Staying in Cancun but Diving from Cozumel?

[JdLag1]

We will be in Cancun Aug 4-10 and based on trusted resources the plan will be to get to Cozumel and use - DIVE WITH MARTIN. We are staying at the Omni in Cancun and wondering if anyone can give some insight on getting to Coz from where we are staying for the dives. Has anyone had any experiance with dealing with the ferrys to get there from Cancun as far as cost and practicality? Or should we just find an outfit closer to where we are staying. Any experiance you have had or heard with DIVE WITH MARTIN also welcomed.

Thanks

John

 

[cal776]

Staying in Cancun and diving in Cozumel is not ideal as it is a grind, but it is do-able. I too have stayed at the Omni Cancun while commuting to Cozumel to dive.

The least expensive way to get to and from Cozumel is to take a bus on Kulkulkan Blvd. downtown. From there, you can either take a bus or a white shared van (across the street from the bus station to Playa del Carmen. At Playa, you can take a ferry across to Cozumel. You should allocate about two hours each way for the trip.

If possible, I would reconsider staying in Cancun during the days that you are diving. My personal preference is to stay in Cozumel on the front end of a trip and save Cancun for the end for a little R&R and no fly time.

 

[cal776]

As far as cost goes, its about $0.60 for the bus from the hotel zone to downtown Cancun, $6.00 for the ride from downtown Cancun to Playa del Carmen, and $9.00 for the ferry from Playa del Carmen to Cozumel. All estimates are in US dollars and are one way costs.

 

[divingjd]

I did it once several years ago. It is doable, but it is a long day. You probably won't want to do it several days in a row. Make sure the dive op in Cozumel knows you are coming from Cancun and make sure you know when the dive boat leaves. Dive boats typically leave for morning dives between 8:00 and 9:00. If you look up the ferry schedule from PDC to Cozumel, you will probably see a ferry leaving at 5:00 am, one at 7:00 am, and then one every hour after that. I tried to take the 7:00 ferry in January when we stayed in PDC, and it wasn't running. I don't know if the schedule I saw was wrong, if they changed the schedule, just weren't running that day, or what. That means your choices are a 5:00 am ferry or an 8:00 am ferry, both lousy options. If the dive boat is later in the day, you won't have much trouble, but an early boat is really difficult to make coming over from the mainland.

 

[JdLag1]

Re-thinking based on what your telling me. Any recomendations on a good dive operator for Cancun? At least a 2 tank a day 2 day dive. Next trip will definetly being staying in Cozumel.

 

[Jay_SMART_Diver]

I'm going to Playa Del Carmen in November and doing some diving from there found a bunch of ops:

Dive Mike
Dive Mexico
Fantasea
Oceanquest
Phantom
Scubalibre
Sealife
Tank-Ha
Abyss

 

[Firefyter]

Manta Divers in Cancun are pretty decent, and there are several good ops in PDC if you wanted to go that route. I've used Sealife Divers in PDC, and was very happy with their operation.

 

[mindgallery]

Another vote for Manta Divers in Cancun. Had a very good experience with them a couple of years ago!

(yea, first post for me, and actually trying to be helpful )

 

[cal776]

Re-thinking based on what your telling me. Any recomendations on a good dive operator for Cancun? At least a 2 tank a day 2 day dive. Next trip will definetly being staying in Cozumel.

Since you are staying on the mainland, perhaps you should dive the cenotes this time around and save Cozumel for your next visit.

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi JdLag1,

Prices have changed since cal776 made the journey. Ferry is now ~$US11 e/w & the bus plying Kulkulcan Ave is ~$0.75. In any event, it's a real PITA to make that haul everyday & I agree that diving on the mainland side this trip makes a lot of sense.

In CUN I like Solo Buceo http://www.solobuceo.com/default1.htm. Avoid Aquaworld.

The cenotes are definitely worth the trip. They don't float my boat, but you've got to do them at least once. Your op in CUN can set up the whole excursion. Be aware that in Aug the water temps in the cenotes will be ~10F cooler than those in CUN.

For future reference, Dive With Martin is considered a decent mid-level op on CZM. They are neither among the premier shops nor a cattle boat op. You should be happy with them.

Have fun.

DocVikingo