Shore diving from Caribe Blu?

[H2ODoc]

We are very excited! We just booked our flights and hotel/dive package for Cozumel May 12th-19th! We are doing the Caribe Blu / Blue Angel package. This is our 2nd dive trip since getting OW cert.

My question - how's the shore diving in front of the dive shop? I could live in the water, but my wife is more of a "two dives per day is plenty" type of person.

Also - it looks like there's a patch of sand beach in front of the hotel. Is that true, or mostly rock?

Thanks! This forum is great. How did we ever do things like this before the internets?

 

[ggunn]

We are very excited! We just booked our flights and hotel/dive package for Cozumel May 12th-19th! We are doing the Caribe Blu / Blue Angel package. This is our 2nd dive trip since getting OW cert.

My question - how's the shore diving in front of the dive shop? I could live in the water, but my wife is more of a "two dives per day is plenty" type of person.

It's not great, but there are a few things to see if you go a bit south. There are a couple of houses across the street from the hotel that you can see from the water; go a little ways past the southernmost one about 50 yards out, there are a few small heads and stuff there.

 

[akbpilot]

I had done some snorkeling from there in 2003, and my wife and I did a couple of check-out dives from there last year. Quite a change from what was there 3 years earlier due to Wilma. Still a nice place to get your feet wet and do gear check-outs and bouyancy checks. There is a little pool in the shoreline between the hotel and the dive shop. Gear up there, and ride the wave surge out. There is a line on the bottom running out from the opening. Current both times was running south to north (left to right as you face the water from shore). Depth we were at was 25'. Saw some small rays (also saw a spotted ray breach the surface in close one morning when we were having breakfast), small eels, some fish, not a lot, and not as much as I had seen snorkeling earlier. Current picked up noticeably that day between the 1st and 2nd dive about 1 hrs time. 1st dive we were easily able to swim into the current, drift back, exit at the pool. 2nd dive we were uable to make much if any headway into the current, so instructor just had us do our skill requirements on the drift. Ended up exiting quite a ways down, instructor flagged a cab, loaded the gear in the trunk, and sent him back to the shop. We walked back ( cab driver didn't want our wet butts in his cab ). All went well, and we enjoyed the experience of being able to do a check-out dive that way. I did however retire my full foot fins that day, as walking back barefoot on the hot sidewalk (as well as a few other reasons) was not the most pleasant part of the dive.

 

[rainmaker]

We were at the Caribe Blu from Jan. 5 - 19th. When they said unlimited free shore diving, I took them at their word. I made 39 shore dives (and 10 boat dives) while we were there.

The reef that is just south of the hotel appears to have been pretty much demolished by the 2005 hurricane, but it is recovering. If you take your time and perhaps just kneel in the sand beside a coral head, there is a lot to see. There are scorpion fish, at least 2 snake-like sharp tailed eels, several small brownish rays (with spots), and some resident squid.

Also, if you care to look around and move very slowly, you may be able to find the homes of the 2 resident octopi, several large lobsters and some small-to-medium spotted morays. There are also a lot of small colorful tropicals, and a lot of parrot fish. I also saw a few trumpet fish, and many species that I couldn't identify.In addition, on my very last dive, I saw a very large eagle ray. I swam to within 15 feet of it and watched it for a minute or two before it turned and headed west toward the Mexican mainland. I turned east and headed for the hotel.

Depths are only 20 - 25 feet, but beware of boat traffic. Viz ranged from 60 to 80 feet, and the water temp was 81 - 82 degrees.

The photos for this trip are loated at http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/rainmakerat92/album?.dir=/7054re2 . The following photos were taken on the reef near the Caribe Blu: 0055, 0079, 0157, 0158, 0160, 0162, 0172, 0184, 0189, 0193, 0196, 0154, 0178, 0066, 0152, 0085 and 0089.

 

[akbpilot]

Thanks for the update rainmaker. We are headed back down in 2 weeks, staying at Las Anclas, diving with Blue Angel. We also plan on using the shore dives in addition to our boat dives. Nice to hear the parrot fish have made a comeback, only saw a few last year. Good point about the boat traffic. It would be a good idea to send up a sausage or smb if you surface anywhere other then directly in front of and close to the exit.

 

[harpua]

Whoops, I think I replied to the wrong post... anyway, I did one shore dive and a couple of snorkles at Caribe Blue last year, and it is pretty my as decribed above. I am going to hit this one at night next... perhaps there will be some more fun stuff to see.

 

[rainmaker]

Concerning the question about the beach, there is a man-made area of sand on the grounds of the hotel (between the hotel and the swimming pool), but it is mostly rocks in front of the hotel.

However, there is a small public beach about just south of the hotel (a two minute walk?).

 

[H2ODoc]

Thanks for all the feedback. Sounds like its worth a shot shore diving here. Now, if May would just hurry up and get here!

Anyone know what brand/type of rental gear the Blue Angel has? We have mask/fins/snorkels, but not regs or BCs. We might rent some good ScubaPro stuff here and bring it with to make sure we are familiar with it. Or maybe buy some regs and rent BCs to get us started....

 

[DandyDon]

Thanks for all the feedback. Sounds like its worth a shot shore diving here. Now, if May would just hurry up and get here!

Anyone know what brand/type of rental gear the Blue Angel has? We have mask/fins/snorkels, but not regs or BCs. We might rent some good ScubaPro stuff here and bring it with to make sure we are familiar with it. Or maybe buy some regs and rent BCs to get us started....

My bud & I did walked south to the steps down to the beach at sundown one day. There are sandbags from the beach across the rocks to water deep enough for swimming as snorkel tours are done there - yes, ppl are charged money off shore there. We swam from one small coral head to the next and saw a few things. Later, we saw dive lights of some who went further out - maybe it's better further out than we went?

Renting a BC and pool diving it at home then bringing it with you would be a better idea IMO than renting there. The same for the reg, unless you are in a position to own your own. I like to know my gear very well - especially those two pieces.

I also like to wear a Safety Sausage on my BC for every dive, as well as a Storm (brand) whistle, a signal mirror, and a dive light. At least buy and carry the Sausages.

 

[akbpilot]

Thanks for all the feedback. Sounds like its worth a shot shore diving here. Now, if May would just hurry up and get here!

Anyone know what brand/type of rental gear the Blue Angel has? We have mask/fins/snorkels, but not regs or BCs. We might rent some good ScubaPro stuff here and bring it with to make sure we are familiar with it. Or maybe buy some regs and rent BCs to get us started....

We rented gear there last year (02/06). The BC's were Mares Vectors, sorry can't remember the regs. All the gear was new, post Wilma. My wife hated the way her BC fit, thought her reg was ok. I got along with my BC, but didn't care much for my reg. Everyone has their own preference I guess. Everything seemed well taken care of.