What happened to Cozumel?

[JFS]

Punta Sur sites are unlikely to be affected by building on Cozumel. The current pretty much runs to the North.

You'd be surprised by some of the algae growth seen at punta sur, maracaibo. The island is limestone and full of fissures. Everything leads to the ocean. Lots of pollution

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

So what do you think? Have you formed an opinion of the condition of Cozumel reefs based on what you have read on Scubaboard, or are you inclined toward going there to see for yourself?

I haven't decided yet.
I don't want to waste money on flight, lodgings, diving, and time off if it's as bad as some people claim it is. Just because it's warm water doesn't mean crap to me, it needs to be worth it.
Jump them not me, they're the ones saying it sucks.
If I'm going to spend my hard earned money on diving it needs to be really good. I already have access to an ocean, it's not like I'm land locked. An hour fifteen minutes puts me up
on my local coast where there's some great diving. A few hours down the freeway and I can be in Monterey, or a day driving and I'm in Socal on a boat. Warm water would be fun, no wetsuit or hood, but given the choice if there was more life, more freedom, and more to see in cold water as opposed to something that's just OK in warm water, I'll take the cold water every time. Cold is not a deal breaker for me.
I've dived places in Hawaii that were "amazing" to some people. I thought they were OK but repetitive and boring after about 5 dives. The most fun I had was actually on my own off the beach at the resort north if Kona just freediving for hours having an experience swimming around with a curious turtle.
The DM lead scuba dives were OK but to be honest I'd rather dive here.
I'm not a big drinker so I don't care about night life or party scenes. I don't want to constantly be on guard for crooked taxi ripoffs. I don't like the feeling that locals are always looking for an angle to shake you down. I don't like cruise ships. That's the kind if stuff I hear about Cozumel.
If I want to look at rocks I'll just go up to Tahoe. There's actually some pretty amazing terrain and structure if you get on some of the walls. Lot's of crawdads too.

 

[ggunn]

I haven't decided yet.
I don't want to waste money on flight, lodgings, diving, and time off if it's as bad as some people claim it is. Just because it's warm water doesn't mean crap to me, it needs to be worth it.

IMO the conditions at Cozumel are nowhere nearly as bad as the "glass is empty" reports would have you believe, but as I have said (many times) it's subjective. Every time I go to Cozumel there are hundreds of people diving there, even when it is during a low season, so along with my personal observations that indicates to me that the worst reports are overly pessimistic in many people's minds. Maybe the divers who are most critical of Cozumel dives are well-to-do world travelers who can afford to dive all over the world, but that isn't me. I do not doubt that there are dive sites elsewhere in the world that I would find more "stunning" than Cozumel, but I will likely never see them.

I can tell you that in addition to the warm water, the visibility around Cozumel far exceeds what it was in Monterrey Bay when I dove there. For example, one day when I was diving one of the Palancar sites, I came out of a swimthrough onto the wall down about 60 feet, I looked up and I could plainly read the name painted on the side of the boat that I was diving from.

To really know what conditions are like in the waters around Cozumel, you'll have to go and see for yourself; as you have seen, reports in here are all over the map. Like many other things in life, as my dad used to say, "You pays your money and you takes your chances."

 

[gianster]

I too use to dive with BXTsea. I first dove with Pedro in 2003 and went back every year 2-3 times a year and always in February for the Eagle rays. He basically taught me how to be a good diver have hundreds of dives with him. I miss the hell out of him. He went with Bianca at Blue Project after Christi left. Before 2005 no question the diving and the reef was in better shape and will never get as good as it was but I still think it’s the best in the Caribbean. Just got back 2 days ago. We had 13 eagle rays together at Cantarel and 3 singe sightings. We saw eagle rays pretty much every dive. I thought the reef looked a lot better then last year and fish life was better than last year. Still my favorite in the Caribbean and always will be my home away from home.

 

[Joneill]

I too use to dive with BXTsea. I first dove with Pedro in 2003 and went back every year 2-3 times a year and always in February for the Eagle rays. He basically taught me how to be a good diver have hundreds of dives with him. I miss the hell out of him. He went with Bianca at Blue Project after Christi left. Before 2005 no question the diving and the reef was in better shape and will never get as good as it was but I still think it’s the best in the Caribbean. Just got back 2 days ago. We had 13 eagle rays together at Cantarel and 3 singe sightings. We saw eagle rays pretty much every dive. I thought the reef looked a lot better then last year and fish life was better than last year. Still my favorite in the Caribbean and always will be my home away from home.

13 eagle rays is nothing :


Only kidding, 13 is way more than I’ve ever seen diving (above was snorkeling in the Bora Bora lagoon).

 

[Living4Experiences]

Not surprising, I guess. Inflation hits us all. I'd hate to think of what it costs to dive in Hawaii these days.

2 tank dive is about $220-$240

 

[Zman96]

Not surprising, I guess. Inflation hits us all. I'd hate to think of what it costs to dive in Hawaii these days.

I just dove on the Big Island out of Kona and it was Total of $183 with taxes and fees for a 2 tank dive with nitrox.

 

[Zman96]

Thanks for your advice, but my comment was to show comparison in when the questioning of price in Cozumel came up versus other areas, so I hardly find it a hijack.
To the OP, Pedro was the best, I dove with him from 2008 until BlueXTsea closed. Christi's boats were almost always exactly on time. I dive with Aldora now and they are very timely for me, granted I get picked at the Villa since its near the condo we always rent. I think you ran in to a bad op or just a bad week with this op. As far as life goes, I have seen it ebb and flow over the years. My anecdotal opinion is since Covid the amount of larger fish has really depleted on a whole, I have seen far less turtles, groupers and nurse sharks. Years ago it seemed many times grouper would follow you like puppies looking for Lionfish handouts. Now some dives have better life than other, I have enjoyed some of the northern sites and the way north sites for larger animals.

 

[Dan G]

I'm not a big drinker so I don't care about night life or party scenes. I don't want to constantly be on guard for crooked taxi ripoffs. I don't like the feeling that locals are always looking for an angle to shake you down. I don't like cruise ships. That's the kind if stuff I hear about Cozumel.
If I want to look at rocks I'll just go up to Tahoe. There's actually some pretty amazing terrain and structure if you get on some of the walls. Lot's of crawdads too.

Based on this, I absolutely do not think you should go. I've met plenty of travelers who travel with a chip on their shoulder and can't enjoy themselves because they spend every waking moment worried about getting ripped off or scared of the people who live where they are visiting. For example, there's a huge thread in this forum started by someone who returned from Cozumel and was hopping mad about the taxis. He spent much of his week arguing over a few bucks it turns out. Besides, I would never recommend travel to anyone who thinks "that locals are always looking for an angle to shake you down."

 

[Brodydog]