Cozumel Dive Op Recommendations?

[CFL]

Can anyone recommend a dive shop for the windward side of the island and the other advanced reefs (Maracaibo, Punta Sur, Barracuda)? Would Careyitos or Aldora fit the bill?

Also, can anyone tell me if the cenote dives on Cozumel are worth giving a try, versus the cenotes on the Yucatan?

Thanks,
Cary

 

[CFL]

I should add that I've used Caballito del Caribe, but they've not always been the most reliable. I've also used Dive Paradise and don't like the cattle boats. Deep Blue wasn't bad, but I didn't get the feeling that they specialized in the advanced sites, but maybe others have been with them to those sites?

 

[TheRedHead]

I did a dive on the windward side with Aldora because the harbor was closed. My buddy and I have dived with them several times and they knew our skills. Email Memo and ask him about the possibility of a windward dive.

Aldora dives Maracabo and Punta Sur, but I booked with Liquid Blue to dive Barracuda and San Juan. If you book with a large enough party, I'm sure you could arrange those dives. With 2 people, we are always at the mercy of the least skilled diver on the boat.

 

[CFL]

Thanks for the information. I think I'll try Aldora and/or Liquid Blue this time.

Unless you go with a dive shop, I guess, it's hard to insure that you'll have a group of divers big enough and advanced to confirm the advanced dives. That's why I had hoped there were some dive shops that catered to the more advanced dives.

My trip will not, unfortunately, have a large group of advanced divers. But, who knows, maybe Aldora or Liquid Blue will have a group already.

By the way, how was the windward side? Bigger pelagics? Nice reefs?

 

[TheRedHead]

We did an exploration dive on the windward side on a site I named Mario's Mounds (named after Mario the DM). We found patches of mounds with pristine hard and soft coral. We didn't spot any pelagic fish. Profile was 72 ft for 64 minutes and it was pretty flat with some finning against a current. They have a new boat, but our dive was done from an open fishing boat. The new boat has a cabin and diesel engine.

We will be in Cozumel diving next week with Deep Exposure. It's our first time diving with them, but they have doubles for rental and do tech diving. We don't plan to dive below 150 feet. The best part of Marricabo starts at 170 feet, which is a mix dive.

I think you would enjoy either Aldora or Liquid Blue. Aldora is bigger with more boats and can group divers according to skill. Liquid Blue attracts a lot of highly skilled divers and our experience with them was great. But I don't know if we just got lucky to be grouped with highly experienced divers on our boat. They were running 2 boats that trip and our DM was Jorge.

 

[cowboyneal]

If you don't like Cattle Boats, Dive Paradise has a whole bunch of fast boats (like 6 that go out every day as needed) that are 6 or less divers, all grouped by experience...and the boats go where the divers want to go...

 

[TheRedHead]

If you don't like Cattle Boats, Dive Paradise has a whole bunch of fast boats (like 6 that go out every day as needed) that are 6 or less divers, all grouped by experience...and the boats go where the divers want to go...

I think most shops in Cozumel will take divers where they want to go, but some won't take inexperienced divers to sites like Marricabo and Barracuda. That's a good thing, IMO. Does Dive Paradise check out the divers on a shallower dive before grouping them? On the very deep dives, I like the HP 100s and 120s you get from Aldora and Liquid Blue. I just don't want to dive to 130 feet on an AL 80, but I do understand that it is done frequently. I just don't like it.

 

[cowboyneal]

DP always has check outs for divers requesting advanced sites, in addition to visual inspection of log books (and if you don't have one and are not a DM or instructor, you're out)...

 

[scubawife]

Can anyone recommend a dive shop for the windward side of the island and the other advanced reefs (Maracaibo, Punta Sur, Barracuda)? Would Careyitos or Aldora fit the bill?

Also, can anyone tell me if the cenote dives on Cozumel are worth giving a try, versus the cenotes on the Yucatan?

Thanks,
Cary

I've done dives on the east side with Living Underwater and dives at Barracuda and San Juan with Liquid Blue. No matter how experienced you are or what certifications you have, Cozumel dive operators will usually not take you to the most advanced sites until they do a couple dives with you and asses your skills and air consumption. It's difficult to guarantee a dive to any of those sites unless you come with at least 4 divers who are all experienced. Otherwise it will depend on the skill and desire of the other divers on the boat.

Although some shops attract more experienced divers then others, I don't know of any who will turn away a less experienced diver. And even if you do get a good group it won't mean that everyone on the boat will want to dive a site like Barracuda.

I do a couple trips a year to Akumal and we always include at least a day or two of cenotes. My best experience has been with Dennis from Diablo Divers. www.diablodivers.com You'd have to make your way over on the ferry and Dennis would probably pick you up in PDC. I believe that Yucatech in Cozumel (www.yucatech.net/caverntour.htm) and also Blue Angel (www.lorenz.pl/angel/usver/reef/cave.htm) arrange cenote trips to the mainland.

 

[ggunn]

Also, can anyone tell me if the cenote dives on Cozumel are worth giving a try, versus the cenotes on the Yucatan?

In a word, no. The caves under Cozumel are narrow, long, and dark, with very few openings to the surface. There are no operators to my knowledge that take recreational divers into them.