Not the worst of Cozumel

[Dave Dillehay]

To avoid hijacking the big thread I thought it best to start a new one, one that might explain the popularity of Cozumel in other terms. For the record, I have dove in Asia many times, most places in the Caribbean and can make a few comparisons. First, all seem to agree that Cozumel is one of the easiest and least expensive places to dive, and the people of the island are for the most part happy, friendly and it is safe. That in itself says a lot but for me, one of the major items is the variety of dives available.

In reality there are 30 miles of dive sites with experiences to fit any desire. I can say from 20 years of diving in Cozumel, perhaps thousands of times, I almost always see something new and interesting. Just last month, while diving the near north on some new sites we found, I ran into (almost) the largest Southern Ray ever...it was at least as large as the biggest Eagle Ray ever seen. Anyone ever see a Venus Girdle? A jaw fish as fat as a coke can? I expect something new on about every dive...still.

I think the reason many come back to Cozumel again and again is that there is just so much that you never get tired of it. Take Little Cayman Island and the Bloody Bay Wall--that is where I go for a busman's holiday, but even if you add the adjacent Jackson Bay it is still just about 2 miles long. Bluntly, while pretty I get bored there in a week.

That is my two pesos.

Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers

 

[Ron Lee]

But you never (or seldom) see anything neat in a swim through.

 

[Dave Dillehay]

But you never (or seldom) see anything neat in a swim through.

That's why at Pirates Point in Little Cayman they refer to me as "Shark Man"...even in swim throughs I attract them.

For those that don't know the story behind this story--it is a good one that Ron ought to explain.


Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers

 

[robint]

You know, I have done the BIG trip to Palau, 24 dives of absolute bliss with sharks and mantas and so many fish I had to beat them out of the way to see..... great trip, expensive trip, took 2 days travel each way. Was it worth it? Heck yeah, would I do it again, maybe... in all honesty, after a few days, every dive started to run together, so many things to see and sortof a sensory overload. My brain was exhausted and I really wasn't see all the fish after awhile. It was just too much after a week.
As I said.... FABULOUS trip of a lifetime, but very expensive and a bit overwhelming.

COZUMEL on the other hand, I have never had a bad trip, it is not expensive at all, and I can go more often with only 6 hours travel, rather than 2 days. I have had dive days in Cozumel where I think I saw just as much as I did in Palau. Not that there was just as much to see, but because of that "overload" factor. I don't know if I really would go back to Palau, which cost us 3-4x the cost of 1 week in Cozumel. It was fun once, glad we went, but really wouldn't want to do that kind of trip often. We both had jetlag for 2 weeks once we got back and that was ugly.

Dollar for dollar I will take Cozumel. I am thoroughly stimulated in Cozumel, have a great time underwater and at the place we stay. Relaxed and not overwhelmed, with a brain freeze at night. Cozumel suits me just fine. Yes, I do go other places, but I always return to Cozumel.

robin

 

[jlyle]

Been there, done that. You name the dive destination, we've likely been there, often more than once. Yet, each year for over twenty years, we have returned to Cozumel. Why? Like Dave said: affordable, easy to get to, friendly, safe, and some of the best diving the planet has to offer. Yes, there are other places with big animals, lots of wrecks, soft corals, exotic animals, kelp, myriad nudibranchs, but Cozumel is still my happy place. One day we will give up the big trips, but we will alway make time to come home to the island.

 

[t4e]

as someone that has never been to Cozumel, I am intrigued about the mention of "affordability"
putting aside the biased opinions of those that have only been to Cozumel, how affordable is it compared to other Mexican destination, say Mayan Riviera, or any other Caribbean destination?
in the last two years we've been twice to Mayan Riviera, twice to Bermuda, Dominican, Roatan and are presently in Curacao, we have tried both approaches AI and apartment rental etc..so we got basis of comparison, just need someone to put a figure to the "affordability"

 

[ggunn]

I love Cozumel. I have been there many, many times - several times sporadically starting in 1978 and then at least once a year since 1987 or so. Most of the diving I have done, I did there.

Are there places in the world with better diving? I guess so; I can't say firsthand. I don't care, really. All things considered Cozumel overall is a very good fit for what I am looking for in a vacation. I go at the same time every year with the same people, stay in the same hotel (usually the same room), eat in a lot of the same restaurants, take the same sunset pictures, dive the same reefs with the same DM's, fish with the same crew... Pretty boring stuff for some people, but not for me. DSFDF.

Diving snobs can look down their noses at me all they want for taking the same vacation every year. It doesn't bother me in the slightest. It's silly to get in arguments over what's the "best" vacation; it's like arguing over whether steak or ice cream is better.

YMMV.

 

[Gdog]

Steak is better. Ribeye smoked then grilled. Just sayin......

 

[t4e]

It's silly to get in arguments over what's the "best" vacation; it's like arguing over whether steak or ice cream is better.

YMMV.

hmmm vacation is vacation, you would compare prime rib with sirloin or hagen daz with no name...not prime rib to hagen daz....that's asking me to choose between dinner and desert

 

[fishfood]

as someone that has never been to Cozumel, I am intrigued about the mention of "affordability"
putting aside the biased opinions of those that have only been to Cozumel, how affordable is it compared to other Mexican destination, say Mayan Riviera, or any other Caribbean destination?
in the last two years we've been twice to Mayan Riviera, twice to Bermuda, Dominican, Roatan and are presently in Curacao, we have tried both approaches AI and apartment rental etc..so we got basis of comparison, just need someone to put a figure to the "affordability"

Ok ill bite on this subtopic here what we are paying for are trip on Jan for 2 people

[FONT=&amp]For 8 nights at Casa Mexicana – with 6 days of 2 tank boat dives for 2 certified divers the price is $1,269.00 + taxes (with taxes $1,425.00 – or $712.50 per person based on double occupancy with breakfast ).[/FONT] I could do the trip a bit cheaper or more depends on how nice of accommodations your looking for or larger or small of a dive group on the boat

Are non stop from LAX to Cancun was $599 with taxes per person. We like to do the trip from Cancun because this trip gives us time to do cenots and Chichen-Itza and i enjoy spending a day or two in play del carmon