Recommendations for Cozumel/Cnote/Shark dive

[Jayfarmlaw]

We dive with Aldora on Cozumel. They will position boats on the East side if it looks like the West side will get blown out. Great staff, big tanks, long dives. It works for us. "Little Jorge" is a great divemaster, especially if you like finding the little stuff. Their normal two tank dive leaves at 7:30 ish so as long as you stay the night in Cozumel, it won't be a big deal.

I wrote a review on this site for Cenote Xperience in Playa. I Can't say enough good about them. Be warned...Cenotes are a bit cooler than the reefs. I did a 3 tank Cenote dive on my last trip and was absolutely smoked by the end of the day. 3 is a lot...for me.

You're on your own for shark dives. Never done them in Mexico.

In two days, I think you can do a day in Cozumel and a day of Cenote dives...a mainland shark dive on top of all that will be hard to do. You might see if Cenote Xperience has anything like that. It would be a lot of land travel when you could be diving.

Good luck, safe travels,
Jay

 

[Streydog]

Seconded the rec for Tank Ha; they have a boat to go to Cozumel, an eco-friendly (non-feeding) bull shark dive, and they do cenotes. That said, I was there recently for a lot longer than 2 days and didn't get to do Cozumel because of the weather, so it's your expectations, not the dive shop, that needs to be flexible. (They were flexible enough to work around the weather to get me some great dives regardless, just not on Cozumel.) I am also skeptical that you can do Coz and sharks in one day (cenotes is definitely a full day), but I wish you luck.

No offense but diving just outside of the area where the bull sharks are being fed is not exactly eco friendly.

 

[ReefHound]

This is getting muddy. If your buddy is the one that has been contacting shops then why are you now doing it? Him being a new diver, I'd wonder if he is asking the right questions or interpreting the answers correctly. Also while most there speak English it often isn't their first language so be sure they really understand what is being asked. Maybe they mean they can do a reef dive in Playa in the morning and a shark dive in the afternoon. If their answer is at all unclear or vague you need to clarify it now to avoid unpleasant surprises later.

The simple answer is the shops themselves are a better source for whether they can arrange what you want than any of us here. What shops does he say can make it happen? Also verify if they need a minimum number of divers for trip to make. Most charters are in the morning. Maybe they can do a shark dive in the PM but will they do it if it's just you two signed up? Maybe it's already the case but I'll say from experience that you both need to be in the email chain so you both see the info firsthand rather than rely on one person getting answers then summarizing it for the other.

 

[Dogbowl]

The fact of the matter is that doing a 2-tank cenote dive on 1 day and either a shark dive or Cozumel dive on the 2nd day is very doable, the norm and comfortable. Doing 3 dive experiences in 2 days is out of the ordinary and while possible, the shops will be trying to make it work “just for you” and may be stressful and uncomfortable due to time constraints and logistics. If you’re young and energetic and gung ho about it, it might be worth a try. But as you can see, most posters here don’t think it’s a good idea, and neither do I.

Anyway, if you decide to do it, I’d recommend CenoteXperience. I know they can organize all 3 types of experiences. It would be a good option to give them a shout to see what they think. Maybe they can make it work for you, maybe not.

 

[Esprise Me]

No offense but diving just outside of the area where the bull sharks are being fed is not exactly eco friendly.

Not how it works.

 

[JamesBon92007]

I am looking for people that have had experience good or bad with the dive shops around there. Just looking for someone to say this dive shop is the best...smaller, well put together, good gear and very friendly.....or conversely....

Since you put it that way, I had some very good experiences with Scuba Playa (not to be confused with Playa Scuba). When I was there a few years ago they spoke at least five different languages. I did local reef dives with them but they also do cenotes and probably the bull sharks. They were not using any big boats when I was there. I was not particularly fond of the way they had the divers remove their gear in the water before re-boarding but I was with someone doing a Discover Scuba so maybe they were being over-protective.

Every op I talked to in Playa that also offered Cozumel did it the same way--you take yourself (and gear) to the ferry, get yourself over to the island, and get yourself to a dock and meet up with a local dive op. To me this just makes it more complicated and would rather just simply book with someone on the island. I don't know of any dive op in Playa that will take you in a boat to Cozumel and take you diving. If anyone is now doing that I'd like to know.

 

[ggunn]

That's kinda why I am looking for this feedback.....with some dive shops saying they can make A, B and C happen and then not being able to do it would be very disappointing. My buddy is the one that has been talking to the dive shops...and I have had enough experience to know that all the dive shops are fighting for business so they might say something that may only be partially true and then be super apologetic....had that happen in Turks and Caicos.

Mainly just want really good diving and I keep hearing Cenote is really awesome so that's what I am most excited about.

I'd be curious as to what dive op said that they could give you Coz reef diving, cenote diving, and shark diving all in two days. Playa side reef diving with the other two is doable, but what you have proposed looks to me like a recipe for frustration.

 

[ReefHound]

Since you'll be making more trips, I'd say focus on Cozumel reefs one trip and mainland cenotes/bulls another. The bull sharks are seasonal so maybe do that one now. Come back in a few months and do Coz reefs. You'll have less risk of nortes and closed ports in a few months.

 

[Esprise Me]

I don't know of any dive op in Playa that will take you in a boat to Cozumel and take you diving. If anyone is now doing that I'd like to know.

Tank Ha in PDC, though as I said I missed out on that due to weather.

 

[Christi]

I will echo almost all of the advice given to you in this thread.

AS a dive shop owner here for almost 18 years, my recommendation is that you adjust your expectations because you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Any reputable shop is going to be honest with you and will tell you you're being ambitious to try to get all of that in with 2 available dive days. In my professional opinion, anyone that tells you they CAN make all 3 of these things happen for you in 2 days is blowing smoke up your butt and I would RUN. As an operator if you had contacted me, I would have offered to set you up for Cozumel boat dives one day and cenotes another, but I cannot make all three things happen, it's simply not realistic.

I'll add, that if he's a brand new diver, and if you haven't dove in many years (I thought I saw 10+ years somewhere) I would also recommend a private DM for at least the first day of boat dives - and it would be required with my shop if neither of you have at least 15 recent (within the last year) ocean dives. I would add, that your buddy may not even be ready for cenote dives yet.

As to the "best" dive shop - that doesn't exist nor can it ever be an objective statement because everyone has different needs and ideas of what is the best for them. Also, unless someone with experience has actually tried out all shops under the same circumstances, there's no basis for a comparison.