Punta Sur/Devil's Throat

[Ole Larson]

I am headed to Cozumel this August and would like to dive in the Punta Sur area and specifically Devil's Throat. I dove in Cozumel this past February and dove with Scuba Life and Dive House. I have reached out to them and Dive with Tony but have had a difficult time making arrangements. It seems like my only option is to pay for a private tour. Unfortunately it is just me on this dive as my wife doesn't want to go. Does anybody know of a dive operator that makes regular trips down to Punta Sur?

 

[cicopo]

That's a "conditions need to be good" dive & it requires a boat load of skilled divers, not 1 or 2 of a boat load. It's (Devil's Throat) not a very good dive for the price paid for 1 dive on a 2 tank trip. That of course is my opinion based on having done it to please others on the boat.

 

[Trailboss123]

I am headed to Cozumel this August and would like to dive in the Punta Sur area and specifically Devil's Throat. I dove in Cozumel this past February and dove with Scuba Life and Dive House. I have reached out to them and Dive with Tony but have had a difficult time making arrangements. It seems like my only option is to pay for a private tour. Unfortunately it is just me on this dive as my wife doesn't want to go. Does anybody know of a dive operator that makes regular trips down to Punta Sur?

Apart from what @cicopo said- which I agree with 100% - depending on when you are going in August, some reefs get temporarily closed. See below.

If you are going to do it, I would check with Aldora Divers. One of your better chances for getting on a boat with other experienced divers willing to do that dive and you can get a 100 or 120 CF tank, which would be a nice thing to have for such a deep dive.

 

[Trailboss123]

Here is a list of closures and corresponding dates:

 

[BrewingDiver]

That's a "conditions need to be good" dive & it requires a boat load of skilled divers, not 1 or 2 of a boat load. It's (Devil's Throat) not a very good dive for the price paid for 1 dive on a 2 tank trip. That of course is my opinion based on having done it to please others on the boat.

Spot on IMO. Very short dive due to the depth and to me, there is a lot more to see elsewhere in Coz. If my boatmates vote to go there I think next time I will stay above the reef as I've heard there can be some big stuff out there.

OTOH I've done it 2 or 3 times and at least can have an informed opinion on it rather than wondering about what it would be like.

Your choice but do be prepared to possibly deal with narcosis and carefully monitor your computer to avoid deco or at least manage it in case you need to.

 

[NDL_Diver]

It may be difficult because you are a new Diver. The dive OP will want to see if you handle deep and confined diving. You will need good buoyancy and trim (no fin down position). You will need to know how to frog kick so you don't stir up sand behind you. You should be Nitrox certified because of depth and time limitations at depth (the exit is at 115'). You should have a flashlight. It is a long swim through (minutes).

Aldora does Devil's throat if everyone agrees and is capable. They have HP steel 120 cf tanks on dvery dive, not just Devil's throat. I have done it several times and now just meet the DM at 90' and wait for them to exit below.

 

[morecowbells]

Because of the depth, I think Nitrox would be a definite no go. A lot of dive ops are hesitant to commit to Devils Throat for a couple of reasons. 1) It is a long boat ride and some ops add a fuel surcharge. 2) As stated above it is an advanced site and requires ideal conditions. 3) All divers on boat need to be willing and able to visit this site. If one diver on the boat is not on board, another dive will most likely be selected. Due to the advanced nature of this dive, a good dive op will want to assess your skills before entertaining Devils Throat.

I am an experienced diver, and probably in the minority when it comes to lack of interest in ever visiting this dive. I think Aldora may be your best bet or perhaps organize a charter on this forum to to get a group excursion.

 

[AdivingBel]

IMHO it's a "boogeyman" dive. While deep it has wonderful topography whether or not you choose to go through the actual swimthrough (you don't HAVE to). While shorter than some dives due to the depth, there is no reason to make it a bounce dive. See the sight then shallow up a bit and make it a normal multi-level dive. There is plenty to see. There are several other wonderful dives in the same vicinity unfortunately some of those sights may be closed in August. A quality dive op won't take you there as a "walk-in" diver without seeing you dive a bit first. It may be an end-of-the-week sight after you've shown yourself to be a "no drama" diver and they have a bit of history with you. I've heard some ops charge an extra fee, mine doesn't. The sight really highlights Coz's crystal, blue water. Have fun whether or not you dive that particular sight. Go with the flow and just enjoy. That's what I'm going to do when I'm there in August. Again, all IMHO, YMMV.

 

[mediumone]

I'll wager that we saw a lot more cool/beautiful things, (including some somewhat challenging swim-throughs), on our Santa Rosa dive yesterday during our 47 minutes at 85 - 103'.

 

[uncfnp]

The reef itself is definitely worth the travel south. Punta Sur and Cathedral are among my favorite dives in Cozumel. The actual swimthrough “Devil’s Throat” is worth doing if you enjoy swimthroughs. The exit from DT into the blue is worth at least one dive.

@morecowbells I certainly understand your concern with nitrox (32 in this case) and DT and this has been discussed previously on SB. I am in the camp that is comfortable diving slightly higher MOD’s for the short periods as you do with Devil’s Throat.