Review: Scuba in Belize and Cozumel

[osufhorn]

I just got back from a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Glory and was able to dive in Belize and Cozumel.

In Belize I took the ship's excursion since it is somewhat difficult to book your own, the time window for our stop would have made it pretty tight, and the dive boat picks you up and drops you off at the ship. Carnival uses Hugh Parkey's Belize Dive Connection. We were picked up at the ship by their boat which was a large appx 35' cabin cruiser with room for about 25-30 people. We stopped at their base to get equipment for those renting and to stop at their gift shop. From there it was a 45min boat ride out to Turneffe Atoll where we dove. There were about 25 divers on the boat and they were split up into 3 groups each with their own divemaster. I was surprised at the number of people there who had no idea what they were doing. I had been expecting to be the newbie as I have only recently gotten serious about diving and only have 17 open water dives, most of them this year. I was the only one in my group of 8 who had been diving in the last 9 months and a couple of people hadn't been diving in several years. There were problems almost immediately. One guy in my group got in the water, paniced and didn't make the first dive. A guy in one of the other groups paniced, ended the dive early, and didn't make the 2nd dive, and another lady never even got in the water because she was too nervous (probably the smartest of the three). Once we finally got going, we dove Elkin's Bay and Chas Bo's Corner. There were pleanty of fish and the divemaster Phil was great about pointing out fish and other animals. There was pleanty of water and soda to drink as well as watermellon and chips and salsa during the surface interval.

In Cozumel on recommendation of postings on this board and scubaboard, I booked my own with Scuba with Alison. All I can say was that this was three times better than Belize and has convinced me to come back and spend a week in Cozumel diving with her. Alison was quick to respond to my e-mails and had clear directions for me. All I had to do was get off the ship and hop in a taxi to the Caleta Marina. She has a small boat, the Enigma II, and it was full with 8 divers on the boat. Her captain, Carlos, was very helpful and maneuvered the boat masterfully so you never had to swim to get picked up. We dove Palancar Caves for the first dive and were the first boat there so we had it all to ourselves for most of the time. We all decided we wanted to see turtles that day and Alison was able to oblige us with 2 turtles on the first dive and 4 turtles on the second dive. She was very safety conscientious and good about keeping everyone together, even retrieving 2 hooligans who broke the dive plan and went to 100'. We stopped for our surface interval at a beach restaurant and after a liesurely hour, we went to French Reef for our 2nd dive. This was absolutely spectacular as we were able to drift along in the slow but steady current and observe lots of marine life. We saw 4 turtles, a medium sized grouper, and a eel, plus lots of smaller fish and beautiful corals etc. The shallower depths made for long bottom time and the last person came up after 75 min.

[turtlegirl2]

Great review! We have been diving with Alison for the past four years and we think she is the best!! Carlos is a wonderful help and Chucho is also great to dive with. We have been wondering about Belize since we are reading so much about it these days. We are going to dive in the Keys and in Nassau next month and we both have a feeling it won't compare to Coz. But we need to broaden our horizons and dive in some new spots. We will be back to Coz either this fall or next year, though, to do more diving with Alison and crew!! Glad you had fun! :)

[bruce-r]

Thanks for taking the time to report back. I have only read good things about Alison so I'm not surprised that you had a good time diving with her.

All I can say was that this was three times better than Belize and has convinced me to come back and spend a week in Cozumel diving with her.

You won't regret a week in Cozumel, but I have to warn you about the withdrawal you will experience once you return home. The only cure it to plan a return trip to Cozumel.

[sea-jay]

Osufhorn - I, also, just completed the same trip to Belieze and Cozumel (albeit on a different cruise) and had the same comments. The Belieze diving did not meet my expectations based on all the comments and reviews I had read about Belieze. Likewise, Alison was great and we dove the same locations. Check out my photos of those two trips at my photo site. Link in my signature below.

 

Thanks for posting your review.

[Jerry_G]

I've dove in Coz and it is beautiful. I was looking forward to Belize since I've heard so many good things about it. Do you think, given the abilities of the people you were diving with, that they may have taken you to areas that were easy and not necessarily the best dive spots. I've heard that Turneffe Atoll is beautiful. I am doing the western caribbean (Coz,Belize,Costa Maya, Grand Cayman) in Dec on the Legend of the Seas(RCCL) and plan to dive in all ports of call. Hopefully Belize will live up to its hype.

[sea-jay]

Jerry - I'm envious of your being able to dive in all four ports. If I were doing that cruise over again, I would dive Belieze, Cozumel and Grand Cayman but skip Costa Maya. This port has very little in the way of Dive operators and I would not rely on their boats to get me out and back in time to catch the ship. From what I saw while I was there, I'd stay on the ship and rest.

 

According to the RCI web site, they don't even offer a ship's scuba trip there.

 

Otherwise, happy bubbles.

[bruce-r]

I would dive Belieze, Cozumel and Grand Cayman but skip Costa Maya.

Despite my strong desire to dive all I could on a cruise, I agree with you about diving Costa Maya

 

From what I saw while I was there, I'd stay on the ship and rest.

But I don't think I would stay on the ship and rest. I'd take a taxi to Mahahual 2 miles to the south of the cruise line built port facilities and do my resting there on the beach.

[Jerry_G]

Yeah I hear what your saying. The ship is scheduled in at 10:00am and departs at 6:00pm. Maybe I’ll just do a one tank dive. From my past experiences the boats on the Yucutan coast usually go out three times a day for a one tank dive each time. If the dive op I intend to use does then I’ll try to squeeze one in. That should give me enough time to evaluate their operation and equipment and determine if I can work in the second dive. By the way the URL to the dive op I’ve researched through scubaboard is attached. They are located about 2 miles from the peer in Mahahual. Costa Maya is the second port on the trip, and you know how that vacation energy can drive you to doing foolish things.

 

 

http://www.dreamtimediving.com/news/index.php

Jerry

[augie]

But I don't think I would stay on the ship and rest. I'd take a taxi to Mahahual 2 miles to the south of the cruise line built port facilities and do my resting there on the beach.

 

I'll second that. One of the best days we spent on our last cruise consisted primarily of hanging out at the beach in Mahahual, spashing in the clear water, having some cold beers and local food, and just relaxing!

 

My next cruise has stops at Belize, Roatan, Grand Cayman, and Coz. Right now the wife and I plan to dive in each port - the reports on here will be invaluable in planning that - so thank to all of the contributors!

[sea-jay]

Bruce, Jerry and Augi - Unfortunately, I'm not really a beach person. I spent much of my youth on or near the beaches, and as a lifeguard (beach and pool) exposed to the sun in Florida and I am now paying for it. I recently had my first basil cell carcenoma removed and currently have two other spots the doctor is watching closely. I now spend whatever time I have under the water instead of on top of it.:)

 

 

Happy bubbles and have a great cruise.

[osufhorn]

I am quite sure that given the abilities or inabilities as it may be of the group, that we dove the least desirable spots on Turneffe Atoll, it is a very large atoll. There was another dive boat there which mirrored us diving several hundered yards away from us both times which I believe was the group from the RCI ship in port at the same time.

[augie]

The schedule for my cruise has us in port on the Belize stop from 9:00AM to 6:00PM.

 

Even with allowing for time to wait for a tender in both directions it seems like we may have a sufficient window to do a dive with a private operator, rather than the ship's excursion.

 

The cruise isn't until January, so I still have some time to do some checking - I'll post what I find out.

[impcinder]

Augie,

We just returned from a fantastic dive with Hugh Parkey via Carnival. We anchored at 10:00 and caught the dive boat immediately. Returned around 4pm.

According to ship's information the last tender left at 6:15 pm. I heard that the tender ride was long.

 

Our dive experience was wonderful, we would do it again. We were the only boat out on the reef. I saw only one other ship anchored in Belize. Perhaps we were fortunate that we were two hours delayed into port.

 

According to the booking directions, you must have completed a dive within the past 24 months. I am sorry that people can not follow instructions or think the directive does apply to them. If you should be on a "cattle boat", speak up and suggest that alike experienced divers be put in the same groups.

When we were novice divers a couple of years ago, a more experience diver 100+ dives nicely requested that our dive group be changed.

[Sailfish]

Thanks for the input and review. I have made arrangements to have my group dive in all four of our ports of call next year. A few months prior to our departure, people in the group will be asked to fill out a questionnaire. I was told as we will have several dive boats, the PAX will be grouped according to experience. Anyone have suggestions as to what questions to ask regarding their ability level, besides how many dives they have and when they dove last?

 

Our group seems to consist of experienced divers with lots of bottom time and newbies. Should I even worry about dividing up the dive boats? Any input would be much appreciated.

 

Suzi

[Jerry_G]

It seems you have a wide range of abilities, but have several boats to divide them up into. Get in touch with the dive shops and give them a tentative break up of the groups with experience level. Ask them to recommend dive sites for these groups based on the experience levels. Since your group is large enough to fill a boat you should be able to go where you want, within the safety guidelines of the shop. I'll give you an example. I believe one of the most beautiful dives in the world is the Santa Rosa Wall in Cozumel. However is a deep dive 90-100 feet. It also, occasionally, will have down currents at the wall and requires excellent buoyancy control. This not a place where you want a beginner who is struggling with bouyancy. Other reefs along Cozumel are only 30-60 feet deep with sandy bottoms around the coral. Definitely more forgiving for beginners with buoyancy issues. All the dives at Cozumel are beautiful in their own right, but are different. If you have some very experienced divers they may want to try the 'devils throat'. That dive will take you down to the recreational dive limit via tunnel. Good luck in you decision

[sea-jay]

Posted by Sailfish

Anyone have suggestions as to what questions to ask regarding their ability level, besides how many dives they have and when they dove last?

 

I would also ask what certification level each diver has. Open water vs. Advanced Open Water vs. wreck, etc, etc. etc. will give you an even better idea than just how many dives someone has. 100 dives in calm water at depths of 35-40 feet (think Looe Key in the Florida Keys) does not compare to the same 100 dives at 100-130 feet or swimming thru wrecks. I would much rather have a buddy that has 50 deep dives than 100 shallow dives.

 

Also, ask how long they have been diving. Someone that has 100 dives spread over 50 years (one two tank dive per annual cruise) cannot equate to someone that has 100 dives all in four years even tho that person may not have been able to dive the last year. In both cases, answers to your original questions would be the same:

 

how many dives = 100,

 

when last dive = One year ago

 

You can't really say both of these individuals would have the same level of experience.

 

My only purpose in adding these questions is to get a better idea how to break up the group based on experience. I know a lot of people can't get to the water for dives more than once a year or so. I applaud them for maintaining the desire to 'get down':) I happen to be fortunate to live in Florida and can dive much more frequently.

 

Happy bubbles.

[bruce-r]

I would also ask what certification level each diver has. Open water vs. Advanced Open Water vs. wreck, etc, etc. etc. will give you an even better idea than just how many dives someone has.

I think it a much better idea would be to just ask how many dives a person has. Having an AOW actually doesn't indicate that a diver is actually advanced. You can get an AOW and still have only 20 dives, though I'm sure most AOW divers do have more. The actual number of dives and the conditions under which the dive took place are much more important in determining a divers skill level. For example, I'm not AOW but I have about 150 dives since certification in 2001 with the majority of the dives in cold water. I would rate myself as an advanced diver in warm water, but only an intermediate diver in cold water.

 

The questions I'd ask are:

1. How long have you been diving?
   
2. How many total dives do you have, and how many in the last year?
   
3. How long since your last dive?
   
4. Level of certification? List any specialty certifications.
   

[Sailfish]

I think it a much better idea would be to just ask how many dives a person has. Having an AOW actually doesn't indicate that a diver is actually advanced. You can get an AOW and still have only 20 dives, though I'm sure most AOW divers do have more. The actual number of dives and the conditions under which the dive took place are much more important in determining a divers skill level. For example, I'm not AOW but I have about 150 dives since certification in 2001 with the majority of the dives in cold water. I would rate myself as an advanced diver in warm water, but only an intermediate diver in cold water.

 

The questions I'd ask are:

1. How long have you been diving?
   
2. How many total dives do you have, and how many in the last year?
   
3. How long since your last dive?
   
4. Level of certification? List any specialty certifications.
   

 

I agree that certification level has no bearing on how experienced a diver might be. I got certified in the early 90's in Northern CA (in Monterey) and have been diving consistently - about 20 dives a year (maybe more some years) in both cold and warm water - since then. I have lost count of my dives, but I know I am well over 100 - probably closer to 200, yet I too do not have my AOW certification and probably will never go to the trouble of getting it. But as I have the opportunity to dive several times a year, I can see why someone who does not would want to get their AOW certification imediately after getting certified. I my opinion, the number of dives a person has and how often they dive is key. But I have to tell you, on occasion, you come across a newly certified diver who has great buoyency control and is a "natural" - we met some high school kids in Bonaire who were awesome - just took to the water immediately. And I will say, I too took to water like a fish, though it took me a few years to really feel good about diving at night.

 

The dive operators we have contracted with in each port are requesting that everyone in the group fill out a dive questionnaire (I will be responsible for this questionnaire). I expect our group to have two, maybe three dive boats (we can already fill up two boats and the cruise is still 17 months away). I for one would like to keep the more advanced divers on one boat, the newly certified people on the other. But how will the newly certified people feel about this? What about the couple who's husband is experienced and she is newly certified? You can't separate them. And then there are the people who think they are "experienced" but have not been in water for years! Oh, all this makes my head spin!

 

Any and all input is much appreciated. Thanks a bunch!!

 

Suzi

[sea-jay]

The reason I suggested the level of certification is that if there are enough AOW certified divers, the group may want to schedule a deep wall dive but if everyone is only OW, no deep dives can be scheduled. Additionally, if anyone is Wreck certified, maybe scheduling a wreck dive may be possible. Sailfish didn't mention how many divers were in the "group" but I assumed it was quite a few since they will have "several" dive boats.

 

 

Also, I guess I assumed every instructor would adhere to the safety standards that my instructor has. He would not allow me to take AOW until I had a minimum of 25 open water dives. Using his criteria, that indicated that I had at least a basic level of experience before being certified for deep diving which, next to cave and wreck diving can be the most dangerous.

 

Given that Sailfish already had mentioned questions regarding how many dives and when was the last one, I thought my two additional suggestions would cover most of the requirements to obtain everyone's level of experience.

 

If I were coordinating this group, other questions I would ask are:

 

What dives would everone like to do most: Drift, wall, wreck, deep, etc.?

[Sailfish]

The reason I suggested the level of certification is that if there are enough AOW certified divers, the group may want to schedule a deep wall dive but if everyone is only OW, no deep dives can be scheduled. Additionally, if anyone is Wreck certified, maybe scheduling a wreck dive may be possible. Sailfish didn't mention how many divers were in the "group" but I assumed it was quite a few since they will have "several" dive boats.

 

 

Also, I guess I assumed every instructor would adhere to the safety standards that my instructor has. He would not allow me to take AOW until I had a minimum of 25 open water dives. Using his criteria, that indicated that I had at least a basic level of experience before being certified for deep diving which, next to cave and wreck diving can be the most dangerous.

 

Given that Sailfish already had mentioned questions regarding how many dives and when was the last one, I thought my two additional suggestions would cover most of the requirements to obtain everyone's level of experience.

 

If I were coordinating this group, other questions I would ask are:

 

What dives would everone like to do most: Drift, wall, wreck, deep, etc.?

 

I can't speak for others, but most of my dives have been well over the standard 60 feet max depth and I am only OW certified. I believe the deepest I have been to has been around 110 feet in Cozumel, but more often than not, our first tanks depths max out around 80 feet. We dive with computers, as do most folks who own their own gear, and its been my experience that most Caribbean dives start out at 70-90 feet. Even in Bonaire, where most dives are considered to be shallow, we averaged around 75 feet per dive.

 

What normally happens on a wall or other dive is you will see divers above and below you. I tend to stick with the DM under normal circumstances, who also has a computer. I know you go through OW certification learning that you must have AOW to go deeper, but in the real world, thanks to computers, this is not the case. I consider myself relatively conservative, but both me and my buddy (aka husband) have good air consumption so we know what depth is okay. We always listen to the DM and follow "the plan". Now, if dive operations would adhere to the OW depth rule, that would be different. But I have yet to find one that does.

 

For a while, I was thinking about getting AOW certified, but I have pretty much done everything. My only weakness is navigation, but I think its a matter of practice for me.

 

Your recommendation in finding out what people want to do is a good one; some will definitely have preferences, while others, I'm guessing, won't. Since the dive operation will not "know" us, I'm pretty sure, regardless of our stated abilities and experience, we will be taken to more conservative sites thanks to liability issues. What do you think? Our group will be diving together all week, but as we will be calling on four different ports of call, I'm guessing the DM's won't risk taking us to more challenging sites.

[Sailfish]

The reason I suggested the level of certification is that if there are enough AOW certified divers, the group may want to schedule a deep wall dive but if everyone is only OW, no deep dives can be scheduled. Additionally, if anyone is Wreck certified, maybe scheduling a wreck dive may be possible. Sailfish didn't mention how many divers were in the "group" but I assumed it was quite a few since they will have "several" dive boats.

 

 

Also, I guess I assumed every instructor would adhere to the safety standards that my instructor has. He would not allow me to take AOW until I had a minimum of 25 open water dives. Using his criteria, that indicated that I had at least a basic level of experience before being certified for deep diving which, next to cave and wreck diving can be the most dangerous.

 

Given that Sailfish already had mentioned questions regarding how many dives and when was the last one, I thought my two additional suggestions would cover most of the requirements to obtain everyone's level of experience.

 

If I were coordinating this group, other questions I would ask are:

 

What dives would everone like to do most: Drift, wall, wreck, deep, etc.?

 

 

I can't speak for others, but most of my dives have been well over the standard 60 feet max depth and I am only OW certified. I believe the deepest I have been to has been around 110 feet in Cozumel, but more often than not, our first tanks depths max out around 80 feet. We dive with computers, as do most folks who own their own gear, and its been my experience that most Caribbean dives start out at 70-90 feet. Even in Bonaire, where most dives are considered to be shallow, we averaged around 75 feet per dive.

 

What normally happens on a wall or other dive is you will see divers above and below you. I tend to stick with the DM under normal circumstances, who also has a computer. I know you go through OW certification learning that you must have AOW to go deeper, but in the real world, thanks to computers, this is not the case. I consider myself relatively conservative, but both me and my buddy (aka husband) have good air consumption so we know what depth is okay. We always listen to the DM and follow "the plan". Now, if dive operations would adhere to the OW depth rule, that would be different. But I have yet to find one that does.

 

For a while, I was thinking about getting AOW certified, but I have pretty much done everything. My only weakness is navigation, but I think its a matter of practice for me.

 

Your recommendation in finding out what people want to do is a good one; some will definitely have preferences, while others, I'm guessing, won't. Since the dive operation will not "know" us, I'm pretty sure, regardless of our stated abilities and experience, we will be taken to more conservative sites thanks to liability issues. What do you think? Our group will be diving together all week, but as we will be calling on four different ports of call, I'm guessing the DM's won't risk taking us to more challenging sites.