Recommendations : Cozumel + Playa Del Carmen (Mexico)

[NOVIZWHIZ]

I posted this somewhere else - one of our port of calls this past week was Cozumel. I wasn't able to do a boat dive but sorta stumbled on a dive at the national park there (5 minute taxi ride from the cruise ship)....I can't remember the name. We did the dolphin encounter and then went for a walk and there was a dive shop right on the beach. $40 for full gear and one tank dive right off the beach - very nice dive, reefs, lobster, tropical fish, HUGE FREAKIN' TARPON, barracuda, small cave swim-through...no current to speak of, very relaxing experience. Prob 30 - 35 ft max depth... I'll do the boat dive next time - this was great for anyone pushed for time or a novice diver. They'll take you individually or in groups. Made my whole cruise.

 

[Cudabait]

Hi,

I'm gonna stay at Playa Del Carmen for a week in november, half of it
for scuba diving. I heard Cozumel is gorgeous for diving and is just
a ferry ticket away.

However, being open water only, I'm not into cave diving or wreck
penetration. However, using this trip to discover some specialty
dives (drift ? wreck ? night ? deep ?) with an instructor I imagine,
would set me on my way to advanced open water.

so the questions are :
-for my level, is it worth going to cozumel to dive ?
-it is doable without staying in cozumel ?
-is Playa Del Carmen a satisfying dive site ?

Thanks

Caribou

Caribou,

A few things come to mind while trying to answer your questions. So lets put forth a few things for you to consider:

Where are you staying at PDC? That may have a bearing on your plans. A trip to Coz from PDC is just about gonna burn a real full day...be kinda sure things are locked in before you go. Your diving level is a consideration. Are you very comfortable in the water and is your buoyancy control very good...Now, you'll be looking at acouple of different things in both places. Almost all of the diving you'll do at PDC involves entering a boat FROM the beach with all your gear. Wind and surf conditions can make this a little sporty at times, particularly when SE breezes are brisk. Almost all diving at Coz involves getting into a boat from a dock. I'm assuming you did you OW in California.....if I'm correct you are used to surf, surge and heavy gear, etc. Also, after diving PDC you may just decide to do all your diving there and save Coz for another day. After all, you could do 4-5 dives at PDC in the time you'll burn just to say you went to Coz. Tortugas is a great dive and I've seen as much on that reef on some dives as anywhere, big and little. Coz has walls, heavier current (makes it a little harder to smell the roses) PDC is not as deep, current less heavy and plenty of interesting fish and things to see. I like to dive with www.sealifedivers.com. Luis runs a good op and they are located on the beach at Mamitas Beach (Topless) and there is a small restaurant next door that gives a discount to his divers. Parties are very small on the boats they use. We would op for one of the small hotels nearby rather than an all-inclusive. We've done both. At any rate, you are going to have a good time at Playa! PS, regardless of what you do.......tell the people right out front what your dive experience/level is and what your comfort zone happens to be.....they will respect you for it and they will work harder to enhance your dive experience.

Regards,

 

[Chocoholic]

Caribou,

A few things come to mind while trying to answer your questions. So lets put forth a few things for you to consider:

Where are you staying at PDC? That may have a bearing on your plans. A trip to Coz from PDC is just about gonna burn a real full day...be kinda sure things are locked in before you go. Your diving level is a consideration. Are you very comfortable in the water and is your buoyancy control very good...Now, you'll be looking at acouple of different things in both places. Almost all of the diving you'll do at PDC involves entering a boat FROM the beach with all your gear. Wind and surf conditions can make this a little sporty at times, particularly when SE breezes are brisk. Almost all diving at Coz involves getting into a boat from a dock. I'm assuming you did you OW in California.....if I'm correct you are used to surf, surge and heavy gear, etc. Also, after diving PDC you may just decide to do all your diving there and save Coz for another day. After all, you could do 4-5 dives at PDC in the time you'll burn just to say you went to Coz. Tortugas is a great dive and I've seen as much on that reef on some dives as anywhere, big and little. Coz has walls, heavier current (makes it a little harder to smell the roses) PDC is not as deep, current less heavy and plenty of interesting fish and things to see. I like to dive with www.sealifedivers.com. Luis runs a good op and they are located on the beach at Mamitas Beach (Topless) and there is a small restaurant next door that gives a discount to his divers. Parties are very small on the boats they use. We would op for one of the small hotels nearby rather than an all-inclusive. We've done both. At any rate, you are going to have a good time at Playa! PS, regardless of what you do.......tell the people right out front what your dive experience/level is and what your comfort zone happens to be.....they will respect you for it and they will work harder to enhance your dive experience.

Regards,

I have looked at using Mayan Palace Riviera Maya near PDC and diving PDC. I am also considering staying at Hotel Cozumel and diving Coz. Trying to make up my mind.... I have looked at a lot of websites and read a lot on this board. The bit about the less current in PDC sounds good to me as I haven't dove much in current, also the loads of fish sounds wonderful. So for a first timer to the area which would you suggest Coz or PDC? Thanks for the info

 

[Scott Riemer]

Both, do both! There's no reason to miss out. It takes just a little bit of planning. You can dive PDC in the morning, get on the 12:00 ferry and dive Cozumel in the afternoon. Or just dedicate one day to diving Cozumel. You don't have to stay on Cozumel to dive there. Like I said, we were staying at Moon Palace which is all the way up by Cancun and were able to do two afternoon dives at Cozumel, catch the ferry back and get a taxi back to the hotel, no problem. If your staying in PDC it's even easier. The current isn't that big of a deal and the coral heads are not to be missed. If the current is too strong in one area for your skill level, they'll take you to a different spot.

 

[Cudabait]

Hi Choco.

Your profile would support that you have the experience to do either. How much time do you have to be there? If it is about a week, I'd plan on doing Coz first. You pprobably can leave from a dock at a hotel where you stay. It is a little easier to take a day trip from Coz to PDC than PDC to Coz. However, not much difference either way.

Regards,

 

[DivingDoc]

I have looked at using Mayan Palace Riviera Maya near PDC and diving PDC. I am also considering staying at Hotel Cozumel and diving Coz. Trying to make up my mind.... I have looked at a lot of websites and read a lot on this board. The bit about the less current in PDC sounds good to me as I haven't dove much in current, also the loads of fish sounds wonderful. So for a first timer to the area which would you suggest Coz or PDC? Thanks for the info

OK -- I'll admit that I have never gone diving off of PDC. But I know that I LOVE Cozumel. I is not to be missed. That's why I go back every year. Drift diving is really easy. You hardly even have to do any swimming -- just go with the flow, watch the coral go by and let the boat pick you up at the other end. Usually, the first dive of the morning is 80-100 feet deep, so if you are uncomfortable at that depth, go on the second morning dive or an afternoon dive. Be sure to let the divemaster know you are a novice and they will pay special attention to you. My very favorite site is Palencar Caves.

Personally, I think taking the ferry while dragging all your equipment along is a real pain. If it were me -- I'd stay in Coz and maybe visit Playa del Carmen. Just my HO.

 

[Chocoholic]

Both, do both! There's no reason to miss out. It takes just a little bit of planning. You can dive PDC in the morning, get on the 12:00 ferry and dive Cozumel in the afternoon. Or just dedicate one day to diving Cozumel. You don't have to stay on Cozumel to dive there. Like I said, we were staying at Moon Palace which is all the way up by Cancun and were able to do two afternoon dives at Cozumel, catch the ferry back and get a taxi back to the hotel, no problem. If your staying in PDC it's even easier. The current isn't that big of a deal and the coral heads are not to be missed. If the current is too strong in one area for your skill level, they'll take you to a different spot.

Thanks for the info, I will do both. We will be there for ten days in January, just have to figure out what to do with my non-diving husband. I'm hoping he'll be happy golfing for 10 days. LOL

 

[DiveExtreme22]

Hi,

I'm gonna stay at Playa Del Carmen for a week in november, half of it
for scuba diving. I heard Cozumel is gorgeous for diving and is just
a ferry ticket away.

However, being open water only, I'm not into cave diving or wreck
penetration. However, using this trip to discover some specialty
dives (drift ? wreck ? night ? deep ?) with an instructor I imagine,
would set me on my way to advanced open water.

so the questions are :
-for my level, is it worth going to cozumel to dive ?
-it is doable without staying in cozumel ?
-is Playa Del Carmen a satisfying dive site ?

i went to pdc in august, and the diving was pretty sweet...which resort/hotel are you staying at? i stayed at the gala and they had a dive operation on site which was sick because there was no driving just a walk down to the beach...im only open water too, and i did 6 dives...its $68 a day for a two-tank dive, which is pretty good with all equipment included, and you can get a six pack for like 150 and thats what i did...tortugas reef is a really awesome dive if your only open water, its around 65 feet and you see soo many turtles, we also saw barracuda, nurse shark, tuna, tarpon, which was awesome...los arcos is a good dive too but its deep like 30-31 meters (99 feet) but you might go on that if youre doing an adventure dive, theres like all caves you swim through and stuff and the arcs are amazing...have fun on your trip!

 

[scuba-girl]

Just got back from playa del carmen and will return in feb '05. That made my 2nd trip this yr. never scuba dived in pdc always took the ferry over to cozumel. if u stay in pdc an awesome clean place walking distance to ferry is the lunata hotel. love it!!!! want to stay at the blue mosquito next. check out the blue parrott and my fave frieda's bar!!! also a must is to rent a car and drive to Tulum once u arrive into the parking lot look about 11-12 o'clock ahead and there will be a shop w/ dive gear and such ask for eddie romano he is a tour guide about $25.00/person a day and will take you to various places that only the locals know such as senote's and brackish water excursions and ask at the end of the day to take you to oscar y lalos (his dad's resteraunte) love there salsa and big fish!!! Bill Gates went there!!! pdc is awesome and totally love it, but definately go to cozumel to dive. we've been to the blue angel and papa hogs. i thought enrique at papa hogs was awesome and curtious. the blue angel was awesome too. a little rushed though. email me or pm if you would like more info on pdc. have fun on ur trip. as far as my level of exprience i've been on 10dives and i love planacar caves also!!! it is awesome for the rock wall. paradise for little creatures and fish. drift diving is awesome!!! easy comfortable diving. just take it all in a relax. ps the water is totally breath taking!!!! i can't wait to go back!!!!!!

 

[dbosullivan]

Just wondering...I'm going down to Cozumel over Christmas/New Year- should I bring my gear, or rent? Most of my gear is in solid shape, but getting up there in age.
Also, what about wetsuits? I usually don't need anything more than a t-shirt when I dive in the Caribbean, but I'm curious if a Mexican January will change that (I've dived Belize in January, and I was fine).
Any feedback would be helpful.