Traveling on a budget

[Triple C]

If you should decide to give Cozumel another chance, Scuba Club Cozumel does offer triple occupancy rooms, is mostly all-inclusive, and has boats that would meet your needs, While I have not stayed there, I've walked through property and talked to people who have and it gets good reviews. Fairly close to town, and might avoid the need for dealing with the taxi issue.

I stayed there last Aug as a solo diver and was very satisfied. SCC is an absolute bargain and everyone staying there is a diver. It's not fancy but completely adequate with nice people working there. I took 5 classes and completed my Master Diver cert while there. To me, Cozumel is decent diving, a quick trip from my home in the Tampa area, and SCC makes it a bargain.

 

[jonhall]

I have to pick trips up to 7 days, including food and airfare for $4000 to $5000 for both of us to go.

From some of the things I read throughout the thread - new diver, costs, 7 days, wrecks, things to do for non-diving wives, dive buddy to travel with, warm saltwater - I will give my 2 cents.

1. You're a new diver (or are going to be one) - others have suggested getting AOW and nitrox but I would say focus on the trips that you want to take and get some experience - the other certifications can come later once you learn more about how much you are going to dive and where you'll do most of your diving.

2. Dive trips for 7 days to warm water locations can easily be planned for well under $4-5000. Accommodations and airfare are the top 2 expenses.
* With all of the different type of rental companies (vrbo, b&b, etc) you can get just about any price range rental you want
* We have had a timeshare for years and our traveling friends a vacation club. Two divers and 2 non-diving spouses. Long story short, we are capable of spending 4+ weeks at different diving locations (generally Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii) for ~$300 /wk (that includes purchase price & maintenance fees.) Leaves a lot of the budget for everything else. Since retiring in 2012, we usually stay 2 weeks wherever we go. Sharing this to show it can be cheaper to have travel partners!
* Research: A) dive resorts - some places give you the option of adding a dive package - but at many you can rent a room and then dive the days you want. An example and one of my favorites is Compass Point/Ocean Frontiers in Grand Cayman. B) Resorts/hotels (even all-inclusive ones) on the beach that have an onsite dive op - makes diving convenient if a good dive op is there.

3. Our non-diving spouses are happy with a pool - that is their requirement. Others state that they have to have something for their wives to do (I always wonder what they're talking about - sightseeing, zip lining, fishing, hiking?), but much may depend on where you stay, transportation, and what there really is to do. On days that I/we dive, the wives may sleep in, relax by the pool/beach, but they wait until we get back for whatever else is planned for the day. We also take days off from diving to have full days of something else.

4. Some locations - not already mentioned - that I'd suggest for a newer diver that have varied diving available (reef, wall, wrecks) would be:
* St. Croix - has different types of diving around the island, a few wrecks (one a diver can drop into) and the Frederiksted Pier where shore dives can be done.
* St. Maarten - has enough dive sites to keep a diver busy for a week and several wrecks - the Gregory II is a nice swim through.
* Grand Cayman - has different diving around the island and the Kittiwake wreck which is a swim through.
*Aruba - not known for great diving, but has several wrecks which can be penetrated.

 

[mcohen1021]

and you risk being blown out by weather very often.

A little over exaggerated. In close to 30 trips to Cozumel, I was blown out once due to El Norte and that was the only December trip I've taken there. All other trips were between April and November and not once blown out.

There is NOTHING cheap about Cayman, TnC, or almost any island with an "St" in front of the name.

Maybe you're just trying to keep people away from cozumel? I don't blame you, I've loved that island since my 1st trip in 1990.

 

[mcohen1021]

There's a lot of corruption and thievery in Cozumel. The taxi drivers will rip you off at every opportunity. If you rent a car, your hotel may not have parking or you may not find a place to park anyway, and you risk a break-in or it being stolen. Some restaurants will purposefully overcharge you, and if you pay with a credit card, they'll tell you it's because you're using a credit card, which is a lie. There are NO mandatory credit card fees in restaurants. You have to haggle price on everything.

Again, I 100% disagree with any of this.

I've never been robbed on the island. I've never been overcharged for anything and yes I've haggled at shops, but I enjoy it. Cab rates are published so if you over pay it's noones fault but your own.

There is crime everywhere BTW, I suggest you stay home, order everything online and scuba in your bathtub to stay safe

 

[scubadada]

Back to @Kcollins and traveling on a budget.

As you can see, many of us have our favorite places and argue strongly in their favor. No place is perfect for everyone. I've been to Cozumel, I enjoyed it very much, just not enough to make a frequent return visit. My wife and I spend more time on Bonaire. In the Caribbean, I have spent quite a bit of time on Grand Cayman and have sampled Little Cayman, Cayman Brac, Curacao, Turks & Caicos, Roatan, and Belize. Variety is the spice, don't limit yourself to a single location. There are several more Caribbean locations still on my list .

 

[justspacelover_]

Thank you for this!

 

[justspacelover_]

I'm sorry you had a bad experience on your last trip in Cozumel.

 

[nydivetripper]

Again, I 100% disagree with any of this.

I've never been robbed on the island. I've never been overcharged for anything and yes I've haggled at shops, but I enjoy it. Cab rates are published so if you over pay it's noones fault but your own.

There is crime everywhere BTW, I suggest you stay home, order everything online and scuba in your bathtub to stay safe

I felt pretty safe in Playa Del Carmen in January as did my son. We did however leave one area that we had walked to, to be cautious.
Two days later at around ten AM he happened upon a shooting. Heard the shots, thought it was construction sounds. The police/marines converged quickly and he saw a man who was bloodied and unconscious(at the very least) taken from a shop by EMTs. It happened on fifth. Very close to Que Huevos which is a wonderful breakfast spot.
You can be flip about it if you like. There are issues that are real.

 

[lifebythemile]

Just going to jump in here and buck the trend and say head to the Mediterranean! I was in Malta last month and did my first ever dive there. It’s very cheap ($1700cad each for two people including flight, rental car, and 7 nights at an all inclusive), and diving was also relatively inexpensive compared to home. The LDS I went through charges €45 per guided dive (it gets cheaper the more you do) and €15 per day to rent all the kit.

Water was crystal clear and it was as cold as it gets at 16C/60F and was told it can get up to 30C/86F or more in the summer. There’s also lots of natural WWII wrecks and artificial wrecks to check out as well. There’s also oodles of history/culture/food for the non-diving partner to check out and no be bored while you’re off “doing your thing”.

One tip for cheap travel there, book a flight to London then book a separate vacation package departing from London.