Maui or Cozumel

[Robalo51]

I have been to the Big Island, OK diving, pricey but it's the US. I have also been to Cancun and Cabo. Found Mexico to be dirty and scary in areas. Cabs try to shaft you as well. But I heard that Cozumel is not like that at all. Did get to do a trip to Playa Del Carmen, only to have our transport break down. Lots of snakes and alligators encountered on the side of that narrow highway. Fishing in Cabo was cool in spite of one of our party being mugged. So is Cozumel any different from the rest of Mexico?

 

[JamesBon92007]

I don't know about "dirty and scary", but some areas are poor. I didn't see any crocodiles or snakes on Cozumel and even some of the locals didn't know that there are iguanas living there. TripAdvisor has about 299 places to eat and they are probably just about all at least four stars. The cab drivers are not like the ones at CUN but they do seem to vary in their prices even though the prices are supposedly fixed. I find that if I ask up front in Spanish how much it will cost it is usually lower than if I ask in English. There are a LOT of dive ops and all that I looked into had very high ratings. There are cheap, nice places to stay but some of the neighborhoods are, as I said, kinda poor. But I never felt unwelcome or uncomfortable walking around San Miguel at night, except when crossing the streets at a corner. There doesn't seem to be much crime and I've heard that the cab drivers and shop-keepers report potential problems immediately--they don't want their customers being molested. I've also been to Puerto Vallarta and thought it was a very clean, very friendly and often beautiful place. For that matter I was often turned loose in Tia Juana (Tijuana) when I was a little kid ( 5 or 6) and never experienced a problem.

I dove the backside of Molokini and a turtle station just off of Little Beach and did many shore dives from Maui and, as nice as they were, in my opinion they only exceeded Cozumel in the number of sea turtle sightings and perhaps moray eel sightings. The dive boats cost more on Maui and you can get six to eight dive T-Shirts on Cozumel for the price of one on Maui. Plus you can stuff your belly (lunch) in San Miguel for 80 pesos ($4 US) or less. Cozumel offers spectacular coral reefs and probably some of the clearest salt water in the world. If you've been to Kona then you may have experienced the night dive with the manta rays. That is particularly amazing and unique to Kona. If you didn't do it you should be regretting it.

When I was on Maui I didn't want to leave when the time came. When I'm on Cozumel I don't want to leave. My next trip will either be to the Big Island or Cozumel. I'm trying to decide between the two as a place to live.

If you think Hawai'i is pricey you should try Costa Rica. I stayed in Playa Hermosa (Guanacaste) and it made Maui seem cheap. I also saw crocodiles there plus much worse poverty than I've seen in Mexico.

 

[Scubanoobi]

I haven't dove Coz (but have done PDC many times - I know they don't even compare). I've also dove the Big Island, Maui and Costa Rica. I found both Costa Rica (Coco Beach/Guanacaste) and Maui (Kihei) to be a bit better than the Big Island. The Big Island (Puako) I found was a little repetitive. Maui had more variation to the dive sites. Costa Rica had massive schools of fish, large rays (Manta, eagle, stingrays) and lots of other life. Downsides to Costa Rica are thermoclines (82-71 degrees in August) and poor visibility (20-30 feet).

I have a non-diving wife and 8 year old, so topside activities are important too. Which is why Coz is not on the list.

This summer we are either going to Maui or Costa Rica again (my two favorite places).

 

[JamesBon92007]

I found both Costa Rica (Coco Beach/Guanacaste) and Maui (Kihei) to be a bit better than the Big Island. . Costa Rica had massive schools of fish, large rays (Manta, eagle, stingrays) and lots of other life. Downsides to Costa Rica are thermoclines (82-71 degrees in August) and poor visibility (20-30 feet).
I have a non-diving wife and 8 year old, so topside activities are important too. Which is why Coz is not on the list.
This summer we are either going to Maui or Costa Rica again (my two favorite places).

By "Coco Beach" do you mean Playas del Coco? That's a tough one because I've seen it written at least three different ways. I didn't spend any time there except underwater but it looked like the usual shops and restaurants and bars etc. What activities in particular do they have that make it more suitable for a non-diving adult and an eight-year-old? As far as the diving goes I thought Costa Rica was great--lots of fish, rays, sharks, shipwrecks, morays, etc. I thought the snorkeling on Hawai'i was quite a bit better than on Maui or Cozumel but the entire West coast of Maui seems to be filled with great beaches.

 

[Scubanoobi]

By "Coco Beach" do you mean Playas del Coco? That's a tough one because I've seen it written at least three different ways. I didn't spend any time there except underwater but it looked like the usual shops and restaurants and bars etc. What activities in particular do they have that make it more suitable for a non-diving adult and an eight-year-old? As far as the diving goes I thought Costa Rica was great--lots of fish, rays, sharks, shipwrecks, morays, etc. I thought the snorkeling on Hawai'i was quite a bit better than on Maui or Cozumel but the entire West coast of Maui seems to be filled with great beaches.

Yes, Playas Del Coco and Coco Beach are the same. There was the usual shops and restaurants, the beach was OK. We rented a golf cart and drove over to Playa Ocatal for a day. Most of our activities were either pool related or day trips (hiking, river boat, rain forest). Here is a video of the trip (the first 3 mins has good coverage of what you'd see underwater and on land):

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

Short Answer....Cozumel is nothing like mainland Mexico. I have never been to Hawaii, so I really cant compare the 2. I can tell you lots about Cozumel though.

We go to Cozumel at least twice a year and hope to do at least 6 months a year within 10 years.. I will guarantee you it will be cheaper. We do not stay at the all inclusives because there is so much good food in town for cheap to very reasonable prices. We stay at Casa Mexicana for 70 to 80 a night which includes arguably the best breakfast buffet in town. Very clean hotel with nice rooms and excellent service. Comfortable beds too.

Dive-Op wise, Dive with Martin will probably be the most cost effective shop on the island around $60 for a 2 tank dive if multiple dives are booked. Aldora will be on the higher end around $95 fro a two tank dive, 10% discount for cash, and they use steel HP120 tanks for 80-90 minute dives. There are other benefits to justify the expense for Aldora as well, just check out their website. The remainder of the ops will likely fall into the $80 range for a 2 tank morning dive with aluminum 80 tanks..

Stay away from cattle boats with more than 8 divers on board. There is no reason to dive with 20 other people when the smaller, faster, "valet" service type shops are out there. We dive with Aldora, but there are dozens of top notch operations on the island. We have dove with Dive with Martin and Blue Magic and can recommend them both. Blue XTsea, Tres Pelicanos, also have a huge following on the Cozumel site as well.

Diving wise, most days there is incredible visibility, an abundance of aquatic life from eels to huge turtles to sharks and everything in between. There are usually mild currents so your are truly drift diving, very little finning is necessary. We just got back from Roatan and the reef was healthier there, but very limited aquatic life and no where near the visibility of Cozumel. If you want to go fast, go to the North end...zoooom! Safety wise, our first dives were in Cozumel with my 12 year old and 18 year old daughters. I was never concerned about their safety.

Town wise- we love it. We have walked all over Cozumel after dark and never felt threatened or afraid. I'm a little paranoid by nature and never been in a situation where I got a bad feeling. Generally, the people are very friendly and willing to help if needed. I can get by in Spanish, but have never needed it. My wife does just fine and her only Spanish is the menu at Taco Bell. Parts of town may look less than appealing but we have never had an issue. Cabs are cheap anyway, usually $4 for most in town rides, cheaper if you have Peso's.

If you want an all inclusive 5 star beach experience, you will need to go to the South end of the island. If you want the Cozumel experience, Town is the place to be.

Not sure what air fare would be from Oregon, but one of the reasons we love it is we can get there from OKC for 200-300 regularly. I would highly recommend going in October/November for Day of the Dead. Its an amazing time and absolutely a cultural experience when the island comes out in the square for the festivities.

Good Luck, safe travels

Jay

 

[JamesBon92007]

Yes, Playas Del Coco and Coco Beach are the same. There was the usual shops and restaurants, the beach was OK. We rented a golf cart and drove over to Playa Ocatal for a day. Most of our activities were either pool related or day trips (hiking, river boat, rain forest). Here is a video of the trip (the first 3 mins has good coverage of what you'd see underwater and on land):

We may be getting a little off-topic here (Maui vs Cozumel), but I think I saw the same crocodiles and white tips that are in your video I managed to go on the jungle river cruise but we couldn't seem to tear ourselves away from the snorkeling at Playa Hermosa. No doubt we will return someday soon and do some of those tours that you have shown. We went with Mardigi tours and thought they were great. Next time we'll stay longer than one week.

It is now clear what you meant about other activities.

Pura Vida!

 

[Robalo51]

Wow guys, what a response. This is a tremendous response. I can set up my next dives and custom them to me solo or with the wife. Spouse likes to dive a little, loved the Manta night dive Big Island. She hated East Cape Mexico fishing trip, great for me, absolutely nothing for her, just a small fishing village. People here were awesome, but no distraction for the wife. Unlike Cancun, shes not a big fan of snakes, nor Morays. Traveling solo you need not worry about the spouse, but 10 days with her not having much to do is not fair. Again thanks much, looks like both destinations are a can do. Will do both this year and I'm sure she will love Cayman.

 

[crabbyfiddler]

Wow guys, what a response. This is a tremendous response. I can set up my next dives and custom them to me solo or with the wife. Spouse likes to dive a little, loved the Manta night dive Big Island. She hated East Cape Mexico fishing trip, great for me, absolutely nothing for her, just a small fishing village. People here were awesome, but no distraction for the wife. Unlike Cancun, shes not a big fan of snakes, nor Morays. Traveling solo you need not worry about the spouse, but 10 days with her not having much to do is not fair. Again thanks much, looks like both destinations are a can do. Will do both this year and I'm sure she will love Cayman.

My 2 cents. I've done Coz many times. It is very safe, we walked all over the place, and for a non diver is a great place to be if you are staying closer to town. While you dive, your wife can go shopping, get her nails done, sightsee, sit on the beach. The people are super friendly. The island has a more family feel if you avoid the places haunted by cruisers. (Carlos and Charlies, etc) There are some great little restaurants too.

I love it, and my vote for the dive op is Living Underwater. Large tanks, fast boat, small groups...

 

[JamesBon92007]

Spouse likes to dive a little, loved the Manta night dive Big Island. She hated East Cape Mexico fishing trip, great for me, absolutely nothing for her, just a small fishing village. People here were awesome, but no distraction for the wife. .

I know the feeling. I have modified my dive trips to include fewer dives and more time spent doing other activities. My solution: more dive trips

Fortunately my girlfriend loves to snorkel and has done something like five or six Discover Scuba dives (possibly a record) and is seriously considering getting certified.