Scuba Club Cozumel Cenote Diving

[SIUegyptiandiver]

Hey all, looking for someone with experience arranging a cenote excursion out of Scuba Club Cozumel. Am planning a trip there next year and and would like to take 1 day to hit the cenotes.

I have spoken with the resort and they have provided some information, but I am interested in finding out if using our own gear is allowed, what type of diving was offered, who the operator they use is, what the resort package includes (transfers, ferry, etc)....

Anyone with this experience please share! I have at least 1 cave certified diver interested in doing a cave dive rather than a cavern dive. Is this generally acceptable or offered?

Thanks!

 

[scubadiver888]

I was just south of Playa in April and did a little cenote diving. There were 3 of us plus the guide. I used my own gear and just borrowed tanks and weights. I've heard some people request biodegradable sunscreen but we were asked for no sunscreen, deodorant, etc.. The guide provided lights but I already had my own (they happened to be the same model the guide was providing).

Talking to the guy who was our guide, not all shops have cave divers but all shops know someone. So he didn't actually work for the shop I booked through; they just sub-contracted the work to this guy. I would suspect the shop in Cozumel probably sub-contracts to someone on the main land.

Be warned, if you have more than a backpack or small bag, the ferry from Cozumel will have you check your gear bag. They'll give you a ticket and take our gear when you get on the ferry. When you get off the ferry you find the baggage crew, give them your ticket and they give you back your gear. This is normal.

I'm not cave certified. So we stayed on the main line. It is more than cavern diving but it isn't really cave diving. They have a main line which doesn't take you anywhere but around the entry points. There are signs which have a picture of death, skull and cross bones, etc. and you aren't allowed to pass them. The lines which go into the cave are beyond these signs.

 

[Midge907]

Don't even bother booking through SCC. My suggestion is to setup diving with Cenote Xperience over in Playa. You will take the Ferry over in the morning, and they will pick you up right at the dock. They should be able to accomodate your cave diving friend also.

 

[mediumone]

Don't even bother booking through SCC. My suggestion is to setup diving with Cenote Xperience over in Playa. You will take the Ferry over in the morning, and they will pick you up right at the dock. They should be able to accomodate your cave diving friend also.

Klaus at Playa Scuba is also very good, and the crew at Beyond Diving also know what they're doing, and then some. Agree, don't even bother SCC.

 

[Ron Lee]

Be careful which cenote you go to. I liked Dos Ojos. Another one in the general area was terrible. The halocline was churned up and it was like swimming in a water/vinegar mix most of the dive. I will look for the cenote name.

 

[Dan G]

We did a day trip over to PDC, did two cenotes dives (Dos Ojos) and then went to Tulum for a couple of hours. We arranged all of this with one dive op, Blue Life, in PDC who picked us up at the ferry, drove us everywhere and brought us back to the ferry. I recommend checking out the Mexico forum, emailing some ops and seeing what works for you. We had a great experience with Blue Life.

Don't buy a round trip ticket for the ferry in Coz, it may end up being more convenient to return with a different company depending upon the time you get back to PDC and are ready to return. A good question to ask as you do your research is to ask the ops if your guide will be a cave instructor or a guide. Many here on The Board make the case that he/she should be an instructor.

 

[Scott]

I lead a group to SCC in April and one of the "off" days a few of us headed to PDC for cenotes and caves. Don't bother booking the dives through SCC.
I've used Natalie Gibb for several years as a cenote guide and the last two as a cave guide. She can be contacted at Under The Jungle.
Their entire team is very safety conscious and great fun to dive and hang out with.

 

[boulderjohn]

I'm not cave certified. So we stayed on the main line. It is more than cavern diving but it isn't really cave diving. They have a main line which doesn't take you anywhere but around the entry points. There are signs which have a picture of death, skull and cross bones, etc. and you aren't allowed to pass them. The lines which go into the cave are beyond these signs.

Just as an explanation...

There is nothing between a cavern dive and a cave dive. It is either a cavern dive or a cave dive. It is a little more complicated than this, but if you are in a cavern and all the lights go out, you can still see the light from an exit. When you cross from the cavern zone to the cave zone, you will not longer be able to see the light from any exit. The complication is that in some cenotes, there may be more than one exit, so you can pass from one cavern zone to another. You may be confused because in some cavern diving excursions, when you start the dive you will still have air between the top of the water and the top of the cavern..At that point you are technically not in the cavern yet. It is still an open water dive.

The popular cavern dives will have a cavern line that your guide will follow. You are supposed to stay very close to that line. Some of the caves will have the grim reaper signs warning you to go no farther--those are made by the NSS-CDS (National Speleological Society Cave Diving Section). Others will have the stop sign warning from the NACD (National Association of Cave Divers). You absolutely do not want to go past those signs, no matter how tempting it might seem to sneak off and take a peak. It is easy to sneak off and take that peak, but it might not be so easy to find your way back.

 

[boulderjohn]

I lead a group to SCC in April and one of the "off" days a few of us headed to PDC for cenotes and caves. Don't bother booking the dives through SCC.
I've used Natalie Gibb for several years as a cenote guide and the last two as a cave guide. She can be contacted at Under The Jungle.
Their entire team is very safety conscious and great fun to dive and hang out with.

I will second this recommendation.I have done a number of very satisfying cave dives with Natalie.

 

[Dhboner]

Contact Erik at Beyond Diving. He will take good care of you (and you will have a lot of fun while being safe).