Roberta's Dive Shack Opinions and Dive Site Recommendation?

[Andrew Dawson]

Greetings!!

We are taking a decent trip to Cozumel this Aug...our first such trip in a decade

We are staying at the Grand Park Royal Luxury Resort Cozumel.

I am looking for recommendations for dive sites in mid-late August, please.

Also, I have been in talks with Roberta's Dive Shack and they are very communicative. Any one ever dive with them and have a review, please?

I will be diving SM and paying a little extra to have one AL80 on each side...no tec diving, no nitrox, no deco mixes...the AL80s are for redundancy. So, the shop I go with will need be OK with a SM diver and allowing for an extra AL80 per dive

Thanks in advance!

 

[EdC]

I believe @Scuba-74 has recent experience, maybe he will chime in.

 

[ggunn]

I am looking for recommendations for dive sites in mid-late August, please.

Two things:

One, there isn't any significant seasonal difference between the quality of diving at any Cozumel dive sites. There is, however, a rotating schedule of reef closings so there will likely be some places you won't be able to go.

And two, as has been said many times in here, you and your wife will have two votes on where the boat goes, but although you can request and campaign, you cannot dictate.

 

[ReefHound]

We have dived with 7-8 ops over past 20 trips but have used Roberta's the last three and probably will from now on out. We also stay across the street at her Village TanKah. That is a big part of it. Roberta is the kind of owner that is onsite all day helping do the work. And bends over backwards for her guests. Every trip we've had a case of beer and case of soda (Diet Dr Pepper which is hard to find on the island) waiting in our room. Last trip we needed to work and needed good internet. Speed tests showed hers about 5mbps but often momentary freezes. No big deal if you're facebook but it kills a vpn or video call. I asked where we could go and she gave us a few places then a few days later said she had fiber now. It tested at 80-90mbps with no freezes. Last time she also took a bag of our laundry into town, had it returned cleaned and folded next day, and the modest bill added to our account which is always settled up on last day.

The diving is good but typical. About the same as diving with TP or DWM. Juan is hilarious though. He's a stickler for the rules - no gloves, no knives, no feeding fish - which I say is a good thing. All the other DMs and captains are good too. We like to shore dive and the best shore dives on the island are right there. Unlimited tanks for hotel guests. It's really the sheer convenience of having everything within steps of each other. Our room is so close I've literally jumped off the boat just before untying, ran to the room to get forgotten batteries, and back on the boat in about 90 seconds. Rinse tanks and hanging racks and gear lockers are right there. Last year we set our gear out to dry, forgot about it, and went to town for Carnival. Willie locked it away in the gear room. Other times we have left it drying, went to the room, ran across the street when a rainstorm busted loose, and the gear was already put in the gear room.

 

[Scuba-74]

I agree with ReefHound, Roberta's Scuba Shack is a very well run shop, and it is almost across the street from where you'll be staying. I dove with them right before the New Year's for a few days, everyone was very personable and professional. I met quite a few people on this trip who dive exclusively with Roberta's. Some leave their gear there until the next trip. They had three boats running, all fast, which gives you an advantage over many larger slower boats. DMs are great, my favorite was Rudy who effortlessly shot many lionfish, then used them to lure moray eels out of the holes.

They have nice rinse tanks and drying facilities - a well ventilated shack with cubbies to store your stuff, so you actually have a good chance of having your gear dry by next morning. As mentioned before, they have unlimited tanks for guests to shore dive with, so I'm sure bringing an extra on a boat won't be a problem. I haven't seen anyone dive SM from their boats, so can't comment on whether that is accepted. They were very accommodating with dive site requests off of the southern part of the island.

 

[Andrew Dawson]

Awesome feedback and very reassuring!

Any "must see dive sites"?

I am pretty laid back...warm water, good vis, and colors is plenty to please me. I am happy with the relaxing and being out on a boat in the ocean

FWIW, my wife will not be diving...as she is not a diver...but might do the Discover Scuba class for a single, guided, shallow dive...just to experience it. I do not have any expectations and she probably will not become a cold Puget Sound diver lol

I am hoping to surprise her with a whale shark snorkel adventure...if they are around...

I did pick Roberta's as they are close to our hotel...I may stay at her actual hotel if it is just the dive buddies and myself.

Roberta's did say they would be happy to add on the extra tank for my dives, no problem, slight extra charge, but no big deal. I am still getting my head around the SM off a boat.....I have dove BM twins and stage bottles off of a boat lots of times and SM from shore...I do not think it will be terrible and we should have an easy method worked out after a dive or two. I am not here to be catered to, per se, nor here to make things hard on anyone else...just have a nice dive and be safe doing it.

I have heard it is a very current sensitive island....so, you can bet I will be listening close to the DMs and watching them underwater to see where and how they dive

 

[Scuba-74]

Awesome feedback and very reassuring!

Any "must see dive sites"?
....
I did pick Roberta's as they are close to our hotel...I may stay at her actual hotel if it is just the dive buddies and myself.
...
I have heard it is a very current sensitive island....so, you can bet I will be listening close to the DMs and watching them underwater to see where and how they dive

My favorite from the ones we visited was Palancar Gardens. Huge coral formations with long winding swim throughs. Cedral Horseshoe and Cedral Pass were nice too.

Pretty much all dives in Cozumel are drift dives, there is always current. All sites are similar in a way, you’ll see marine life and coral in different combinations on every dive. Eagle rays are beautiful.

There is also a sunken minesweeper nearby, and on a previous trip while we were on a wreck a tourist submarine passed within ten feet of us. It was pretty surreal. That submarine docks at a dock next to Roberts’s.

 

[nodakdive]

I'm a Scuba Shack and Village Tankah fan. I did 10 tanks with them years ago and have rented shore tanks from them many times. I usually stay at Casa del Mar, just on the other side of Village Tankah.

Getting on and off the boat at SS is very, very easy, and if you're staying at Tankah, diving with Scuba Shack couldn't be easier as mentioned by ReefHound. Other than curbs, it's a flat walk from the hotel to the dive shop and on to the boat. (there is a little grade from the shop to the boat. very little.)

I have friends that have been staying at Tankah and diving SS for many years. Roberta couldn't be more helpful and the new internet upgrade is a great big plus.

Imo, Village Tankah and Scuba Shack is a hidden gem.

 

[rick00001967]

We are staying at the Grand Park Royal Luxury Resort Cozumel.

Also, I have been in talks with Roberta's Dive Shack and they are very communicative. Any one ever dive with them and have a review, please?

I will be diving SM and paying a little extra to have one AL80 on each side...the shop I go with will need be OK with a SM diver and allowing for an extra AL80 per dive

you should enjoy the park royal. i have stayed there. the room was very nice. modern and clean. the food was very good. great drink selection. nice area down by the water.

as you know already, the scuba shack is just across the street. i know a couple of guys that like to stay at tan kah for a month and dive with scuba shack. they love it. i believe they do run the smaller boats though. some like that. some don't. if you are new to diving double sm, you may want to brush up on donning and doffing your gear. diving off a smaller boat presents some challenges. normally i would suggest doing it in the water, but with the currents in coz, many times this would not be possible.

marine world is also across the street. Alex does have some sm experience and i am sure would be fine with you diving sm. they offer some bigger boats that may suit your needs better. just a suggestion. our shop uses them for their annual trip.

i am a bit confused however, why you would need to pay anything extra. i ran into this as well when planning a trip to coz once and was considering diving double sm. (i typically dive single sm now unless i am in the cenotes) the operators did not seem to understand that even if i am diving doubles, i am still only using two tanks for two dives. they all kept assuming i would need four tanks for two dives. so unless you are a real air hog, or are planning some very long dives, i do not see why you would need any extra tanks.

 

[ccannon707]

I am hoping to surprise her with a whale shark snorkel adventure...if they are around...

Whale Sharks are around in summer only. Accessible from Isla Holbox and Isla Mujeres.