Need advice on cozumel drift dive op and a cheap pkg !

[miserkris]

Hello,
I need some advice with scuba diving and drift diving in Cozumel. I've heard from a fellow scuba diver about scubadu in Cozumel in the Presidente Hotel , I'm interested in drift diving in Cozumel .

I've done some drift diving in aqua cat Bahamas last year it was fantastic I have close to 60 dives under my belt I'm from Philly USA. I'm PADI ow certified .

Is it true that cozumel visibility is amazing compared to Bahamas?

I'm kinda low in dry powder this year so looking for a killer pkg deal!

Also my nephew is 15 years old and he's a very good swimmer he wants to get scuba-certified ,is it a good idea for me to take him to Cozumel to get certified with Scubadu?

Pls advice thx...
Kris

This is the dive op i am enquiring:
Scuba Du Cozumel scubadu@usa.net Info & Reservations +52 (987) 872-4130 X6855
Hotel Presidente InterContinental Cozumel Resort & Spa – www.presidenteiccozumel.com

 

[ChuckP]

Sometimes you get what you pay for and people’s level of expectations differ.

Generally speaking, the smaller the boat, the more personal the service, you get input on what dive site you are going to. Dive masters show you what you want to see.

I’d cheap out on accommodations and pay what I needed to pay to dive personally if budgets were tight. You’ll get many places to stay / dive op combos thrown at you here - people are very passionate about “their” dive shops - rightfully so.

Nassau Bahamas verses Cozumel- vis is better in Nassau but not by much and I’d say it’s due to the current here and small particulates in the water - vis here is still fantastic though.

 

[Christi]

Hello,
I need some advice with scuba diving and drift diving in Cozumel. I've heard from a fellow scuba diver about scubadu in Cozumel in the Presidente Hotel , I'm interested in drift diving in Cozumel .

I've done some drift diving in aqua cat Bahamas last year it was fantastic I have close to 60 dives under my belt I'm from Philly USA. I'm PADI ow certified .

Is it true that cozumel visibility is amazing compared to Bahamas?

I'm kinda low in dry powder this year so looking for a killer pkg deal!

Also my nephew is 15 years old and he's a very good swimmer he wants to get scuba-certified ,is it a good idea for me to take him to Cozumel to get certified with Scubadu?

Pls advice thx...
Kris

This is the dive op i am enquiring:
Scuba Du Cozumel scubadu@usa.net Info & Reservations +52 (987) 872-4130 X6855
Hotel Presidente InterContinental Cozumel Resort & Spa – www.presidenteiccozumel.com

Hey there - Presidente hotel and Scuba Du will probably be one of the most expensive packages you find. Presidente is hands down the most expensive hotel on the island, very nice hotel, but very expensive.

You didn’t mention how long you would be coming for, but there are many options so I’m certain you can find something within your budget.

I’d welcome the opportunity to provide more specific and customized information for you.

Feel free to contact me through my website (listed below) or info@bluextseadiving.com if you’d like a customized quote.

Have fun and be safe regardless of what you decide to do.

 

[miserkris]

Sorry guys, I'm looking for 5 nights in cozumel..... budget around $500 to $600... total incl stay, food, scuba...(drift dive) pkg...

Pls lmk if my nephew 15 yo can get PADI certified in cozumel...

Thanks

Emailing Christi too.. thx

 

[wedivebc]

I doubt you could go wrong talking with Christi and I'm sure she's too humble to blow her own horn but she has been a presence on Cozumel for quite a few years now and enjoys a stellar reputation.
I think that looking for budget dive instruction is a very wrong approach. Some things you can't scrimp on.

 

[uncfnp]

Sorry guys, I'm looking for 5 nights in cozumel..... budget around $500 to $600... total incl stay, food, scuba...(drift dive) pkg...

Pls lmk if my nephew 15 yo can get PADI certified in cozumel...

Thanks

Emailing Christi too.. thx

Wow. Five nights stay with diving and food. Tall order. Walked by this place many times but know nothing about it.

2tank Dive Hostel and School Cozumel, Cozumel - 2019 Prices & Reviews - Hostelworld

 

[yle]

Hello,
I need some advice with scuba diving and drift diving in Cozumel. I've heard from a fellow scuba diver about scubadu in Cozumel in the Presidente Hotel , I'm interested in drift diving in Cozumel .

All diving in Cozumel is drift diving, whether you want to or not. There's a constant current along the west side of the island. So the good news there is that every dive op will take you drift diving.

Is it true that cozumel visibility is amazing compared to Bahamas?

Amazing compared to Bahamas? If you mean the viz is Coz is better than in the Bahamas... I'm going to say "unlikely.". I've dived in some of the places the AquaCat likely took you to (Exuma Cays, etc?) If you're expecting better viz than the Bahamas, you'll probably wonder "what happened?"

But the viz in Coz is very good, and you'll likely be so distracted by the coral structure and marine life that you won't even notice the viz is only 80 feet or so.

I'm kinda low in dry powder this year so looking for a killer pkg deal!

All dive ops on Coz run about the same price: roughly $85 to $90 for one two-tank trip, drops to around $80 per trip if you dive multiple days. There's very little variation in this price, mostly due to local taxes and the cost of running a dive operation. If you find someone willing to take you out for much less, there's definitely something... fishy.

Also my nephew is 15 years old and he's a very good swimmer he wants to get scuba-certified ,is it a good idea for me to take him to Cozumel to get certified with Scubadu?

There's actually three questions there:

is it a good idea to take your 15 yr old nephew to Cozumel?
is it a good idea to get him certified in Cozumel?
is is a good idea to do the cert course with Scubadu?

Taking your 15 yr old nephew to Coz... no problem with it. My 14 yr old niece (already certified) is going there for the first time in August to dive with me and my brother (her dad.) Cozumel is very laid back... dive-eat-sleep.

Getting certified in Coz... no reason not to, that I can think of. The upsides are that everyone there has a tremendous amount of experience, the water is warm and clear, and there's tons of stuff to see. Downside? If that's his first dive experience you might be setting the bar for his expectations of future dives pretty high. Nothing wrong with that exactly... just means you'll have to plan to take him back to Coz regularly.

At Scubadu? No opinion there. I have no experience with them, but I would guess they are just as good as any other dive op on the island. The deciding factor might be the use of a good pool to do the confined water portion of the course.

Good luck!

 

[gr8jab]

Yes, don't be cheap on the instruction.

That Hostel is really cheap, $10/day in a dorm bunk!

If you're really on a budget, but want your own room, and there are two of you, try scubaclubcozumel.com. It is clean and nice, but not fancy. One large boat with lots of people, one smaller.

Hot Deal!
August Special
5 Nights
4 Days of Diving
Breakfast & Lunch Dail
Unlimited Beach Diving
Plus 1 FREE 1 Tank Afternoon Dive
$542 per person in double occupancy plus tax

Add dinner for 5 nights for $99 plus tax
Travel dates: 1 – 31st. August, 2019
No other discounts apply. Subject to availability.

 

[yle]

Sorry guys, I'm looking for 5 nights in cozumel..... budget around $500 to $600... total incl stay, food, scuba...(drift dive) pkg...

Many shops offer "stay and dive" packages on their websites. We paid $700 pp last January for 7 nights at a local hotel, which included breakfast, and 5 dive trips. This price was all taxes included. Extras? Lunch, dinner, tips to the crew on the dive boat, and a couple taxi rides.

They have 5 night options also for proportionately less, and summer is cheaper than January. So your $500 to $600 might be a little low (once you add in lunch, dinner, tips, taxis) but it's not very far off. Google some dive shops on Coz and see what they offer on their websites.

You can also compare the "stay and dive" packages of the independent dive shops to the "all inclusive" prices of places like Scuba Club or Blue Angel. The all inclusives usually include all meals, but I've usually found the price difference is an extra $50 to $70 per day... making the "stay and dive" packages a better deal (because restaurants are pretty cheap on Cozumel.)

 

[wedivebc]

Yes, don't be cheap on the instruction.

That Hostel is really cheap, $10/day in a dorm bunk!

If you're really on a budget, but want your own room, and there are two of you, try scubaclubcozumel.com. It is clean and nice, but not fancy. One large boat with lots of people, one smaller.

Hot Deal!
August Special
5 Nights
4 Days of Diving
Breakfast & Lunch Dail
Unlimited Beach Diving
Plus 1 FREE 1 Tank Afternoon Dive
$542 per person in double occupancy plus tax

Add dinner for 5 nights for $99 plus tax
Travel dates: 1 – 31st. August, 2019
No other discounts apply. Subject to availability.

Can't speak to the diving but my friend stayed at the hostel and was very happy with the experience, although he is in his 20s and the cute euro backpacker chicks that frequest the place may have influenced his opinion. Suites Bahia is more my speed for econo lodging.