why is Cozumel so popular? Bad experience or just over rated expectations?

[DandyDon]

Cozumel is not everything to all people. It does have a lot to offer, along with a lot of problems. There are other great dive destinations around the US. I greatly enjoyed diving Seattle waters, the St.Lawrence river, WWII wrecks off of NC, etc.

Almost everyone seems to feel Cozumel is one of the most outstanding dive places in the Carrib. We gave it a try and yes I will admit we were budget minded. I won't go into entire story since it is on worst of Cozumel thread but we were very disappointed.

Ah but the rest of your story explains your problem. You only did one dive, and I don't think any of us have ever had one this bad, other than the boat that sank making an unauthorized channel crossing...

In retrospect it was probably our fault but when we went it was so bad we did only one dive. After we found our boat ( 1 hour of searching marina) we finally left the dock.....45 min out we had to go back- they forgot the divd master! No lie....we should have gotten off then but two d our group prepaid their dives. They never ask for our C cards. Boat trip took 3.5 hours just to get to the dive site....we saw people walking faster than that boat went. They argued with one person in our group as to how much weight he needed and finally talked him into less weight. When he could not submerge he went back up when he went back down current was so strong he got lost from the group. When we got back aboard dive master said it happened all the time and tgankfully he got picked up by another boat. Vis about 40 feet...current so strong it was like a roller coaster ride.Very little life. Total trip lastes from 9am to 5pm for a two tank dive. We do not know if we will ever go back. Bill

But then you didn't even dive with a Coz Op...

The name of the operation was Deep Life Divers

Are you sure you were on Cozumel...??

 

[ggunn]

Ah but the rest of your story explains your problem. You only did one dive, and I don't think any of us have ever had one this bad, other than the boat that sank making an unauthorized channel crossing...

This. Making a judgement (positive or negative) of a dive destination on the basis of a single dive is prone to yielding skewed results. If all (or even a significant portion) of the dives around Cozumel were as you describe, it would not be anywhere near as popular as it is, cost and convenience notwithstanding.

 

[AggieDiver]

I enjoyed 2 of my 3 trips to Cozumel and don't think it is overrated at all. I don't think it is the best in Caribbean, but that is a personal preference-based judgment. The one trip I didn't enjoy was when we got hit by Hurricane Wilma while we were there. I personally like LC better than Cozumel, but that has more to do with my preference for very quiet and nearly deserted places to vacation and the fact that I really despise drift diving where I am stuck following a DM with a group. I don't need a wide choice of restaurants and shopping to enjoy topside and I don't particularly like having the current or whichever member of the group wants to race the DM to the end of the reef decide the pace and path of my dives. For those who like the feeling of drift diving and who love the hustle and bustle of a small town with tons of dining options, Cozumel is perfect! You clearly had a bad operator and didn't see the best Coz diving had to offer, so I would encourage you to go back and give it another try. You can be budget minded and still stay in nice places and dive with good operators. Do some research on here and places like tripadvisor and pick out a reputable operator (Blue XTSea would get my vote if you asked) and a hotel that is close to town so you can experiment with different dining options (Casa Mexicana is the one we stayed at last time and it was nice and very convenient). Before you write the place off as overrated, give it another chance with a good operator and I think you will find it very enjoyable, even if it isn't ultimately your favorite place ever as it is to many who post here.

 

[Lorenzoid]

It's drift diving, and currents can be strong, make no mistake about that. If you don't enjoy that, then forget about Cozumel.

As for the coral and marine life, it may not be as spectacular as the Indo-Pacific, but I think it's at least as good as anywhere else I have dived in the Caribbean (which would be Bonaire, Roatan/Utila and Belize). I think there are four things that attract my wife and me to Cozumel, in this order:

1. Easy nonstop flight from Atlanta to Cozumel, and with a much cheaper alternative to fly into Cancun and take the ferry from PDC--hardly a big hassle when the van driver has cold beers waiting for us.
2. We love Mexico. I've traveled the length and breadth of the country, and I just can't get enough. Even though Coz may be full of Texans, it still feels a little like Mexico. Love that Yucatecan food.
3. There are a number of top-notch dive operations. I haven't had experience with any of budget dive ops, but the dive ops I have tried have been stellar. I guess that owes to there being a lot of competition among them. They really seem to want your business.
4. A variety of lodging options at all price levels--something to suit every taste. My wife and I don't care about ocean views and saved money by staying a few blocks inland. We have stayed at resorts on the water and think the amenities are largely wasted on us. In some places in the Caribbean, there are few alternatives but to stay at a resort. Again, the competition seems to keep prices down.

 

[LCTX]

It's fairly obvious that your one dive in Coz was an off day for the park as far as conditions go. Plus, you didn't do your research or you wouldn't have used the op you chose with all the top notch ops available.
Maybe it's time for another trip and then you will know. As for me, I love it and can't wait to arrive there in 4 days. ��

 

[diver 85]

It's fairly obvious that your one dive in Coz was an off day for the park as far as conditions go. Plus, you didn't do your research or you wouldn't have used the op you chose with all the top notch ops available.
Maybe it's time for another trip and then you know. As for me, I love it and can't wait to arrive there in 4 days. ��

Have a great trip & hope the harbor remains open with no US cold fronts blowing thru during your stay there......

EDIT:----and Lorenzoid(just read your last post), get to LC or Brac then tell me what you think...

 

[dmoore19]

Been to several places in the Caribbean. Cozumel is one and I really like it there. Been there 4 times. Will go again.

As has been said, it sounds like you got a raw deal with the operator and I certainly wouldn't use that operator again. If you don't like drift diving then Cozumel isn't going to be where you want to go. My first ocean dives were at Cozumel. The drift diving is fantastic but that is just my opinion. If you don't want to be lead by a DM, Cozumel probably isn't for you, most of the diving is in a marine park and the DM is required by law. Find a good operator, there are many, and go with the flow.
If you can get past those 2 things you can have a great time with great diving.

 

[Lorenzoid]

EDIT:----and Lorenzoid(just read your last post), get to LC or Brac then make that statement again...

Cayman (LC or Brac only) is definitely on my list. I admittedly can't consider myself truly knowledgeable about Caribbean diving until I have added that one to my knowledge bank.

 

[Queen Triggerfish]

I actually prefer Cozumel over Little Cayman quite a bit. However, food and culture is a big draw for me too. Little Cayman Beach Resort was lovely, but didn't have any draws except diving and relaxation (which can be a great combo when you need that!) It's harder to do four dives (or five, six ...) dives a day in Cozumel compared with Little Cayman, Grand Cayman, Roatan, Curacao (can't speak to Bonaire), but I like the non-diving time the best in Cozumel. Like I said, the food is a BIG draw for me, and I love people watching in the main square or stumbling across a soccer game. There are action-packed beaches, and then the untouched beauty of the beaches on the east side.

I'm not a photographer (or not much of one), but I would think that the marco would be a lot easier in Little Cayman because you have the ability to hang out at your photo subject for as long as you need. The drift diving in Cozumel seems like it would make that more difficult, although there are quite a few people on Scubaboard who have mastered it. I dove Grand Cayman many times before starting going to Cozumel more frequently, and was always shocked at the SIZE of the fish in Cozumel vs. Grand Cayman (not the same as Little Cayman, but just sayin').

Last, it's significantly easier/quicker and less expensive for me to get to Cozumel. If I only have a few days, I don't want to spend the full day in transit that is required of a lot of Caribbean destinations. I have a direct flight from Mpls to Cozumel in January, and I'll be there at 10:10 in the morning, so I can likely still dive that afternoon (I used to do that in Grand Cayman too - sometimes driving straight from the airport to Eden Rock for a shore dive).

Regardless of your decision, happy diving! What a great "problem" we have in the grand scheme of things, huh? Which dive destination to go to next ...

 

[lamarpaulski]

I had been to Gr. Cayman and Brac and L. Cayman prior to Cozumel and also had that experience re. the size of the fish..and health of the deeper reefs the current really super sizes some things.