Dive Package Dilemma

[deco_martini]

Me and a pal are thinking about hitting the Scuba Club Coz in May for a room+dive package. We like to dive 4-5 times a day when we travel, so were thinking of hitting up a second dive op that does two tanks in the afternoon (maybe blue XT).

Any suggestions or advice?

 

[loudives]

You will have to take your gear and taxi somewhere to have a differant operator pick you up. Scuba Club will not allow others to pick up from their pier.
Lou

 

[redacted]

Me and a pal are thinking about hitting the Scuba Club Coz in May for a room+dive package. We like to dive 4-5 times a day when we travel, so were thinking of hitting up a second dive op that does two tanks in the afternoon (maybe blue XT).

Any suggestions or advice?

I've done that using Blue Angel. You can not be picked up from the SCC property, so an important part of the arrangements is figuring out pickup arrangements. We slipped in next door at Hotel Cozumel and got picked up there. Diving that hard, you may want to limit your profiles or go with nitrox.

 

[Christi]

We slipped in next door at Hotel Cozumel and got picked up there. Diving that hard, you may want to limit your profiles or go with nitrox.

Actually, you cannot do that anymore either. If you are not a hotel guest, you cannot use the pier.

 

[deco_martini]

Were both nitrox divers of course. Its a shame SCC doesn't allow pickups from it pier since their afternoon diving isn't as robust as some of the independent ops. This might force me to change resorts.

 

[Christi]

Were both nitrox divers of course. Its a shame SCC doesn't allow pickups from it pier since their afternoon diving isn't as robust as some of the independent ops. This might force me to change resorts.

In May you will have MANY choices as all hotels should be reopen by then. With the exception of Scuba Club, you do not have to dive with the onsite operator.

You will probably find that you can do the trip just as economically or even less expensive if you do a little research and book a smaller hotel vs. an all-inclusive resort. Unless you are a heavy drinker and eat a ton, the all-inclusive plans usually do not work out cheaper than eating on your own in town...and they definitely lack the charm of the smaller places and Coz restaurants.

Pick your dive op, pick your hotel, and eat in town on your own and I think you'll find your vacation will be much more rewarding and you'll have more of an opportunity to experience why people love Cozumel so much.

 

[redacted]

Pick your dive op, pick your hotel, and eat in town on your own and I think you'll find your vacation will be much more rewarding and you'll have more of an opportunity to experience why people love Cozumel so much.

While SCC is my overall Cozumel favorite, it is the place to stay for an easy, lay-back dive vacation. It is not the place to stay if you want to dive hard. Sometimes it can be hard to get them to do a 2-tank twilight dive. They cancel if there is not a minimun number of divers. PM dive may be possible, but you would have to find enough divers and I still wouldn't count on it.

I figured we were sneeking in when we used their pier - but it was easy.

 

[jayjoans]

deco-martini,
Christi is absolutely right, we were all booked through Costco for an all-inclusive resort with air fare. LUCKILY, the Costco agent had misspoken and told me that we could cancel the all-inclusive and still keep our airfare. After talking to Christi she counseled us to dump the AI and stay right in town. We changed our plans according to her recommendations and had a FABULOUS trip the week before Christmas. (since we booked, the AI we were going to stay at was hammered by Wilma and still hasn't reopened)

Christi set us up at the Casa Mexicana about a block along the waterfront to where BlueXTsea picked us up every morning. What we figured was that we would not gain anything by staying at an AI, the Casa Mexicana rate includes a delicious hot breakfast buffet each morning, and we would be doing our intervals somewhere near the dive sites, so the all-inclusives would be useless for lunch. AI's are not known for their great food, so we were planning on going into town at night anyway to eat the yummy local food. Since we are not drinkers, when it came down to it the AI's offered us nothing but a poor location and the need to get a taxi to the pier every morning and back every afternoon. Additionally, at the AI we would have to tack on another taxi ride in and out of town for dinner (for a group of 6 of us we were figuring $10 each trip, so $20 a day for taxis to dive and $20 a day for taxis to dinner on top of everything else)

At the Casa Mexicana we woke up, ate, walked 3 minutes to the pier, had great dives with Christi and crew, left all our gear with Christi every night and walked back 3 minutes to a hot shower and a nap at the hotel. After our refreshing naps we were right in town and walked everywhere. We couldn't have been happier, we're glad Christi set it all up for us.

She was right.

 

[deco_martini]

Last time I went to Cozumel (non-dive) I stayed at the Occidental on the southwest part of the island. Food was great, the steakhouse was good, the liqour was good (even if you are a casual drinker). I didn't realize that AIs weren't known for good food after staying there. Same for the Reef Club Playacar. AI and simply great food.

My friend and I are pretty reclusive. Taxis and restaurants aren't our scene.


Is there not a decent AI I can book with good food service and get 4 dives a day without using a taxi?

 

[Christi]

Last time I went to Cozumel (non-dive) I stayed at the Occidental on the southwest part of the island. Food was great, the steakhouse was good, the liqour was good (even if you are a casual drinker). I didn't realize that AIs weren't known for good food after staying there. Same for the Reef Club Playacar. AI and simply great food.

My friend and I are pretty reclusive. Taxis and restaurants aren't our scene.


Is there not a decent AI I can book with good food service and get 4 dives a day without using a taxi?

If AI's are your thing, there will be plenty of choices in May like I said.

Jay was originally booked at the Cozemelino which is at the northern end of the island...where dive boats don't pick up.

In May, you'll have your choice of Hotel Cozumel, Fiesta Americana, Reef Club, Allegro, Occidental Grand, or Iberostar. For location and to have more dive site options, I would stick with one of the first two. If you stay too far souht, you are limited to the southern sites.

Also, just trying to get a feel for what's important to you. All of these resorts have onsite dive shops, but as I said you do not have to dive with them. If you do dive with the onsite ops, some things you may want to keep in mind are that while you may be able to get 4 dives in with say Dive Palancar (Allegro and Occidental), they will be very structured dives, your typical resort dives like 80 feet for 40 minutes max. Dive Palancar is a great operation, they are just more conservaative and operate on a strict time schedule...another reason dives are limited.

If you book with an outside operator of your choice (many excellent ones) you can have two less restrictive dives and very likely still get the same bottom time you had with three of four shorter dives...depending on your air management of course.

Back to the onsite ops, you are more likely to be guaranteed the afternoon dives than with a smaller operator. Most of us only schedule afternoon dives if we have a minimum of three of four people to justify the expene of sending the boat out.

I'm not trying to sway you either way...just to tell you the differences so you can make an informed choice and won't be disappointed.