit of a walk from the pier. Now for the dive op. As mentioned lots to choose from. I use Dive with Martin for these 2 main reasons. I only bring mask, fins, computer and camera. They will let you use everything else for no rental cost and that they are normally the first ones out. Meaning that I would get picked up at the Aura/Secret pier usually at 7:45 and no later 8 and back by 11:30. I'm an early bird so they fit my needs.

 

[Diver Kat]

Anyone know about Alison? There are great reviews on tripadvisor but there are so many other operators mentioned too, I have no idea who to go for... Any advice will be appreciated.

We've been diving with Alison since 2005, and are probably closing in on 200 dives with her. We LOVE her to death! In fact we'll be diving with her for 8 days next month. She has a loyal following of regulars - a few of us that hang here on SB, like myself & cvchief - and great reviews on sites like TA. Don't know if you check out DiveWire, but (book author) Paul Mila just did an article on Alison as well. Don't know if it's against the SB rules to post it (considered advertising??) so if you can't find it, shoot me a PM and I can send you the link. If you can get a spot on her boat, I'd grab it! (But then I am biased a bit! lol!) If you have any specific Alison questions, ask away. Or shoot her an e-mail. She's known for her pretty fast response time! If you do like to shop around, lots of other great dive ops on Coz as well, and I'm sure you'll have great suggestions made by the posters here.

 

[MissDoo]

Thanks for all the responses!!! I guess I better get emailing to see who of the places you've recommended is available and has the best prices...

---------- Post added February 14th, 2013 at 12:21 PM ----------

Oh, one more question, what kind of wetsuit do people wear end of June/ early July? What's the water temperature then?

 

[Diver Kat]

Oh, one more question, what kind of wetsuit do people wear end of June/ early July? What's the water temperature then?

A lot of it's going to be personal preference. Some people are always cold, and some don't seem to feel it. I've seen people wearing 3-5 mil in the summer, when I'm wearing a rash guard or skin. (Which is what I'd likely be wearing in June/July.) As the time gets closer, you can also ask around here how the water temps are doing, to give you a better idea of what you want to pack.

 

[MissDoo]

Thanks Kat

 

[divingpyrate]

It is like asking what is the best bar in New Orleans
We use Eagle Ray, because we started with him on discovery dives.
His boats are older but smaller. Never more than 6 people in a group. Many times it is just us and a DM
They are good folks, smaller operator that works well with low dive count divers
They got a good rating on TA