Has anyone tried Dive Palancar

[jomcclain]

Dive Palancar is cheaper than most shops. Has anyone tried them? If so, how were they?

 

[Ron Lee]

Where are you staying? Where do they depart from? If they only service a southern hotel and you are staying near/north of town, they may not be a good choice for you.

 

[cicopo]

Cheaper is often more expensive. If they run according to a posted schedule (they did when they were at the Grand) that usually means shorter bottom times. Either because the group comes up when the first diver hits 700 PSI or because the time is up for the current dive in order to stay on schedule. You need to compare bottom times vs 2 tank trips. Many charge a bit more but you dive your tank & not their schedule. Another trick at least one op used to stay on schedule was to plan a very deep dive for the first tank & insist everyone surface when the first diver hit 700 PSI, which usually resulted in a 20 minute dive.

 

[marcus8]

Used them once in 2007 out of the Occidental Grande. We wanted to do a night dive down there since we were tired of the same ol' Paradise Reef night dive that most ops choose for their night dives. We dove La Francesca which was a pleasant change-up and very worth the drive down. However, we didn't like the op too much. Very much the cattle boat. They didn't know us so they stuck us with newbies whom kicked the hell out of us the whole dive. Every time we stopped to try to photograph something, they would basically bull rush us and destroy the shot so they could see what we were shooting. The DM could do very little I suppose. But the thing that was even tougher to swallow was the 35 minute max bottom time. We literally came up with half a tank after being kicked for a half hour. Perhaps they had to for the newbies but I doubt it, they just wanted the dive to be over. Probably a scheduling issue as others have mentioned. To be fair, their DM briefing was very professional and safety oriented. It just ended up being a frustrating dive.

Just thought I'd tell my story as you need to watch out for that short bottom time enforcement with these guys as well as the cattle boat setting. Frustrating experience and I'd almost certainly not use them again.

 

[MMM]

The op I referenced in this thread where our DM rescued a diver from another boat http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cozumel/502236-do-you-use-valet-services-2.html
was Dive Palancar,

i an by no means suggesting that it is the norm that they take out divers who don't know how to clear their mask because divers lie all the time to ops about their ability and experience. Just for your consideration in the equation.

 

[Gdog]

What is their price for a two tank dive? They cannot be that much cheaper than several other good ops. Check out Deep Blue. I dove with them for several years, priced well, I would recommend them. Im sure there will be many more similar recommendations. Also, take into consideration where you are staying, and where you want to be picked up by the boat....can be an issue!

 

[gtboomer]

Dive Palancar, My 2 Cents.

Hey jomcclain.

Here is a quick review of Dive Palancar. This was my first trip to Cozumel, stayed at the Aura. Could not find much info for the on site operator. So this is for anyone who is interested.

Did 9 dives in April 2013, including a wreck dive on the C-53.

This is a no frills operation, no dive valet, clean your own gear.


Boats: Was on 4 different ones. Seemed fairly well maintained, clean, water for cameras, and bottled water for passengers.

Cost: Booked 10 dives at 31 Canadian per dive.

Dive time: Shortest dive 40min, longest 55min. Average 45min.

Tanks: Al 80s, Had good fills all week.

Gear: ???? Brought my own.

Group Size: 11 was the largest, broke into 2 groups. Had 2 dives with 4 plus the DM. Average size was 5.

Dive Briefings: Anything from "The Pool Is Open", to some pretty detailed ones. Depended on the DM.

Dive Masters: I was happy with my DM's, pointed out lots of critters. Did not feel rushed.


I would use them again. Had a great trip.

Thank You to Crews, Dive masters and the guys at the dive shop. Antonio, Joshua, Luis, Fabian, Victor, Chuy, Enrique, Jamie, Luis And Alex.


Hope this is of some help.

Just remember this is from 2 years ago.​

 

[Hintermann]

Our first trip to Cozumel was in 2008 and we used Dive Palancar out of the Occidental. I'm afraid our experience was extremely negative to the extent that us (my wife and I) plus 2 other groups ended up lodging an official complaint to PADI. Things may have changed since then but when we went, they were rife with unethical practices and corrupt divemasters who took bribes from guests to alter itineraries in the last minute. There was one particular guy named "William" (He was Mexican and so that is probably not his real name) who was the worst dive guide that I have ever come across.