Question How does Cozumel compare to other dive destinations?

[danzn16]

Cozumel has pretty colors, healthier reefs than many places in Caribbean, swim throughs that are fun, drift diving, seahorse possibilities, turtles and eagle ray possibilities. It is a good place to go, although still Caribbean. Saw one reef shark in the blue on Santa Rosa wall so if you love big animals it’s not the place for that. Can just do two tank dives or could stay at a place like iberostar and dive with dressel and dive 4-5 times a day. The food in Cozumel has been better than anywhere else we’ve been in Caribbean. Also I was nervous about going to Mexico mostly with the corruption you hear about in airports like Cabo, but Cozumel felt very safe to us. We rented a car and went to local restaurants were we were the only non locals and felt just fine. It is on the upper tier of Caribbean destination spots for me. Also the dives are half the price as most locations which makes it that much greater. I’d highly recommend it.

 

[waldoannie]

My wife and I have been to Cozumel almost annually for about 20 years. The diving is fantastic. Some trips the wildlife is more abundant than others. For example, on one week long trip we saw at least one eagle ray on every dive. No exaggerating, every dive even on reefs I had never seen them before. Other trips we see 4-5 in a week.

That being said, we like the consistency of diving in Cozumel. The water temps fall into the same very comfortable 5-7 deg Fahrenheit range all year round. The reefs are in very good shape with minimal beaching, especially compared to other Caribbean destinations. The port rarely closes to small craft and when it does, in our experience it has been a one day closure. The macro is good, but with the current, it can be difficult to muck around and spy for super small critters. Although we have seen plenty of pipehorses, blennies, and nudibranchs. The current and drift diving is one of the appeals.

A key to Cozumel diving is the dive op that suits you. There are many to choose from and it all comes down to finding ones that fit your style and needs. There is no "best op in Cozumel." It's essentially, "the best op for me in Cozumel."

Traveling in Mexico has it's quirks, but staying safe takes just basic travel awareness. Considering all of the places you have been, Cozumel should be on that list.

Considering trip in December. I’m AI, husband DM, Soawn 21 is beginner diver. Looking for the best operator, not the fanciest. Suggestions? TY

 

[ChuckP]

Considering trip in December. I’m AI, husband DM, Soawn 21 is beginner diver. Looking for the best operator, not the fanciest. Suggestions? TY

You really can't go wrong with any valet company, For casual diving, three family divers - I personally like Blue Project but there's Scuba Life, Scuba with Tony etc...

I would suggest or lean towards a smaller 6-10 pax boat to get with smaller groups, it's just more personal.

Some other valet shops do great but just seem sometimes too big or maybe geared more towards experienced divers, not taking anything away from anyone, just an opinion.

 

[ggunn]

Considering trip in December. I’m AI, husband DM, Soawn 21 is beginner diver. Looking for the best operator, not the fanciest. Suggestions? TY

There is no best dive operator on Cozumel but there are scads of excellent ones. Which of them would work well for you would depend on what sorts of experiences you are looking for and where you are staying.

Have you looked at this thread: Finding a (Best) Dive Op in Cozumel ? It might help you with your decision.

 

[Dan G]

Considering trip in December. I’m AI, husband DM, Soawn 21 is beginner diver. Looking for the best operator, not the fanciest. Suggestions? TY

I am going to agree with the two above posts that there is no "best operator." We've had excellent experiences with several different ops and thread Gordon linked above is a good resource for seeing the differences and similarities. An op that has almost exclusively small (6-10 person boats) boats is good advice. Decide if you want steel tanks or aluminum tanks, because that will narrow things down, as well as where different ops pick up. Have a great trip!