Cozumel Dive Boat?

[scubawife]

Finding the perfect dive operator in Cozumel is really a matter of deciding what you want service wise, and then how much you're comfortable spending. Prices range from about $50 up to $90 for a 2-tank trip. There's no one best dive shop. They all have their loyal customers. They all dive the same sites. The price difference are for the little extras like towels, water, snacks, beach SI's, gear storage, larger tanks or steel tanks, smaller groups, no extra charges for the farthest southern, more advanced or northern dive sites, personalized service, etc.

My personal preference is Living Underwater www.livingunderwater.com They offer what I like and I feel their price ($85/2 tank) is worth what I get for the money. Jeremy is very service oriented. He offers low pressure steel 95 and 120 tanks, a comfortable fast boat with a shade canopy, beach club SI's, towels, water and soft drinks, fresh fruit, snacks, towels, jackets, gear storage including wetsuits. No extra charge for the far southern sites, east side or northern sites. I like his diving style too. Dive sites are chosen each day by the divers onboard. Jeremy takes it slow and you'll have time to really enjoy the dive. He also got a real knack for finding the smallest obscure things. Almost all our dives are well over an hour and I've had a few that are just shy of 2 hours.

 

[ggunn]

One thing to keep in mind, and I am not trying to single out anyone here, is that in the accolades a poster is giving to a particular dive op, many attributes given are by no means exclusive. If someone says, for example, "op XYZ runs small fast boats with a maximum of 6 or 7 divers", while accurate, that statement applies to probably 75% of the ops on Cozumel.

 

[rje634]

I have nothing but great things to say about BlueXT, Mango, Pedro, Arteuro, Cristi, and the entire BlueXT staff. They worked their tails off for us!

I think you mean Mago
Mango is a character from Saturday Night Live.

I'm with you Ron, Blue XT Sea is great!!

 

[Mitchell]

Fiesta Americana and Dive House. Big Boats that aren't crowded. Nice folks too. Close to reefs.

 

[c555]

Thanks for the help everybody! Our group is a group of 7 divers, so that rules out the 6 pack boats, but we have been looking at all the other alternatives. It seems like everyone has a good review of a few main shops, so we will definatily look into these. Can't wait for the trip!

 

[alcina]

Many of the "six packs" will actually take 8

If you aren't concerned too much with speed, we found the big boat at Blue Angel to be comfy.

 

[Namchief]

He said Margo Not Mango....LOL I am not even going to say anything as I am biting my tongue at the moment. (first time for everything)

 

[scubasherry]

ScubaTony is my choice- haven't dove with Blue XTSea or Aldora but we loved Tony. He has his own 6 pax boat and he is his only employee so you get whatever service you need.

Hey there, Tony also has a great DM working for him - Erik... Nate (my husband) did a night dive with him and had a great time. His boat captain is also really, really good!
Tony is a sweetheart and has to be one of the most accommodating, patient nice people I have ever met.
http://www.scubatony.com/services.asp

I would also recommend Betsy White - I have chatted with her a few times and she is really nice. A friend of mine dives with her and can't say enough great things about her and her personal service.
http://www.geocities.com/scubabetsy/

Good luck with your decision. There are a lot of good shops to pick from.

 

[scubawife]

Thanks for the help everybody! Our group is a group of 7 divers, so that rules out the 6 pack boats, but we have been looking at all the other alternatives. It seems like everyone has a good review of a few main shops, so we will definatily look into these. Can't wait for the trip!

You should be able to get your own boat with 7 divers. The "6 pack" dive operators usually will take 6-8 divers per boat. ...unless you don't want to be on a boat with just your family for the whole week.

If you are planning your trip over Easter week, you should be contacting a few shops ASAP as that's a very busy week and the more popular shops would already be booked.

 

[totallyreel]

When we were in Coz last November we dove with both Dive with Martin and Blue XT, both have great DMs and they picked us up at the dock of Coz Palace. Blue XT provided towels, snacks, juice and water - really great service.