Cozumel January 2020 Advice

[bradStyle]

Hello all,

My girlfriend and I are planning to head to Cozumel after our family Christmas holiday ends on the 28th of December this year (2019). We're thinking of spending at least a couple weeks there, and doing daily dives. We're both AOW divers. We've only got 100+ dives each but we're both serious, focused, safety conscious, and competent learners.

We both work from home, and it's cold and rainy at home in January, so we're flexible with how long we stay down there. As long as we have a few hours a day to dedicate to work (and have working internet), we can plan our dives around it.

We're interested in tips regarding tour operators. We know a million suggestions have been made already (I'm reading them in other posts voraciously). Mostly we're looking for operators that leave earlier than most. We're always game to get up early if it means better conditions and fewer divers. Some names that I've been looking at are: Scuba Tony, DozuDive, Scuba Life, Tres Pelicanos, Dive with Martin, Aldora, Blue XT Sea, and ScubaLuis.

We're interested in tips regarding two dives days vs. three dive days. We've only ever done three. Just two is new to us. Do some people do the mornings and the afternoons??

We're also interested in tips regarding where to stay. We prefer small, clean, moderate hotels to big, spendy resorts. We'd rather save on lodgings and spend on diving. Tips regarding what part of town to stay in, important places to be close to (the pier, etc.), and areas where good restaurants are are useful.

Since we're going in January we've also heard that the bull sharks are in over in PDC. Do any Cozumel operators head over there for that, or are we better off tacking on a few extra nights in PDC on our way out and linking up with a local operator there? Again, tips regarding tour operators are useful.

Thanks very much!

 

[DandyDon]

It sounds like you have already done a lot of reading here, the best way to start planning your first visit.

As long as we have a few hours a day to dedicate to work (and have working internet), we can plan our dives around it.

Working internet is common on the island. Fast & dependable, not so much. On my last trip, I got impatient with the hotel wireless and switched to using my phone as hot spot.

We're interested in tips regarding two dives days vs. three dive days. We've only ever done three. Just two is new to us. Do some people do the mornings and the afternoons??

You're going in high season and dive ops will be busy, many making two tank trips morning and afternoons both, plus variations on night dives. If you plan on doing 4 any day, you may well want to add nitrox on some dives @ $10/tank. On a two week stay, I'd think you'd do well to do two tanks mornings, get your internet work afternoons and evenings, and spend time seeing other sites on the island, but you may want to plan otherwise. Twenty years ago I liked three or four dives a day at times, but now I like my naps too much.

We're also interested in tips regarding where to stay. We prefer small, clean, moderate hotels to big, spendy resorts. We'd rather save on lodgings and spend on diving. Tips regarding what part of town to stay in, important places to be close to (the pier, etc.), and areas where good restaurants are are useful.

So many nice choices to fit that. I stayed a cute little hole in the wall half a block from the downtown plaza twice last year. Hotel Mary Carmen is not for everyone, but I'll be back. I see that I paid about $40/night in August and about $43/night in February. I think those prices included taxes, but it's hard to say from my records as I was drawing Pesos from the bank ATM and paying in cash. A light breakfast was about $4/day, good enough for me, plus a dollar or two tip each day for the breakfast lady and the same for the maid. I see that the same property is advertising $54/night for two weeks in January, but well may come down if they don't fill up. I book with free cancellation, then watch the property over time, and rebook when prices drop. My go to booking site is Hotels.com with their guarantees and rewards, but you can do that anywhere.

If I ask to line up the properties from low to high, I see over a dozen cheaper altho I shy away from properties with "hostel" in their names, and some are further from the water than I like. I see my other favorite hotel across the street is asking $111?! I think they're dreaming, but time will tell. Arnb is really popular on the island now, but I didn't look at them.

My bud Henry who owns Salty Endeavors dive op has a little house back on 65th ave (13 blocks from the channel) with pool he shares with his girlfriend and baby, plus an apartment he books direct or thru Airnb. That may be more for the backpacker folks who don't mind walking so much. I never eat within a block of the channel as prices are so much better a block or more back.

Since we're going in January we've also heard that the bull sharks are in over in PDC. Do any Cozumel operators head over there for that, or are we better off tacking on a few extra nights in PDC on our way out and liking up with a local operator there? Again, tips regarding tour operators are useful.

I haven't heard of any Coz ops crossing the channel to dive with the bulls. Some folks just catch an early ferry to Playa del Carmen and book with an op that will pick them up and return them there, then ferry back. I've done Cenote diving over there that way, as well as changing hotels and staying PDC to do two or three days.

You could book your flights to arrive in Coz, then depart from Cancun if you wanted to do more than one day of bulls. Cancun flights are often cheaper than in & out of Coz, but not so much for Portland, altho there are more choices to Cancun. It looks like American is the cheapest with $552 RT to Coz with a tight connection going but a comfortable 3¾ hour connection returning to clear I&C and all. If you misconnect going, then you'd get rerouted thru Cancun anyway. RT fares to Cancun seem to start at $525, and you could mix those up to arrive Co and depart Cancun if you'd like. I hope those fares come down in time, but regardless of what you book, the airlines will change flight times on you so be sure they have your email on the record. Southwest isn't quoting fares for January yet.

 

[bradStyle]

Don, you are a gentleman and a scholar. Thanks for taking the time to write such a thoughtful response. Points noted.

 

[DandyDon]

Stay tuned. There should be several more opinions in the next day.

 

[gopbroek]

A friend of mine Julio Kin (DM @ 3P) does side work and takes divers across the channel for the Bull Shark dives. The outfit he uses is Alex adventures who's boat is large enough to safely cross the channel. Julio's WhatsApp contact is 52 1 987 107 8924
Last fall I needed a place to stay and tried Air BnB , I was very impressed with the quality and cost of the available properties.

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

We enjoy staying at Casa Mexicana in town for $60-$80 a night and diving with Aldora. Internet can be spotty in the rooms, like having to sit at the end of the bed for fast service, but I believe if you tell them you need fast internet, some rooms are better than others. They also have a business center with a few PC's and a printer. Internet is supposedly fast in the lobby. Best breakfast in the island. No beach, but Aldora does their surface interval at a nice beach club with full facilities. They leave their pier about a short block away from the hotel at 7:30 so you are some of the first to the southern dive sites.

We have tried several other combinations, but this is our favorite.

Safe travels.

 

[DandyDon]

We enjoy staying at Casa Mexicana in town for $60-$80 a night

Not in January I don't think.

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

Not in January I don't think.

You are correct sir....$122 a night. Suites Bahia ($50) and a few others were still reasonable. I've noticed the prices at CM creeping up over the years. 5 years ago we stayed for a little over $50 a night booking through Blue Magic...

Safe travels,
Jay

 

[BRT]

Hello all,

My girlfriend and I are planning to head to Cozumel after our family Christmas holiday ends on the 28th of December this year (2019). We're thinking of spending at least a couple weeks there, and doing daily dives. We're both AOW divers. We've only got 100+ dives each but we're both serious, focused, safety conscious, and competent learners.

We both work from home, and it's cold and rainy at home in January, so we're flexible with how long we stay down there. As long as we have a few hours a day to dedicate to work (and have working internet), we can plan our dives around it.

We're interested in tips regarding tour operators. We know a million suggestions have been made already (I'm reading them in other posts voraciously). Mostly we're looking for operators that leave earlier than most. We're always game to get up early if it means better conditions and fewer divers. Some names that I've been looking at are: Scuba Tony, DozuDive, Scuba Life, Tres Pelicanos, Dive with Martin, Aldora, Blue XT Sea, and ScubaLuis.

We're interested in tips regarding two dives days vs. three dive days. We've only ever done three. Just two is new to us. Do some people do the mornings and the afternoons??

We're also interested in tips regarding where to stay. We prefer small, clean, moderate hotels to big, spendy resorts. We'd rather save on lodgings and spend on diving. Tips regarding what part of town to stay in, important places to be close to (the pier, etc.), and areas where good restaurants are are useful.

Since we're going in January we've also heard that the bull sharks are in over in PDC. Do any Cozumel operators head over there for that, or are we better off tacking on a few extra nights in PDC on our way out and linking up with a local operator there? Again, tips regarding tour operators are useful.

Thanks very much!

Try AirbnB. We always stay in a house or apartment of some sort. Often in the $40-60 range and pick places with a gear rinsing/drying area like Henry's apartment.

 

[JackD342]

I just came back from a week at Scuba Club Cozumel, same as my previous visit to the island about a dozen years ago.
No predicting what the package specials will be at that time, I think it is still a little early for any to be published. But I find them to be a good value, especially if you are content with eating most meals on site.
Scuba Club Cozumel Dive Resort - Cozumel, Mexico

Packages include all meals but no beverages, and a two-tank morning boat trip each day. They will also offer an afternoon trip to the C53 for added $$, a one tank night dive, or a two tank twilight dive followed by night dive trip, for added $$. Internet access is pretty good, the only TVs are in the bar, which closes at 10:30 so there isn't any night-life noise keeping patrons up at night. Lots of outlets in the rooms for all your rechargeable stuff.

If you like muck diving, you can do as many shore dives as you like, including night dives. Figure about 15-25 foot depths. Just get your tanks for the night checked out and stashed by 6pm when the dive shop goes home for the day. There is now an artificial reef on the shore dives courtesy of hurricane Wilma, previously incarnated as the pre-Wilma resort boat pier. I did 22 dives last week including the add-ons and the shore dives, and that was with only sitting out one afternoon/evening due to weather. But it sounds like you will be using afternoons for work at least some of the time.