Heading to Cozumel

[Fishingredcat]

New to the board, hello everyone! My family is heading to Cozumel on a Cruise in Dec. The usual dive shops are having a hard time accommodating the ships hour restriction. Was looking for a local, maybe just a private dive master who could fit a group of 4 in for maybe a 2 tank dive. Anybody have a suggestion? Carnival Freedom going to be in Cozumel 12/22/16.

Mike

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

Dive With Martin, their shop is about a block away from the international pier where I believe Carnival will dock. With 4 divers, just charter your own boat and you are absolutely on your own schedule. I think it cost us $100 per diver to have our own boat. The boat will be waiting on you when you walk up and in 10 minutes or so you're on your way. That's what we did on our first trip to Coz and it was life changing! DWM also includes the cost of rental equipment in the dive trip. 100 cf tanks are only $4 more for extended bottom time. Money wise, DWM is probably the best deal on the island.

Email them NOW because that time of year space will fill up fast.

We took our own gear....it sucked dragging 4 sets of equipment on and off the boat. We means my wife and 2 daughters which meant I had to drag the gear. It will take longer to get off the boat than it will to walk to DWM.

We had more than enough time to dive 2 tanks, surface interval on the boat, and get back with time for the obligatory margarita at Senor Frogs and some shopping near the pier. We were back in our room in time to be on the balcony to watch those that are old enough to know better come stumbling back, or crawling, to make the ship on time for departure. We used to love cruising until we discovered diving. Now we fly and spend our time diving.

If you don't go with DWM, cabs are everywhere and cheap in Coz. When you get off the boat, and walk through the worlds longest liquor store, there will be cabs waiting for you. A $4 to $8 cab ride will get you to most dive shops or piers.

I can also recommend Aldora and Blue Magic as operators. We have dove with both and still dive with Aldora for the larger steel tanks. Blue Magic was like diving with family. I have not been able to dive with Blue XTSea yet but Christi is a huge supporter of this site and deserves a look as well. Most operators are capable of working with you on your schedules, especially with 4 divers.

I did some research on Carnival's in house dive operation and did not like anything I read. Better service all around with small 6-pack boats by far.

Good luck, safe travels, order the Chocolate Molten Lava cake for me!

Jay

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

By the way....there is a Cozumel specific forum on this site that will give you at least a months reading about diving on Cozumel. Welcome to the board!

Jay

 

[Fishingredcat]

Jay,
Thanks for the detailed information. I have heard back from DWM, they sound like the best deal price wise as well as amenities. Of note, the $97 includes equipment rental. I have 2 daughters also who are new divers, and not carrying their equipment is sounding pretty nice.

The boat is also going to Grand Cayman. That's someplace new to me. Do you have any tips for diving there?

Mike

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

We have cruised GC as well, but only went to sting ray city. I can't believe I'm going to say this.....but if I only had one day in GC....i would do stingray city. It's not diving, but snorkeling and swimming with literally thousands of stingrays was amazing. When they hand you the squid to feed them, don't touch any of your family's back! (Or maybe do) My wife put her hand on my back and I had a huge stingray climb up my back thinking there was a piece of squid there from the smell.

Feeding the Rays was like holding a leaf up to a shopvac. They are like puppies wanting to be fed all around you.

It was awesome. Not many people can say they were mollested by a stingray on vacation. I don't have any advice on dive ops for GC but I sure the situation is the same, just more expensive. There is a Greater Carribean section here that someone will recommend a dive op.

Greater Caribbean and Bermuda

Have fun!

Jay

 

[Lionfish51]

we have been to Cozumel many,many times but going to be on Harmony of the Seas, December 3, 2016, we are going to dive with Deep Blue Divers, they have a 9:00 two tank dive and its ten minutes from Cruise Dock

 

[Fishingredcat]

Ok so the best deal so far is with Dive with Martin. $97 includes equipment, and a private boat for an afternoon 12:30 to 4 two tank dive. For an extra $4 per person they'll give us the 100 cf tanks. Being in a small group, they said bottom time is really up to us depending on air supply.

I've never gone without my equipment but not having to drag my stuff, and my 2 daughters lol, sounds kinda nice. The other thing, they are at the cruise pier. So, don't have to deal with travel. I know it's in Dec, but I'll try and post a follow-up review.

Mike

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

They are close to the cruise pier, not at. At least that is how it was 2 years ago. Make your way to the street, turn left, walk about half a block and there's a guard entrance. Tell him your going to DWM and he will let you in. Make your way back to the water and there is a small shop at the waters edge. Easy!

You could always take your own regs, masks, boots, and wetsuits. Leave the bc's and fins. That would easily fit in one bag...even light enough for the daughters to carry! My face is really hard to fit for a mask, I trust my regs, and swimming in a wetsuit someone else peed in is kind of gross.....although swimming in a wetsuit that I just peed in is perfectly fine! I never said it had to make sense!

Everyone should dive with a SMB and whistle (and finger reel if capable) and know how to use. The sites you will be going to should be fine...but it is Cozumel. I don't know how old your daughters are, but if they are younger, make sure they understand that drift diving is lots of fun, but it is important that they stay with you. Even a light drift is difficult to swim into if there is an issue. I have one daughter that wants to stay on the bottom taking inventory of every grain of sand, looking under every space, getting to know every creature by name, and can cover 10 feet in an hour. The other daughter would cover 10 miles in an hour if she could....while doing underwater summersalts. It's like the underwater scuba version of herding cats. Even with that rolling train wreck, if I say Cozumel, they say when. They won't even consider Oklahoma lake diving anymore.

Good choice on DWM, I think you will be very happy, they are one of the oldest operators on the island for a reason.

Eat at MI Tierra for me!

Safe travels,
Jay