Earliest operators in Cozumel

[ibnygator]

I am going to be diving in Cozumel in May and I've been reading many of the threads about which dive operators to use. From the threads and the various dive shop's websites, it seems that Dive With Martin gets to the dive sites the earliest. I hate crowded dive sites and want to find the operator (reputable of course) that will get me there the earliest.

Any thoughts?......

 

[ggunn]

I am going to be diving in Cozumel in May and I've been reading many of the threads about which dive operators to use. From the threads and the various dive shop's websites, it seems that Dive With Martin gets to the dive sites the earliest. I hate crowded dive sites and want to find the operator (reputable of course) that will get me there the earliest.

Any thoughts?......

Yeah, one. Earlier is good... to a point. The wall and reefs run basically north and south, and when you dive your first dive, you are down deep with the wall or reef east of you. If the angle of the sun is low (in the east, of course), then you are in shadow, and it's dark. Also, the lower the angle of the sun, the more of it gets reflected away by the surface. It's the reason I don't do afternoon boat dives very much; by time for the second dive, the angle of the sun is low enough that things at depth begin to gray out.

Also keep in mind that the reefs are BIG. I have been to Palancar when there was a veritable traffic jam on the surface, and I didn't see a single diver other than our group at depth.

Of course, there is always the counterexample. I once had this $%@#!! numbnuts idiot diver from another group pass under me in a swimthough out on the Santa Rosa Wall and pin me to the overhead. He actually grabbed my foot to pull himself past me! It's a good thing for him that they don't allow firearms in the water! ;^)

Oh, and one more thing, just getting out there early is no guarantee that some other dive op won't dump another load of divers right on top of you halfway through your dive.

 

[Texas Diver]

Yeah, one. Earlier is good... to a point. The wall and reefs run basically north and south, and when you dive your first dive, you are down deep with the wall or reef east of you. If the angle of the sun is low (in the east, of course), then you are in shadow, and it's dark. Also, the lower the angle of the sun, the more of it gets reflected away by the surface. It's the reason I don't do afternoon boat dives very much; by time for the second dive, the angle of the sun is low enough that things at depth begin to gray out.

Also keep in mind that the reefs are BIG. I have been to Palancar when there was a veritable traffic jam on the surface, and I didn't see a single diver other than our group at depth.

Of course, there is always the counterexample. I once had this $%@#!! numbnuts idiot diver from another group pass under me in a swimthough out on the Santa Rosa Wall and pin me to the overhead. He actually grabbed my foot to pull himself past me! It's a good thing for him that they don't allow firearms in the water! ;^)

Oh, and one more thing, just getting out there early is no guarantee that some other dive op won't dump another load of divers right on top of you halfway through your dive.

Hey ggun:

You made a lot of good points in your post.

 

[GPdiver]

Also think of getting to the dive sights later. after the groups have gone
Or try afternoon, the sun is in the west and the light on the walls is the best!!!

 

[divematt]

Dive with Martin will pick you up as far north as Plaza Las Glorias / Cozumel Palace at 7:30 am. He then stops at each hotel south of that if he needs to pick someone up and works his way toward the dive sites. When you start your dive a half hour (at least) earlier than everybody else, you drop in at the starting point first. Many of the things to see are "less spooked" by the first group that gets there. Even when other operators drop their people in a half hour later, they're hopefully dropping in at the same place that you were at a half hour ago. Remember, you're drift diving to another place as time goes by so they're behind you. What happens when you see a shark, turtle, or any of the things that move away once 6 or 8 of you come upon them? They move around a bit and it just seems to me that I've had better luck when I'm out there first. There's plenty to see out there at any time of the day, but I've noticed that when I see a group (nearly) ahead of us, much of what I wanted to see short of your basic Angel fish and the like, have moved away for awhile. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but I wouldn't change that early dive departure for anything.

 

[ibnygator]

Thanks for the comments and ggunn, you did make some good points, especially about the light. But I'm with divematt, I think I'll stick with getting there earlier than others. I have no doubt that you see more critters that way.

Plus, the earlier I get started, the more dives I can fit in a day and my goal is to dive 'til I drop...

 

[divematt]

I've mentioned this early arrival opinion based on other dive sites as well. When I'm in West Palm Beach and the group ahead of us gets to the wreck first, the Goliath Groupers (Jewfish) move away. It takes awhile for them to come back. The same goes for the wrecks off the coast of North Carolina, the Sand Tiger sharks are gone once 4 or 5 divers start poking around. As far as light, I haven't measured how much less light or more shaddow you have by being a half hour earlier than the second group but I can see fine.

 

[dbosullivan]

Thanks for the comments and ggunn, you did make some good points, especially about the light. But I'm with divematt, I think I'll stick with getting there earlier than others. I have no doubt that you see more critters that way.

Plus, the earlier I get started, the more dives I can fit in a day and my goal is to dive 'til I drop...

I was down there earlier this month, and dove with DWM. The latest that they picked me up was 8:15 or so (stayed @ Occidental Grand), and I was usually in the water by 8:30.
I believe that they're also cheaper than most if you plan to dive 4 days or more.

The only caveat about DWM that I'd include is that the soundtrack that accompanies the underwater video is the cheesiest I've ever heard.

 

[SterlingDiver]

........is good and seems very competitive.

My experiance is if you stay at a south resorts (very close to the reefs, great beaches, but further from town) and dive with their operators you are almost always on reefs before most on the first dive of the day, after the second dive is always busier, third dive a lot less crowded, night dive I have seen both ways.

Good luck in your deliberations.

Dave

 

[zinmaker]

Have you ever done a dawn dive? Might be hard getting enough people who are on vacation to get up real early, but hear the dives early in the morning are nice.