best place in Cozumel

[Prop Joe]

Aldora divers has a non-inclusive Villa 1/2 mile north of town. They have small speedy boats.
They also have a large speedy boat. They pick you up at the Villa's dock in the morning and
drop you off in the early afternoon. Aldora Divers of Cozumel Villa Aldora
They will want to check your abilities, but the divers usually pick the sites.

Yes what Mark said. They have six boats so that divers of similar abilities can be put on boats together. Such as: Cruise ship diver boat (time constraints), dive training boat, beginner boat, Nitrox boat, advance/expert diver boat and usually one back up boat for breakdowns (boats do break down there!). I think this makes not only for a better dive experience but a safer dive because the DM's are not chasing rogue or inexperienced divers all over the reefs during a dive. Everyone stays together as a group from the beginning, to the end of the dive. They have Nitrox analyzers for your use and sell them and other dive related stuff at their dive shop in town. If they don't have what you need they can usually direct you to places that do. They have great dive masters and captains. Steel 120 HP tanks and they have smaller tanks if you are so inclined. May not be the cheapest operation but if you calculate $$$ per minute underwater they are cheaper than most others. YMMV.
There is a wealth of information on this site if you take the time to read it all:
Aldora Divers of Cozumel

Villa Aldora is a quick 20 minute walk along the water to El Centro/Square. Villa Sleeps about 20-30 divers when booked full. Lockable gate at night (they give guests the code). Shore diving available. Rinse area with large buckets and hangers for your gear. Nice Palapa/ beach area, Pool, grill, on staff maid service and maintenance worker(s), full time care giver(s) to help you out with any requests you might have. US based internet phone number system. Great WIFI that works all the way down to the water front, under the palapa.
Villa Aldora
If a Norte blows out diving on the west side (port closed) and if your booked with Aldora. You can usually dive the seldom dove East side, weather and diver performance permitting. Aldora is the only dive operation that has the equipment on the East side to dive there reliably and most important, safely.
Windward Adventures
There are many good dive operation on the island. This will be my third trip down there in the last 12 months and I think about 15-20 lifetime dive trips with Aldora and have never felt the need to dive with anyone else.
I/we have stayed in many of the hotels and Summer Place Inn (house) on the island. We love the Villa, so we have stayed there since it was opened about 5-6 years ago.
Rah! Rah! Sis! Boom! Bah! Cheer over...

 

[The Chairman]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

Thread cleaned.
Please stay on topic and stop bickering.

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[annlaur]

ok, I am asking for people's opinions about where they have been, what they liked, what part of the island is good for intermediate diving( not expert, not novice) , north, central or south. I have heard enough of "lots of places fit that..." and not enough of " we stayed here, we liked this dive op, we liked this beach..." can I get some more of that please... IN the past, I got good stories on the scubaboard , but I am getting some useless comments lately, come on , name some dive ops you like, some hotels that were great !

Scubby-doo, I think you would get more useful answers if you were more specific about your preferences, as suggested by Dandy-Don :
• On a sandy beach or in town ?
• All-inclusive or not ?
• What's your budget ?

The hotels I've stayed at were wonderful for the price (Vista del Mar, USD 50 off season for a King ocean-view, and Hotel Pepita, USD 35), but if you're looking for a secluded resort with a pool overlooking the ocean, they won't fit your bill.

The only dive-op I've tried on the island is Aldora and I was more than satisfied with them. Here are links to both my trip reports from last winter :
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cozumel/320154-tr-aldora-vista-del-mar-pepita-december-2009-a.html

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cozumel/335429-very-long-trip-report-february-cozumel-aldora.html


Here's also a link from Aldora's website about hotels on the island. It is a bit outdated, but I found this page very useful to get an idea of what to expect before my first trip.
Hotels

 

[mstevens]

ok, I am asking for people's opinions about where they have been, what they liked, what part of the island is good for intermediate diving( not expert, not novice) , north, central or south. I have heard enough of "lots of places fit that..." and not enough of " we stayed here, we liked this dive op, we liked this beach..."

Just to be clear, Cozumel isn't really the place for beaches. It has some, but most of the ones near hotels are artificial.

Where you stay has nothing to do with where you dive, unless you're a shore diving fanatic. I have done some nice shore dives on the island (Presidente, Villablanca, Hotel Cozumel Resort) but Cozumel isn't a shore diving destination. No matter where you stay, all dive sites are more-or-less equally accessible to you.

The far southern (Punta Sur, Maracaibo) and northern (Barracuda, Canterel, San Juan) dive sites are generally going to be "advanced." There aren't many "novice" dive sites, but they're the ones with seahorses and other great stuff that you aren't going to find in deeper waters or faster currents.

Since you're asking for cheerleading, my personal favorite place to stay is a rented house. My favorite hotel is the Intercontinental Presidente, by far. My favorite dive op is Blue Magic Scuba, and my favorite divemaster is Sandro Quijada.

I really meant it when I said my favorite dive site is the ocean. They change from day to day and hour to hour, so every dive is different. Overall, we have the most fun at sites most people would consider "intermediate" since light levels are great for photography, marine life is abundant, and we can do hour-plus dives.

 

[scubby-doo]

thank you Mstevens, ,the best reply i could expect. I have seen alot of bickering about how bad or vague my post is. its not productive. instead, discuss the best places you been. I have been searching TRIP REPORTS ( HUGE capital letters) and they are good. I wanted to see some discussion about your favorites. Thanks to the discussion of some, I now have chosen Playa del carmen instead of cozumel, so we can do reef and cenotes. And PDC has great beaches. I want a secluded place, that is quiet, lots of palm trees like an exotic place, not a modern looking cityscape. i want a beach onsite for adults, no parties. i want a little luxury, ie nice bed, exotic pool deck, massage, access to restaurants, not all-inclusive. i like small fast boats, wife likes larger boats with a head, i cant win. i have to figure it out. we like small dive groups, ,and we can pay the premium, and we have all scuba gear. so, on PDC what fits the bill ?

 

[Darol]

I now have chosen Playa del carmen instead of cozumel, so we can do reef and cenotes.

Then you have chosen wrong. Try El Presidente and Scuba Du next time, and see how wrong you were. Oh, and Antonio, see you in nine days, save me a spot on the boat.

 

[DandyDon]

....so we can do reef and cenotes. And PDC has great beaches. I want a secluded place, that is quiet, lots of palm trees like an exotic place, not a modern looking cityscape. i want a beach onsite for adults, no parties. i want a little luxury, ie nice bed, exotic pool deck, massage, access to restaurants, not all-inclusive. i like small fast boats, wife likes larger boats with a head, i cant win. i have to figure it out. we like small dive groups, ,and we can pay the premium, and we have all scuba gear. so, on PDC what fits the bill ?

:laughing: After all this, we finally get that from you. It would have been nice to say so in the first place. PDC is appropriately discussed on the Mexico - ScubaBoard forum so if you post that info there, you should get some suggestions. Many regulars on this forum really have never been there, other than as day trips or to catch the ferry to Coz perhaps. I spent 2 nights there once; it's interesting but not my thing. They certainly do have a lot of shallow water beaches and girls in bikinis, which was not on your list but I liked that aspect. Have a great trip .

Then you have chosen wrong. Try El Presidente and Scuba Du next time, and see how wrong you were.

Based on his preferences and attitude, I think he will have a wonderful time at PDC or someplace nearby on that side of the channel. He seems to want us to be wrong and that will help a lot.

 

[Idivecoz]

I have used Caribbean Divers for many years. I would check them out.
I also like Papa Hogs. PH matches the diver with the boat. Advanced dives are planned often.

 

[Down2bizDiver]

Deep Blue; We B Divin; Del Mar Aquatics

Based on my own experience:

AVOID We-B-Divin-Cozumel. Slow boat and not as described in promotional materials; intermediate and advanced divers will be disappointed. They promised in emails, and in person, opportunity to dive to AOW limits but in fact prohibit deep dives below 100' and strongly discourage dives below 80'. Suitable for beginners.

Good choices: Deep Blue Extended Range (not suitable for beginners, good for AOW and AOW student divers); Del Mar Aquatics

 

[bensontc]

Just got back from Cozumel Monday night. We always dive with Dive Paradise. Love the DM's and boat crews. A lot of people complain about the slower boats but it give us a chance to get to know (and evaluate) other divers on the boat. Some time you might have six people on a boat sometime sixteen. Where you dive is always up to the collective. Majority rules. Dive Paradise also offers the Fast Boat option. Leaves a little earlier and costs a little more. It's usually the best option if you want to hit Punta Sur.

We usually stat at Hotel Cozumel. Very convenient if you are diving with Dive Paradise. They have great facilities. Ample rinse tanks, free storage lockers, drying racks and the lunch restaurant is there at the beach so you can eat and enjoy a frosty beverage while your gear dries. Rooms are clean and the staff is great. Breakfast and lunch is good but dinners are just so-so. Close enough to town that you can easily walk in for dinner at one of the local restaurants. Really big pool deck and pool. Snacks and bar are by the pool as well. Options include all inclusive or just a room.

This year we tried Casa Del Mar. Nice place. People were nice. Located closer to the southern cruise ship docks. Found Hotel Cozumel to be much more convenient for diving and will probably return there next time.