Newbie going to Cozumel seeks advice

[Sue-ba]

I've been to Coz twice, last July, then past Memorial Day, and plan to return again in August. Memorial Day, stayed at Allegro. I really liked it. It says it is 4 star, I think, but remember that 4 stars in Mexico is not the same as 4 stars in the States. With that in mind, it was great. I have read some people on the board compare it to Motel 6. I did not think it was as bad as Motel 6.

We used Dive Palancar over Mem. day. Very well run. More people on the boat, OK, but less choice in where you want to go. (It seems that everyday, there was one (loudmouth) person that was most vocal and determined where the other 12-15 people had to dive.)We used Dive Martin last July and really liked them. We had a party of 5 with Martin and they gave us a private boat. That was great. Their equipment rental was also primo. All gear seemed new. That was last year.

I had my own gear this time. I would never rent a reg/computer set up again now that I have my own. Being land-locked, I only use mine 2-4 times a year but it is worth the peace of mind. ( I guess I would rent if the choice was rent or not dive)

Airfare is a crapshoot. Try sidestep.com. You can play around with dates and find the best price.

That is my experience. Hope it is helpful.

 

[Moodiejeff]

Being land-locked, I only use mine 2-4 times a year but it is worth the peace of mind.

What are you complaining about?!?... you're right near Saltwater! :11ztongue

 

[Sahel578]

I just came back from my first dive trip and we stayed at Fiesta Americana. It wasn't fancy, but it was decent, cold a/c, cheap, and the staff was sweet and the guys at the Dive House across the street really awesome. But I did peek at some of the rental gear while I was there and it was kind of natty. I rented from a LDS before I went so that I could get a look at the stuff before hand and not be stuck with whatever the dive shop had. I'd suggest that you check out the equiptment locally and see what shape its in for you. I bought my own reg and other basics, but I lucked up onmy rental BCD, it was brand new and $15 for the duration of my trip.

 

[mtnredhed]

two notes...
applevacations.com runs some great charters down to Coz from Denver and they may also from DFW
Plaza Los Glorias has been bought, will be renovated and turned into an AI.

 

[DallasNewbie]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I did find cheap airfares with Apple, but this time we decided to fly using miles and use the money we would have spent on tickets to buy computers. We'll be there Aug 6-10 in case anyone else will be down there.

 

[HammerNoMore]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I did find cheap airfares with Apple, but this time we decided to fly using miles and use the money we would have spent on tickets to buy computers. We'll be there Aug 6-10 in case anyone else will be down there.

Have fun, and be sure to post a report for us when you get back...

 

[sharky60]

Newbie,
your best money deals out of Dallas are going to be with an air/hotel package from Funjet or MLT. I don't know anything about Blu Caribe or Blue Angel although I think Blue Angel is owned by a lady nammed Apple who has been in the business longer than just about anyone else in the Cozumel.
We have always stayed at La Ceiba and dove with Blue Bubble and would recommend both.
I think most of the dive ops now use computers and it is really the way to go as you can maximize your dive time better, although the divemaster will really be in control of time and depth if he's worth his salt.
being a 20+ veteren diver I belive it is always a better idea to own your own gear that way you know how it has been maintained. having said that, if money is short for this trip you may want to rent this trip as a full set of gear for 2 can run you close to 3 G's. and when you get back do some research and find out what is the best equipment for you, regs all breath different and bc's all fit different so take your time buying these items. I recently bought my first computer for my trip this spring to Grand Bahama and just love it and can't wait to get it wet in Cozumel in September.
read through some of the other posts for Coz, there is a lot of good advice here.
have a great trip and let us all know how it went,
sharky

My wife and I are planning to go to Cozumel at the beginning of August for 5-7 days and I have a couple of questions. We will be recently certified, we're doing our open water dives locally in July. We do not have any equipment other than the basics.

1. Some posts here have said some dive-ops don't let you take advantage of the computer profiles, but it seems everyone uses them. I assume that renting for a week is cheaper than buying, but should we just dive with tables?

2. Should we buy or rent BC's and Reg's? I've heard the arguments against renting life-support, but we've already $$$ into Scuba and I'd like to put off additional purchases if it's feasible and safe.

3. Where should we stay/dive? I was looking at the Blu Caribe/Blue Angel packages and it seems like a good idea to use the dive shop where we are staying since it will be our first trip. My wife is kind of picky, it doesn't have to be four stars, but it does have to be clean and have A/C. Does it make more sense to do a Hotel/Air package and have the diving seperate? Is the Blue Caribe a descent place? Where else should we consider staying? There are a lot of good reviews here, but I don't know where to start.

 

[NHColdwater]

If your going to rent, you might want to seriously consider buying a mask you know will fit. There is nothing worse than a lousy mask that leaks so bad you spend the entire dive clearing your mask while sreaming into your reg because of the salt in your eyes. Hard to get a new mask once your down. It happened to me once renting in Curacao, it was the last time.

 

[ggunn]

Newbie,
your best money deals out of Dallas are going to be with an air/hotel package from Funjet or MLT. I don't know anything about Blu Caribe or Blue Angel although I think Blue Angel is owned by a lady nammed Apple who has been in the business longer than just about anyone else in the Cozumel.

Blue Angel (and Caribe Blu as well) are owned in major part by a woman named Alejandra. I believe you are thinking about the owner of Dive Paradise.

 

[halocline]

I just got back from Cozumel, after diving with Roberta's Dive-Eco. (aka scubashack)This is a small dive op that I can HIGHLY recommend. It's about 1/4 mile north of La Ceiba. Small fast boats, terrific dive masters, run by quality people. They also have a small B&B called village tankah which is immediately across the street from the dive op. I loved it; it's only 8 rooms, all with outside entry, no TVs or phones. Very quiet and personal, a big difference from the larger hotels. Probably not for everyone, but since I typically don't like large american style hotels, it fit my needs perfectly.

The one thing I'd definitely recommend is a dive op with the smaller 6-person boats. They're faster and you're assured of diving with a small group of people.