Cozumel/Cancun Trip Report 7/02-7/11

[macado]

COZUMEL 7/02–7/09
Hotel: Suites Bahia
Dive Ops: Aqua Safari, Dive Paradise, and Dive Palancar

Total of 12 dives with 4 different dive operators. I highly recommend Aqua Safari in Cozumel & Manta Divers in Cancun.

Dive Ops
Aqua Safari was very good about storing/cleaning equipment and had lenient policies once their divemasters/instructions examined your skill level. I had good experiences with their staff and they even remembered me by name from my last dive trip! It was great to be able to walk in and be greeted by name, nice feeling. Morriano, Chino and Paulo were the divemasters I dove with. All three were energetic, funny, and not too militant about bottom times. Always cold water on the boats, watermelon and bananas on some dives as well. Bottom times were limited by amount of air in your tank and the nitrogen in your blood. Aqua Safari was also very good about letting me test my equipment. They have tanks inside to check your regulators and a rinse tank right inside the shop to wash/clean your gear.

Dive Paradise was professional yet the group was rather large, however to their credit they did split up the groups accordingly. I can’t really say too much about their operation because I only did one night dive but I had no problems with them. They had water on the boat to drink. The dive itself was great with lots of life to see such as octopuses/lobsters. No major problems here except the batteries in my dive light are starting to die. I dove with Dive Paradise for a few dives last year and I had no problems with them. They’re a bigger operation but if you get on their smaller boats, you’ll be fine.

Dive Palancar seemed kind of rushed. There were less people on the boat than with Dive Paradise but it still seemed crowded. Lots of people of different skill levels were on the boat. When I dove with Dive Palancar I sort of went exploring off on my own and kept in view of my dive buddy (Bo) for safety. I was looking at some of their rental equipment and it looked very heavily used, not that this was bad but it was just a quick observation. One thing I liked was they had plenty of bottled water, rather than cups of water. Not bad. A bit more expensive than Aqua Safari but the trade off was that since Dive Palancar was the on-site dive op at the Occidental Grand it was only 5-15 minutes away from the reefs which was awesome! Aqua Safari and Dive Paradise were both about 30-45 minute rides for most of the good reefs and an hour an a half for Punta Sur. Best part about Dive Palancar was the bottled water and that they were very close to the reefs so the ride was quick. We were able to go back to the shore and use the hotel bathroom for our surface interval.

Manta Divers is a small dive operator in Cancun where I originally completed my Open Water cert. They are good shop with small boats. This is the 3rd time I’ve dove with Manta Divers they have very good prices and they always keep their groups small. When I arrived at the shop the owner immediately recognized me and greeted me. The original instructor who completed my PADI Open Water named Miguel is still working there. He also remembered me. Overall, I had a great time with Manta Divers. I wasn’t even planning to dive in Cancun but I’m very glad I did. My last dive was probably the most enjoyable dive of my entire trip. More fish then I saw in all my dives in Cozumel. The divemaster/instructor on our boat was Juan-Carlos. They are a very friendly shop and I highly recommend them if you want to do any diving in Cancun.

CANCUN 07/09–09/11 Hotel Girsol & Presidente InterContinential
Dive Op: Manta Divers.
DON”T EVER STAY AT HOTEL GIROSOL!

DIVING
1) Las Palmas 7PM night dive (Dive Paradise) 7/02/05
Max Depth: 58ft
Time: 41 mins
Divemaster = n/a
Dive Buddy = Chris from Texas
5 Octopuses of varying sizes, 1 Huge Hawksbill Turtle, 1 Splendid Toadfish, Spotted Drum, Lobsters.
This was a good dive. Unfortunate my buddy was underweighted and ended up using a lot more air than he thought. We both surfaced early because it was dark and we figured we would stay together. Lots of octopuses and lobsters on this dive. Had to wait on the surface a while before the other divers ascended and before the boat came.

2) Columbia Reef (Aqua Safari) 7/03/05
Max Depth: 84ft
Time: 44 mins
Dive Buddy = Paul from S. California
Divemaster: Chino (funny guy)
2 Green Sea Turtles (I believe)
1 Nurse Shark, Green Moray Eel, Lobster, Lots of French Angelfish
Lots of different things to see; Colombia Deep is always one of my favorite dives. This dive did not disappoint.

3) Las Palmas (Aqua Safari) 07/03/05
Max Depth: 60ft
Time: 47 mins
Dive Buddy = Paul from S. California
Divemaster: Chino
Hawksbill Turtles, Green Moral Eels, French Angel Fish, Gray Angel Fish

4) Paradise Reef (Aqua Safari) 07/04/05 Afternoon dive
Max Depth: 39ft
Time: 56 mins
Dive Buddy = Greg
Divemaster = Moriano (highly recommended, 3rd time I’ve dove with him in Cozumel)
Green Moray Eel, Barracuda, Lobster

5) Palancar Caves (Aqua Safari) 07/05/05
Max Depth: 86ft
Time: 51 mins
Divemaster = Morianno
Lots of swim-thru’s and reef formations. Really cool dive.
Lots of Barracuda, Three hawksbill turtles, Lots of Hog fishes, French and Gray Angel fish, Yellow Stingray
This is a very good dive. This was the first time I dove Palancar Caves. There were so many different swim-thrus and cool reef formations. This is definitely a must-do dive in Cozumel. I ended up seeing lots of different sea life as well. Hog fish, turtles, and barracuda were common.

6) Yucab (Aqua Safari) 07/05/05
Max Depth: 50ft
Time: 53 mins
Divemaster = Morianno
More parrotfish than I can count. They eat the coral and make Cozumel’s sand
Barracudas, Honeycomb cowfish, Black groupers.
I guess if you like Parrotfish then this is the dive to see them on. I couldn’t count how many of them there were.

7) Punta Sur (Aqua Safari) 07/06/05
Max Depth: 120ft
Time: 32 mins
Divemaster = Paulo
One word: AWESOME!
Multilevel dive/caverns/swim-thrus
Devil’s Throat Cave. Saw “the cross” coral formation
Awesome swim-thrus that open up to wall at 120ft
Lots of Black Coral. Not much fish but awesome swim-thrus. This is one of the coolest dives I’ve ever done. It’s definitely up their with the cenote dives. Not much to see but more of an adrenaline rush going through devil’s throat and eventually coming out of a swim thru which opens up to a wall at 120ft. Fantastic scenery

8) Chankanaab Reef (Aqua Safari) 07/06/05
Max Depth: 48ft
Time: 55 mins
Divemaster = Paulo
5 lobsters, one huge lobster, Splendid Toadfish, Gray Angel fish, Smooth Trunkfish, Black Durgon, Barracuda

07/07/05 and 07/08/05. Took two dives off from diving. Rented a car and drove around the island. Went to the beach. Went to see San Gervasio Mayan ruins. Lots of pictures available on my website.

On the 9th I meet up with Bo from Texas (from scubaboard) for a two-tank morning dive with Dive Palancar. This served two purposes, both of us needed dive buddies and we’re also both going on the Scubaboard Bonaire 2005 trip with Natasha so we figured it would be great to meet and get to know each other before the Bonaire trip. Worked great.

9) Palancar Gardens (Dive Palancar) 07/09/05
Max Depth: 83 ft
Time: 43 mins
Divebuddy = Bo (from Texas)
Three big groupers. Good amount of current. Average dive.

10) Paso del Cedral Reef (I think) (Dive Palancar) 07/09/05
Max Depth: 59 ft
Time: 53 mins
Divebuddy = Bo (from Texas)
I don’t remember much about this dive. It was average. The usual Gray and French angel fish. I believe I also saw a Grouper but I don’t remember.

CANCUN DIVING
This is the 3rd time I’ve dove Cancun and I really can’t compare it to Cozumel. It’s great but in a different sort of great. There are not many cool reef formations, swim-thrus or walls but what Cancun has Cozumel lacks. Cancun has absolutely more fish than you will ever see in Cozumel. If you like swimming with millions of fish then you will enjoy diving in Cancun. I’ve never seen so many fish in one spot in my life. Cancun dives are mostly shallow and may not sit well with advanced divers but their reefs extremely heavily populated with all kinds of species of fish.

11) Chidales Gardens (Manta Divers, Cancun) 07/10/05
Divemaster = Juan-Charlos
Divebuddy =James (from U.K) completing his dive master certification. He is also a scubaboarder.
Max Depth: 25 ft
Time: 50 mins
Green Moral Eel, two lobsters, cowfish, spotted Scorpion fish, huge schools of yellow fish. I Don’t know what they’re called. Good amount of current.

Good dive, unfortunately, there were 3 people doing the “Discover Scuba” resort course and they kept bumping into things. Two girls & their father, father was being a real jerk to divemaster because he wanted to dive instead of listening to the instructor who was trying go over basic skills before diving. They definitely needed to listen instead of being antsy about jumping in.

12) Chidales Gardens (Manta Divers, Cancun) 07/10/05
Divemaster = Juan-Charlos
Divebuddy =James (from U.K) completing his dive master certification. He is also a scubaboarder.
Max Depth: 23 ft
Time: 45 mins
Massive schools of yellow fish. Words can’t describe how many fish. They were everywhere. Same yellow fish from the last dive. This was the most fish I’ve ever seen on a dive. It was shallow and short but there was far more life than I have ever seen in Cozumel. Also, four large barracuda and what looked like a trumpet fish. This was probably my second favorite dive the entire trip. No cool coral or reef formations but a MASSIVE amount of fish. Me and James sort of went off on our own while the divemaster/instructor took care of the three “discover scuba” resort divers. There was actually quite a lot of current/surge. AWESOME dive!

 

[macado]

This is part 2 of my trip report that I couldn't fit. Basically it just talks about the hotels I stayed at and the restaurants I went to.

Hotels
Suites Bahia was right in the middle of downtown near lots of good restaurants and one block away from the dock of Aqua Safari. Excellent location. The hotel was very clean for the price and the staff was friendly. They had one computer in the lobby to use the Internet on that was free for guests. It was great when it worked; however it seemed like the Internet was down 45% of the time. I ended up stealing free wireless Internet from Casa Mexicana on my laptop. Extra towels from the maid, space on the balcony to dry my equipment. Hot water did not work two nights. AC was COLD! The only problem was it looked like somebody broke one of the windows of the hotel at night. When I woke up there were police outside and the window was broken. They replaced the glass the next day. I would stay here again in a heartbeat, good location and it was cheap. I don’t like $200-300/night all-inclusive deals. I’m a poor student finishing a degree working full-time to pay for my diving trips, extravagant lifestyle and of course, my tuition.

After diving in Cozumel I took the ferry over to Playa del Carmen and had lunch. We then took the shuttle over to Cancun for two nights since my flight leaves from Cancun Airport instead of Cozumel. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize this week was Mexican holiday (what somebody told me) every hotel I called was booked. After calling about 20 various hotels on the strip, I settled on Girosol (Near Carola and Palma) for one night. This hotel might have been nice 20 years ago but now I believe it should be bulldozed to the ground. It was extremely dirty with bugs, holes in the windows, a broken television and broken room telephone. This place was almost as bad as some of the youth hostels I’ve stayed at in New York City. Don’t stay here. It was out of desperation and I didn’t feel like getting something downtown. Shady as hell.

The next day, I woke up called American Express and booked Presidente Inter-Continential for $140/night for one night. It’s expensive compared to what I like to pay but to give it credit; it is a very nice resort. Great pools with swim up bars and a huge beach.
After finally getting checked in around 12pm, I took the bus over to Manta Divers for a 1PM two-tank afternoon dive.

Restaurants/Clubs in Cozumel (from Christi’s list and other places)

La Mission (downtown). Most people don’t like this place and it isn’t on anybody’s favorites but I thought the food was decent. In addition to tortilla chips, they also give you garlic bread before your meal. The portions we’re good and the prices we’re reasonable. I guess I like this place because of the garlic bread they give you. Beef and chicken fajitas were very good.

La Choza. The food and is good the prices are average. I ordered the chicken and beef mixed fajitas. They serve it to you on a hot plate that is still smoking when it gets to your table. Fajitas were awesome. My only problem with La Choza is that it gets a bit hot inside, however the same can be said about all the restarants here. Nice place.

Camilo’s. Taken from Christi’s list. It is one of her favorites for tortas and tacos and for a good reason. The shrimp sandwiches (torta de jambon) are awesome! This place is great for a quick bit to eat. Prices are good. I believe they also have A/C; I could be wrong but it was definitely cool inside. It’s a small place that’s perfect for lunch.

Aquario. ***** I have tried this place last year and it was alright, there is a new chef named Luis. I met him one night at the Neptuno Disco Bar and he seemed very friendly. I believe he said he lived in LA or San Francisco for 15 years. I was a little drunk so I don’t remember the entire conversation ). Anyway, I decided to give this place a try. One word, AWESOME! The food there was great, no other way to describe it. Cheaper than Guido’s or Pepe’s. This is probably one of the most romantic restaurants I’ve ever been to. (if I was with a girl) It is right on the water and has a 180 degree view of the ocean. They had a live band playing the whole night and people were dancing. I saw one of the most perfect sunsets I’ve ever seen in Cozumel. I ordered Nachos de Mare (Seafood Nachos, I guess) for an appetizer and a plate called “The Mexican” for my main course. The appetizer itself was more than enough to fill me. This was the biggest portion of food I’ve ever gotten in Cozumel. The Mexican, which was a plate of associated Mexican food was also excellent. I was completely full by the appetizer but forced myself to finish because it was so good. They have a good wine selection as well, if you’re in to that sort of thing. This is definitely a couples-restaurant but it didn’t stop me from enjoying it. If you’re looking for a change from Guido’s, Pepe’s or Prima, go here!

Guido’s. Everybody loves Guido’s. Don’t get me wrong, the food is great but I’m spoiled on the account of my father being an Italian chef. I had Pizza Napoleon and the Lasuana. Very good food, EXPENSIVE, small portions. I guess you could say their portions were normal because in the United States we are spoiled with huge portions. I enjoyed Acquario much more. It was very crowded, however the staff was awesome. Every five seconds they would ask you if you needed anything, the service was great.

Neptuno Bar (outside of disco night-club)
This place is located further away from the main downtown near the El Cantil condos and directly across from Acqurio. There is a night club inside and a outside bar with a jukebox. This is DEFINITELY a local hang-out spot. Lots of people in their uniforms getting out of work or young local kids out drinking with their friends. Corona is 12 pesos and Modelo cerveza is 15 pesos. The bartenders’ names are Luis and Jorge. Very nice guys but they don’t speak English at all. My abysmal high school Spanish was used to the best of its ability here. Most of the locals were singing along with the jukebox that was mostly playing rock music and enjoying drinks with their friends. Not very touristy at all. One of the nights I was drinking here, I met the chef of Acquario named Luis, he was very nice/funny guy. I don’t really like big tourist bars so I really enjoyed this place. I basically sat their and watched cars and people walk by while listening to music

1.5 Bar
This bar/club is directly across from Neptuno Disco Bar and next to Acqario. It seems like a really upscale bar. They have a good liquor selection but it was expensive. I think I went on an off night because it wasn’t very busy here. It overlooks the ocean and has a fantastic view. A British guy living on the island recommended this place. I don’t think I was there on the exciting nights. The drinks were at least good.

Senior Frogs
The typical tourist-trap bar. Overcrowded with lots of young 20s college girls and cruise ship passengers. Awesome if you like watching all drunk girls dance but not so awesome if you don’t want to spend money or if you want something quiet. Anticipate spending lots of money if you ordered mix drinks. The cheapest beer SOL/Dos XX is 35.00 pesos plus tips. Probably a great place to go with you’re looking for a good time. Live bands, DJ, music videos on projectors, and other “various” forms of entertainment.

 

[rje634]

Nice report, well done...
What was so bad about Hotel Girsol?
Did you leave there and stay at the Presidente?

 

[ggunn]

La Mission (downtown). Most people don’t like this place and it isn’t on anybody’s favorites but I thought the food was decent. In addition to tortilla chips, they also give you garlic bread before your meal. The portions we’re good and the prices we’re reasonable. I guess I like this place because of the garlic bread they give you. Beef and chicken fajitas were very good.

FWIW, there are several locations of La Mission, and the one that many folks speak out against is not the downtown location, but the "Casa" location, where the food is so-so and the prices are high. The food is not bad, but it's not a good value, IMHO, and YMMV.

 

[macado]

It was extremely dirty. Broken window in bathroom. Room telephone did not work nor did the television. Very shady place. Everything was falling apart. Room was very dirty. I checked out the next day and booked the Presidente for one night.

Nice report, well done...
What was so bad about Hotel Girsol?
Did you leave there and stay at the Presidente?

 

[macado]

I uploaded pictures to my website of Cozumel if anybody wants to see them.

http://macado.org/cozumel_july05/

No diving pictures, just land activities though

-Mike

 

[bnajdrovsky]

Hey Mike! Nice report. Good diving with you on Saturday. The second dive was indeed Cedral Pass, and you're right, it was fairly ordinary.

Re: La Mission ... we ate there on Sunday, and rather liked it as well. The garlic shrimp was yummy.

See you in September on Bonaire.

Bo

 

[rje634]

It was extremely dirty. Broken window in bathroom. Room telephone did not work nor did the television. Very shady place. Everything was falling apart. Room was very dirty. I checked out the next day and booked the Presidente for one night.

Nice to know, I always like to be aware of the places that will ruin a vacation...