(Large dive party!) Dive outfits? Pick up from El Cozumeleno? Advice?

[GO_MNWild@hotmail.com]

OK- let the overwhelming number of varied responses begin.

My fiancee and I dove Coz 2 years ago, using the Scuba Shack. Decent outfit. Our DM was awesome. Pinky I think his name was- don't quote me on that though. Dude didn't hardly use a breath of air, it was crazy.

Anyhow- we're headed back again this November with a large party in tow for our Wedding on Coz. We'll have at the very least 7 divers in our party, and we're staying at El Cozumeleno. I guess I'd like recommendations from the always trustworthy and knowledgeable people here on Scubaboard as to a very good dive outfit -that might be willing to pick us up from El Cozumeleno. (I didn't hear many good things about our on-site dive op).

Some things we're looking for:
*Obviously with the size of our dive party we'll probably just rent a boat for our private party- we'll want someone with a bigger, fast, stable, (newer?) boat that offers some space and comfort.
*We'll have some folks not necessarily comfortable doing the deep wall dives and would want to stay above 60ish- so which are the best sites the outfit in question could take us to?
*Need a very good and personable DM who's going to have the group interest and (obviously) safety in mind. Not just shuttle us to their usual spots some may not be comfortable with.

Any other advice, experiences, or considerations anyone has with diving larger private groups would be greatly appreciated- Thanks!

 

[DandyDon]

We'll have at the very least 7 divers in our party, and we're staying at El Cozumeleno.

Oh, I imagine that you'll get the usual cheerleading with good intentions, mostly fans suggesting their favorite Ops for no particular reason other than they were pleased - and you could probly be happy with any of them as they're all pretty good or they wouldn't make it on Coz - except for your boat requirements, which I hope the others notice.

I kinda wonder if all of y'all will want to travel by boat that far every day tho? El Cozumeleno's site has a map showing exactly where it is but when I try to enlarge it - that fails. Is it the most northerly hotel on that road? I've been up there once only, last year, but it seems like it was a pretty significant boat ride from Villablance - so if you're going to be diving several days, you'd be looking at longer rides even to other sites. Alternatively, your group might take one or two taxi-vans down to your chosen Op pretty economically and save so much boat time. Indeed, your Op might be interested in negotiating better dive trip rates based on that idea, with the bulk of your gear being stored at or by the Op.

I see that El Cozumeleno does have an onsite Op but I just never heard of them, good or bad: OCEAN TOURS. I also see a reference to Scuba Du?

My first thot on your number was that all of y'all would be fine with a private 8-pack boat so common on Coz since park rules require a DM for every 8 divers, but then you asked for "a bigger, fast, stable, (newer?) boat that offers some space and comfort" so that knocks out the 8-packs as well as most of the larger boats as most of them are not fast. I don't even know if there is a dive boat like that on Coz? Maybe there is.

If there is, chartering it privately for 7 or so divers may get pricey but I don't guess that is a concern for you here. You want what you want, and I am sure a reasonable price can be established even tho you'll only be using half of the large, fast, newer boat designed for twice as many divers.

 

[ggunn]

One thing that we have found on Cozumel that is handy for large-ish groups is to befriend a cab driver with a taxi van. We did that a couple of years ago picking one out pretty much at random. We got his card with his cell phone number on it and whenever we want to go somewhere, we give the hotel desk attendant his card and ask them to call him. He's usually there in 10 minutes or less. We also set appointments with him to pick us up at a particular time and he never fails to show. He gives us a good deal on taking us around the island, too. It's nearly as cheap as renting a van from Less-Pay, and I don't have to drive! We've been using him for a couple of years.

A driver at random would probably work, but this guy is really nice, fluent in English, dependable, and supporting a young child and a wife with MS. His name is Rogelio (ro-HAY-lee-oh), and his cab is #274. His cell number is (987) 113 7774. Tell him Gordon sent you and we'll see him in May.

 

[cicopo]

Ocean Tours & Scuba Do are the same op & the normal drill is to get divers from El Coz down to the Presidenté where they depart from. Getting a boat pick up in the north is slim, but there are a few ops that might do it, but I don't know any specifics.
If price & convenience mean much your best bet will be in getting the group to the Caletta (marina) south of town, either by taxi or rental (not many large vehicles available). Ops normally CAN'T pick you up in their vehicles thanks to the taxi union, so although that's a possibility don't count on it, plus they'd need multiple vehicles to accommodate all of you.

 

[DandyDon]

Aldora is north and I've never heard anything but good about them. Do they have a large & fast boat?

 

[Brules]

We stay at the El Coz, and yes Ocean Tours/Scuba Du are owned by the same people. Ocean Tours runs the on site operation at the El Coz and Scuba Du at the El Presidente. Antonio used to run OT at the El Coz but now runs the op at the El Presidente. We are staying there in July and I have been emailing Antonio about how they handle divers at the El Coz and the consensus seems to be if they have enough, boat will pick you up at the El Coz pier, if not they will taxi you down to the calleta.

So.....essentially your choices are:

1) Use on site op, hope they will bring a boat up to pick you all up and drop you off. Bad thing is, it is a loooong way from El Coz to the dive sites and back. Looooooong. I would prefer to taxi back and forth unless their boat is super fast.
2) Check with Aldora since they house/hotel is right up close to the El Coz, but still boat ride would be extremely long
3) Use the taxi guy mentioned above or find another (with a van that will hold all 7 of you and your gear?) and use your favorite op or one of the many recomended here that will give you greta service for a group your size. With 7 ppl you all should be able to get a dedicated boat and be able to pick your dives every day, which is a real bonus when using ops who use the smaller boats.

I haven't decided what I will do this time around.....I am still looking at all of my options. El Coz is a nice hotel and one of the better values on the island for an AI right now, so to me the trade off is worth it - less $ for hotel = more money to dive/taxi/go to town to eat every night.

 

[DandyDon]

I think his primary focus is to find the large & fast boat. Who has one...??

After that, look at how he wants to board, how much to charger the whole boat for a small party, etc...

 

[judydivescoz]

Check out Albatros Charters (www.albatorscharters.com). Rita, the owner keeps her boats in the marina north of town. In addition to her 6 pack boat she also has the Frigate (http://cozumel-fishing.com/fishboats1.jpg) which is a 32 foot Intrepid that she also uses for diving. Its very nice, fast, has a head and is a pleasure to dive on. Call her and see if she will pick up your crew at El Coz for a private charter. We did dive on Frigate last trip in March and enjoyed ourselves. We have used this op for many years and have always been very happy. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!!

 

[Brules]

Check out Albatros Charters (www.albatorscharters.com). Rita, the owner keeps her boats in the marina north of town. In addition to her 6 pack boat she also has the Frigate (http://cozumel-fishing.com/fishboats1.jpg) which is a 32 foot Intrepid that she also uses for diving. Its very nice, fast, has a head and is a pleasure to dive on. Call her and see if she will pick up your crew at El Coz for a private charter. We did dive on Frigate last trip in March and enjoyed ourselves. We have used this op for many years and have always been very happy. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!!

Thats a great idea.....anyone know of any other dive ops who use the north calleta?

As long as you don't mind the drive times, it would work out nicely to use the El Coz pier!

 

[Dave Dillehay]

Yes Don,

Aldora has the 40 ft Falicity that goes 25 kts. Because we usually go long distances all of our boats have to be fast, and we have the 40 ft boat so as to deal with partial port closures during nortes. Aldora also picks up in the north at the Villa Aldora or Puerto Abrigo.


Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers