Underwater Map for Shore Dive?

[hilljo88]

If you want to exit in the area in front of Casa del Mar, there is a good underwater landmark. The sightseeing "submarine" ties up to the pier. Its very noticeable underwater.

 

[nodakdive]

If you're staying at Casa Del Mar, there's decent shore diving right there. I frequently stay right next door in a small B&B and dive with scuba shack. If you head straight west from their shop, past a few moorings for the cats, you'll find a bit of what used to be the tip of paradise reef, before they dug the channel for the cruise ships. It's about a 10 minute swim.

I don't know who you dive with when you're staying at Casa Del Mar, but I think they have a in-house shop, so you should be able to get tanks there. You might be able to rent them from scuba shack as well.

It's not a bad dive, I've done it dozens of times. It's kind of interesting as a night dive, but there is one caveat. You probably don't want to be out there when the cruise ships depart. I've done that, and ended hunkering down against the rocks while the boat roared past, stirring up the sand.

Edit: I see nodakdive beat me to it!!

Staying where I think you stay (Village Tan Kah?) and diving with Scuba Shack has to be some of the easiest diving on Cozumel. I keep threatening myself to stay there, but I'm a tv baby. You have, what, two curbs to step down and two to step up? Imo, that's a gem of a place and a dive op. Plus, resident cat/s? When the CDM dive op hasn't had tanks for a shore dive, Scuba Shack always has. Frankly, staying at CDM and diving with Scuba Shack would be easier than diving with CDMs op, or any other op, if you want to get technical about it.

 

[ReefHound]

If you want to exit in the area in front of Casa del Mar, there is a good underwater landmark. The sightseeing "submarine" ties up to the pier. Its very noticeable underwater.

Except when it's not there.

 

[soonerwink]

I do the shore dive in front of Del Mar and Park Royal every year in June when I come down. I usually get Mario at Tikilla to guide me. We usually do close to a 2 hour dive. He knows where to find the Sea Horses, Bat fish, Octopuses. He is also a great photographer. He charges me $28, includes tank and weights. He also has gear for rent if needed.

 

[ReefHound]

$28 is a good price and well worth it to get great pics like that. Especially on a shore dive where you don't have to keep up with a group. If you have his contact info, pm me.

 

[northernone]

I do the shore dive in front of Del Mar and Park Royal every year in June when I come down. I usually get Mario at Tikilla to guide me. We usually do close to a 2 hour dive. He knows where to find the Sea Horses, Bat fish, Octopuses. He is also a great photographer. He charges me $28, includes tank and weights. He also has gear for rent if needed.View attachment 447429

Mario is wonderful. Highly recommended. He's great fun topside with his kindness and humor. Underwater he spots and appreciates things that are hard to see. Excellent photographer and patience to share.

I've watched him teach hundreds of students over the years. He is a talented instructor and cares well for those he trains.

Well, that's my hearty agreement regarding Mario.

(No relation, financial interest or incentive, just glad to encourage people to seek (edit: thanks @lionfish-eater) him out for diving)

About shore diving. Navigation is good with a compass. Shore houses all sorts of lovely critters and corals. Please have a SMB or something to warn the boats, I'd hate to see someone chummed. Peaceful sort of diving but the overhead traffic is a risk. Most often it's a 5-15ft slope along shore. Ledge drops to 20-25ft. Running parallel pretty much to shore. Sometimes drops into house reef or rubble on sloping bottom. Current normally runs north (left to right). Occasionally flows straight out towards playa and could make it difficult to return to shore. Sometimes the flow reverses and the current goes south.

Cameron

 

[lionfish-eater]

"seek him out" not sell him out. Autocorrect?

 

[sharky60]

I don't know of any real maps of the shore dives on Cozumel. Too bad, because there are some decent ones down there.

we usually do a "check out" dive off of Blue Angel, where we stay, the stingray enclosure is a very nice little shore dive, with lots of critters to find. Then, just beyond there are sand flats with small coral heads, and 'debris'.

some people also go down to "Blue Angel South" and drift back up to the hotel from there (Villablanca Shallows)

Out in front of Del Mar is a very nice shore dive. Not much for topography, pretty much the same as the Blue Angel dive, except more turtle grass and when I was there last, a few years ago, it was one of the places I've seen with a lot of goganians (purple sea fans). Very pretty dive.

When we did it, we got in somewhere around Ernesto's, I think, maybe a little south of there, and came out by what was Papa Hog's at the time, now the Turquoise, Blu Bistro, Blue Angel South area.

Mostly juvenile fish on these dives, very shallow, 20'-25' max, you can see day squid along these stretches & sharp nose eels, along with the usual suspects.

I've heard there is a VERY nice shore dive off of Playa Corona, you need to set it up with their dive master, possibly the day before.

Scuba Club looks like it has a very nice shore dive from photos I've seen of the area, but I would think you would have to be staying there to dive it, and our buddy Dave D. at Aldora claims he has the best shore dive on the island out in front of Villa Aldora ... gonna take him up on his offer to let me check it out one of these days.