Any Ideas?

[ColoDale]

Ditto on south end of Cozumel. Best beaches are there but the snorkeling isn't that great from shore (at the hotels). Close reefs are 2-5 minutes away. Far southern dive sites can be 20 mintes in a fast 6-pack.
Many of the smaller boats do their surface intervals on a beach or beach restaurant/club. The bigger slower boats generally stay underway.

We had larger boats in the Bahamas and St. Lucia and did not stop at a beach. The boat trips were longer as well. I don't recall even smaller boats stopping on a beach except in Exuma (I think around Stocking island if I recall right) but those were only a couple boats.

 

[robint]

I really appreciate everyone taking the time to provide input. Unfortunately we got spoiled at Dive Bohio because we were able to go back to shore between dives. I like to limit the boat ride to no more than 15 minutes unless it's a special dive... i.e. sharks.

Thinking of looking at either Cayman Brac or Barefoot Cay.....

Again I really appreciate everyone's time!!

So do you want to go back to shore because you don't like doing surface intervals on a boat? I think you would find Cozumel seas pretty calm (April to Oct in particular). I have never seen someone seasick on a boat in Cozumel... ever. Also, as mentioned above, some dive ops stop at a local beach between dives (not back to resort), and some others are so close that they do go back to the resort.

The big issue with boat diving in Cozumel is that the reefs are far enough from shore that you must have a boat, and you must have a DM lead each dive due to the current. You drift the whole dive, and when you come up together the boat is there to pick you up. No swimming back to boat or against currrent.

robin

 

[nazaar1]

Roatan was the shortest for us and we've been to Cozumel, Belize, Grand Cayman, Turks and a few other places. You step onto the beach and right onto the boat, take a 5-10 minute ride out and you're there. Stay in West Bay for nice beaches. We stayed at Mayan Princess and dove with Mayan Divers in the resort. Could not have been any more convenient.

 

[Scuba Tom]

Cozumel, Roatan or Belize have great spots and you have all the dive centers in the same street right in front of the beach...close to your hotel.