I know Palmar doesn't have a dock - that's one of the reasons for my question. It's a short walk to several docks but a lot easier if the gear is already by the dock. We haven't booked a dive op yet and have used a variety of ops over the years. There are also a few others coming with us so their input is a factor. Never used Roberta's before but that an option.
Might be a business opportunity for someone to install good dockside lockers. Inexpensive to operate and maintain. I'd pay $5 per day.
Do you know if it's possible to rent tanks for a night dive? I've rented tanks from CDM before for day shore dives there. They wanted them back by 5 or 6pm.
It's been about 5 years since I've been there, so others may have more accurate information.
It sounds like you've ruled out CDM, Park Royal, El Cid and Village Tan Kah for your group. If I was considering Palmar, I'd ask Palmar what they suggest. They may have arrangements with ops in that area. CDMs dock will be the closest to you. I suspect that if you were diving with their concierge, or whatever the dive op arrangement is now, you could board there with no issues, and maybe even get a locker and night dive tanks. If you're not diving with them or staying at CDM, it's a guess, but you might have to pay, or not even be allowed to board an outside op boat there. If you stay at CDM, you can get picked up by whomever and they don't, didn't anyhow, charge.
Where CDM can have a little bit of a "big machine" feeling to it, Roberta/Scuba Shack/Village Tan Kah does not. With this kind of "outside the box" situation, she'd be my first call if Palmar doesn't have a path or if I didn't know which op I intend to use. I have no idea if this is the case or not, but she may already have a price for renting a locker space and boarding from her dock. In a 6-8-10 pack boat, it's the easiest boarding I've ever had. She has a locker room, with rinse tanks, etc, right on her dock. Very convenient setup.
If Palmar has something going with CDM or CDMs dive op, that would be your closest walking distance fix and it would probably fix the locker and night diving issue too. I'm guessing that when you rented the night tanks you weren't staying at CDM. People do night dives there all the time, and I assumed they got tanks from CDMs op. Not sure, but I've gotten most or all of my night tanks from Roberta. I'm not sure of her current policy/hours. I've been diving with Scuba Shack. They're a small boat operation. When I was there, there was water, fruit and some kind of crazy great pastry for the SI. It's a good dive op like many others on that island.
There's a nice little range of accommodations in that area with Palmar, CDM, Park Royal, El Cid and Village Tan Kah. Plus you've got an OXXO, a little mom and pop convenience store if it's still there, Ernesto's, Paprika, Tikila, CDM's restaurant, etc.
Roberta's Scuba Shack – Cozumel, MX
