Anyone use Sand Dollar Sports?
- Thread starter metalmat
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Mooo
Some people like large boats, but I prefer the small boat operators. Just about all the the dive operators in Cozumel will pick you up at the Wyndam, so you are not locked into diving with the on-site operator.
Some people like large boats, but I prefer the small boat operators. Just about all the the dive operators in Cozumel will pick you up at the Wyndam, so you are not locked into diving with the on-site operator.
DivingPrincessE
Contributor
I had a bad experience with them and have posted about it an a couple of threads, if you do a search for "sand dollar sports" you should find some things.
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Dive with Martin and Blue XTSea (among others) can pick you up off Sand Dollar's dock. Check their reputation here. Both scored 100% in the recent Scubadiving Readers Ratings.
cicopo
Contributor
They are at the very bottom of my list of who I would send someone to. There is a lengthy list of good ops that will give you both good service & great guidance while increasing your number of dives. The smaller ops use smaller boats mind you and they can be a bit bumpier plus you may need to practice the back roll rather than the giant stride for water entry but that's no biggie. With the smaller ops you get to empty your tank, with Sanddollar you will do timed dives or even worse when the first diver is low on air everyone surfaces, no matter how much air they still have.
All of the following (plus some I won't remember) are worth considering: Blue XT Sea, Scubatony, Dive with Martin, Scuba with Allison, Pelagic Ventures, and if you think you are physically able to manage with a bigger & heavier tank then Living Underwater or Aldora, but there are others too.
All of the following (plus some I won't remember) are worth considering: Blue XT Sea, Scubatony, Dive with Martin, Scuba with Allison, Pelagic Ventures, and if you think you are physically able to manage with a bigger & heavier tank then Living Underwater or Aldora, but there are others too.
garrett58
Registered
i have used sand dollar on two vacation. stayed at the wyndham or the reef club as it used to be called. i was very happy with them .there were never more than six on the boat on one trip it was just my buddy and i .they took us to all the good spots.
they are very conveniant if your staying at the wyndam. we did some great night dives.i would highly recomend them.as for as complaints on this board about them i only remember one where a guy was all upset because the ports were closed due to nortes not much they can do about that.i am planning a trip in march and i will be diving with sand dollar for seven two tank days and three night dives
they are very conveniant if your staying at the wyndam. we did some great night dives.i would highly recomend them.as for as complaints on this board about them i only remember one where a guy was all upset because the ports were closed due to nortes not much they can do about that.i am planning a trip in march and i will be diving with sand dollar for seven two tank days and three night dives
Metalmat-
We frequently dive with Sand Dollar Sports, and have ALWAYS had a great experience with them. They make us feel like family, and we ALWAYS have extended bottom time and NEVER feel rushed.
In fact, our Dive Club just dove with them this past December. Our pics can be found here:
Cozumel December 2007 - Diversified Divers
Additionally, my wife and I will be diving with them Feb 3 - 10, 2008; and our Group will be with them July 3 - 12.
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
Jeff.
DIVERSIFIED DIVERS SCUBA - Home Page
We frequently dive with Sand Dollar Sports, and have ALWAYS had a great experience with them. They make us feel like family, and we ALWAYS have extended bottom time and NEVER feel rushed.
In fact, our Dive Club just dove with them this past December. Our pics can be found here:
Cozumel December 2007 - Diversified Divers
Additionally, my wife and I will be diving with them Feb 3 - 10, 2008; and our Group will be with them July 3 - 12.
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
Jeff.
DIVERSIFIED DIVERS SCUBA - Home Page
cicopo
Contributor
No offense meant but are you trying to imply that they will group a relatively new diver with either of your highly experienced groups to allow them to dive their tank?
DivingPrincessE
Contributor
Ok I found my post in the other thread. This was my experience with Sand Dollar Sports:
Ours was a mess. We were waiting for about 45 minutes for the boat to pick us up off the pier and they kept saying "5 minutes 5 minutes." After the third time they said that one of the guys diving in the group said, "Is that 5 mexican minutes" which was pretty funny. But 45 minutes later the boat finally shows. We go to their shop on this slow a** boat watching 3 other dive boats soar right by us. The group onboard asked to be taken to dive locations that were supposed to be really good...I think Santa Rose may been one if I remember right. We were told in broken English "Sea too rough" which was BS. So we dove with a 2 minute slow boat-ride of their dive shop (i.e. right next to the dive shop and within site of the cruise ship)...they just didn't want to spend money on gas to go somewhere good. Our second dive was done between the shop and cruise ship. Half the dive was over sand. When we got back on the ship they didn't even turn off the motor!! Even though we were all getting sucked in and screaming at them to turn it off they just said "no no get on boat, get on boat" so we all (8 of us) grabbed on to the ladder at one time to avoid being chopped into bits.
Also, I forgot to metion. Most of the tanks had blown o-rings and when we asked if they had any they either pretended not to know english or really didn't know what we were asking for. Ridiculous. Luckily several of us had save-a-dive kits, so we used our own o-rings.
When we got back on the ship a couple of people wrote formal letters of complaints and gave them to Royal Caribbean.
Just terrible.
Ours was a mess. We were waiting for about 45 minutes for the boat to pick us up off the pier and they kept saying "5 minutes 5 minutes." After the third time they said that one of the guys diving in the group said, "Is that 5 mexican minutes" which was pretty funny. But 45 minutes later the boat finally shows. We go to their shop on this slow a** boat watching 3 other dive boats soar right by us. The group onboard asked to be taken to dive locations that were supposed to be really good...I think Santa Rose may been one if I remember right. We were told in broken English "Sea too rough" which was BS. So we dove with a 2 minute slow boat-ride of their dive shop (i.e. right next to the dive shop and within site of the cruise ship)...they just didn't want to spend money on gas to go somewhere good. Our second dive was done between the shop and cruise ship. Half the dive was over sand. When we got back on the ship they didn't even turn off the motor!! Even though we were all getting sucked in and screaming at them to turn it off they just said "no no get on boat, get on boat" so we all (8 of us) grabbed on to the ladder at one time to avoid being chopped into bits.
Also, I forgot to metion. Most of the tanks had blown o-rings and when we asked if they had any they either pretended not to know english or really didn't know what we were asking for. Ridiculous. Luckily several of us had save-a-dive kits, so we used our own o-rings.
When we got back on the ship a couple of people wrote formal letters of complaints and gave them to Royal Caribbean.
Just terrible.
Cicopo-
No, I'm not implying that they place a relatively new diver with a group of highly experienced divers, and allow the new diver to dive with their tank. I was replying to your comment that Sand Dollar has "timed dives or even worse when the first diver is low on air everyone surfaces, no matter how much air they still have."
I have never found that to be the case with Sand Dollar. We've always had great service, great dive guides, and have never been required to surface when the first diver is low on air.
In fact, everytime we've been there, I've watched them check the levels of divers in advance, and do their best to place, accordingly. We ask them to place us with other experienced divers. They do their best to make that happen.
No, I'm not implying that they place a relatively new diver with a group of highly experienced divers, and allow the new diver to dive with their tank. I was replying to your comment that Sand Dollar has "timed dives or even worse when the first diver is low on air everyone surfaces, no matter how much air they still have."
I have never found that to be the case with Sand Dollar. We've always had great service, great dive guides, and have never been required to surface when the first diver is low on air.
In fact, everytime we've been there, I've watched them check the levels of divers in advance, and do their best to place, accordingly. We ask them to place us with other experienced divers. They do their best to make that happen.
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