Excursion with both Scuba & Snorkeling in Cozumel?

[bluegirlum]

Sorry for the double post--I'm new here and didn't realize there was a separate Cozumel forum.

My BF and I will be in Cozumel in March on a RCI cruise. He is PADI certified and wants to scuba; I would just like to snorkel. There seem to be many scuba operators that will take snorkelers if there is room available. I'm wondering if there are any that actually have a planned trip that includes both so we can enjoy the trip together.

From what I've read, we want to avoid the cruise-led excursions and their provider. He's a fairly new diver, and I would really like him to have the chance to dive in Cozumel--I've heard it's amazing--so the priority is more for him than me. But it will be my birthday that day so it would be nice to do something together.

 

[Skittl1321]

You should email operators and explain what you want. You're right that a lot of ops will try to accommodate you for this, but you need to be specific in what you are asking for so that they can meet your expectations.

I'm not sure what you mean by "include both". SCUBA is likely going to take place at least 25 feet below the surface (Columbia Shallows), and possible much further than that. Snorkeling is mostly surface to 5 feet deep, unless you are a really good freediver (in which case, there really isn't a limit to how deep you could go.)


I know I've read Scuba with Alison post about days she had both snorkelers and scuba divers on the boat- they at least dove the same sites. Why not email her and ask if she can do what you are looking for?

 

[ggunn]

Sorry for the double post--I'm new here and didn't realize there was a separate Cozumel forum.

My BF and I will be in Cozumel in March on a RCI cruise. He is PADI certified and wants to scuba; I would just like to snorkel. There seem to be many scuba operators that will take snorkelers if there is room available. I'm wondering if there are any that actually have a planned trip that includes both so we can enjoy the trip together.

From what I've read, we want to avoid the cruise-led excursions and their provider. He's a fairly new diver, and I would really like him to have the chance to dive in Cozumel--I've heard it's amazing--so the priority is more for him than me. But it will be my birthday that day so it would be nice to do something together.

Blue Angel runs a daily combo snorkel and dive trip. You probably won't be on the same sites, though, unless you go to someplace like Colombia Shallows.

 

[DjDiverDan]

The basic problem is that most dive locations in Cozumel are deeper dives - 50-60 feet and lower, and in those locations, there would be little for the snorkeler to see. That is not to say that it can't be done. The group trip I went on in early December, we had a couple of snorkelers who wanted to go out on the boat with the divers, and, since we had several divers who were relative newbies or had not been diving in several years, we asked the dive operator to do a couple of easy shallow dives on the first day. We did Columbia Shallows - a beautiful, relaxing shallow dive, deepest I went was 38 feet - and Palancar Gardens, another good shallow dive, my deepest was 48 feet, and the snorkelers had plenty to see and could see the divers below them most of the time. But the rest of the week, when the divers were doing deeper dives, the Snorkelers took off on their own for better snorkeling locations. That kind of trip is a lot easier to arrange if you have a group of at least 6-8 divers who all want to do two easy dives. Also, many dive ops, at least those that leave from the International Pier or the Caleta, prefer not to go to Columbia because it is so far south - more time and higher fuel costs.