Cozumel = "hell on earth?!"

[Mawg]

Wow- that was just a little insulting, don't you think? FWIW- I don't give a rats rear end if you "trust" my opinion or not. It's mine- and I am entitled to it- just as you are entitled to yours. FWIW- I've been diving for well over 20 years, and I've been to quite a few places. If you guys like Cozumel- I'm happy for you- I simply thought it wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Houston South. You want to explain that one?

 

[chickdiver]

Houston South. You want to explain that one?

Every time I have been to Mexico- whether Cozumel or the mainland, I seem to run into half of Houston. Nothing more or less than that.

 

[ggunn]

Wow- that was just a little insulting, don't you think?

So was your crack about Cozumel being "Houston South", IMO, and just a teeny bit condescending, to boot.

BTW, Jacques Cousteau (remember him?) referred to Cozumel as having some of the best diving on the planet. Now, there's a guy who dove a lot of places and whose opinion I respect.

 

[chickdiver]

So was your crack about Cozumel being "Houston South", IMO, and just a teeny bit condescending, to boot.

BTW, Jacques Cousteau (remember him?) referred to Cozumel as having some of the best diving on the planet. There's a guy who dove a lot of places and whose opinion I respect.

See my comment above. Nothing condescending intended.

Cousteau also spoke highly of Ginnie Springs. Ginnie is nice, but there are better caves out there to dive, imho. Not to mention the fact that I am sure Cozumel, muxh like Ginnie, has changed quite a bit since Mr. Cousteau was there.

 

[ggunn]

Cousteau also spoke highly of Ginnie Springs. Ginnie is nice, but there are better caves out there to dive, imho. Not to mention the fact that I am sure Cozumel, muxh like Ginnie, has changed quite a bit since Mr. Cousteau was there.

Right. Most of what Cousteau saw has collapsed and fallen into the channel in the past 30 years and just left a few poor blobs of coral sticking up through the sand. ;^)

 

[scubawife]

Yep, dived all those sites. I'm not trying to be argumentative either, just presenting a differing point of view. As for comparing those sites to the WestPac- the unhealthiest reefs I saw in the WestPac were on Guam. They start in inches of water and extend horizontally for a mile or more, and vertically from about an inch of water to well over 200'. There simply is no comparison to Punta Sur, Maracaibo, Palancar and the like. It's like comparing play school to a university.

I don't think you should try and compare what you find in places like Micronesia to what you find in the Caribbean. Even at their healthiest way before our lifetimes they wouldn't have come close to each other.

Just as is the case topside, u/w every area of the world is different. Climates, currents, water temps, endemic species, etc. If you've found one area of the world you prefer u/w and/or topside, fantastic. Enjoy it and go as often as you can. But when you go to other places, if you are just looking for what you know is impossible to find there, then you're also probably missing out on some otherwise fantastic and enjoyable experiences. I like to go to new places expecting little, not comparing or hoping for what I've found elsewhere, and just finding something new and special about each place. Some I love and go back to. Others I don't. Either way, regardless of whether or not I love a place enough to go back, there has been something I've liked about every place I've been and every place I've dived.

There are a couple places in the Caribbean I've been many times. The diving might not be A++ when compared to some other places in the world, but the overall vacation experience of the diving and the destination make them perfect choices for me for what I want and have the time for. If we all liked the same places and the same things then that would make for a couple very overrun and pricey destinations.

 

[Divedoggie]

Quote from Divedoggie: I don't want to argue, but which dives did you do on Coz?
Blob of coral here and there? Not to try to directly compare to westpac diving, but when you were in Coz did you dive Columbia Deep, Maricaibo, Palancar Caves, or Punta Sur? These dives have massive and continuous reefs. I couldn't even try to describe those dives as a "blob of coral here and there."

Yep, dived all those sites. I'm not trying to be argumentative either, just presenting a differing point of view. As for comparing those sites to the WestPac- the unhealthiest reefs I saw in the WestPac were on Guam. They start in inches of water and extend horizontally for a mile or more, and vertically from about an inch of water to well over 200'. There simply is no comparison to Punta Sur, Maracaibo, Palancar and the like. It's like comparing play school to a university.

I can see your POV.

But,
Sometimes we likes it cheap and easy, sometimes not.
When we do gets it cheap and easy, we don't criticize it.

 

[tedtim]

I'd be interested in other opinions. Obviously, I've got my own pro-Cozumel prejudices and suspect that others here may also. However, it would be interesting to hear from those who love the diving but not the town of San Miguel or the island itself.

And so we have other opinions.:11: Some of those opinions are favourable, some are not. Scubaboard is the place to express your opinion, especially if the OP is asking for it.

This is getting to be almost like "my reg is better than yours" or similar discussion.

I just wish someone would send me a bit of the hell on earth?!" so the 56 cm (approximately 20 in) of snow that fell on us over the last weekend would melt. We have already taken our dive vacation for this year and now it is off to work to earn more $$ to go on another.

 

[Christi]

When I was there in 2001 it had little clumps of coral separated by white sand, and I do not recall either variety or quantity of marine life. It was, in a word, uninspiring. Granted, I have yet to see any reef in the Carribbean that comes close to what I saw in the WestPac, and consequently I avoid reef diving when possible as a result.

I can accept that Cozumel isn't your cup of tea...but what I'm having trouble with is your description of the refs being "little clumps of coral separated by white sand."

I'm just trying to figure out how anyone who had actually dove Columbia or Palancar reefs, could describe a barrier reef, with wall diving that extends for miles and miles and miles, starting at 20 feet with majestic formations plunging down to the abyss with caverns and massive swim-throughs as "little clumps of coral."

The only answer I can think of is that your divemaster was mad at you and didn't actually take you to the reef!

How many days did you actually dive? And if you care to share, WHO did you dive with that showed you the worst of Cozumel diving?

BTW...I've got a pretty extensive diving resume as well, and I still haven't found that place that offers the variety of diving that Cozumel does. I've seen more pristine "lumps of coral" in other places, and larger pelagic life in others, but never have I found the variety of wall diving, shallow reef dives, fast drift diving, slow drifts (aka lazy diving) and variety of marine life I've found here.

 

[Sue Sue]

Some people visit the Grand Canyon and see a hole, some people looked at the twin towers and saw two buildings and others may look at Cozumel and see clumps of coral....HOWEVER....I prefer to look at it all and be inspired by the beauty and majesty that any wonder of our world can offer be it large, small, grand or tiny. I also in reference to this thread, do not understand how a visit to Cozumel can be compared to visiting hell, but I guess to each his or her own. DH and I are looking forward to our trip in May. Almost three weeks of everything Cozumel has to offer...Wonderful people (Local as well as folks from many places) , rest, relaxation, seeing friends, great Mexican cuisine, places to see and activities to enjoy. I also look forward to finding my PEACE below the ocean surface and enjoying the many different diving experiences that Cozumel has to offer. I am heading for my #100 Cozumel dive and hope and pray I will experience 100 more. Cozumel has it all for me. Sue