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

[Christi]

C53.



Aldora tied off to the wreck when we dived it last April.

That is only an option if the current is mild which is not often at C53 - that was the exception. But you were still drift diving regardless of whether the boat was tied off to the buoy.

 

[DandyDon]

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

The 1980s called. They miss you too.

You may be able to save several hundred dollars flying into Cancun and doing the bagdrag over to Cozumel.

Wait, he said SE Pennsylvania. Let me look again out of Philadelphia.

It's amazing how much that claim gets tossed around, when it's only occasionally true. From his given location, flying out of Philly for 5 nights in August would run anywhere from 412 to $582 RT Cancun, while flying to Cozumel looks more like $593 & up after rejecting overnight trips on both - certainly not enough saved to warrant the land & ferry travel. Cancun gives more choices on dates, but not always great fares. I'm in Texas and Cancun never works for me, even tho I pay more to get to Cozumel than he has to or most others.

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

It's amazing how much that claim gets tossed around, when it's only occasionally true. From his given location, flying out of Pittsburgh for 5 nights in August would run anywhere from $379 to $564 RT Cancun, while flying to Cozumel looks more like $492 to $575 after rejected overnight trips on both - certainly not enough saved to warrant the land & ferry travel. Cancun gives more choices on dates, but not always great fares. I'm in Texas and Cancun never works for me, even tho I pay more to get to Cozumel than he has too or most others.

DD, maybe it is just an OKC Southwest thing. With almost 100% certainty, it is always significantly cheaper to go OKC to Cun. I just booked our Day of the Dead trip last week and tickets were right at $400, they are usually around $325 to $350 RT and includes 2 free bags. I had points and free rooms on Hotels.com so I just booked instead of waiting to catch the glitch in the system with stupid low fares. I just pulled up Google flights OKC to CZM for similar dates and various airlines are 575-600, not including Southwest's 2 free bags.

That being said, sometimes it is cheaper to fly out of OKC than Dallas...even when there is a layover in Dallas. I have no idea how fares are set, they make no sense to me. Your results may vary, but it is generally a good idea to check the price difference between the two if your trying to save $$. It is ALWAYS a good idea to know what flights are available into CUN when flying into CZM because American and United don't always pull the schedule off as planned. Before we started flying Southwest all the time, knowing we could get there from CUN saved a day of diving a few times. Stuck in Dallas or Houston overnight while others are diving on the boat im supposed to be on elevates my blood pressure to unsafe levels...

The bag drag ads $45ish round trip. To save $150 a ticket or more, it's worth it to me...and I actually enjoy the bus and ferry ride. Saving $300 on the trip usually covers most of our rooms.

Everyone has their own threshold of what makes the bag drag worth it. Mine is lower than most. If you are trying to go on a budget like the OP is, it MAY be possible and is worth checking into.

Safe travels,
Jay

 

[DandyDon]

While I am at it, let me ask...

(1) Does your nephew have a passport?

(2) Do you have legal documents to take him out of the US? That can be tricky even for one parent, but for an uncle - bigger. Gawd, don't let his passport or tourist card go lost. It's amazing how bad that can be, worse when you don't have both parents there to certify new documents. My daughter & granddaughter learned the hard way in China once.

(3) Does he has DAN dive insurance yet? Required.

(4) Have you considered Trip insurance. Things get a lot more risky when you take your sibling's minor out of US. Thank gawd I persuaded my daughter into taking Trip insurance for China, but then I nag them to always get it for any trip out of US.

DD, maybe it is just an OKC Southwest thing. With almost 100% certainty, it is always significantly cheaper to go OKC to Cun. I just booked our Day of the Dead trip last week and tickets were right at $400, they are usually around $325 to $350 RT and includes 2 free bags.

Ok, I didn't check SWA as they don't cooperate like other airlines, which makes them more difficult to check. Even when I open their page to check, it's a pain. I tried several different dates before I found $256 one-way with them on a date, then checked 5 days later for a return - nope! Not the day before either. Same thing they tell me for Lubbock when I look. The day after, which brings us to 6 nights, $379, which put them over $600 each. I loved SWA in the 1970s & 1980s, but they're not as much fun as they used to be. Go look and see what you can find from Phily.

BTW, there's an independent movie being shot locally here about Marfa Texas, their lights & superstitions, and I hope to drag my lazy butt out of bed at 6am Sunday to go play an extra, complete with Day of Day make-up. Watch for a change in my avatar.

The bag drag ads $45ish round trip. To save $150 a ticket or more, it's worth it to me...and I actually enjoy the bus and ferry ride. Saving $300 on the trip usually covers most of our rooms.

Yeah, at their young ages, saving $100-150 each might be enough to go thru Cancun. My threshold is $200, and I don't want to be expected in Cancun before noon on return.

I like Hotels.com for the rewards nights and customer satisfaction. I always try to use them, and if I have a problem stay like in Albuquerque for the Balloon Fiesta last year, I like their $80 apology credits. I also like Hotel Mary Carmen @ $35/night, but then I end up with a free night credit based on that, like I'm holding now. I may save it for my next Cozumel trip as I seldom find hotels close to that with good reviews on stateside trips.

 

[miserkris]

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.

Even North Korea would be great with 20 yo backpacker chicks lol

 

[caruso]

That is only an option if the current is mild which is not often at C53 - that was the exception. But you were still drift diving regardless of whether the boat was tied off to the buoy.

Who knew? I sure didn't. To me, if the dive boat is tied off to a wreck and I go down the line, swim around and through the wreck for 40 minutes or so, return to the line, go back up to the dive boat and don't experience any significant current it isn't drift diving. But if you say that's drift diving I accept the possibility that I may be mistaken in this regard.

 

[deaf diver]

I have been going to Cozumel for 30 years. I dive with Scubatony and it is an amazing operation. They have 2 6 pack boats and the level of service is incredible. Prices are reasonable and in line with other places.

 

[ggunn]

C53. Aldora tied off to the wreck when we dived it last April.

Ah, that explains it. That's a dive I have never done and have no desire to. OK, of the hundreds, maybe thousands, of dives that one can do around Cozumel, there is ONE that's not a drift dive.

 

[outofofficebrb]

For the OP - when you compare dive packages/options, be sure to look at how many dives you are actually getting for the price and see if that aligns with what you are looking for at $500-600 for 5-6 nights. How many tanks are you actually getting per day or during the duration of your stay? Also look at how much additional tanks cost. If not, you may have to adjust your budget.

 

[BRT]

That is only an option if the current is mild which is not often at C53 - that was the exception. But you were still drift diving regardless of whether the boat was tied off to the buoy.

In that case, all diving is drift diving.