Best Cozumel Dive Operators?
Lawrence Seigle
Who do you think is the best dive (Cozumel) operator ? How long have you
been diving ? What did you like about your choice ? Thank you for taking
the time to respond. Lawrence
Mike Sheppard
> Who do you think is the best dive (Cozumel) operator ?
Read the guide pls.
How long have you
> been diving ? 34 years
What did you like about your choice ? Thank you for taking
> the time to respond. Lawrence
Blue Bubble is very good . They give you a lot of freedom and will let
you plan much of your own dive. If you are a beginner and safety is a
factor, They have a great program where, for a few measly dollars a day,
they will clean, dry, and transport your gear to the boat for the next
dive. When you finish your diving, you just pack your gear in your bag
and leave it on the boat. It was incredibly convenient, and we saved
many hours of our vacation cleaning and rinsing and drying our stuff.
We inspected the facilities unannounced, and they seemed respectable.
Vicky in the shop is very friendly and helpful, too. They proudly showed
us some Net jokes someone had printed out for them from this group
(something from Chuck Narad).Our favorite dive master was Jorge--he took
us on a night dive, and we had a blast. The boats are FAST too. We had
six to nine packs.You can get some great deals by booking your diving
along with your hotel through Blue Bubble ahead of time. I can look up
the number if you want. Email Blue Bubbles BLU...@AOL.Com. Humbertoąs
Email is bub...@cozunet.finred.com.mx
Papa Hog Ex-patriate Canadians that have small (a little ratty looking),
fast boats. Good people.
Sure, there are plenty of good dive operators who will take you out on
short notice. Especially if it's "off season" - in Jan & Feb you might
have more trouble. I've always dived with Blue Angel - they're small and
not flashy but have excellent dive masters & instructors, fast boats (so
you beat people to the best dive sites) and the proprietor, Pam Linton, is
a real pleasure to do business with. !
I was in Cozumel earlier this week. Dive with Martin was great! He is
always on time, and is generally the earliest. Thus, each day we were able
to get to the dive sites before any other boats arrived. Fast boats. Great
crews. Super dive sites. We did Punta Sur down to 127 ft, Palancar high
and low, Colorado, and lots of other dives which the books say are great
(which they are) but generally not dived due tto slow boats and lazy
operators. He can be reached at 011 52 987 2 his telephone in US 713 859
0700; in CZM 011 52 987 2-26-10.I was in Cozumel 3 weeks ago and dove with
Martin Aguilar. His dive service, "Dive With Martin" was excellent. He
has fast boats and an excellent crew. He is a PADI Master Instructor as
well. He can be reached in Cozumel at: 011-52-987 2-26-10. Or, by mail
at: PO Box 134, Cozumel, Q. Roo, Mexico.
I have been diving with Caballito Del Caribe (21-4-49, the phone number
off the t-shirt) for several years. The main reason I dive with these
guys is their attention to safety. My favorite divemaster there, Oswaldo,
is very attentive to the level of each diver in the group. He watched me
very carefully my first trip there, and wouldn't let us do certain dives
until he was sure we were qualified. I have no affiliation at all with
this shop, but I respect the hell out of them, because I've seen what the
alternative can be like.
They have three "fast boats" as opposed to large slow boats. The benefits
are: 1) The large boats load up about 30 min. before CDC arrives to pick
me up (read: I can sleep 30 more mins.), 2) We arrive at the dive site 10
min. before the large boats, 3) Typically, they will have 4 to 8 divers on
the boat vs. 12 to 20 (or more) on the larger boats, 4) we are able go to
dive sites that are too remote for the large boats to get to in time, and
5) we can participate in the process that determines where we dive. BTW, I
just got back from there this afternoon and still have visions of the 4'
diameter sea turtle at the San Juan reef!
Cha Cha Cha Dive Shop
9 South 7th Street P.O. Box 252 Cozumel, Q. ROO Mexico 77600
Telephone and fax from the United States 011-52-987- 2-23-31
dove with Charro phone #011-52-987-22460, fax 011-52-987-21695.Charro is
łoldest DM in Coz˛. Known for great quality cheap diving. 987/22-460
FAX 987-21-695
Contact Roldofo and Lysa at 011-52-987-21542. They run the Anita, a large
dive boat that caters to divers that do not want to be on the same reef
as 20 other boats. The most they take is 12 divers and the boat can hold
30!! If there are other boats on the site they go to another site. We
have been all over the Carib. and by far this was the best dive boat
experience we ever had...
Give Mike Madden's CEDAM Dive Center a call. His number in Puerto
Aventuras (near Akumal) is 011 52 987 35129. His operations are first
rate and are a good place to arrange a guided cavern dive in one of the
local cenotes.
You can also write them at: Postal 117 Playa del Carmen Quintana Roo,
Mexico 77710
"Black Shark". We'll definitely be using them again. They run a couple
of fast 6-paks, have really good prices, and are just an all around good
group to be with. While the boats hold seven people, we dove with anywhere
from 3 to 5. Their phone/fax number is 011-52-987-2-03-96.
Diving: Aldora DiversTheir USA phone is 281-334-3003. In Cozumel,24048
and 22067. You can Email Dave at 10214...@compuserve.com. Or try the
Aldora web site www.aldora.com.
They now have 4 boats. the two new ones have cabins. very nice. Diving is
still great with them but they are not perfect. First day they lost a
motoron one boat so 8 divers were in mine. The owner dropped the price
$10. I was happy and it was only one day like that. They also waited one
day for cruise ship divers who were late (never showed up) so that is not
likely to happen again. One can only be so accommodating.
We utilized the services of Deep Blue dive shop. They were fantastic.
They worked with our group of 2 advanced, 4 novice, and 2 resort divers.
I and my spouse are the advanced and well traveled divers. We were
extremely pleased with the flexibility of the dive masters and crew. Our
boat was set up for 8 divers and we visited every reef on the list. On
our last trip 8/96 we used Blue Bubble Divers. They did a fine job. The
difference between shops in our oppinion is the personal service from
Debbie, and staff at Deep Blue. contact Debbie at
deep...@cozumel.rce.com.mx She can also hook you up with a house condo
etc. First let me start my saying that what dive shop you spend your
vacation with will make or break your vacation and fortunately we picked a
winner!! was the dive shop we went with after hearing rave reviews from
numerous other folks and they were GREAT! Debbie is the owner/manager and
she worked with us to make sure that we got to dive all the sites of our
choice on our stay. They have small, fast boats with great captains that
find the sites quickly and experienced and knowledgeable divemasters
(Horacio is my favorite!!!). Also their prices were one of the most
reasonable on the island ($45/2 tank dive, after 5 trips out, $43/2 tank
dive). Check out their web page at:
http://wwwipp.unicomp.net/deepblue/ Or e-mail Debbie at:
deep...@rce.com.mx
Pepe' Scuba on tenth ave at the back of the marketplace. Big T-Rex in
front of store... I've been diving with him for over 5 years and have
never been disappointed. Fast trip boats with a max of 6 people. Trips
are catered to the groups requests and experience level. Talk to Pepe'
himself and he will cut you a deal on diving for whenever and where ever
you want to go. His number is 26143.
Pascual's Scuba Center might be worth a try. They use fast boats and
Pascual or Ernesto do the diving. Both are probable the most experienced
divers on the Island. Pascual is a true Mayan and is a wealth if info
about the local area. They also offer probably the best service for the
dollar I've ever found (after 18 trips) E-mail me at Neil...@aol.com and
I'll download you lots of money savings ideas for Coz.
They recommended this dive-master . My husband thought he was superb and
here's his take on the subject: "Sergio Sandoval Vizcaino 15 Av. Sur C Con
Calle 21 Sur Phone And Fax 011-52-987-206-40 Apparently he got his
start diving with Cousteau in the 50s. His boat is the Aguarama, with a
slip near the north end of the Caleta Marina, which is just north (toward
San Miguel) from the El Presidente. The Aguarama is a small boat- we had
just 4 divers and I don't think he could take more than 6, if that- the
opposite of a cattle boat. He dives with you, leading the way while his
mate follows the drift with the boat. You can meet him at the Caleta
Marina or he might pick you up if you are staying at one of the hotels
south of San Miguel (not the hotels north of San Miguel)."
I highly recommend Sea Urchin Dive and Divemaster Isidro Narvaez. He took
us anywhere we wanted to go, never more than 4 to six people on the boat
and was very safety conscious. He was always on time or early to pick us
up at the dock, very punctual! We always got a great pre dive orientation
to the reef and he knows those reefs like the back of his hand! He also
was extremely knowledgeable about the sealife and where to locate some of
the less noticed and unusual creatures. Many times there were just 3 of
us on the boat so we had our own personal guide. He has a web page
located at http://dcwi.com/~isidro/. It gives you many specifics on the
operation and much more. We are going back in November and will be diving
with Sea Urchin.
Definitely, You should try to find out if Charro is going out when you go
the next time. I do not know his phone number but he is excellant. If
you tell him what you'd like to see he will be sure it is there. We took
children and teenagers to Cozumel last summer and had an exceptional
time. He is located at the south end of the island, past the cruise ships
area go on the road until you see a dirt (I do mean huge potholes, dirt
etc) road to the right. There is a pier there and his three SLOW boats
are there. He takes you out for the DAY, lunch is included, and is
sometimes Lobster and stone crabs that were caught the day before. He is
very patient with new timers and allows the experienced divers to go off
provided they show him that they are ok.
€ AQUANAUTS are another choice.
Scuuba me
Hi Lawrence:
I have only been diving for a year so I'm not all that experienced.
14 dives to be precise. I was in Coz in March and dove with Pascual. He is an
extremely nice person, and a terrific guide! By the time I left Coz I was a
very comfortable diver. He showed us lots of underwater life. From the
resturant and bar conversations I got to see more than most. I am anxiously
awaiting pictures that one of the guys on the trip took of me and a nurse
shark. His rates are competative and the service is great.
If you need more info contact me.
Mike
Enjoy the bubbles
Scuuba m...@aol.com
Robert Bungener
Hi All,
Just came back from Cozumel, dove with Roberta's Dive Eco Cozumel ( email:
rob...@cozumel.com.mx tel/fax: ++52 987 24187) and did that for three weeks. They
have a fast boat, won't take more that 6 divers at any run and they try to avoid the
crowded loctions. They are flexible as to places to dive, and keep strict surface
intervals of at least one hour, and during that period they have refreshments and
some food. Liked it very much.
Happy Bubbles,
Robert Bungener
Dana Segler
I agree with paragraph from another post--Anita Divers (Rodolfo Soltero) is
outstanding. We have been with him many times and can say nothing but what
we were told initially by very credible folks: that is, he is the PREMIER
dive operator in Coz. I don't want too many people to know, though!!!!
Lawrence Seigle wrote in message <3539E94C...@vh.net>...
>Who do you think is the best dive (Cozumel) operator ? How long have you
>been diving ? What did you like about your choice ? Thank you for taking
Wade Norton
>been diving ? What did you like about your choice ? Thank you for taking
>the time to respond. Lawrence
>
Lawrence,
Just returned from Cozumel last Saturday night. We spent a week in Cancun and
a week in Cozumel. I did a ton of research before deciding to dive with
Aldora Divers and I was not dissapointed!
I chose Aldora for several reasons, here is some that top the list:
1) They are highly recommended by the Undercurrent Magazine
2) Very positive comments in the Undercurrent "Chap Book"
3) They acheived a Rodales Scuba Diving Magazine's "Top Ten"
5) Their dive masters are all educated Marine Biologists
6) Every diver dives computer (if you don't have one they issue you one)
7) Every diver dives high pressure tanks
8) If your gear is not high pressure DIN ready they will convert it for you.
9) With HP 80s, 100s and 120 tanks, almost every dive is 60 minutes
10) Fastest boats on the island
11) Because of fast boats, all surface intervals are at the beach (with
restaurant)
12) They picked us up at our hotel pier each morning.
Should I go on, I think you get the point, this is a class operation. I can
assure you that every trip to Cozumel I will be diving with Aldora.
Good luck and enjoy!
Wade
Robert Bungener
Hi There,
Returned from Cozumel last week, sounds so long ago already, and dove with
Roberta's Dive Eco Cozumel. Email : rob...@cozumel.com.mx tel/fax
++52-987-24187.
Had a great time for the three weeks I was there, they have small fast
boats, takes only six (max 7) and they head out before the large slow boats
so your down there will the others are still trucking and your doing surface
time while they dive by the dozens.
Like to folks in the shop and the assistance they gave me, picked me up from
the pier in the center of town. And some of the divers we picked up at their
hotels.
Happy Bubbles
Robert Bungener
Wade Norton wrote in message ...
Reef Fish (Large Nassau Grouper)
Robert Bungener wrote:
>
> Hi There,
>
> Returned from Cozumel last week, sounds so long ago already, and dove with
> Roberta's Dive Eco Cozumel. Email : rob...@cozumel.com.mx tel/fax
> ++52-987-24187.
Roberta finally came out of the closet, in the male-dominated dive
industry
in Cozumel. That shop used to be called Chino's, but Roberta always
owned
it. Chino's is now a couple of streets back, near Joe's bar, in a
little
hole in the wall.
> Had a great time for the three weeks I was there, they have small fast
> boats, takes only six (max 7) and they head out before the large slow boats
> so your down there will the others are still trucking and your doing surface
> time while they dive by the dozens.
Most of the shops have fast (6 pak) boats now. Aldora barkers used to
(and still does -- because most of them are not very well informed about
Cozumel diving) claim they have the "fastest" boats because of the twin
150 HP outboard motors. Well the "fastest" was NEVER true in the first
place because what makes a boat "fast" is much more than the motor-size.
It's hydrodynamics that matters! At any rate, LOTS of fast boats have
twin 150 HP now -- ALL of the Blue Bubble boats do; and Black Shark
has twin 200 HP on their Black Shark boat, and combinations of 200 HP
and 150 HP on their other fast boats. In short, fast boats are DIME
a DOZEN these days.
And if you're one of those get-there-before-anyone-else freak, just
arrange to have a boat start EARLY, man! <G> What's the big deal?
> Like to folks in the shop and the assistance they gave me, picked me up from
> the pier in the center of town. And some of the divers we picked up at their
> hotels.
>
> Happy Bubbles
> Robert Bungener
Glad you enjoyed your dives and service. Yes indeed. MANY (if not
MOST)
of the dive shops will provide divers with good, friendly service, and
pick up divers from the downtown (Pro Dive) pier, and from other hotels
on
the way to dive sites, as Roberta's shop does.
It PAYS (not only in monetary terms) to shop around and find a dive shop
that suits YOUR style and liking. Let the Buyer Beware if you listen
to
anyone who has taken X trips (where X is a small number) to Cozumel, and
have done all (except 2 or 3 dives) with the same shop "A".
-- Bob. Nearly 1,000 dives in Cozumel, with at least a dozen
different
dive shops. MOST of them are excellent. I never recommend
any
particular one to strangers, because that would be doing a
disservice to all the OTHER good folks.
> Wade Norton wrote in message ...
> >In article <3539E94C...@vh.net>, Lawrence Seigle <wave...@vh.net>
> wrote:
> >>Who do you think is the best dive (Cozumel) operator ? How long have you
> >>been diving ? What did you like about your choice ? Thank you for taking
> >>the time to respond. Lawrence
P.S. What's good for the goose may not be good for the gander. There
ISN'T a "best" dive operator for everyone, or anyone. Start with the
alphabet "B"! <G> Black Shark, Blue Bubble, Chino's, Cozumel
Equalizer,
Dive House, Dive Paradise (they have fast boats too), ..., and don't
forget Large Nassau Grouper's friend the Fat Grouper (Mero Gordo) with
shop and owner having the same name, Pascual (the Mero Gordo himself).
Pascual is one of the nicest DM on the island, and he owns two of the
best
designed and fastest boats!
Talk to some divers who have dived with them -- I've dived with them
all.
Talk to the personnel at the dive shop while you're downtown. All of
the shops mentioned above are within a couple of blocks south or the
Square. COMPARISON shopping. That's the way to get the best bang for
your buck, and best enjoyment for your bang! That's the only way!