Which Operator if Diving for 4 days & finished each day by lunchtime (have Advance Certification)

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KarinW

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Howdy! New to Cozumel. Have Adv Cert. But traveling with non-divers. So we would like to go with one dive operator to hit the main sites and be back each day by lunchtime (noon-ish). Will be renting their equipment. In Cozumel 8 days and will probably want to dive every other day. We will be staying in a house (just north of the airport) with a rental car so we can drive to the boat. Which dive operator would you recommend, preferably in the North Marina, under those circumstances? I appreciate your assistance!
 
2 tank boat trips take about 4ish hours. Most/Many shops leave at 8am, so you'd get back by noonish. Island time and all...

As to good suggestions, where you're staying could make a difference and save some time and hassle. For instance, you may be staying somewhere that's a short walk to a dive op, so you wouldn't need to drive to the marina. Or maybe you're close to a dock you could use. Whichever shop you choose could pick you up there.

Have a great trip!!
 
2 tank boat trips take about 4ish hours. Most/Many shops leave at 8am, so you'd get back by noonish. Island time and all...

As to good suggestions, where you're staying could make a difference and save some time and hassle. For instance, you may be staying somewhere that's a short walk to a dive op, so you wouldn't need to drive to the marina. Or maybe you're close to a dock you could use. Whichever shop you choose could pick you up there.

Have a great trip!!
Thanks! I'll edit my original post - in case that impacts people's suggestions. We are in a house just north of the airport. So we would be driving to the suggested location.
 
Howdy! New to Cozumel. Have Adv Cert. But traveling with non-divers. So we would like to go with one dive operator to hit the main sites and be back each day by lunchtime. Will be renting their equipment. In Cozumel 8 days and will probably want to dive every other day. We will be staying in a house (just north of the airport) with a rental car so we can drive to the boat. Which dive operator would you recommend under those circumstances? I appreciate your assistance!
I had good experience with Tres Pelicanos. I did two morning, two-tank charters with them earlier this year. Referencing the start and end times on my dive computer, on both charters I surfaced at the end of the second dives around noon. Then after the charter dropped off various divers at their resorts, the boat returned to Marina Fonatur around 1230-1245PM.

Tres Pelicanos provides transportation from their shop in town to Marina Fonatur and return. I don't remember the exact meet time at the shop in the morning, but I think it is 745AM. Perhaps have one of your friends drop you off at the shop. Or you can have your friend drop you off at Fonatur and pick you up after the dives. Both options avoid the tight parking situation at Fonatur. Or you can drive yourself to the marina each day and deal with the parking.
 
Howdy! New to Cozumel. Have Adv Cert. But traveling with non-divers. So we would like to go with one dive operator to hit the main sites and be back each day by lunchtime. Will be renting their equipment. In Cozumel 8 days and will probably want to dive every other day. We will be staying in a house (just north of the airport) with a rental car so we can drive to the boat. Which dive operator would you recommend under those circumstances? I appreciate your assistance!
You know that there are over a hundred dive ops on Cozumel, right? Every one of them has their fans who will recommend them. One initial separator might be what sort of boat you want to go out on; getting back earlier is a feature of the ops that run small fast boats. Another might be how you want to spend the time between dives; some will take you ashore while others will drive slowly to the next site and/or drift for a while to let you offgas. Some ops will take charge of whatever gear you have and bring it rinsed and ready to go for every dive while some let you handle that yourselves. Some ops have a policy whereby all the divers surface together while others let divers come up in buddy pairs if/when one of the pair gets low on air.

Staying north of town might be more conducive to diving with an op that keeps their boat(s) in the north marina. It's a bit of a long drive to the south marina and parking there can be problematic.
 
Thanks! I'll edit my original post - in case that impacts people's suggestions. We are in a house just north of the airport. So we would be driving to the suggested location.
I'd be looking at a north marina dive op as suggested above. Or for instance, whatever dive ops that may be servicing the north hotels/resorts. Others will know of far more options than I do, but I can think of Pepe Scuba (El Cozumeleno resort), Aldora Divers (Villa Aldora hotel) and Island Divers (Coral Princess resort). Blue Magic's dive shop is on the north side of the square. I think if you get to their shop, they'll get you to the Marina.

Just my personal opinion, but any of those would be better options for me than driving to and parking at the south marina. Even if I could be dropped off and picked up.
 
You know that there are over a hundred dive ops on Cozumel, right? Every one of them has their fans who will recommend them. One initial separator might be what sort of boat you want to go out on; getting back earlier is a feature of the ops that run small fast boats. Another might be how you want to spend the time between dives; some will take you ashore while others will drive slowly to the next site and/or drift for a while to let you offgas. Some ops will take charge of whatever gear you have and bring it rinsed and ready to go for every dive while some let you handle that yourselves. Some ops have a policy whereby all the divers surface together while others let divers come up in buddy pairs if/when one of the pair gets low on air.

Staying north of town might be more conducive to diving with an op that keeps their boat(s) in the north marina. It's a bit of a long drive to the south marina and parking there can be problematic.
Thanks ggunn. You asked some great questions!!!! 1) for off gassing - probably stay on the boat because of timing; 2) I would love concierge service and not have to do a thing (if it isn't too expensive) - but this is the least important thing on my list - I am totally willing to do my own schlepping. 3) do you know of a good op in the north marina? Thanks!
 
I'd be looking at a north marina dive op as suggested above. Or for instance, whatever dive ops that may be servicing the north hotels/resorts. Others will know of far more options than I do, but I can think of Pepe Scuba (El Cozumeleno resort), Aldora Divers (Villa Aldora hotel) and Island Divers (Coral Princess resort). Blue Magic's dive shop is on the north side of the square. I think if you get to their shop, they'll get you to the Marina.

Just my personal opinion, but any of those would be better options for me than driving to and parking at the south marina. Even if I could be dropped off and picked up.
Such great advice - I will start to narrow down my search to the North Marina! Thanks!
 
Such great advice - I will start to narrow down my search to the North Marina! Thanks!
My wording wasn't very clear. I shouldn't have implied searching for "north marina" shops. I think I'd start with looking at the resorts that are north and then take a look at which dive op is the in-house op. Their boats will likely leave from the north marina and/or they might direct you to the specific resort and you'd board there.

That said, I can think of another op that I believe leaves from the north marina, but I can't think of the dive op's name. @DandyDon dives with this op, the op's owner is named Henry I think, and both of them are online here. I don't know that Henry's shop is a resort house-op, but it could be.

As to the off-gassing, it'll pretty much be a one hour SI. It's whether you do it on the boat or if the boat goes to shore. Personally, I prefer a small-boat op that goes to the beach for the SI. An exception to the one hour SI would be if you're diving with a large tank dive op, like Aldora. The big tank ops usually take a longer SI for good reason; the dives are longer.

Being that you're north, I'd plan on a 4.5 hour dive day. Maybe even a little longer. Whether by boat or car, it'll take extra time to get out and back.
 
That said, I can think of another op that I believe leaves from the north marina, but I can't think of the dive op's name. @DandyDon dives with this op, the op's owner is named Henry I think, and both of them are online here. I don't know that Henry's shop is a resort house-op, but it could be.
That would be Salty Endeavors: Cozumel Scuba Diving ❤️ Best Dive Shop Cozumel Mexico
Henry does run an outstanding Op out of the northern marina.
 

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