Question Overwhelmed by choice of diving operators—any advice?

[DandyDon]

there is much more

Like record-setting hurricanes? You lasted well beyond that. I would have left ASAP.

 

[Christi]

Like record-setting hurricanes? You lasted well beyond that. I would have left ASAP.

I went through 3 major hurricanes and many tropical storms on the island - those were the times I was actually grateful to live on the island. The greed disappeared for awhile and we had true community - we were able to enjoy the island without 30,000 cruise ship passengers being dumped for the day - I imagine the same way it was when COVID hit when tourists weren't allowed in. The humility of the locals that I fell in love with back in the late 90's and early 2000's shined through and those who were only there for what they could get from the island (foreigners and Mexican nationals from other parts of the country) didn't last and moved on to others places. Of course it didn't last and by the time I left the island in 2020 the greed and corruption on the island was probably at an all time high. Honestly, I could not wait to leave and I had hoped the business I had built would live on through Pedro, Norma, Martin, Santos, Nivo and Edwin - and that was my intention - but who planned on COVID? The universe had much different plans for all of us!

 

[judydivescoz]

I went through 3 major hurricanes and many tropical storms on the island - those were the times I was actually grateful to live on the island. The greed disappeared for awhile and we had true community - we were able to enjoy the island without 30,000 cruise ship passengers being dumped for the day - I imagine the same way it was when COVID hit when tourists weren't allowed in. The humility of the locals that I fell in love with back in the late 90's and early 2000's shined through and those who were only there for what they could get from the island (foreigners and Mexican nationals from other parts of the country) didn't last and moved on to others places. Of course it didn't last and by the time I left the island in 2020 the greed and corruption on the island was probably at an all time high. Honestly, I could not wait to leave and I had hoped the business I had built would live on through Pedro, Norma, Martin, Santos, Nivo and Edwin - and that was my intention - but who planned on COVID? The universe had much different plans for all of us

Didn't mean to repost Christi’s thoughts! I am definitely technically challenged!

 

[IAN'S MOM]

Thanks for all the great recommendations. Heading to Coz for our first time. Any reason we need to choose one operator? Why not try each one for a dive? Price?

 

[DandyDon]

Thanks for all the great recommendations. Heading to Coz for our first time. Any reason we need to choose one operator? Why not try each one for a dive? Price?

You can, but sticking with one often leads to discounts, and many Ops will take care of your BC, regs, and fins between dives.

 

[sefuchs]

Thanks for all the great recommendations. Heading to Coz for our first time. Any reason we need to choose one operator? Why not try each one for a dive? Price?

Since this is your 1st trip to Coz, one DO is probably best so you see more dive sites. On your first few dives the DO will evaluate your diving skills then take or suggest sites accordingly. If you go with multiple DO’s you will most likely go to the same ‘starting’ dive site multiple times (not a bad thing). Pretty much ALL of the DO’s are at least ‘decent’ bc of the competitive dive market in Coz.

If you plan on returning to Coz frequently then you might consider checking out a couple DO’s in preparation for future trips. I suspect you may find that the best DO for you boils down to the chemistry between you and your dive masters. Price isn’t much of a factor for us, the relationship/experience is much more important verses haggling over a few bucks per dive.

 

[ReefHound]

Thanks for all the great recommendations. Heading to Coz for our first time. Any reason we need to choose one operator? Why not try each one for a dive? Price?

As stated, you'll get the best experience focusing on one dive op but if you plan to return frequently then it might make sense to try a few ops. I wouldn't book diving with 6 ops for 1 day each, but maybe 2 or 3 ops for 2 or 3 days each.

Most of the ops there will provide quality service and most are in the $80-100 range for 2-tank trips. Any op can have a "bad day" thus the reason to give any op a couple of trips to evaluate, unless they are just rude and apathetic (unlikely).

 

[ggunn]

Thanks for all the great recommendations. Heading to Coz for our first time. Any reason we need to choose one operator? Why not try each one for a dive? Price?

In the first place, logistics (filling out paperwork, arranging to meet the boat, etc., for all those different ops), and in the second place, there won't be all that much difference among most of them.

 

[drrich2]

Why not try each one for a dive?

Another reason not to do this is to cut down on repetition. The boat crew Tuesday know where you dove Monday, so they may be a bit less likely to hit those same spots.

If you get the same guide more than one day running, that's useful, too. Knowing how conservatively the guide dives, whether he's paternalistic or it's on you let him know if you've got a problem, your chemistry with the boat crew, sometimes it's nice to not have to deal with new people every day.

 

[IAN'S MOM]

Hello. I'll be traveling to Cozumel solo for five days in May and there are so many dive operators there, I don't know where to start. I'm staying in Centro, and looking for a well-regarded boutique dive operator—preferably one I can walk to. I'm in my mid-40s and I've got ~200 dives. I like groups of 4-6 people. I like chill/friendly but experienced operators with newish equipment, no cruise ship divers, don't care about photography, and I don't need the cheapest place on the block. Any advice? Thank you!

We are going in a couple weeks and I'm getting some sticker shock with the increased prices. Ouch! It's the same as Maui!