Scuba in Cozumel and Costa Maya

[cruisecouple88]

DH and I will be cruising in Feb. Does anyone have a recommendation for Costa Maya or Cozumel scuba diving operations?

 

We used a dive operation in Cozumel a few years back that was in Chankanaab Park. We don't necessarily need to go with this dive shop, but we would like one that we can hang out at the beach afterwards. That one was nice because we did a shore dive and then hung out at the beach with no one else around. Does anyone know of a such an opertion in Cozumel or Costa Maya?

 

Thanks.

[scuba214]

Last year I dove with Bucanero Del Caribe in Costa Maya. They are right in Mahahual on the malecon. They are located at Hotel Mahahual, around the back. It worked out good because my DH doesn't dive so he hung out at the beach club, EL Faro while I was gone. Here is there web address: www.divemahahual.com

 

In Cozumel we took a taxi, $20 each way to Playa Palancar. They have a dive shop there that offers scuba.

 

Both places do boat dives.

[highsierracpl]

Had a great two tank dive in Cozumel at Playa Uvas. They are on the net and / or facebook.

[vplsh]

We were in Costa Maya last week and went to Maya Chan. Mark, the owner, arranged for a 2 tank dive for my husband. They picked him up at the beach, brought him back for his 45 break between dives, and had him back by 2 for lunch and a couple of hours at the beach. He said they were great and would definitely dive with them again.

 

You can find them at costa maya beach resort dot com (no spaces).

[MPM]

You might consider "Scuba with Alison" in Cozumel. Six or fewer divers, and she accommodates cruisers. We dove with her last year, and will be diving with her again in May.

 

- Mike

[zen-diver]

I don't know about diving in Cozumel, but last year in Costa Maya we dove with Nomad Divers, and they were absolutely fabulous! Very personalized, professional and overall great experience!

 

They wrote us that they take a maximum of 6 divers per boat, but it turned out we were the only divers that day, so we had the boat and everything to ourselves.

 

You can find them here: http://www.nomaddivers.com

[cruisecouple88]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I was wondering for those of you who dove in Costa Maya ... is the diving good there? We were wondering if we should dive there or just snorkel.

 

Thanks!

[scuba instructor]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I was wondering for those of you who dove in Costa Maya ... is the diving good there? We were wondering if we should dive there or just snorkel.

 

Thanks!

 

I am leading a group on a dive in Cozumel. I use a shop called Scuba Mau. They have a divemaster Ramon "Monkey" who is fantastic. He does a great job finding small and cool stuff along the reef. They operate small boats and took my group of 4 this past June. Safe and fun dive operation. They charge $65/pp + $10 for all the gear you need.

If you want more details. Feel free to email me at scubafamily1@verizon.net

Safe diving....Eric :cool:

[Ottawa_cruise_man]

I dove at both locations last October, and Cozumel was by far the better of the sites to dive. I don't know whether the dive shop in Cost Maya (the one that RCI uses) took us to crappy places because they were in a hurry, or because that was as good as it gets. I just wrote this below on another thread:

 

If you have a choice between Costa Maya and Cozumel for diving: choose Cozumel, and DON'T do a cruise dive. I used Chucho Divers, and was very impressed with both the locations, and the DM. Nice long dives too: 50 minutes and 2 x 65 minutes. :)

 

You will see soooo much more nice stuff in Cozumel than in Costa Maya - no comparison, and I did the sites 1 day after the other - so no seasonal differences between them

 

Good luck! :)

[AtlFolks]

Blue Angel Dive Shop in Cozumel is a 2 minute taxi ride from the terminal. This is a no frills operation and you will definitely want to bring your own gear. But - they are experienced, safe, friendly, and professional. After your two-tank reef dives, you can come back and do a free shore dive - there is a stingray area next door that can be observed too. You can swim in the pool or hang on the deck following the dive, just don't fall asleep so you can get back to the ship. My objective was a budget minded quality dive and that was accomplished.

[Shark Bait!]

+2 for Scuba with Alison. Very personalized service, caters to cruise divers, and lets you dive your tank!

[Friscorays]

We were in Costa Maya last week and went to Maya Chan. Mark, the owner, arranged for a 2 tank dive for my husband. They picked him up at the beach, brought him back for his 45 break between dives, and had him back by 2 for lunch and a couple of hours at the beach. He said they were great and would definitely dive with them again.

 

You can find them at costa maya beach resort dot com (no spaces).

 

My wife and I have done the same, twice. Looking forward to the third time.....

 

In Cozumel, another thumbs up for Allison.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1230873&highlight=maya+chan

[cruisecouple88]

My wife and I have done the same, twice. Looking forward to the third time.....

 

In Cozumel, another thumbs up for Allison.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1230873&highlight=maya+chan

 

When you went to Maya Chan beach in Costa Maya to dive, did you have to pay for the all inclusive beach resort fee (~$49) and scuba or just for scuba diving?

[Friscorays]

Maya Chan is my all time favorite all inclusive beach day so my wife and I both paid for the day there and I did the diving as an addition to the beach day.

 

The dive operator Maya Chan used both times I visited was Blue Ocean Safari. If you don't want to do the beach day at Maya Chan, I would suggest contacting them directly:

 

http://www.blueoceansafari.com/

[dirvin0500]

Add another voice for Scuba with Alison. Also know though, that we did our "Intro to Scuba" with Eagle Ray Divers and they got us hooked on our favorite thing to do. Both are great folks.

For Costa Maya, last Jan we dove with Mayan Palms. Completely self-sufficient resort. We were diving along with the Publisher of Sport Diver. Great wall dive. Bottom at 105'. Saw a 30 foot long whale shark on the way up the wall. It was a real treat. They also have a great lunch option.

They're run by a couple from Missouri that also own Bonne Terre Mines....