Scuba in Cozumel- Go With Ship Tour or Not?

[kandlwed]

We will be on Carnival Freedom in June. I have been reading the boards but still cannot decide whether or not to book through the ship or not. If the answer it not.... which is the best shop to book through? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Thank you in advance!! :)

[dirvin0500]

We never do. We've gone with both "Eagle Ray Divers" and "Scuba with Alison". Both are great and work out of Caleta Marina which is a short ride from the pier.

Neither of them run "cattle cars". I don't like decending though a curtain of bubbles with a bunch of people. Never had more than 8 divers anywhere.

[bruce-r]

The correct answer for you is: Depends.

 

If you are a novice diver and/or have a late arrival time in port, then you might be better off going with the ship's dive excursion.

 

If you are an advanced diver and have an early enough arrival time, then going with a private small boat operator would be my choice.

 

"What are the pro's and con's of going with the ship's dive excursion VS making your own arrangements?"

 

We get this asked from time to time, so I thought I'd just give my opinion as to what I think are some reasons a person might want to use the ship's dive excursion or make their own arrangement, so here goes

 

The way shore excursions work is that the cruise line contracts with companies at each port of call to provide the shore excursions the sell on the ships. In most cases, you can make your own arrangements and cut out the cost the cruise line adds to the trip.

 

Pros of making your own arrangements, at least for diving:

• usually cost less
  
• not limited on bottom time, dive your own profile
  
• can choose a smaller boat which will be less crowded
  
• can have a voice in decided the dive site
  
• smaller operator, more personal service
  
• better choice for more advanced divers
  
• you can shore dive if you want, which is much less expensive and not dependent on someone else's schedule. Grand Cayman is especially good for this.
  

 

Cons:

• more work for you to make plans, get to the meeting place
  
• ship won't wait if you are late, but being late is highly unlikely
  

 

Going with the ship's excursion

Pros:

• easy planning
  
• gear is often included
  
• good choice for the once a year cruise diver
  
• you get to dive with other people from your ship
  
• ship will wait if you are late ( this does matter to some people)
  
• easier logistically at some ports, especially Belize, or if you arrive in port too late for the morning dive boats from private operators
  

 

Cons:

• Usually cost a bit more, sometimes a lot more
  
• usually larger boats which can usually mean more people, but not always
  
• usually predetermined dive sites
  
• usually bottom times are predetermined, or everyone has to surface when the first person is low on air.
  
• dives are often follow the leader type dives, which is especially annoying for advanced divers or photographers
  

 

I hope this will help others decide which to choose, as there is no one right answer for everyone, every time.

 

 

As for who to go with, I like http://www.bluextseadiving.com

 

I'd also consider going with: http://www.scubawithalison.com or http://www.scubatony.com

[MrCo9]

I like to dive with Martin in Cozumel.

[rgh2928]

My recommendation is to just book through the ship if this is your first time. Once you have a dive excursion under your belt you can see if you want to plan your own or not. The ship excursions are much easier and you don't have to worry about getting off the ship in time to meet your private dive boat and you don't have to worry about getting back to the ship on time. I just dove Cozumel off of the Valor last week and the dive boat lost an engine. Not too big a deal as we were diving fairly close. They did sent us back to the ship in Taxis from the dive shop rather than drop us off with the boat. This was a ship's excursion. Very nice large boat. If you do book your own, check out their dive boat online and I would recommedn calling an asking if the boat pictured will be the one you'll dive off of. When you get to Cozumel and see all the tiny "Pangas" (Mexican Fishing Boats)running around with a load of divers you'll see what I mean. Bigger doesn't always mean better when it comes to boats but they should be a reasonably sized boat. Take care and have a great dive. It was very nice!!

[rednose83]

We booked through Scuba with Alison. We loved her. The dives are much more personal and relaxed than the cruise ship excursions (done both). Especially if you don't own your gear.

[jcm996]

I booked 1 time with a cruise line. Ended up being 25 of us. Some of the people made it publicly known they were "resort" divers, basically they could not even assemble their own equipment and made sure to get help from the dive staff. (Sorry personally no one assembles my equipment for me) We hit the water max depth was 40 feet we did a 20 minute dive because someone drained their tank and it ended it for all of us.So here or 25 people treading water waiting to crowd back onto the boat. I stayed down under the boat and they got mad, what is the point of floating on the surface when I have 2500psi left. Maybe 2000. Not all from the ship will be this bad, but I will never take the chance again.

 

Every time since then I have got on the internet, researched the local dive operations and always pick on with a boat that holds 10 or less. I have been happy with every operation I have found so far. I have been on dives where the dive masters tell us before hand, they are only going to be down 15-20 min then with us and will lead us back to the boat so they can go up and prepare the boat for our return. Then they leave us down there until we come up.

Then we end up staggering getting out of the water, so at the ladder it is you and your buddy, short wait and your out of the water. Then the next pair surfaces. In all my personal bookings, I have never been out with more than 8 divers and the DM, a few times it was just 4 of us and the DM. Most of these non-ship dive shops are within walking distance of the pier or a $4 cab ride.

 

Cozumel is really nice diving, I stayed at an all inclusive dive resort so don't have a operator suggestion, but I have heard of most of the ones suggested so far on many different boards for many years now.

[divingmedic]

The correct answer for you is: Depends.

 

If you are a novice diver and/or have a late arrival time in port, then you might be better off going with the ship's dive excursion.

 

If you are an advanced diver and have an early enough arrival time, then going with a private small boat operator would be my choice.

 

 

"What are the pro's and con's of going with the ship's dive excursion VS making your own arrangements?"

 

We get this asked from time to time, so I thought I'd just give my opinion as to what I think are some reasons a person might want to use the ship's dive excursion or make their own arrangement, so here goes

 

The way shore excursions work is that the cruise line contracts with companies at each port of call to provide the shore excursions the sell on the ships. In most cases, you can make your own arrangements and cut out the cost the cruise line adds to the trip.

 

 

Pros of making your own arrangements, at least for diving:

• usually cost less
  
• not limited on bottom time, dive your own profile
  
• can choose a smaller boat which will be less crowded
  
• can have a voice in decided the dive site
  
• smaller operator, more personal service
  
• better choice for more advanced divers
  
• you can shore dive if you want, which is much less expensive and not dependent on someone else's schedule. Grand Cayman is especially good for this.
  

 

Cons:

• more work for you to make plans, get to the meeting place
  
• ship won't wait if you are late, but being late is highly unlikely
  

Going with the ship's excursion

 

Pros:

• easy planning
  
• gear is often included
  
• good choice for the once a year cruise diver
  
• you get to dive with other people from your ship
  
• ship will wait if you are late ( this does matter to some people)
  
• easier logistically at some ports, especially Belize, or if you arrive in port too late for the morning dive boats from private operators
  

 

Cons:

• Usually cost a bit more, sometimes a lot more
  
• usually larger boats which can usually mean more people, but not always
  
• usually predetermined dive sites
  
• usually bottom times are predetermined, or everyone has to surface when the first person is low on air.
  
• dives are often follow the leader type dives, which is especially annoying for advanced divers or photographers
  

I hope this will help others decide which to choose, as there is no one right answer for everyone, every time.

 

 

 

As for who to go with, I like www.bluextseadiving.com

 

I'd also consider going with: www.scubawithalison.com or www.scubatony.com

Blue Xtsea is the bomb. Love diving with them. They are the only outfit I will use when I go to Cozumel.

[deepstops]

I like to dive with Martin in Cozumel.

 

 

Another vote for Dive With Martin. Speedy boats, never more than 8 divers, and top notch divemasters.

[Cattie]

The correct answer for you is: Depends.

 

If you are a novice diver and/or have a late arrival time in port, then you might be better off going with the ship's dive excursion.

 

If you are an advanced diver and have an early enough arrival time, then going with a private small boat operator would be my choice.

 

"What are the pro's and con's of going with the ship's dive excursion VS making your own arrangements?"

 

We get this asked from time to time, so I thought I'd just give my opinion as to what I think are some reasons a person might want to use the ship's dive excursion or make their own arrangement, so here goes

 

The way shore excursions work is that the cruise line contracts with companies at each port of call to provide the shore excursions the sell on the ships. In most cases, you can make your own arrangements and cut out the cost the cruise line adds to the trip.

 

Pros of making your own arrangements, at least for diving:

• usually cost less
  
• not limited on bottom time, dive your own profile
  
• can choose a smaller boat which will be less crowded
  
• can have a voice in decided the dive site
  
• smaller operator, more personal service
  
• better choice for more advanced divers
  
• you can shore dive if you want, which is much less expensive and not dependent on someone else's schedule. Grand Cayman is especially good for this.
  

 

Cons:

• more work for you to make plans, get to the meeting place
  
• ship won't wait if you are late, but being late is highly unlikely
  

 

Going with the ship's excursion

Pros:

• easy planning
  
• gear is often included
  
• good choice for the once a year cruise diver
  
• you get to dive with other people from your ship
  
• ship will wait if you are late ( this does matter to some people)
  
• easier logistically at some ports, especially Belize, or if you arrive in port too late for the morning dive boats from private operators
  

 

Cons:

• Usually cost a bit more, sometimes a lot more
  
• usually larger boats which can usually mean more people, but not always
  
• usually predetermined dive sites
  
• usually bottom times are predetermined, or everyone has to surface when the first person is low on air.
  
• dives are often follow the leader type dives, which is especially annoying for advanced divers or photographers
  

 

I hope this will help others decide which to choose, as there is no one right answer for everyone, every time.

 

 

As for who to go with, I like www.bluextseadiving.com

 

I'd also consider going with: www.scubawithalison.com or www.scubatony.com

 

We just did a discover scuba with Scubatony in Cozumel. It was the Dive Master, my husband and myself. It was great. We dove with Jason, Tony's partner. My husband has issues with his ears, so he stayed closer to the top and Jason and I went along the whole reef. He was great making sure both of us where ok, even after my husband got sick and had to go into the boat, the both of us went along.

 

I highly recommend Scubatony.

[hoop4321]

currently carnival and royal caribbean are booking with sand dollar. We have a son who was a new ow in september and did not want him pressured to go deeper so we went with the boat excursion. They have a hard deck of 80 ft. They did let the people who were low on air buddy up and go up without the dm. They were ok in september so we went with them again in february. The boat was different. They had the fuel sitting on deck, which is dangerous. They were consistently late and we barely had time to run back to the boat. Knowing that we were late, they stopped and picked up and dropped off various crew members along the way.

[scuabacruiser]

We will be on Carnival Freedom in June. I have been reading the boards but still cannot decide whether or not to book through the ship or not. If the answer it not .... which is the best shop to book through? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Thank you in advance!! :)

 

Not. Also what bruce-r said. We have also used Papa Hogs and liked them, small fast boats.

[scorpluvsdolphins]

I was in Cozumel and tried to book with Tony and Alison. Both were booked solid. I went with Sand Dollar (cruise line) and it wasn't bad except for the super strong current. I do drift dives off of Florida frequently. This was a ride. Me weighing the least on the boat and descending first, got swept away by the current faster than everyone else. When the dive master motioned for me to come to him, I put my hands up to say, "I give up". I attempted to swim against this current to no avail. I descended to the sand and was able to slow myself down a little bit.

I asked one of the dive masters is this typical and he said that he has not been in a current this strong in over a year and he dives every day. No other boats where dropping off divers near us as our boat told them not to.

When we swam through one of the reefs, the current on the other side almost swept me away again. Luckily, I was behind the dive master and saw what happened to him when we emerged and again went to the bottom.

The second dive was totally awesome. We stayed down 47 mins and saw lots and lots.

They only had 9 divers and 2 dive masters. It was fine.

 

BOOK EARLY WITH whomever you choose. I tried 3 weeks ahead and it wasn't enough time.

terri

[KJHorton]

We just got back from a week in Cozumel and dove with Scuba with Alison and ScubaTony. Both are excellent operators. They let you dive your air/computer limits. They raise their flag and stay with you until they see you are safely on the boat and then continue with the rest of the group. You can't go wrong either way!

 

We also drove with Dressell Divers because the other two were full one day. When we hit an hour, it was time to ascend, no matter how much air you had left. I don't think I would dive with them again.

 

As an aside, if you feel like you start drifting too far ahead of the group, all you have to do is tuck down below a coral head to stay out of the current. You can just wait there until the rest of the group catches up with you.

[Ottawa_cruise_man]

Another vote for Dive With Martin. Speedy boats, never more than 8 divers, and top notch divemasters.

 

I don't think I like dive With Martin's cruise ship policy: <click here>

of note is: "Dive with Martin has had difficulty in providing a high level of service to both land based and cruise ship divers due to the conflict between needs and schedules. The problem is compounded by the variability of ship arrivals times (which can even be affected by weather) and coordination with land based divers. Our highest priority has been given to our land based divers who typically book multiple day dive packages. In order to accommodate our cruise ship divers, and provide the best possible service, we have two reservation options available: Confirmed or Standby."

 

So you can charter a boat ("confirmed" option - how nice of them! hehe!) or do the standby which means this:

"Reservations can be made in normal manner with deposit in full at the normal rate for the total number of divers. We will make an effort to find other divers who wish to depart on the cruise ship times on that date. We also encourage you to find other divers onboard that would like to dive to meet the minimum diver load of 4-8 divers per boat. It is our expectation that the minimum load of 4 divers will be achieved in almost all cases. However, if we are unable to meet the load, we will immediately issue a cash refund and make all possible efforts to assist you in diving with a reputable alternative dive operator."

 

And since I haven't found a single person the the entire Oasis of the Seas sailing on October 16th, 2010, I can see how this can play out. so if I don't have a group, I won't be choosing these guys...

[Acker]

I've used Dive with Martin and can't say enought good things about them.

[Ottawa_cruise_man]

I've used Dive with Martin and can't say enought good things about them.

 

Hello Acker,

 

you say that you can't say enough good things about them, but you haven't said anything! ;)

 

Could you elaborate, please? It helps to hear what your experience(s) was/were like. If you have been there more than once. If you're comparing them to another shop (ex: they stood out becasue at this shop they did this, but at that shop they did that), could you tell us how they compared? Did they offer you drinks and meals? If yes, what did they offer? What do they do during off-gassing? Did they accommodate cruisers and their funky schedules? Did they offer transportation? How many people were on the dive with you? What was the ratio of divers-to-DM? What was the boat like? Did you have a predetermined dive time, or could you use up as much air as you wanted (within safety limits) in your tank? What were the dive sites like? Were they friendly? Did they offer rental gear (very important for cruisers)? What was the gear like? etc...

 

I know: I'm a pain in the butt! :D