Diving recommendations for Cozumel

[ggunn]

My 19-year-old son and I will be staying at Cozumel Palace and plan to dive March 7 through March 9. Which dive companies would you recommend? We would like to dive with a small group and dive Nitrox.

Let the cheerleading begin...

 

[judydivescoz]

Not all dive ops pick up in town. Others have mentioned Aldora and Blue Xta Sea. In addition, Salty Endeavors also picks up at Cozumel Palace. Henry keeps his boat at Puerto Abrigo north of town. You may also want to check Living Underwater. A friend who lives intown gets picked up at one of the downtown piers so Cozumel Palace may be an option.

 

[deepsea21]

Another vote for 3P's. I am always amazed to see how many divers 3P's picks up at the Palace (by car or taxi on the street in front of the Palace, not at the Palace pier) when their Palace "resort dollars" could spent on diving with the in-house dive op Aqua Safari. I guess those guests feel their "resort dollars" are better spent on other Palace offerings and prefer to pay for the level of service and exceptional dive experiences a boutique dive op like 3P's offers (without the boutique price). There is also no shortage of horror stories posted on TA by Palace guests who failed to book their dives with the in-house dive op months in advance of their stay... They showed up and tried to book dives only to be told the boats were fully booked. The Palace is a BIG place and the on-site dive op isn't big enough to address the demand with four (4) boats I believe? Maybe someone can correct me but I think Aqua Safari runs 4 boats... Ocean 1, 2, 3, and 4 but still not enough to serve all the Palace divers.

 

[MMM]

Not all dive ops pick up in town. You may also want to check Living Underwater. A friend who lives intown gets picked up at one of the downtown piers so Cozumel Palace may be an option.

That is the big thing...there are a handful of ops that pick up in town. Living Underwater usually picks me up first, then heads to Cozumel Palace for any divers they have staying there if we are heading south. If we are going up north then they get picked up first. Pick up time is generally around 8 a.m.



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[MMM]

I have liked Tres Pelicanos (popular on this board along with Blue XT Sea and Aldora), but I will try Living Underwater on my next visit. Large tanks (120 cf) like Aldora, but they let you dive your tank. Aldora will make everyone go up at the same time. If you're the first person low on air, then you will have to share air with the DM (at least that's what's been reported on this board).

Living Underwater lets you dive your tank up to about 80 or 90 minutes. Or your computer. Yesterday we did Barracuda and San Juan with everyone on nitrox. The op rules when diving up north (unlike down south where there are a LOT more boats to pick up wayward divers) is that everyone surfaces together. Everyone on the boat was really, really good on air but one person's computer required that we all ascend after about 60 minutes. I still had 1000# of air and showed 20 minutes no deco time. Had we been diving in the south, that diver would have been send up with a buddy but up north, no go. FWIW, when we got in the water, we saw one fishing boat in the water. When we got out, there was nada anywhere around up. DM sent up buoy after about 40 or 45 minutes to ensure that the boat was there waiting for us. Big waves!

 

[Snoweman]

Living Underwater lets you dive your tank up to about 80 or 90 minutes. Or your computer. Yesterday we did Barracuda and San Juan with everyone on nitrox. The op rules when diving up north (unlike down south where there are a LOT more boats to pick up wayward divers) is that everyone surfaces together. Everyone on the boat was really, really good on air but one person's computer required that we all ascend after about 60 minutes. I still had 1000# of air and showed 20 minutes no deco time. Had we been diving in the south, that diver would have been send up with a buddy but up north, no go. FWIW, when we got in the water, we saw one fishing boat in the water. When we got out, there was nada anywhere around up. DM sent up buoy after about 40 or 45 minutes to ensure that the boat was there waiting for us. Big waves!

How was the dive?

I get that strategy up north, especially with big waves. How big were the waves?

 

[MMM]

How was the dive?

I get that strategy up north, especially with big waves. How big were the waves?

The dive was fine. Less current than normal but still pretty good. The waves weren't huge by some peoples' standards, but enough that getting into the boat was a challenge. After I get my wetsuit off, I usually go over the side on the ladder for a pee but decided against it on both dives due to high waves. I have a crappy shoulder and didn't feel like giving it a workout.

 

[Snoweman]

Was the diver that needed to go up using a Suunto?

 

[MMM]

Was the diver that needed to go up using a Suunto?

Yup. Near as I can tell, that was the issue however there may have been other divers low on air, or also having NDL issues. Just what I gathered back on the boat after talking to a couple of the divers. The thing about both dive sites is that you are diving at an average depth of 70-80 feet, more or less. So nitrox is better all around. But you are still going to hit NDL limits, depending on your computer, if you are good on air. Some are more forgiving and some are not. This is more easily handled in the south where there are lots of dive boat who can identify you and signal your boat to pick you up. Not so much in the north. So when one diver has hit their NDL limit, everyone needs to start their way up.

 

[Streydog]

Was the diver that needed to go up using a Suunto?

I have been using a Suunto for a while and even though it is more conservative than my GEO, I am able to average close to 80 minute dives with it, even surfacing with a group of Aldora divers.