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Best private dive operator for Feb. 2018?


KathiB
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We will be in Cozumel for the first time next Feb. for one day on our Rhapsody of the Seas cruise. My sister and I are certified divers and are excited to finally dive Cozumel. We are both in our 60s and only dive about once or twice every year or two. We need a dive shop that caters to different levels and will have small groups. We want to make sure we have a dive master with us and not too many people. How early should we reserve this? Any recommendations? Thank you!

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Okay, I don't want to insult you, but if you only dive once or twice a year, you are still a Newbie, no matter what year you were certified. Your skills are rusty. And I am guessing you are not taking your own gear (BC and regulator), so that means you will be renting gear at each port where you dive. My recommendation is that you book the dives through the cruise ship.... they will be set for handling people who are only occasional divers, plus have rental gear available which is more than likely new. You might also want to think about paying for a DM dedicated to you, for the dives. That way, you do not have to worry about the group.

 

As far as Cozumel goes.... it is all drift diving. That means you jump off the boat, and the current pulls you along until the dive is over, then you surface and the boat comes to you. It is different from most places, doesn't mean it is harder, but it is different. Some people love it, some don't like it at all. It is important that you are comfortable in the water, good bouyancy skills, and air consumption. Having your own personal DM will be a bonus in getting used to it.

 

Cozumel is the place me and DH have been diving for the past 17 years, we have hundreds of dives there as we used to go for week land-based trips 1-2 times a year. It is the destination we have done more than any other in Caribbean for a reason, it is AMAZING.

 

Enjoy your dives there.

 

robin

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Thank you both for your replies. Yes, we are a bit rusty but we have been on multiple week long trips to Club Med Columbus Isle where we dive almost every day. I will check with Aldora and see what they have to say. My husband and I dove off Puerto Aventuras and it was basically a drift dive as well. We are really exited for Cozumel after hearing such good things over the years.

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For Cozumel, Aldora all day all the time. They limit to 6 divers on a boat, so they can match skill levels, and they make diving from the cruise a piece of cake. They cost more than other operators, but they use 120 CF steel tanks, so your dives are significantly longer than they would be with the usual aluminum 80 CF.

 

It seems to me from another thread you're also stopping in Costa Maya (Mahahual). There, Gypsea Divers is the answer.

 

 

Harris

Denver, CO

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Thank you. I have heard good things about Aldora. I am going to email them for info. We have been to Mahahual. We actually stayed for a week in a house about 15 minutes north of town. Had hoped to dive but it was too windy everyday we were there. We were in touch with Gypsea every morning and they wouldn't go out because of the wind. We did enjoy several days hanging out at the beach by one of the beachside restaurants. That's what we may do there. We hope to dive in both Grand cayman and Cozumel and have our beach day in Mahahual. Not sure about the Belize City port yet.

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I emailed Aldora about our cruise stop in Cozumel in Feb. 2018. Since we arrive in port at 10:30 am Aldora replied they cannot accommodate us because all their dive trips leave around 7:30am. I thought they might have a one tank afternoon dive but I guess not. Since we get in at 10:30 do you think it would be better to book the ship's 2 tank scuba excursion?

I should have included that we will be in Grand Cayman the day before and we hope to dive there as well. Any recommendation for operators there would be great. Port time there is 7:00am - 3:30pm. thanks.

Edited by KathiB
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Laura, thank you. I emailed another company in Cozumel that does afternoon dives which might work since we are there until 7:30pm. Otherwise we will have to book the ship's excursion. I also emailed a couple places in Grand Cayman: Cayman Marine Lab and Living the Dream. If we do the Eden Rock can we get all the gear there from an operator? What about a personal Dive Master for the two of us? Thank you for the info.

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If you use the ship's excursion in Grand Cayman, you will go with Don Fosters. We did that 2 years ago and were satisfied. I have videos of both dives.

 

 

 

There were 2 groups on the boat each with a divemaster leading and one following, and they had us get in the water spaced about 10 minutes apart. It worked out okay. There were some newbies, just certified, and they stayed right up with the dm. Me and DH just hung in the back, mostly because I want to let the dm point out stuff, let everyone see it, then if I can get some video of it afterwards I don't have anyone bugging me. I noticed on our cruise ship listing, they have more than one choice on dive sites now, so not sure if there is more than one dive operator or they are just taking multiple boats.

Long and short of it..... they did their job, got us safely to dive sites, and tanks were full to start. We were back at port in plenty of time to shop afterwards. Would we use the cruise ship dive op again...yes. They weren't the best but by far better than many we have used. Having experienced divers mixed with beginners has got to be a cluster sometimes. I give them props for not blowing a gasket at some of the stupid stuff they obviously see daily.

(Let me say that my DH is a former scuba instructor and is also a certified tech diver with 900+ dives, I have only 500+ dives, but have done lots of diving all over the world. We have done great dives with great dive ops, liveaboards, and a few sketchy dives with horrible dive ops. I would honestly tell you if we had any problems with them.)

 

robin

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When in Cozumel I usually dive with Cristina. She is very accommodating and dives with small groups. She has never disappointed me. My 4 boys and I are certified and have varying levels of experience. She has always been patient with my children that are less experienced.

 

 

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Thank you all. I got a couple recommendations for Tres Pelicanos on Cozumel. I emailed them today and they can accommodate us for a 2 tank dive in the afternoon since our port time is 10:30am - 7:30pm. I read very good reviews on Trip Advisor and am very pleased with the info they dent me today. For Grand Cayman I have been in touch with Cayman Marine Lab run by the marine biologist Dr. Byrnes. He was very nice in his reply so we might have things pretty well lined up. But I am always willing to here more tips and suggestions.

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For any future divers with snorkeling family with this question , we really love Scuba Du out of the intercontinental and we are using them on our upcoming trip.

We are arriving at 11pm which means, obviously an afternoon dive.

Most dive ops in Cozumel will provide a private DM for a very reasonable rate which is what we did after our shore dive. It had been several years since we dived.

We are chartering a boat to paradise reef which is a few minutes from the hotel, as this will allow our kids to snorkel at the same time, with their own guide. It's $200, a very good value. Sure it's only 40 feet and not the most magnificent dive site, but it has a very nice variety of sea life with a pretty fun drift. The fact that it's shallow makes it nice for your snorkeling people.

Their equipment is in good shape and it is a well run operation.

 

 

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