What happened to Cozumel?

[jonhall]

Have some comments regarding many posts in this thread, but will start with these 3. Keep in mind we're talking about Cozumel and what may be helpful to divers who are thinking of traveling there one day.

1. The most recent topic - analyzing Nitrox: My first thought was, like another person posted, shouldn't all tanks (21%, 32%, 34%, 36%, etc..) be tested if one is worried about the mix?

Did a quick check of some of the dive ops on my spreadsheet Cozumel Dive Ops and many offer EANx (some don't) which must be requested. My take is that any requested EANx tank will be 32% or 36%. I have never seen anyone analyze a tank on a boat I've been on with tanks that were labeled nitrox.

My experience with Aldora in Jan/Feb was unlike some others who have posted about them having an analyzer onboard. Over 9 boat dives, everyone used nitrox 32% and did use 36% on 2nd dive (I did because it was free for staying at Villa Aldora) and no-one asked for tanks to be analyzed - the same as with other ops I have dived with in Coz where some divers used nitrox. Personally, I didn't worry about it - see the link below - I think it may be what another poster made a reference to.

From an older ScubaBoard thread: New, Better Tank Fills (see post #1)

It may be reasonable to think that in Coz, many boats do not carry analyzers because they know the mix they are receiving and it's likely that if one requests nitrox, it will be 32% and/or 36% and already analyzed (such as the case with Aldora.)

This topic got me a little interested in the dangers of nitrox, so I looked at the latest DAN Annual Report - 2020 with 2018 statistics. Couldn't find any examples of oxygen toxicity as it related to deaths or triggers to some other accident - of course not every SCUBA accident/fatality is reported.

2. Addressing an issue mentioned by the OP in post #1, I also had a computer issue on recent trip - battery compartment flooded on day 1 after 2nd dive. Cleaned it out, tightened cap, but on 1st dive (Punta Sur Sur) of 2nd day of diving, it flooded - I was willing to take my medicine and sit the 2nd dive out but the DM gave me a wrist computer to use - great! I also asked for a console computer for 3rd day (3 dives) but it didn't work, so again used a wrist computer. Day 4, I had a working console computer, but on the 2nd dive I couldn't change the gas from 32% to 36%. The fix was for me to stay at the same level as the DM.

* I edited this post as I had some inaccuracies - so apologies. Aldora did use 32% on dive 1 and 36% on dive 2.

I know a negative/gripe brought up in threads - not just Coz threads - is about using a dive ops gear. I was just happy that, in this case, Aldora was able to supply me with something that worked. Although not my first equipment issue when on a dive trip, it was my first in Coz.

3. Several have voiced concern that, by whatever means, they wind up going to an "easy" site when they wanted to go to a more advanced site. The only time I was on a boat with a brand new diver in Coz was a couple of years ago so I knew we were hitting 2 shallower (easier?) dive sites - we dove Paso del Cedral and Yucab - I was a little disappointed at the time because the 2nd dive the day before was Paso del Cedral and I thought, couldn't we do something different. As it turned out, it was different than the day before with more life (I checked my notes.)

Understandably, the conditions have to be right to go to some of the advanced sites, so a diver could literally spend their trip in Coz not getting to those sites. When I dove with Pepe Scuba, we went to Punta Sur and dove Cathedral - there were no other dive boats in the area. With Aldora, it was 3 days of hearing "tomorrow looks good to go north" before we finally were able to go.

I often wonder what constitutes an easy, intermediate, or advanced site. Aren't several sites a mix of several levels? Does staying above the swim-throughs at a site make an intermediate dive an easy dive?

 

[pauldw]

Where did I mention GUE standards?

Sorry, I was making a snide joke about GUE, but it didn't fly.

 

[lowwall]

A quick note. I dove 6 days of 2 tank dives with Aldora last month. All divers on my boats were using Nitrox: always 32% for the first dive and 36% for the second. The tanks were all labeled with the percentage written on little squares of tape near the top of the tank.

 

[BRT]

A quick note. I dove 6 days of 2 tank dives with Aldora last month. All divers on my boats were using Nitrox: always 32% for the first dive and 36% for the second. The tanks were all labeled with the percentage written on little squares of tape near the top of the tank.

Well, then that is that!

 

[Zman96]

A quick note. I dove 6 days of 2 tank dives with Aldora last month. All divers on my boats were using Nitrox: always 32% for the first dive and 36% for the second. The tanks were all labeled with the percentage written on little squares of tape near the top of the tank.

I have had the same same experience most of the time diving with Aldora with 32 and 36. And to the poster a couple up, Pedro at Blue XTSea use to test every nitrox tank before we left the dock for the 1st dive or during the SI for the second dive.

 

[ggunn]

3. Several have voiced concern that, by whatever means, they wind up going to an "easy" site when they wanted to go to a more advanced site. The only time I was on a boat with a brand new diver in Coz was a couple of years ago so I knew we were hitting 2 shallower (easier?) dive sites - we dove Paso del Cedral and Yucab - I was a little disappointed at the time because the 2nd dive the day before was Paso del Cedral and I thought, couldn't we do something different. As it turned out, it was different than the day before with more life (I checked my notes.)

FWIW, Cedral is a big reef. On my last CZM trip we dove Cedral 3 or 4 times and it was different every time.

 

[russ805]

$760 for 4 dives for 2 of us was wild to me! When I brought these issues to them they blamed the weather and also offered no discount other than not charging me a cancellation fee… I’ll consider naming the op but I don’t want to get into a pissing match here honestly.

Is diving on the other side of the island any better as it’s done so much less frequently? I don’t think we’ll be going back to cozumel again but driving around the island for a day it appears there’s no money actually going into improving the island? A lot of the restaurants we frequented are either gone or in terrible condition. Where are people staying that dive here?

Sure! Here’s a more polished and engaging version of your post:


---

After checking prices with several reputable dive shops in Cozumel—many of which I’ve dived with before—I found that a standard two-tank dive now runs about $110, including lunch during surface intervals. On top of that, there’s a $15 marine park fee, plus an additional charge for Nitrox if you use it.

I started comparing costs and was surprised to find that, for an extended stay, it was the same price (or even cheaper) to fly and dive in the Philippines. Flights were comparable, two-tank dives were around $70, and accommodations at well-regarded dive resorts were about a third of the cost of Cozumel. Of course, I always tip my dive master at least $20 and factored that into my calculations.

Having logged 70+ dives just in Cozumel in a 2 month period over a year ago—and absolutely loving the swim-throughs, but it always lacked marine life at least for me—I figured a change of scenery might be interesting. So, after weighing the options and getting recommendations from this community, I decided to pull the trigger on the Philippines. Nearly everyone suggested it as the best destination over South Florida or Cozumel.

To be clear, I’m not knocking Mexico—I love the diving, the street tacos, and the people—but prices have climbed so much that exploring other world-class dive spots makes sense. Since the overall costs (flights, lodging, diving, and transportation) were nearly equal, I chose to head to the Coral Triangle for a new adventure.

I’ll definitely miss Mexico this trip but will definately be back in the future, but I’m excited for what’s ahead in another part of the world.

 

[Wheeler925]

Sure! Here’s a more polished and engaging version of your post:


---

After checking prices with several reputable dive shops in Cozumel—many of which I’ve dived with before—I found that a standard two-tank dive now runs about $110, including lunch during surface intervals. On top of that, there’s a $15 marine park fee, plus an additional charge for Nitrox if you use it.

I started comparing costs and was surprised to find that, for an extended stay, it was the same price (or even cheaper) to fly and dive in the Philippines. Flights were comparable, two-tank dives were around $70, and accommodations at well-regarded dive resorts were about a third of the cost of Cozumel. Of course, I always tip my dive master at least $20 and factored that into my calculations.

Having logged 70+ dives just in Cozumel in a 2 month period over a year ago—and absolutely loving the swim-throughs, but it always lacked marine life at least for me—I figured a change of scenery might be interesting. So, after weighing the options and getting recommendations from this community, I decided to pull the trigger on the Philippines. Nearly everyone suggested it as the best destination over South Florida or Cozumel.

To be clear, I’m not knocking Mexico—I love the diving, the street tacos, and the people—but prices have climbed so much that exploring other world-class dive spots makes sense. Since the overall costs (flights, lodging, diving, and transportation) were nearly equal, I chose to head to the Coral Triangle for a new adventure.

I’ll definitely miss Mexico this trip but will definately be back in the future, but I’m excited for what’s ahead in another part of the world.

What flights are you taking where they're comparable in price to cozumel? For me, coming from Wisconsin, flights to the phillipines were ~1600 round trip with extended travel (12+ hrs), round trip to cozumel $500-700, be there in six hours..

 

[BRT]

FWIW, Cedral is a big reef. On my last CZM trip we dove Cedral 3 or 4 times and it was different every time.

I could dive Cedral every day.