Cozumel Questions

[The Professor]

I had booked/paid for a week's diving at Coz staying at Hotel Cozumel and diving with Paradise Divers. My dive travel people kindly will give me a rebooking at my descretion. Can anyone out there tell me just what the situation is at Coz ? Specifically, are the fast boats picking up divers at Hotel Cozumel ? I can't see lugging dive gear to Caleta or the town pier every day. I guess I need some ad:06: vice here. Should I try to get there before Xmas ( I am in Minnesota !) or should I wait until spring ? Thank you all for your input!

 

[WOODMAN]

Well, you came to the right place for information, but you need to wait just a bit for the real firsthand stuff. A lot of info is already here on this forum, and more is arriving daily. As to the state of affairs, a little research on recent postings will tell you a lot. Current data is just now starting to come trickling in, as the more adventurous of us go down there and report back on their findings. Bicster's reports from the Caribe Blu are especially interesting, and I am sure there is lots more coming soon. I am in somewhat the same position as you, as I am also up here in the frozen wasteland ( did you like today's fresh snowfall? ), and I plan on visiting the Caribe Blu in about 3 weeks. It looks like the operators are working around the access question for the boats, and I am sure that this will evolve further as time goes by. ( As you have probably seen already, Bicster reports that Blue Angel is cabbing divers to and from the marina right now for boat access. ) I have every faith in these people's ability to make it all work, and am watching the reports as they come in. I invite you to do the same. See you in Cozumel! Woody in Mpls.

 

[RiotNrrd]

Our guys (Blu Angel) are taking us by taxi to the Caleta in the monring, and leting us leave our gear on the boat during lunch. They taxi us back to the hotel after the morning dive, we have lunch, get another taxi back the caleta for the evening dive, and then taxi back after that. It's really not that much of a problem (except lugging the gear up to the room at night, but that would be a pain regardless).

RiotNrrd

 

[scubawife]

Did you mean Dive Paradise? According to their website, www.diveparadise.com , it looks like the pier at Hotel Cozumel is operational and so is their shop at that location. If the pier is operational any dive operator should be able to pick up there. "Nov. 22 - Progress Report, Cozumel - Hotel Cozumel is up and running - complete with A/C, TV (hotel) and a pier at the beach area. Beach club is still under reconstruction (hope to reopen Dec 15). Lockers, restaurant and sand are yet to be replaced. Dive shop is up and running - with departures from this location."

 

[cxg31s]

I just got back from a week in Coz, so I wanted to answer your question before you make your decision. All the hotel piers were destroyed, including the one at Hotel Cozumel, so most dive ops are departing from the caletta. The only pier still functional is the Aldora pier downtown, but I didn't see any dive ops leaving from there. I actually didn't mind leaving from the caletta because it makes for a shorter boat ride to the reefs!

As for having to haul your gear, I can see where that would be a pain. My dive op of choice keeps my gear, so I never have to worry about anything other than my wetsuits. But if you're riding in a car to/from the caletta, then you just throw it in the trunk and go, right?

I know returning to Coz this soon after a major natural disaster is a huge topic of debate right now. But from firsthand experience, and having just spent a week there, 5 days diving, I can say that I would do it again. The island REALLY needs tourists to return so they can get some cash flow. This was one time I was actually glad to see some cruise ships on the island because they need the revenue! Needless to say, my group was very popular last week....

Anyway, I hope this clears up the pier issue and I'll be glad to answer any other questions you have!

 

[scubawife]

Thanks Angie. I'm staying at Hotel Coz in a couple weeks and was psyched to see on the Dive Paradise site that the hotel had a pier. I don't dive with them but since they are the onsite op, I thought they would have the pier info correct. I guess it was too good to be true.

 

[redacted]

I have seen pictures of the damage at Scuba Club about 100 meters north of HC and the Hotel Cozumel pier appeared to be intact.

http://jmeagher.net/scuba/Cozumel2005/wilma/small/pa241503.jpg

The pier pictured is Hotel Cozumel. The palapa that was on the pier is gone as is the gezebo that was just beyond it.

 

[cxg31s]

If you're referring to the pier in the background behind the people, it does not look intact to me in that picture, nor did it when I saw it with my own eyes last week. Granted, some of the piers APPEAR to be intact, but in fact have sustained damage to the supporting posts in the water, and some piers have been either reduced to rubble or are missing large chunks. In fact, we saw a supporting post from the Dzul Ha pier, with the concrete it was imbedded in, sitting in the sand on one of our dives!

Just goes to show that pictures don't always tell the whole story, and what I saw last week was vastly different from the pictures I've seen on the internet. Don't believe it unless you've seen it yourself....

Angie

 

[redacted]

If you're referring to the pier in the background behind the people, it does not look intact to me in that picture, nor did it when I saw it with my own eyes last week. Granted, some of the piers APPEAR to be intact, but in fact have sustained damage to the supporting posts in the water, and some piers have been either reduced to rubble or are missing large chunks. In fact, we saw a supporting post from the Dzul Ha pier, with the concrete it was imbedded in, sitting in the sand on one of our dives!

Just goes to show that pictures don't always tell the whole story, and what I saw last week was vastly different from the pictures I've seen on the internet. Don't believe it unless you've seen it yourself....

Angie

That the one. It sure looks a lot better than the rest of the structures that should have been in that picture along with the4 sa ndy beaches protected by sea walls. SCC's main peir looks like it is gone and they are operating off a small surviving cement capping on the north side of their property. If Dive Paradise says they are operating from what is left of that peir, I suspect they are not lying.

 

[Dave Dillehay]

There are a lot of piers that are partially destroyed but yet capable of loading divers from limited portions of the pier. The choice to do so would rest with the hotel and dive op, based on safty and insurance considerations.

Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers