Shore diving - is it available?

[Texasguy]

Hi use Mau at scubamau.com and he will let you do shore dives for free. He is located a Villa Blanca. Mid island to Sabor and downtown. Tons of life there. I found 7 seahorses on one dive while there last. A millions cool things on a night dive. And only 14-25fsw. The current was not a hassle. kev

Per FAQ - Scuba Mau Cozumel

Do you offer shore diving?
A: We do not provide tanks for shore dives. We do not have a facility on the waterfront nor are tanks kept in the shop. All of the tanks on the island are filled by a central fill station and delivered to the marina each morning for the boat dives. They will not deliver tanks for shore dives except to shops that are in the resorts on the waterfront. Anywhere that shore diving is available (very limited and not really anything to see) there is a dive shop where you can rent tanks and weights for a nominal fee of $5 to $6
Cozumel was never touted as a great shore diving destination, and this is even more true since Hurricane Wilma in 2005. It is very different than places like Bonaire or Curacao in that regard.

(I think the author is not aware of the muck I dive in here in fresh waters of TX. Here I pray for 15 feet visibility.)

---------- Post added March 24th, 2013 at 05:14 PM ----------

Don't drive a manual?! Are you a native Texan? :texas:

Yeah, scooters are very dangerous unless you are very experienced and take your own helmet.

Nope, not native but I do have a helmet (does it count?).

 

[DandyDon]

If you bring the helmet, yeah - cool.

Yes Don he is in the original site below Papa Hogs Cafe.

Great. So which was is the better diving from his dock?

 

[ggunn]

If you bring the helmet, yeah - cool.

Great. So which was is the better diving from his dock?

There are nice small heads and rubble piles with life about halfway between Villablanca and Blue Angel about the same distance out as the farthest marker floats from BA. We've seen morays, squid, flamingo tongues, starfish, juvie drums, puffers, sharptail eels, as well as most of the usual reef fish out there. It's pretty cool at night, with lots of octopus. There's lots of stuff around the stingray prison, too. A thing to do is to get in at Villablanca and drift to BA.

 

[Mossman]

If you bring the helmet, yeah - cool.

But newbie solo diving is totally safe. Let's encourage it.

 

[PeterNBiddle]

Hotel Presidente has very nice snorkeling right off the beach. I think with some tanks it would be good as well... don't know why I've never dived it, now that I think about it.

 

[ggunn]

But newbie solo diving is totally safe. Let's encourage it.

Is there a point you are trying to make? Is this still about the newbie who thought he went to Maracaibo (but who was probably mistaken, IMO)?

 

[DandyDon]

There are nice small heads and rubble piles with life about halfway between Villablanca and Blue Angel about the same distance out as the farthest marker floats from BA. We've seen morays, squid, flamingo tongues, starfish, juvie drums, puffers, sharptail eels, as well as most of the usual reef fish out there. It's pretty cool at night, with lots of octopus. There's lots of stuff around the stingray prison, too. A thing to do is to get in at Villablanca and drift to BA.

I figured we went the wrong way.

Saw the coolest thing at Casa del Mar once: banded shrimp on an old tire. Stuck my hand out to see if he would clean it and the moray came out! The shrimp was attracting fish, the eel going for the kill, the shrimp getting the scraps - and I hadn't taken my camera...!!

 

[Mossman]

Is there a point you are trying to make? Is this still about the newbie who thought he went to Maracaibo (but who was probably mistaken, IMO)?

Nope, it's about a new newbie who wants to solo dive even though his profile states < 50 dives and "Mostly pond dives no more than 35'".

I have nothing against experienced divers doing Maracaibo Deep or experienced divers solo diving for that matter, but I'm a bit shocked that this forum which entertains folk that are convinced that they need to analyze each and every tank for CO because of non-existent issues are wholeheartedly recommending places where a newbie can solo dive and die to his heart's content.

I'm pretty sure SDI requires 100 dives minimum for its solo certification, but hey, everyone has to start sometime right? Surely Cozumel is safe for someone who's mainly done pond dives without current.

 

[ggunn]

Nope, it's about a new newbie who wants to solo dive even though his profile states < 50 dives and "Mostly pond dives no more than 35'".

I have nothing against experienced divers doing Maracaibo Deep or experienced divers solo diving for that matter, but I'm a bit shocked that this forum which entertains folk that are convinced that they need to analyze each and every tank for CO because of non-existent issues are wholeheartedly recommending places where a newbie can solo dive and die to his heart's content.

I'm pretty sure SDI requires 100 dives minimum for its solo certification, but hey, everyone has to start sometime right? Surely Cozumel is safe for someone who's mainly done pond dives without current.

Well, I submit that a shore dive at Blue Angel is pretty much like a pond dive. The viz is most likely much better, the stingray prison blocks most of the current, and you'd have to go a long way out to be in more than 35' of water.

You know how I feel about the CO issue, right?

 

[Christi]

Per FAQ - Scuba Mau Cozumel

Do you offer shore diving?
A: We do not provide tanks for shore dives. We do not have a facility on the waterfront nor are tanks kept in the shop. All of the tanks on the island are filled by a central fill station and delivered to the marina each morning for the boat dives. They will not deliver tanks for shore dives except to shops that are in the resorts on the waterfront. Anywhere that shore diving is available (very limited and not really anything to see) there is a dive shop where you can rent tanks and weights for a nominal fee of $5 to $6
Cozumel was never touted as a great shore diving destination, and this is even more true since Hurricane Wilma in 2005. It is very different than places like Bonaire or Curacao in that regard.

(I think the author is not aware of the muck I dive in here in fresh waters of TX. Here I pray for 15 feet visibility.)

---------- Post added March 24th, 2013 at 05:14 PM ----------



Nope, not native but I do have a helmet (does it count?).

Interesting! That reads word for word from MY website! I wrote that 9 or 10 years ago! Sure you are not confusing dive shops?