July - Diving Solo - Cozumel, then Mujeres or Holbox - Looking for Op, Advice, Etc!

[Miffy]

Sue Sue, MMM, krbailey, DandyDon, Tunaman68 (do you like tuna?), and Ron Lee… thank you so much for your input… I was up until 4:20am Toronto time (until Scubaboard kicked me off due to maintenance (?)) reading posts and trying to edit my original post as I came across some more information and had a couple more questions I have a lot of questions!

Dive Ops
I had narrowed it down to Aldora, Living Underwater, and Blue XTSea Diving. Tres Pelicanos has surfaced in some posts. Anyone else have experience with them? There are a lot of older posts on here tho… Very curious to hear of other people's stories / experiences with either one of these in terms of:
1. boat size
2. shade on boat
3. quality of PADI instruction (for my Rescue, and if I have time, my Nitrox --> if I'm in Cozumel for a week, do i have time to do my Rescue and a couple of speciality ie. Nitrox and Peak Performance Buoyancy or Deep Dive? )
4. bottom times: I hear Aldora allows you to dive your tank, but not many posts about Blue XTSea doing this or does Blue XTSea insist that everyone ascend together when the first diver runs out of air?
5. camera only rinse bins (I'm considering getting an underwater camera and want to be sure they have bins only for camera gear on the boat, unless I just have to wait until I get back to the hotel and rinse it in the sink?)
6. extras (ie. water, towels, snacks / fruit, SI on beach is preferred, I don't want to carry my own tank but I do want to check it before every dive <-- esp when the tanks are placed too high and I end up hitting the back of my head, and to check the tank o-ring is fine. I've had hissing when I checked my tank before one dive and found out that the o-ring was almost shot)
7. no need for dive ops to rinse my gear
8. outdoor shower! - Not a must but I loved this extra when I was living and diving in Asia&#8230; nothing beats a warm outdoor shower to help you peel your wetsuit off! Doubt I'll see anything like this in Coz

How does gear (rental & storage) work? I will have to rent my BCD, regulator, octopus, weights from the Dive Ops. Do I need to drop off my fins, booties, mask, etc off at the Dive Op the night before my first dive if I am not staying at their accommodations? I've only dived Asia so have only been exposed to liveaboards and diving with the resort Dive Op.

Dive Sites
1. A friend of mine who used to photograph underwater with National Geographic has mentioned diving Punta Sur, Chun Chakab & Maracaibo. Do all dive ops bring their guests here?
2. Apparently you can dive the cenotes? Has anyone done this before?

Accommodations
I've been reading a lot about Hotel Cozumel, and Villa Aldora. I'll have to look into Blue Angel. Any other recommendations?
I know not to go to Iberostar or Allegro even tho there's a Groupon going on with them.

Isla Mujeres / Isla Holbox
According to what I've been reading, they've been seeing the plankton numbers decrease, therefore more whaleshark trips are coming out of Cancun as opposed to Holbox. So it looks like Mujeres is my choice now. Anyone else have any other experiences?

Getting there
DandyDon, wish there was a tour company that could help me with this. I've been spoiled with my previous dive trips (I'm a few dives shy of 100 right now), and have had a tour operator take care of my flights, transfers, pick-ups, etc for me. Is there not one that does that for Cozumel dive trips?

I will probably be flying from San Francisco (as I will be attending a conference there) and then returning to Toronto. Tried Kayak.com to find flights but no luck. I just don't know what my flight path would be. SFO -> Cozumel, dive 1 week, Cozumel -> Cancun, then ferry to Isla Mujeres? 1 week in Mujeres, then ferry back to Cancun ->YYZ?

Air Transat is a charter airline. I've never flown them but I'm assuming they're ok?

Is there a flight that gets me from SFO -->Cozumel (maybe with stopover in Cancun if I have to), and then have the dive op or hotel shuttle me to the hotel I decide to stay with? As I'm traveling alone as a female, I'd feel more comfortable if I didn't have to take taxi or bus or ferry on my own if I didn't have to. Maybe I'm being paranoid. I have lived in Asia for 8 years all on my own, but this is Mexico, not Asia

Ok, I'll stop here. I'm still researching but I'm sure I'll have more questions I hope you all can help me with. Thank you again!

Miffy

 

[AZjohn]

Hi Miffy,
I&#8217;m going to Cozumel for the first time in July and will be going as a solo also.

I spent a lot of time on the internet checking our various hotels and dive ops like you are doing now. Also a lot (and I mean a lot) of reading here on scubaboard trying to pick the best of the best.

Being my first trip there I decided to just go with a reasonable priced all inclusive resort that took care of the room, meals, and diving. Though I don&#8217;t have any high expectations of my pick (Hotel Cozumel/Dive Paradise) I think this will be a good compromise for a &#8220;first time&#8221; experience. In addition, I went with Aldora Divers for afternoon dives which will pick me up at Hotel Cozumel.

I don&#8217;t think there is anything wrong with trying to get the &#8220;perfect&#8221; fit for your first trip to Cozumel. I personally came to the conclusion when trying to get my &#8220;perfect&#8221; first trip that this will not be my only trip to Cozumel. So I decided to get the basics covered (as explained above) and then check out more places while I&#8217;m there and then for my next trip pick a different hotel and dive op.

Reading all the posts I have, it appears most everyone keeps returning time and time again to this wonderful island. So this likely will happen to me. So I don&#8217;t care this first trip what dive sites I get to go to because I likely will be exploring more and more as time goes on.

But have a blast planning your trip. I sure did!
Cheers,
John

 

[Miffy]

bbarada, divingJD, and Marg, thank you! I posted my reply above and didn't notice your posts until just now.

Whale Shark Daddy I believe is based in Isla Holbox, right? It's sad that the clean up efforts of the oil spill is affecting the plankton numbers around Holbox that they are now recommending trips out of Cancun.

Has anyone gone out with Mauricio Handler's group? Or with Jim Abernethy's Scuba Adventures trips? Or with Andy Murch's trips? Wet Pixel's trips?
ACotton Photo's trips? Does anyone know of any other photography whale shark tours in Mujeres/Holbox?

Miffy

---------- Post added June 1st, 2014 at 11:44 PM ----------

Hey AZjohn, thanks for the note and support!

There are so many dive spots on my bucket list&#8230; Cozumel is only one of them. My favourite so far is still Mabul / Sipadan, and I have sworn to go back there again one day, but right now I'd like to at least hit other sites I haven't been to. I don't think I'll be heading back to Cozumel every year but you never know

I know exactly what I'm looking for. And I'm confident I'll find the right dive op and right place to stay without too much problem. For me, my other concerns are mostly in safety and getting around on my own.

A danger though, from reading all these posts is that I'm leaning towards staying for more than 2 weeks I'm wondering if 1 week of diving in Cozumel, and 1 week in Mujeres is enough

M

---------- Post added June 2nd, 2014 at 12:52 AM ----------

Blue Angel
Did a bit more searching and have read that Blue Angel's rooms you can hear the noise from the road. I'm a light sleeper. How are sleeping environments at Hotel Cozumel and Aldora Villas?

M

 

[DandyDon]

I was up until 4:20am Toronto time (until Scubaboard kicked me off due to maintenance (?)) reading posts and trying to edit my original post...

That happens at 2:30am Central Daylight Time, 3:30 am there I guess, but only last 15 minutes. Just keep that in mind and avoid posting or closing tabs then, maybe check on another tab to make sure it's back. The time is not supposed to change when we go back to regular time, but it has. We'll see in November...?

I'll address only a few points, as you'll get better advice than mine probably...

Dive Ops
I had narrowed it down to Aldora, Living Underwater, and Blue XTSea Diving. Tres Pelicanos has surfaced in some posts. Anyone else have experience with them? There are a lot of older posts on here tho… Very curious to hear of other people's stories / experiences with either one of these in terms of:
1. boat size
2. shade on boat
3. quality of PADI instruction (for my Rescue, and if I have time, my Nitrox --> if I'm in Cozumel for a week, do i have time to do my Rescue and a couple of speciality ie. Nitrox and Peak Performance Buoyancy or Deep Dive? )

All good Ops, and there are others. You can do your Rescue training in Coz, 5 dives I think. I did mine at home. I wouldn't spend much trip time on classes tho. I'd do the in the St.Lawrence, but whatever sounds fun to you.

4. bottom times: I hear Aldora allows you to dive your tank, but not many posts about Blue XTSea doing this or does Blue XTSea insist that everyone ascend together when the first diver runs out of air?

Aldora tries to group divers well, but the group ascends together I think. Some Ops will send divers up separately, but that should only be done in buddy pairs - and it helps to have your own DSMB and reel if you have practiced sending it up from 25 feet and are competent. Most of my experiences have been with simpler, cheaper Ops, and I am horrible about following the group well - often surfacing no where near the others. :blush:

5. camera only rinse bins (I'm considering getting an underwater camera and want to be sure they have bins only for camera gear on the boat, unless I just have to wait until I get back to the hotel and rinse it in the sink?)

My camera is what leads me astray. I just wrap mine in a wet towel between and after dives until I can soak it later, but dedicated rinse tanks are great if everyone is considerate.

6. extras (ie. water, towels, snacks / fruit, SI on beach is preferred, I don't want to carry my own tank but I do want to check it before every dive <-- esp when the tanks are placed too high and I end up hitting the back of my head, and to check the tank o-ring is fine. I've had hissing when I checked my tank before one dive and found out that the o-ring was almost shot)

7. no need for dive ops to rinse my gear
8. outdoor shower! - Not a must but I loved this extra when I was living and diving in Asia… nothing beats a warm outdoor shower to help you peel your wetsuit off! Doubt I'll see anything like this in Coz

On smaller boats, they like for you to keep seated and they bring your BC & tank to you, but you can check it as much as you'd like. I check every tank for contents personally as I no longer trust anyone. Dock showers are common. I carry my own thermos & towel, and I eat enough at other meals I don't care about snacks, but you can find Ops that do it your way.

How does gear (rental & storage) work? I will have to rent my BCD, regulator, octopus, weights from the Dive Ops. Do I need to drop off my fins, booties, mask, etc off at the Dive Op the night before my first dive if I am not staying at their accommodations? I've only dived Asia so have only been exposed to liveaboards and diving with the resort Dive Op.

You can keep your snorkel gear. If you are renting the rest, I think you'd do well to try it on and check it out the first afternoon, then make sure you keep the same gear. As much as you'll be diving, it'd help if you owned your own computer, nitrox capable, studied it well, and know how to work it.

Do you have DAN dive insurance? Good idea...!!

Dive Sites
1. A friend of mine who used to photograph underwater with National Geographic has mentioned diving Punta Sur, Chun Chakab & Maracaibo. Do all dive ops bring their guests here?

Advanced sites beyond your experience level, I think. Maybe later in the week, depending.

2. Apparently you can dive the cenotes? Has anyone done this before?

Yep, on the mainland. You can do a day trip to dive a couple, just like you can day trip to swim with the Dominoes, but those are long, hard days. Instead, you can do a week on Coz, then move to Playa del Carmen for 2 or 3 nights with a couple of days of cenotes, then move to Cancun or IM to swim with Dominoes. The logistics can be worked out if you hurry. Haha, I am taking my daughter, soninlaw, and granddaughter on a trip this month that involves Vegas, a Nevada hotel near Death Valley, then a hotel in Owerns Valley CA, then a different town & hotel at the east gate for Yosemite, two nights in semi-permanent tents in Yosemite, another night in a third town in Owens Valley, and finally two nights in Vegas - and I've been working on logistics for a couple of months. It got easier when they stopped surprising me with conflicts.

Accommodations
I've been reading a lot about Hotel Cozumel, and Villa Aldora. I'll have to look into Blue Angel. Any other recommendations?

Hotel Coz is a nice, cheap AI. I travel alone, don't like walking far to & from meals, so it works for me - but you may well prefer other digs?

Isla Mujeres / Isla Holbox
According to what I've been reading, they've been seeing the plankton numbers decrease, therefore more whaleshark trips are coming out of Cancun as opposed to Holbox. So it looks like Mujeres is my choice now. Anyone else have any other experiences?

I've heard the same. The boat rides from Holbox to the Dominoe shoals were long, and IM may work much better. I just haven't done it yet.

Getting there
DandyDon, wish there was a tour company that could help me with this. I've been spoiled with my previous dive trips (I'm a few dives shy of 100 right now), and have had a tour operator take care of my flights, transfers, pick-ups, etc for me. Is there not one that does that for Cozumel dive trips?

There are. They cost more, especially for a single traveler, but you can do it. Look at that site I mentioned above. Here's the link: Matrix - ITA Software

I will probably be flying from San Francisco (as I will be attending a conference there) and then returning to Toronto. Tried Kayak.com to find flights but no luck. I just don't know what my flight path would be. SFO -> Cozumel, dive 1 week, Cozumel -> Cancun, then ferry to Isla Mujeres? 1 week in Mujeres, then ferry back to Cancun ->YYZ?

Air Transat is a charter airline. I've never flown them but I'm assuming they're ok?

Is there a flight that gets me from SFO -->Cozumel (maybe with stopover in Cancun if I have to), and then have the dive op or hotel shuttle me to the hotel I decide to stay with? As I'm traveling alone as a female, I'd feel more comfortable if I didn't have to take taxi or bus or ferry on my own if I didn't have to. Maybe I'm being paranoid. I have lived in Asia for 8 years all on my own, but this is Mexico, not Asia

I could give more details if I had exact dates & times preferred. but from SFO, you have to deal with I,C, and TSA anyway so this might work, altho pricier than from Toronto...

San Francisco (SFO) to Chicago (ORD) - Sat, Jul 12
United Airlines, Inc. 1195Dep: 11:59PM Arr: 6:07AM - 4h
Layover in ORD Sun, Jul 13 - 2h

Chicago (ORD) to Cozumel (CZM) - Sun, Jul 13
United Airlines, Inc. 1073Dep: 8:05AM Arr: 11:50AM - 3 h 45 m


Cancun (CUN) to Chicago (ORD) - Sun, Jul 27
Dep: 12:27PM or 1:40PM Arr: 5:30PM - 3h 50m
Layover in ORD 2h 25m or 3 h 25 m

Chicago (ORD) to Toronto (YYZ) - Sun, Jul 27
United Airlines, Inc. 8398Dep: 7:55PM Arr: 10:29PM - 1h 34m


Sorry, the non-stops are not available with this plan.

Being my first trip there I decided to just go with a reasonable priced all inclusive resort that took care of the room, meals, and diving. Though I don’t have any high expectations of my pick (Hotel Cozumel/Dive Paradise) I think this will be a good compromise for a “first time” experience. In addition, I went with Aldora Divers for afternoon dives which will pick me up at Hotel Cozumel.

As I said, I stay at Hotel Coz with their AI. The food is good enough for me, and so convenient. Tip a buck or two here and there and the service is great. I would not dive with that Op. They're ok, but slow boats and a cattle boat experience I hear. If you book a package, then can't dive one day for whatever reasons, you get a voucher for a return trip. If you're doing 3 dives/day, you won't have time to go with Aldora, but I guess you've worked that out. Your experiences may well be better than I'd expect. Hope you have a great trip. ilot:

 

[MMM]

Miffy, I will answer your questions below in red about Living Underwater since I have dived with them a lot and recently; will let customers from the other three ops answer about their recent experiences rather than try to guess at what they do.

Dive Ops
I had narrowed it down to Aldora, Living Underwater, and Blue XTSea Diving. Tres Pelicanos has surfaced in some posts. Anyone else have experience with them? There are a lot of older posts on here tho&#8230; Very curious to hear of other people's stories / experiences with either one of these in terms of:
1. boat size - boat is about 30 feet long, very spacious; holds 7-8 divers; space below your seat for your gear and your tank is beside you; brand new twin Yamaha engines installed in February. Excellent, helpful, attentive, respectful, professional crew.
2. shade on boat - yes
3. quality of PADI instruction (for my Rescue, and if I have time, my Nitrox --> if I'm in Cozumel for a week, do i have time to do my Rescue and a couple of speciality ie. Nitrox and Peak Performance Buoyancy or Deep Dive? ) I did my PADI rescue cert with LU a few years ago; I think a week would be pushing it; and I was EXHAUSTED with each lesson. I think Nitrox would be a far better choice as you are going to have longer dive times with larger the steel tanks. I always do my second tank with nitrox.
4. bottom times: I hear Aldora allows you to dive your tank, but not many posts about Blue XTSea doing this or does Blue XTSea insist that everyone ascend together when the first diver runs out of air? You dive your air with heavier breathers going up as they get low on air; Jeremy shoots his SMB for the divers to ascend close to; the only time this doesn't occur is if Jeremy feels these divers are incapable of ascending on their own (he doesn't get very many of these kind of divers though).
5. camera only rinse bins (I'm considering getting an underwater camera and want to be sure they have bins only for camera gear on the boat, unless I just have to wait until I get back to the hotel and rinse it in the sink?) HUGE tank for cameras at the rear of the boat; on the way back to your accommodation after the 2nd dive, your camera is given back to you and all your gear (except wetsuits) are rinsed in it. Wetsuits are taken back to the shop and washed there.
6. extras (ie. water, towels, snacks / fruit, SI on beach is preferred, I don't want to carry my own tank but I do want to check it before every dive <-- esp when the tanks are placed too high and I end up hitting the back of my head, and to check the tank o-ring is fine. I've had hissing when I checked my tank before one dive and found out that the o-ring was almost shot) Towels, water-proof jackets, fruit, water, juice, pop, all provided and SI is USUALLY at a beach club where you can order food (which I usually do). The only exception is if you are diving both dives far, far south (i.e. Maracaibo then Colombia Shallows).
7. no need for dive ops to rinse my gear They rinse and store all your gear. Sorry! I guess if you insisted they not rinse it, they wouldn't but if they are keeping and storing it for you, why not? You won't get a price discount for doing it yourself.
8. outdoor shower! - Not a must but I loved this extra when I was living and diving in Asia&#8230; nothing beats a warm outdoor shower to help you peel your wetsuit off! Doubt I'll see anything like this in Coz No outdoor shower.

How does gear (rental & storage) work? I will have to rent my BCD, regulator, octopus, weights from the Dive Ops. Do I need to drop off my fins, booties, mask, etc off at the Dive Op the night before my first dive if I am not staying at their accommodations? I've only dived Asia so have only been exposed to liveaboards and diving with the resort Dive Op. Jeremy (the owner) will arrange a meeting time with you at your accommodations the night before you start diving, pick up your personal gear, confirm what you are renting (you would specify your needs when you make your reservation) get your paperwork completed, check your C-card etc. Everything you need will be on the boat, under your seat each morning you are picked up. He provides a computer free of charge if you don't have one. Weights are also free (which is the case with all ops on the island, I expect).

Dive Sites
1. A friend of mine who used to photograph underwater with National Geographic has mentioned diving Punta Sur, Chun Chakab & Maracaibo. Do all dive ops bring their guests here? Some ops do not dive these sites or charge extra to go there. Jeremy does not charge extra to do them and regularly dives them. I suspect that these sites ARE within your ability but Jeremy will want to see you in the water to assess your abilities before taking you there. Also, the rest of the divers have to want to go there also but that's generally not an issue. He also goes up north as well; again no extra charge but if you are staying at a place on the south end of the island, you would probably have to make your way to the harbour which is about half-way up the island as the gas costs are prohibitive to traverse the entire length of the island to pick you up and drop you off. Hence the advantage of staying in a more central location.
2. Apparently you can dive the cenotes? Has anyone done this before? I have dived cenotes on the mainland; never in Cozumel. I thought they were boring.

Accommodations
I've been reading a lot about Hotel Cozumel, and Villa Aldora. I'll have to look into Blue Angel. Any other recommendations? Lots of people recommend Suites Bahia for its great location and prices. There's a really lovely B&B on the main drag owned by the people who have Guido's restaurant. I forget the name but if you Google Guidos there may be something on their site about the place. Lots of European customers I understand. Casa Mexicana is also a popular one. Before you book, check with the dive op that you select that they can and will pick you up there!


Getting there
DandyDon, wish there was a tour company that could help me with this. I've been spoiled with my previous dive trips (I'm a few dives shy of 100 right now), and have had a tour operator take care of my flights, transfers, pick-ups, etc for me. Is there not one that does that for Cozumel dive trips?

I will probably be flying from San Francisco (as I will be attending a conference there) and then returning to Toronto. Tried Kayak.com to find flights but no luck. I just don't know what my flight path would be. SFO -> Cozumel, dive 1 week, Cozumel -> Cancun, then ferry to Isla Mujeres? 1 week in Mujeres, then ferry back to Cancun ->YYZ?

Air Transat is a charter airline. I've never flown them but I'm assuming they're ok? Last time I was on a Transat flight we were packed in like sardines. American Airlines flies into Cozumel from Toronto (leaving at the crack of dawn) usually with a short layover in Texas, getting you in around 1 p.m. That will probably work better for you than trying to get there from SF. The Cozumel airport is tiny and easy to navigate. Read the sticky by SueSue at the top of this forum. Here is a link: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cozumel/413080-arriving-departing-cozumel-airport-guided-tour.html

Is there a flight that gets me from SFO -->Cozumel (maybe with stopover in Cancun if I have to), and then have the dive op or hotel shuttle me to the hotel I decide to stay with? Best way to your accommodations is to take the airport shuttle unless you want to walk off the airport property and try and flag a cab down. They are thick as flies but are not allowed to pick up on the airport grounds (different outfit has the concession). As I'm traveling alone as a female, I'd feel more comfortable if I didn't have to take taxi or bus or ferry on my own if I didn't have to. Maybe I'm being paranoid. I have lived in Asia for 8 years all on my own, but this is Mexico, not Asia

Ok, I'll stop here. I'm still researching but I'm sure I'll have more questions I hope you all can help me with. Thank you again!

Miffy

 

[Mossman]

Aldora tries to group divers well, but the group ascends together I think.

You think? You mean you're answering a question without really knowing the answer because you don't have any personal experience with them? That's helpful. But I understand. After all, it's not like anyone else here has ever actually dove with Aldora and might really know the answer.

Some Ops will send divers up separately, but that should only be done in buddy pairs - and it helps to have your own DSMB and reel if you have practiced sending it up from 25 feet and are competent.

Why, if the DM has already sent up his DSMB and you stick with it? And do you really need a buddy on the surface when the only reason for a buddy is to grab their reg if you run out of air?

Most of my experiences have been with simpler, cheaper Ops, and I am horrible about following the group well - often surfacing no where near the others. :blush:

Oh. Well that answers my first question. How does your buddy feel about that?

 

[DandyDon]

Why, if the DM has already sent up his DSMB and you stick with it? And do you really need a buddy on the surface when the only reason for a buddy is to grab their reg if you run out of air?

I stand by my previous suggestions. Divers should ascend with buddies, but then buddies enter, descend and dive together all the way, and it's best to have your own DSMB - or dive with Moss if you prefer.

Oh. Well that answers my first question. How does your buddy feel about that?

I'm picky who I will buddy with and really rather not, but not many fly in with their own pony bottles and extra regs.

 

[bbarada]

Whale Shark Daddy goes out of both: Holbox and Cancun. We're going out of Cancun July 2nd. We've done it before, and it is really clear water.

 

[Mossman]

3. quality of PADI instruction (for my Rescue, and if I have time, my Nitrox --> if I'm in Cozumel for a week, do i have time to do my Rescue and a couple of speciality ie. Nitrox and Peak Performance Buoyancy or Deep Dive? )

Rescue is a pretty intensive course for a one-week vacation, if you really want a vacation. Nitrox, on the other hand, is perfect. Minimal "classroom" stuff that you can do on your offgassing time and the nitrox "certification dives" are just your regularly scheduled dives done on nitrox. As for quality, both Jeremy and Christi are excellent instructors from what I've seen or heard. Can't vouch for Aldora, but I doubt Dave hires bad instructors.

4. bottom times: I hear Aldora allows you to dive your tank, but not many posts about Blue XTSea doing this or does Blue XTSea insist that everyone ascend together when the first diver runs out of air?

All three dive ops you originally mentioned (I have no personal experience with Tres Pelicanos) will allow you to dive your tank. Blue XTSea and Living Underwater do not require the entire group to ascent when the first diver gets LOA. Aldora does require this, but they may extend the bottom time of the first LOA diver by sharing air with the DM.

5. camera only rinse bins (I'm considering getting an underwater camera and want to be sure they have bins only for camera gear on the boat, unless I just have to wait until I get back to the hotel and rinse it in the sink?)

Honestly, if your camera is small enough to rinse in a bathroom sink, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

8. outdoor shower! - Not a must but I loved this extra when I was living and diving in Asia&#8230; nothing beats a warm outdoor shower to help you peel your wetsuit off! Doubt I'll see anything like this in Coz

Sure you will, if it rains

How does gear (rental & storage) work? I will have to rent my BCD, regulator, octopus, weights from the Dive Ops. Do I need to drop off my fins, booties, mask, etc off at the Dive Op the night before my first dive if I am not staying at their accommodations? I've only dived Asia so have only been exposed to liveaboards and diving with the resort Dive Op.

Normally LU and BlueXTSea would pick up your gear the day you check in and they'll have it ready on the boat. I believe Aldora requires you to check in at their shop and bring your gear, but it's been a while since I've dove with them.

However, since you're renting gear, I'm not exactly sure of the process. Most people on this forum tend to bring their own gear with them. The fins, boots, and mask you would probably just take with you on the first dive day, but you'd probably want to try on the rental gear prior to that. Contact the individual dive ops to find out how their rental process works.

 

[Sue Sue]

Hi Miffy, I will answer your question from a BlueXTSea diver point of view. However, I also recommend you contact Christi directly. She will get back to you with any info you need.


Dive Ops
I had narrowed it down to Aldora, Living Underwater, and Blue XTSea Diving. Tres Pelicanos has surfaced in some posts. Anyone else have experience with them? There are a lot of older posts on here tho&#8230; Very curious to hear of other people's stories / experiences with either one of these in terms of:
1. boat size-6 pack, fast boat. Plenty of storage for personal items.
2. shade on boat- Yes
3. quality of PADI instruction (for my Rescue, and if I have time, my Nitrox --> if I'm in Cozumel for a week, do i have time to do my Rescue and a couple of speciality ie. Nitrox and Peak Performance Buoyancy or Deep Dive? ) Yes, you have time for Rescue, specialty or Nitrox certification. However, I would recommend a 10 day trip if you can so that you would also have time for some diving other than what you will have for class. DH and I did our Rescue with a Blue XT SEA instructor and it was an excellent, and very thorough course. Well worth including the class during vacation time. Check with Christi for availability and reservation.
4. bottom times: I hear Aldora allows you to dive your tank, but not many posts about Blue XTSea doing this or does Blue XTSea insist that everyone ascend together when the first diver runs out of air? The Divermaster will float the SMB when the first buddy pair reaches 700 PSI. They then ascend, make their safety stop and board the boat. The Divemaster remains on the dive until the last buddy pair reaches 700 PSI Or the pre-determined time limit is met. Dive times are usually 60-70 mins with some longer.
5. camera only rinse bins (I'm considering getting an underwater camera and want to be sure they have bins only for camera gear on the boat, unless I just have to wait until I get back to the hotel and rinse it in the sink?) There is a camera rinse tank on board. However, my DH usually just rinses his camera equipment with fresh water and stores it in the front cabin of the boat in shade.
6. extras (ie. water, towels, snacks / fruit, SI on beach is preferred, I don't want to carry my own tank but I do want to check it before every dive <-- esp when the tanks are placed too high and I end up hitting the back of my head, and to check the tank o-ring is fine. I've had hissing when I checked my tank before one dive and found out that the o-ring was almost shot) Extras---> Water, Juice, Fresh Fruit, fresh baked muffins, pastries. Towels are provided. Service--->If an O ring needs fixing, it gets fixed for you.. If your head hits the tank---it gets fixed for you...If you wish not to climb the ladder with your gear after a dive...just inflate your BCD a bit, take it off and hand it up to the captain. By the time you are up the ladder it is already hooked up to your next tank. Of course, if you want to handle your own gear that is perfectly fine as well. DH and I always double check our own and each other's gear prior to dives. SI-->60 min or longer-on beach and/or pier.

7. no need for dive ops to rinse my gear- As said, if you wish to handle your own gear that is perfectly fine. However, DH and I have seen Santos, Blue XT Sea's shop crew take care of our gear for the past 11 years and he is fantastic. He uses a fresh water hose, not a dunk tank to wash the gear and then hangs up everything to dry. Everything is labeled and transported to and from the boat in individual duffel bags. Wetsuits are the responsibility of the diver.

8. outdoor shower! - Not a must but I loved this extra when I was living and diving in Asia&#8230; nothing beats a warm outdoor shower to help you peel your wetsuit off! Doubt I'll see anything like this in Coz No outdoor shower for our last several dive trips. However, do contact Christi for an update.

How does gear (rental & storage) work? I will have to rent my BCD, regulator, octopus, weights from the Dive Ops. Do I need to drop off my fins, booties, mask, etc off at the Dive Op the night before my first dive if I am not staying at their accommodations? I've only dived Asia so have only been exposed to liveaboards and diving with the resort Dive Op.

Of course, Contact Christi as to what she wants you to do. However, DH and I just take our gear with us the first day and bring it back with us after our last dive.

Dive Sites
1. A friend of mine who used to photograph underwater with National Geographic has mentioned diving Punta Sur, Chun Chakab & Maracaibo. Do all dive ops bring their guests here?
2. Apparently you can dive the cenotes? Has anyone done this before?

There has only been one trip that DH and I have not made it to the Southern most sites and that was due to January Norte weather. In our experience, once all of the divers are on board and we are underway, Pedro, BlueXTSea's Divemaster, will ask "Where to today ?" Once all the requests are discussed, Pedro and Captain Nevo will make the final choice. It depends on weather, where all the divers have been to recently and skill level. Pedro & Capt. Nevo balances the choice of dive sites very well and we have never been disappointed.

We have never dived the centoes as we have always been too busy with the reefs of Cozumel. However, do contact Christi with your inquiry.

Accommodations
I've been reading a lot about Hotel Cozumel, and Villa Aldora. I'll have to look into Blue Angel. Any other recommendations?
I know not to go to Iberostar or Allegro even tho there's a Groupon going on with them.

I have never stayed at Hotel Cozumel or Villa Aldora. However, from close friend reports, Hotel Cozumel is nice for the price. It is also walking distance into town. DH and I stayed at Blue Angel resort many times back when it was Caribe Blue. It has since had many nice upgrades and I would stay there again. To the best of my knowledge, BLUE XT Sea diving does pick up at their pier. Check with Christi to confirm. BTW-the street noise is not horrible. I am a light sleeper as well and did fine with the AC on and earplugs. (The earplugs were mostly needed for my DH's snoring..) Ask for a top floor room if available. They have a very nice restaurant there which we go to at least once per trip. I think Blue Angel would be a good choice for a solo diver. It is also a doable walk into town and an inexpensive taxi fare as well.

Isla Mujeres / Isla Holbox
According to what I've been reading, they've been seeing the plankton numbers decrease, therefore more whaleshark trips are coming out of Cancun as opposed to Holbox. So it looks like Mujeres is my choice now. Anyone else have any other experiences? DH and I are planning on our first Whaleshark trip to Isla Mujeres. Christi recommended Scorpio Divers

Getting there
DandyDon, wish there was a tour company that could help me with this. I've been spoiled with my previous dive trips (I'm a few dives shy of 100 right now), and have had a tour operator take care of my flights, transfers, pick-ups, etc for me. Is there not one that does that for Cozumel dive trips?

I will probably be flying from San Francisco (as I will be attending a conference there) and then returning to Toronto. Tried Kayak.com to find flights but no luck. I just don't know what my flight path would be. SFO -> Cozumel, dive 1 week, Cozumel -> Cancun, then ferry to Isla Mujeres? 1 week in Mujeres, then ferry back to Cancun ->YYZ?

Air Transat is a charter airline. I've never flown them but I'm assuming they're ok?

Is there a flight that gets me from SFO -->Cozumel (maybe with stopover in Cancun if I have to), and then have the dive op or hotel shuttle me to the hotel I decide to stay with? As I'm traveling alone as a female, I'd feel more comfortable if I didn't have to take taxi or bus or ferry on my own if I didn't have to. Maybe I'm being paranoid. I have lived in Asia for 8 years all on my own, but this is Mexico, not Asia

Miffy, I am sorry I can not help you out with this. Being a Hill Country Texan, leaving for Cozumel from Houston is like a trip out of our back yard. DD is rather good with airfare and schedule logistics however and hopefully he can help you out. However, I can recommend you check out the Arrival and Departing Cozumel Airport sticky at the top of the Cozumel forum. There you will find a lot of neat info.

Best Wishes to you as you make your trip to Cozumel.

Double S

Ok, I'll stop here. I'm still researching but I'm sure I'll have more questions I hope you all can help me with. Thank you again!