Suggestions for 1 day in Cozumel with Royal Caribbean cruise?

[boulderjohn]

Hey boulderjohn, any idea if that timeframe (10:00 AM - 8:00 PM) seems reasonable to get a boat dive in? I have no idea how far the Caribbean piers are from the dive boats, or how far the dive boats are from the dive spots...

It won't be a problem. Exactly where you will be depends upon which pier your boat uses.

If you use the International pier (most likely), you will be right next to Dive with Martin, a pretty nice operator who gets a lot of good reports.

In any event, you won't be far away from anything. You will arrive too late for the morning trips, but you will be in plenty of time to get to any operator for an afternoon trip. A quick search of this site for recommended operators will give you a bunch of names, and you will be able to communcate with any of them ahead of time to via their web sites for their schedules.

 

[boulderjohn]

We did Chankanaab Park over Labor Day weekend this year as our shore excursion ... I would have to disagree with boulderjohn.

Feel free. We all have different feelings and experiences. I had the Chankanaab shore dive when I was there with a relative who was on his first trip to the island. I had done maybe 40 Cozumel boat dives before that over a span of years, so I was probably just comparing it with what I know is available by boat just a few miles away. I was disappointed.

I can see, though, that compared to what is available in most of the world, it is an outstanding experience.

 

[bigkahunaz]

When in Coz we dive with Christi at Blue XT Sea Diving http://www.bluextseadiving.com. Her boats are 6 to 8 divers max. She runs a GREAT operation. You won't be disappointed! We are cruising on the RCCL's Jewel of the Seas next week and will be in Coz on 11/29. We are excited to dive with Blue XT Sea once again!

 

[loudives]

I will be diving on the 17th with Raul at www.bottomtimedivers.net in the morning. With your ship getting in at 10 you can get a 2 tank dive in the afternoon. Most operators go out at 1-1:30 and get back about 4.
Since Wilma the shallow reefs got roughed up and may not be in good shape. Chankanaab got hit hard and may not be open.
The 17th is my last day to dive before going home and I was not planning to dive in the PM. Most operators will not go out unless they have 3 or 4 divers but Raul will go out with as little as 2. If you book with him and he tells you your the only one, tell him I will go also that way you will be able to dive. He charges about $70 and has rental gear if you need some. I will be diving 15-16-17 so if you book with Raul I'll know on the 15.
Going to Coz and not diving is something that you will regret your whole life.

LOU

 

[Ron Brandt]

I have PM'd you with info.

Ronnie

 

[EuphoriaII]

From everything I've read on here and heard from other divers, stay away from the Ship excursion diving.
I just did my first cruise ship diving last week in Grand Cayman and Cozumel and had a blast. I lined up the dive operators based on recommendations from this board for GC and a friends recommendation for Cozumel.

 

[diveborg]

From everything I've read on here and heard from other divers, stay away from the Ship excursion diving.

This is generally true for most divers, but not all. There are a few valid reasons to use the ship's excursion. As long as you have the right expectations about the trip, you'll have an OK time.

Pro's and Con's of ship's excursion diving

 

[melfox26]

Earlier post-Wilma reports said that the Chankanaab (sp?) eco-park was wiped out. Is this not the case? Hope so, that was a nice place with great snorkeling for the non-divers in the group.


Mel

 

[diveborg]

Earlier post-Wilma reports said that the Chankanaab (sp?) eco-park was wiped out. Is this not the case? Hope so, that was a nice place with great snorkeling for the non-divers in the group.

No, I think it suffered sever damage to the structures. The captive dolphin pens are gone. I've seen a reopening date of Dec. 20 on a couple of websites, but I think that date is pretty optimistic.