Riviera Maya - Iberostar Quetzal - Dressel or someone else?

[Lucia]

Have not been on this board for a very long time but did some searching here today related to an upcoming trip. I just made plans to stay 6 nights at Iberostar Quetzal in March - have not stayed in this area before. I'll be part of a group of 18 year old girls and their moms on spring break. A bit worried about that aspect but hoping for the best!

My daughter and I are the only divers in the group and I want to at least have a tentative plan for when we get there. I see that Dressel is the on-site dive shop but wondering if I should check out other arrangements. I want to be careful about my daughter - she was junior certified 4 years ago so she needs some refreshing. She took classes at home and then tested in Cozumel while we were there in 2008. For this trip, not sure how much she will want to dive since her other friends won't be diving. I may end up doing some diving without her (expect that chaperone duties will be mostly at night).

Also from what I've read, we would need to decide if we'd dive along the coast or make the trip over to Cozumel. I love the diving in Cozumel but wonder if it would be better to save time (and money) to just dive closer to the hotel. I also was reading about cenote diving - my guess is that this would not be the best idea for my daugther since she essentially will be starting over.

Any feedback or suggestions would be greatly appreciated - thanks!

 

[TVR777]

Have not been on this board for a very long time but did some searching here today related to an upcoming trip. I just made plans to stay 6 nights at Iberostar Quetzal in March - have not stayed in this area before. I'll be part of a group of 18 year old girls and their moms on spring break. A bit worried about that aspect but hoping for the best!

My daughter and I are the only divers in the group and I want to at least have a tentative plan for when we get there. I see that Dressel is the on-site dive shop but wondering if I should check out other arrangements. I want to be careful about my daughter - she was junior certified 4 years ago so she needs some refreshing. She took classes at home and then tested in Cozumel while we were there in 2008. For this trip, not sure how much she will want to dive since her other friends won't be diving. I may end up doing some diving without her (expect that chaperone duties will be mostly at night).

Also from what I've read, we would need to decide if we'd dive along the coast or make the trip over to Cozumel. I love the diving in Cozumel but wonder if it would be better to save time (and money) to just dive closer to the hotel. I also was reading about cenote diving - my guess is that this would not be the best idea for my daugther since she essentially will be starting over.

Any feedback or suggestions would be greatly appreciated - thanks!

I just achieved my OW Certification with the Dressel Team at the Iberostar Quetzal. I have only good things to say about the guys there, they were flexible and helpful throughout the process! I didn't get a chance to dive in Cozumel, due to family commitments, however the dives around the resort were fantastic (seahorses/turtles/barracuda/eels/great reefs). The dive boats weren't busy (I actually completed my certification just with the DM) so the better your air usage the more BT you had! I'm sure that there are cheaper places, however for convenience and the friendly services (Danilo/Enno/Dennis/Lily/Lara) they can't be beaten!