Cozumel resort/dive centre for new Open Water divers?

[robint]

Me, my husband, and 12 yr old daughter finished our certs in Cozumel with no issues. The dive op only took us to dive sites appropriate for our skill level. We had a fantastic experience.

And as far as that goes at ScubaClub, that family we saw with the teen getting certified. The DAD went diving during the am on the boats, the son stayed with mom at the hotel and did his classwork reviews. Then the son did his cert dives at the shore dive there at SCC. That we saw as we were shore diving. The Dad was able to shore dive and watch, too.
The next day we saw the kid and his Dad get on one of the smaller boats, along with another couple that appeared to be newer divers. The instructor and a DM was with them... they did not put the kid on a regular boat full of divers. I am betting they went to a do a couple of shallow dives. That is the important thing here... if you go with a dive op with several boats, they can split people up according to their skill level.

robin

 

[John Larsen]

I took my newly certified 12 year old son to cozumel for his first real dives and he did fine and I am taking my newly certified brother to coz in 66 days for his first real dives, Just make sure you talk with whom ever dive op you choose and let them know what you are looking for...someone down there will acomadate your needs.
as for the A.I in Coz I dont like it there are to many good food options locally that are much better than the A.I. and Ive done the A.I at 3 diffrent places in coz and none of them were worth the price....Eat on the town much more fun !

 

[shardison]

Another local might be Belize...? I haven't ventured there yet, but from the "Diving the World" book I was just reading last night, it sounds like it might be another good option. Stay out on one of the Cayes though... Emberigas Caye (spelling) or Caye Caulker. The writer of the book was a DM and instructor in Belize for quite a while. From the read, he liked Belize much more than Roatan... Perhaps because of the Blue Hole?

 

[Mossman]

Another local might be Belize...? I haven't ventured there yet, but from the "Diving the World" book I was just reading last night, it sounds like it might be another good option. Stay out on one of the Cayes though... Emberigas Caye (spelling) or Caye Caulker. The writer of the book was a DM and instructor in Belize for quite a while. From the read, he liked Belize much more than Roatan... Perhaps because of the Blue Hole?

Ambergris Cay. But the diving isn't so hot there from my experience. Better bet to get out to the atolls. Blue Hole is done as a full day trip. Topside I prefer Belize over Roatan - not as unhealthy.

 

[bensontc]

In Cozumel we really love Hotel Cozumel and Resort. Their all-inlcusive (all food and all drinks) is so affordable that you don't feel bad taking the short walk into town some nights for dinner at some of the great restaurants. Their on-site dive op is Dive Paradise. A great outfit. Lots of really skilled dive masters and instructors. Many different boats. Some fast and some slower. We usually find the best deals for Hotel Coz on Travelocity.

 

[Couv]

I think Blue Angel has exactly what you need. It's not an AI, but the hotel, restaurant, dive shop, pier are all in one location. Good shore diving day and night with free tanks if you're staying with them. See this thread for more info and a few other suggestions:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cozumel/399888-check-out-dives-cozumel.html

 

[fred3798]

We just returned to T-dot from 10 days in Cozumel. Westjet flights were direct and cheaper than AC - and always more pleasant. We stayed at Presidente, between Park Royal and Fiesta Americana. It was 4 star (mexican 5 star). Beautiful, well maintained site. We dived with Blue XT-Sea rather than the onsite dive shop. We prefer 5 people per dive to 20 people on a huge resort boat. But the resort shop ScubaDu seemed quite good for a big resort experience. No problem doing your first dives in Cozumel. Its beautiful reefs and clear water promise a great first experience. Pedro or Miguel from Blue XT-Sea give very personal service. Great for a newbie. We had a friend with us do her first post cert. dives. No problemo.

 

[Darol]

Fred said:

We prefer 5 people per dive to 20 people on a huge resort boat.

But the resort shop ScubaDu seemed quite good for a big resort experience.

Fred, As a first timer to Cozumel a "Huge Resort Boat" is usually more than 20 people, also Scuba-Du has a well established reputation as a first class Dive Operation
offering not only medium size dive boats, but also fast boats that will customize their service to suit your every dive need. I must agree, Pedro, is one of the best, and most professional guides I have encountered. For a "Big Resort Experience" or "Huge Resort Boat" one might engage the services of Dive House, or one of the many other large dive operations located in Cozumel. Very glad you had an excellent dive experience on your first trip to Cozumel. Happy Diving Fred, and all the best to you.

 

[fred3798]

I did not mean to denegrate ScubaDu in the least. I rented gear from them for a shore dive and found them very helpful. People at the Presidente who used them seemed to love them. Based on my own experiences with shops attached to resorts (as limited as they are), I just prefer to look for smaller, operations with a more personalized feel.

 

[tecbarrera]

We just got back from our honeymoon in Cancun! While we were there, we did our Advanced Open Water certification with Alvaro Gonzalez of Alwaysdiving.com. I highly highly recommend him! Extremely safe, experienced, fun, and friendly! And yes, he runs a very small and highly personalized operation. No more than 6 divers at a time. Talk to him about what you want, and he'll tailor the dives to your preferences and experience level.