Moonpalace, should dive Cancun or Coz?
- Thread starter ScubaSym
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
Hi Scubasym! I replied to your post on the Cozumel board. I just had my first "sleepover" trip to Coz last month, but I've been going to the Q.Roo once or twice a year for over 15 years. Cozumel is definitely the best diving in the area. To get there you're looking at an hour drive to Playa del Carmen then a 1/2 hr fast ferry over to Coz. The ferries are scheduled for hourly departures but they don't always run according to schedule if there aren't enough passengers. Most dive boats in Cozumel head out for morning dives starting around 8am from the marina, picking up their divers at the hotel piers on their way south to the dive sites. Not all operators do afternoon dives every day, but the larger operations have them scheduled every day.
Diving on the mainland and over on Isla Mujeres is much different then Coz. On the mainland you'll get some nice reef dives and plenty of marine life, hard and soft coral but not the dramatic walls and varied topography or marine life that Coz offers. The advantage of the mainland for beginners would be, in my opinion, that the current is light to barely noticeable and most of the dives are between 45-75 ft.
I've never dived out of Cancun so I can't tell you anything about that. The options for a day trip would be to Puerto Morales, Playa del Carmen or Akumal. If you're confident with your bouyancy you could also do a cenote dive. If not, you could think about doing a cenote snorkel tour.
Diving on the mainland and over on Isla Mujeres is much different then Coz. On the mainland you'll get some nice reef dives and plenty of marine life, hard and soft coral but not the dramatic walls and varied topography or marine life that Coz offers. The advantage of the mainland for beginners would be, in my opinion, that the current is light to barely noticeable and most of the dives are between 45-75 ft.
I've never dived out of Cancun so I can't tell you anything about that. The options for a day trip would be to Puerto Morales, Playa del Carmen or Akumal. If you're confident with your bouyancy you could also do a cenote dive. If not, you could think about doing a cenote snorkel tour.
Skipraha
Registered
I've never dove Coz, but I can say the diving off Puerto Morelos is rgeat for beginners. I finished my C-Card there in Feb and had a blast. The reefs are healthy with a variety of coral and lots of fish. Go down a couple of pages of posts and you'll find the first half of my trip report. I never got around to the second half of the trip, but if was great also.
I had a great experience with Dive Puerto Morelos. Brett, Kat, & Kris are great. There are great reef dives just 15 minutes offshore and a minesweeper sunk in 85ft that is cut out so you can swim through also if your feeling confident.
www.divepuertomorelos.com
Take Care,
Don
I had a great experience with Dive Puerto Morelos. Brett, Kat, & Kris are great. There are great reef dives just 15 minutes offshore and a minesweeper sunk in 85ft that is cut out so you can swim through also if your feeling confident.
www.divepuertomorelos.com
Take Care,
Don
You may want to check out a guided cavern dive. A little more expensive but well worth it. They start about one hour south of Moon Palace
geraldp
Contributor
Hi ScubaSym:ScubaSym:
Do both! I dive with Dive Puerto Morelos for most of the trip as they are very close by to my TS, but I plan at least one day over on Cozumel. Last trip (October) I dove with DeepBlue on Cozumel, which was very good, and this trip (July) I'm diving with BlueXTSea. A quick taxi ride down to Playa Del Carmen, then a short ferry ride over to Cozumel. Last year I was able to prearrange with DeepBlue to take the 8AM ferry over to Cozumel, but this time I will need to take the 6AM ferry over for my BlueXTSea dives (there is no 7AM ferry). Many dive ops in Coz will take you out for a 2-tank dive, then give you an option of a 3rd tank in the afternoon. For 2-tanks you can be back on the mainland by 2:00 in the afternoon (just in time for a siesta
.ScubaWife did a good job describing the differences between diving on the mainland vs. Cozumel. If you're only planning on diving one day on your trip, make it Cozumel. If you're planning on multiple dives, dive locally on the mainland and plan one day over on Cozumel. That works well for me anyway.
Jerry
Let me try that again, Thank you all for the information, And GeraldP it seems you are reading my mind, from the advice I have decided to probably go with divepuertomorelos and go to Coz with deep blue or bluext~sea, haven't decided yet, I know dpm has recommended deep blue, but am leaning toward blue xt~sea, I probably should go with the most patient with new baby divers, or as I call myself, snorkeling with air.
I'd dive both... either way let us know how it goes!!
ScubaSym:
A lot of people would say that they are a cattle operation but personally I have had several good days of diving with them out of their Cancun location. Usually a larger boat with attentive divemasters who do a good job of looking out for newbies. If you want to go out with a smaller group be sure to ask if they can accomodate.
Have fun
Similar threads
