Various dive shops

[Garrobo]

So far I have made arrangements ahead of time with the dive shops and places of lodging. What's the chances of just flying to Coz, look for a place to stay and show up a little early at various dive operators' docks in the morning or afternoon and asking to go out with the boat on that particular trip? Anyone ever try this? (This may be a second post of the same question.)

 

[ggunn]

So far I have made arrangements ahead of time with the dive shops and places of lodging. What's the chances of just flying to Coz, look for a place to stay and show up a little early at various dive operators' docks in the morning or afternoon and asking to go out with the boat on that particular trip? Anyone ever try this? (This may be a second post of the same question.)

Not good, IMO. The dive boats all go out at about the same time in the morning, and if you pick one that is full, your odds of getting to another one before they all leave are not good. Another thing, if they haven't seen you before, there's paperwork and such to take care of, and you won't be able to do that at the boat.

You would do better by cruising the shops the night before and arranging something for the next morning. Most of the shops are open until 8 or 9. You can just walk around in town and easily find many of their offices.

As far as a place to stay, it's much better to book in advance, and some times of year (like now) rooms can be scarce. When you get in a shuttle at the airport (you can't take a cab unless you hike out of the airport), where would you ask them to take you? If you don't know the island, just landing there and trying to set up things on the fly is a very bad idea, IMO.

 

[lawofgravity]

The logisitics make this very difficult. Just wondering why you would want to try this? To try and negotiate a better price? If so, you're going to be hugely disappointed.

 

[akbpilot]

Another question would be, what time of the year would you be planning to do this? Avalibility of both rooms and dive ops varies greatly depending on the time of year.

 

[Diver Kat]

I'm with the other guys ... why would you want to do this? Even if it was a last minute opportunity at a trip, I wouldn't leave the states without at least a hotel booking, but I would try to nail down both hotel & dive op before leaving ...... too many of the good places fill up, and you could spend quite a bit of time trying to find availability .....

 

[Christi]

So far I have made arrangements ahead of time with the dive shops and places of lodging. What's the chances of just flying to Coz, look for a place to stay and show up a little early at various dive operators' docks in the morning or afternoon and asking to go out with the boat on that particular trip? Anyone ever try this? (This may be a second post of the same question.)

Very, very bad idea...especially if you are talking about travelingdown to Coz February through April....unless you don't care where you end up sleeping or who you end up diving with.

At the very least make your dive arrangements the night before for the following day.

Showing up at the dock is not going to get you on a boat....and will likely get you some "are you crazy?" kind of looks. You have to fill out paperwork and pay before you dive with about any reputable shop on the island...which is most shops.

 

[ggunn]

Thanks for the question, though; it's been a while since we all agreed 100% on something. ;^)

 

[Debbie O]

Would not recommend throwing caution to the wind in this case. A vacation and diving in Cozumel usually represents a bit of an investment in time and money. Suggest taking the time to do the research and book your rooms and diving ahead of time, then rest assured you will enjoy yourself. This is a marvelous place to be to recharge your batteries. Make the most of it.

Debbie O

 

[Diver Kat]

Thanks for the question, though; it's been a while since we all agreed 100% on something. ;^)

Now that's funny!!!!

 

[MMM]

I've done variations of this scenario.

You need to turn up around 24 hours in advance of the dive departure time. No reputable op will take some clown who shows up and says "hey, can I get on your boat now? Trust me, I'll be fine." Unless the owner is on the boat who would be willing to authorize this (and even if he/she is!), staff are not gonna allow this to happen.

I don't think you'll have a hard time finding a place to stay, provided you're flexible about where you'll stay and whether you are willing to move about during your stay. All part of being adventurous. I hope you speak Spanish!

What's the chances of just flying to Coz, look for a place to stay and show up a little early at various dive operators' docks in the morning or afternoon and asking to go out with the boat on that particular trip?