Licensed Dive Boats

[Cert1967]

I'll give you a hint - some are in the top 10 on Trip Advisor

Well - here is the top 10 and a few more for good measure.

So, which of the top 10 - and others - do not have the required permits and paperwork or operate in some other manner that is not in full compliance with the rules and regs?

Do the offenders sell marine tags and pocket the money? Where do they get the tags, if they are selling such?

Interesting that a number of SB favorites are lower on the list than I would have suspected. I've never been out with a top 10 listing.

1. ScubaTony Cozumel
2. Scuba Life Cozumel
3. CozuDive Diving & Snorkeling
4. Cozumel H2O
5. Blue Project
6. Scuba XOC
7. Cozumel Dive School
8. Scuba Luis
9. Chichi Charters - looks to be a fishing charter
10. Maple Leaf Scuba
11. Salty Endeavors
12. Dive Bros
13. Chili Charters
14. Living Underwater
15. Nirvana Dive Shop
16. Ray Diving Cozumel
17. Bubbles Underwater
18. Ha Haak Water Adventures - looks to be a paddle outfit
19. Pelagic Ventures Scuba
20. Dive With Christina
21. Iwanna Dive Cozumel
22. Chala - Michal Snorkeling Adventures
23. Blue XT Sea Diving
24. Fly Cozumel
25. Dressel Divers
26. Cozumel Scuba Diving with Alison
27. Deluxe Private Boat Tours
28. Blue Dream Cozumel
29. Diveedgar
30. Cozumel Surfing
31. Alex Scuba
32. Tres Pelicanos Dive Center
33. Liquid Blue Divers
34. Mystic Snorkel
35. Scuba Mau
36. Rent a Bike Cozumel
37. Island Divers Cozumel
38. Scuba Du
39. Tortuga Carel Diving & Snorkeling
40. The Twister
41. Cozumel Sports
42. Tortugas Cozumel
43. Safe Tours Cozumel
44. Aldora Divers
45. Blue H2O Cozumel Ocean Tours
46. EagleRider Cozumel
47. Cozumel Sailing
48. Blue Magic Scuba
49. Sea Robin Cozumel
50. Barefoot Dive Center

 

[Manatee Diver]

Boats like Blue XTSea's , Scuba with Tony, Challange Diving, all but one of Aldora's - boats with smaller amounts of permits - the ones referred to six paks - those mostly run with a captain and DM, sometimes two DM's.

Even the pangas I've been on had a separate mate from the guide/DM.

 

[ReefHound]

TripAdvisor is worthless. I haven't heard of many of those meanwhile some well known names aren't even in the top 50.

 

[ggunn]

1. Fly Cozumel
2. Rent a Bike Cozumel
3. Cozumel Sailing
4. Cozumel Surfing
5. 
   
6. These are dive operations? Sorry about the numbering; copy/paste put them in and I can't get rid of them. Pesky automatic formatting!
7. 
   

 

[Snoweman]

TripAdvisor is worthless. I haven't heard of many of those meanwhile some well known names aren't even in the top 50.

I have to pretty much agree. I stopped posting to it years ago, because I felt like they were getting too big for their britches and were being manipulated. My feelings were vindicated when there was a guy that created the #1 restaurant in London (I think?) that never existed. I will still use it to look at negative reports (and check if they look like they are from credible posters). But, I haven't done that in a long, long time, either.

 

[Christi]

TripAdvisor is worthless. I haven't heard of many of those meanwhile some well known names aren't even in the top 50.

It's all a numbers game - I can't figure out any rhyme or reason the TA's algorithm. Dive Bros. is a perfect example is one of the illegals, no longer in business. They routinely had VERY bad reviews, but had them removed. So even though they are out of business and haven't had reviews in a year, they remain in the top 15. A few others are nothing more than an independent DM or instructor who has decided he/she is a business, but has no boat, no business license, etc. and are in the top 10. And then there are the DM's who break off from the shops they have worked for, have a customer buy them a boat and Bam they are a business, but OOPS - no permits, let's just not tell anyone. And finally, there are the brand new shops that have hundreds of reviews in their first 6 months of business so shoot straight to the top. TA reviews are nice to get, but they are not "earned" - they are bought in some way, shape or form.

My "outside voice" would love to name them, but the professional in me cannot.

 

[ThatDogDontHunt]

It's all a numbers game - I can't figure out any rhyme or reason the TA's algorithm. Dive Bros. is a perfect example is one of the illegals, no longer in business. They routinely had VERY bad reviews, but had them removed. So even though they are out of business and haven't had reviews in a year, they remain in the top 15. A few others are nothing more than an independent DM or instructor who has decided he/she is a business, but has no boat, no business license, etc. and are in the top 10. And then there are the DM's who break off from the shops they have worked for, have a customer buy them a boat and Bam they are a business, but OOPS - no permits, let's just not tell anyone. And finally, there are the brand new shops that have hundreds of reviews in their first 6 months of business so shoot straight to the top. TA reviews are nice to get, but they are not "earned" - they are bought in some way, shape or form.

My "outside voice" would love to name them, but the professional in me cannot.

If they are out of business, then you can report that to TA. It takes a while but they eventually remove the listing.

 

[Streydog]

Just curious how often boats are being checked. My first visit to Cozumel via a cruise ship I was on a Fury boat and I remember the boat being checked by a some type of authority. On my first land based trip in July of 2015 our boat was checked for wrist bands. Since that time I have made 16 trips and have not been on a boat that was checked.

 

[Snoweman]

@Christi How are the permits paid for/reconciled? Do you just pay a yearly fee to be able to take ten people out per boat? Or, are they reconciled by the paper wrist bands that are supposed to be handed out every day to each diver?

 

[ReefHound]

Just curious how often boats are being checked. My first visit to Cozumel via a cruise ship I was on a Fury boat and I remember the boat being checked by a some type of authority. On my first land based trip in July of 2015 our boat was checked for wrist bands. Since that time I have made 16 trips and have not been on a boat that was checked.

I second that. The comments by CONANP stalked about "return" or "turn back" but surely the rangers do more to those found in violation than jsut make them leave? How does anyone offend twice? If I was king, park rangers would confiscate a boat found operating illegally and on first offense might give it back later for a massive fine but on repeat offense it is a civil forfeiture.