Would you recommend Cozumel to two young adults?

[FrancisK7]

Ive taken underwater shots many times before for fashion shoots, but never in a diving environment of course. ill have to see how I fare during courses.

 

[driftin' by]

[WIKI][/WIKI]Well the checklist is now pretty much complete.... Scuba club/blue angel are considerably cheaper (50-100$ per night whereas the Palace is about 200-250$) but little brother expressed a desire to chill out in the beach for a day...

The argument for not just going to PDC is getting stronger and stronger. The beaches in PDC are what beach vacation brochures are made of. In Cozumel, you'll have to travel to the southern most part of the island and stay at Iberostar, Allegro or Occidental Grand to get a decent beach and still, it won't compare to those on the mainland. It's where (Paamul) they film the Corona commercials.

DAN offers both divers insurance AND photog gear insurance, which is fantastic. Im a professional photographer and am really excited at the prospect of underwater photography, and was wary of bringing 2500$ worth of gear with me.

I have a rider on my home owner's policy to cover my equipment that is very, very inexpensive. You should check into it before deciding on anything.

After we decide on either the palace or a diving resort all well have to do is figure out whether there are savings to be made from booking everything from an aency or websiteor everything separately

The aggregating sites such as Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, etc will have the best discounts when you combine room and air. They'll also offer trip insurance that I find to be affordable. And when you find something that looks good, check with the airline that the air portion is scheduled on and many of them now offer complete vacation packages offering their own discounts.

I had at least 100 dives under my belt before I took up underwater photography. You might want to save that for another trip and just work on topside photography.

I agree... and no offense, there is quite a learning curve between topside photography and underwater. You may not end up with any shots worthy of studio display. If you do, congratulations!

- full breath of air, and hold it - you rise

Please, never hold your breath on scuba. It's a bad habit to even consider.

 

[FrancisK7]

Basically we could stay in PDC and take a ferry to Coz for the day to dive all day then back to PDC for nightlife and beaches on off days?

 

[driftin' by]

Basically we could stay in PDC and take a ferry to Coz for the day to dive all day then back to PDC for nightlife and beaches on off days?

You definitely could while still getting some awesome dives in PDC. It's not like me to sell someone on PDC over Coz but it sounds more like what you guys might be interested in. My first dives in Coz were just that... we ferried over from the mainland caught a late morning boat did 2 dives, relaxed and had dinner at our resort's sister resort in Coz then made our way back to the mainland. Two months later, we returned to Coz and have never been back to PDC but PDC had already lost it's charm of a fishing village and when Avenida 5 was a dirt road filled quaint shops. The clubs and shopping are not my thing. Also, the resort beaches seem to be more "European" in PDC.

I will caution that making the trip back and fourth over consecutive days may become taxing. You will soon see, diving alone is exhausting at times. A typical 7-night vacation will allow 5 days of diving, possibly 6 if your departing flight is late but I'm guessing that will not be the case. If you do plan to stay in PDC, really only count on diving in Coz a couple days. IMHO, PDC has enough to tickle your diving fancy for 5 days.

Let me know, I can give you some recommendations.

 

[DandyDon]

Drifiting is giving very good suggestions. Do you want a beach party beach vacation with some diving, or a dive trip with some beach & dining? I was bored to tears the time I spent 2 nights in PDC, but then some of that was a poor hotel choice made by an Op for me.

 

[driftin' by]

Drifiting is giving very good suggestions. Do you want a beach party beach vacation with some diving, or a dive trip with some beach & dining? I was bored to tears the time I spent 2 nights in PDC, but then some of that was a poor hotel choice made by an Op for me.

And probably because you've dived in Coz extensively. Relatively speaking, the reef diving doesn't compare but for a new diver, it's pretty fantastic. Then if you can work in some Cenotes, which I wouldn't recommend to a new diver, and a whale shark excursion, it's hard to beat if you don't mind bright-light, big city PDC has turned into.

 

[DandyDon]

And probably because you've dived in Coz extensively. Relatively speaking, the reef diving doesn't compare but for a new diver, it's pretty fantastic. Then if you can work in some Cenotes, which I wouldn't recommend to a new diver, and a whale shark excursion, it's hard to beat if you don't mind bright-light, big city PDC has turned into.

Yeah the Cenotes and Whale sharks were the good part of my trip, but I wouldn't suggest them going for Cenotes, and the Dominoes will be gone then. Then there is the age difference.

 

[FrancisK7]

I will need to discuss it with the brother but I think the "beach parties with some diving" mentality might appeal to him more. I myself would prefer lots of diving with some partying but Im the one treating him to a nice trip for his 21st birthday and his chances of hooking up will probably be higher in PDC, but Id only be happy with PDC if its safe (ie I dont have to worry about my little brother ending up in an alley with a missing organ)...

Furthermore, in the unlikely eivent he doesnt like diving hell have the beach to fall back to and ll still get to dive. So PDC has enough good diving to keep us occupied for 5 days? if so might be a better alternative, not to mention itll make an argument to come back to Coz the next year

Cenotes probably arent for me because I have a mean case of claustrophobia and exploring cave like structures for now is probably a terrible idea. However, SHARKS??? I am scared ****less of sharks, so I definitely want to see that. I used to be afraid of heighls and went sky diving a few times... Best behavioral modification therapy Ive done. Id love to face my fears again in open water.

 

[DandyDon]

If you opt for PDC, you could fly into Cancun, avoiding a US stop unless stopping in the US is a lot cheaper - flights & costs vary, take the bus or a van to PDC - or dicker with a cab over price. Doing the air & hotel package will still be cheapest probably.

For Coz, one option is to leave the PDC with some luggage, take gear and overnight bag, and go to Coz for a 24 hour visit or longer. As cheap as hotels are, it's not a silly idea. Done it.

Also on the mainland, you can do Mayan ruins if that appeals: Tulum, Coba, Chichen Itza, Ek Balam, and swim in some Cenotes even if you don't scuba dive them this trip. If you decide on a car rental, that's another long story to share.

 

[MMM]

It will be a bit of a challenge - not impossible, but a bit of a challenge - to ferry across from PDC to Cozumel to dive. I say that b/c most dive boats leave between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. and even taking the first ferry over you'll be cutting it fine. For a week or 10 days this winter we had 2 guys that were doing that though. Living Underwater picked them up in town and dropped them off in town and kept their gear/wetsuits for them between dives so they didn't have to schlepp it back and forth on the ferry. Maybe plan for a few days diving in PDC and then in Coz (or vice versa) so you can do it like that.

I don't spent any time in PDC except if I'm flying through Cancun and waiting for bus or ferry. I do think the restaurants are better in PDC than Cozumel but if you want cheap, authentic Mexican, you'll need to venture back a few blocks from the main drag. I don't think you need to worry about an involuntary organ donation but I have heard that drugs are more prevalent than they were in days gone by and much more so than in Coz. Getting involved with the drug dealers is a bad way for a tourist to spend time in Mexico. A recipe for scams, theft, shootings (not so much in PDC), arrests and bribes.