Looking for a reputable Snorkel/Dive operation.

[Scuba_88]

Usually, when I go down to Cozumel I dive with Aldora. This April I am heading down to dive again but my girlfriend is coming with me. She doesn't dive and I don't want to leave her all by herself in our rental house deep inside Cozumel. So until I get her certified I thought she could snorkel while I dive. Does anyone know a reputable dive shop that can take people out to snorkel and dive on the same boat? Also, one that isn't a cattle boat.

 

[ReefHound]

There isn't going to be any decent snorkeling over an 80' dive site. Better option would be to ditch the rental house and get an ocean front hotel with a pool.

 

[ggunn]

There aren't that many dive sites around Cozumel that are good for both snorkeling and diving. Colombia Shallows is one, though, but it's typically a second site on a two tank dive, so she'd have to pay for a dive slot on a boat and sit out the first dive. Blue Angel sometimes takes both snorkelers and divers out on their larger boat but they don't drop the divers where the snorkelers will be in the water.

I think your best bet would be to shore dive with her.

 

[Scuba_88]

Thanks GGunn. My hope was to do a two tank dive and that the boat would take the snorkelers to a shallow location during those dives.

 

[diane kappel]

Usually, when I go down to Cozumel I dive with Aldora. This April I am heading down to dive again but my girlfriend is coming with me. She doesn't dive and I don't want to leave her all by herself in our rental house deep inside Cozumel. So until I get her certified I thought she could snorkel while I dive. Does anyone know a reputable dive shop that can take people out to snorkel and dive on the same boat? Also, one that isn't a cattle boat.

Hi we just Got back from a 33 day trip to Cozumel and we were very happy with playa palancar expedition. They take you to Columbia and Palin car wreaths on a small boat can be Snark lers and scuba

Usually, when I go down to Cozumel I dive with Aldora. This April I am heading down to dive again but my girlfriend is coming with me. She doesn't dive and I don't want to leave her all by herself in our rental house deep inside Cozumel. So until I get her certified I thought she could snorkel while I dive. Does anyone know a reputable dive shop that can take people out to snorkel and dive on the same boat? Also, one that isn't a cattle boat.

Sorry let me start over... we just returned from a 33 day trip from Cozumel.
We did this expedition twice....
Playa palancar takes both divers and snorklers. Very reasonable $35 for snorklers i believe $90 for 2 tank dive.
Hang out on a beautiful beach until you leave on only a 10 minute boat ride to the reef... smaller boat maximum of maybe about 12 people, you won't be disappointed. We've seen eagle rays, turtles, sharks, barracudas, lobster. I will try and send info next post.

 

[diane kappel]

Usually, when I go down to Cozumel I dive with Aldora. This April I am heading down to dive again but my girlfriend is coming with me. She doesn't dive and I don't want to leave her all by herself in our rental house deep inside Cozumel. So until I get her certified I thought she could snorkel while I dive. Does anyone know a reputable dive shop that can take people out to snorkel and dive on the same boat? Also, one that isn't a cattle boat.

Playa palancar. 987 118 5154 talk to ivan
Phipè is a sweetheart, and all tbe staff is very professional.

 

[ReefHound]

Thanks GGunn. My hope was to do a two tank dive and that the boat would take the snorkelers to a shallow location during those dives.

Your dive boat should be following the divers. What if someone needs to surface early due to an issue? A boat that takes both divers and snorkelers is likely to take the divers to a spot suitable for snorkeling.

A quick search turns up Deep Blue so there are some that will do it.

 

[nodakdive]

Your dive boat should be following the divers. What if someone needs to surface early due to an issue? A boat that takes both divers and snorkelers is likely to take the divers to a spot suitable for snorkeling.

A quick search turns up Deep Blue so there are some that will do it.

Deep Blue will take both, but as others have mentioned, it's not an optimal situation for the divers or the snorkelers. As I recall, the first dive will likely be at a Palancar site, where the reef can come up to about 30 feet from the surface. While the divers are diving, the snorkeler will snorkel and the boat is following both. During the SI, the boat usually stays on the water and the snorkeler does another snork. I think the snorkeler will snorkel the 2nd dive site too, but it's not great snorkeling. I've also been on the boat where the 3rd snorkel is done after the 2nd dive, and the divers are simply waiting on the boat. It's a quicky snorkel.

For one trip as a snorkeler, it's an experience, but more than once would be boring unless your SO is really into it. I'd be inclined to dive in the morning and then snorkel together in the afternoon, preferably with an operation that'll take you to Colombia Shallows. You could also afternoon shore snorkel at places like Tikila and Papa Hogs beach. Or is it the Villa Blanca beach?

 

[ggunn]

I'll just add this: My wife and I took tanks along on an afternoon snorkeling trip to Colombia Shallows with my mom and some other family members. I had imagined that it would be a shared experience with them, but once the two of us were at depth there wasn't really much of a connection. To look at them I had to roll over on my back which got water up my nose, and all I could see of them was silhouettes; I couldn't tell who was who. I found myself wishing that I had just snorkeled with them.

 

[Altamira]

We have used Cozumel H20 on two stopovers in Coz. I dove, and my wife snorkeled. It is not a cattle boat, and they run a very good operation. They dropped the snorkelers off at a shallow spot and then took the divers to the deeper sites. When the divers surfaced, they went back and picked up the snorkelers and then headed to two more sites, one for snorkelers and a deep site for the divers. They managed both groups exceptionally well and can highly recommend them.