I wish someone else in Cozumel would start doing Nitrox fills...

[PARADISE HUNTER]

I think $10-$12 for Nitrox is pretty typical, but for me it is just one more incremental cost. $60-$85 for a 2-tank, a tip for the DM, a tip for the Captain, $20.00 for Nitrox. For my wife and I that would mean around $1200.00 per week to do just 2 dives a day with Nitrox. QUOTE]

Don't forget your $2 park fee, per day, per diver. Your right it all ads up. But nobody ever said diving was a cheap sport. Worth every penny, in my opinion.

PH

 

[Christi]

I would think the larger operations, like Christi's, Aldora, etc., could save enough in tank rentals, fill fees, gas and employee time to pick up and drop off tanks to recoup that investment in a couple years at most and then begin turning a profit on it.

I am a two boat boutique operation...hardly what you would call a large op.

Of course I have never run a dive operation and may be full of you know what. Isn't the internet great?

No, you obviously haven't...especially in Mexico

The cost of running the compressors among other overhead considerations does not make owning your own compressor here a financially feasible solution...otherwise, every shop would have their own compressors instead of paying for tank fills. At this point, it is still most cost effective to use the fill station. We do own our own tanks however, and when we need an excess of tanks, we can rent them for cheap from the fill station. It's the O2 for the nitrox that they charge so much for!

 

[Christi]

I have to back up Christi here.
It is not a easy in Mexico as it seems.
What is logical in the rest of the world, does not always apply here.

We have investigated the possibilities to open a new filling station only for small dive operators to improve the quality of the service, the quality of the maintenance of the tanks and to offer nitrox at a better price for every one.

This has happened with an other new entepreneur before. The company who holds almost the monopoly on Cozumel reduced their prices and just waited until the dive operators came back to them and the new operator went bankrupt.

Thanks Karen! Well said!

I was ready to be the first client of this new alternative...I was disappointed that it didn't work out!

 

[scubawife]

Doesn't this all just really come down to the fact that for a variety of reasons, no one dive destinations will be "the best" choice for every diver?

I'm by no means what I would consider to be rich, and I really don't think the bottom line total cost of my Cozumel trips is at all outrageous. I don't stay at resorts or high priced hotels. Lots of reasonable food and drink options. I choose to use a "boutique" operation because I like the extra service (and their price is still less then many in Florida and in the Caribbean charge for a lot less service). When we want to do 4-5 dives a day and a lot of night diving, we go to shore diving destinations. My trips to Curacao, as an example, cost me less on the diving side, but my accommodations, food and drink are more. From where I live, air to most places is also more then to Cozumel. Comparing my total cost for a week in Cozumel and a week in Curacao, they're within a couple hundred dollars of eachother (with Curacao coming out a little higher because of the air prices). They're totally different trips and I like both of them.

Cayman is way more pricey then Cozumel. The 10 days I spent in Hawaii could have gotten me 3-4 wks in Cozumel. Diving in the FL Keys ran as much for what amounts to a taxi service to/from the reef as a decent mid-level dive op in Cozumel charges with more service. All these places were very different vacation and diving experiences. I wouldn't compare them solely on the price of a 2-tank boat trip or a nitrox fill when deciding where to go on my next dive vacation.

If Cozumel doesn't suit what you're looking for price wise, you want to get more dives in each day, dive on your schedule, etc., if it just doesn't add up to be a good value for you, then don't go there. I really doubt that a few bucks less per nitrox fill would have that many more people suddenly flocking to the island.

 

[FishOutUvH2O]

I think the larger operators should purchase their own cylinders, compressor and related equipment and fill their own tanks. Beyond the basic air station setup cost, I believe it is only a few thousand bucks more to be able to do Nitrox as well. I would think the larger operations, like Christi's, Aldora, etc., could save enough in tank rentals, fill fees, gas and employee time to pick up and drop off tanks to recoup that investment in a couple years at most and then begin turning a profit on it. They could even offer nitrox as a no cost or low cost upgrade and that would be a draw for customers. And, I would think the people who want nitrox tend to dive more and are a desireable customer base.

I guess this would be bad for the small op, though.

Of course I have never run a dive operation and may be full of you know what. Isn't the internet great?

Having your own fill equipment on the island is prohibitively expensive for most of the ops. Importing equipment, maintenance, parts, blend gas, etc. It's even expensive for the large operations that do have there own fill stations (air only). And there prices usually reflect it. An operation that has 2 boats 6-8 divers/boat would have to be filling between 30-80 tanks/day depending on whether there's full boats and twilight/night dives. You would need a lot of equipment to be able to fill that many tanks in a reasonable time period (overnight). And then you have to look at what your competing against. The central fill station has been around a while and it is HUGE. This isn't your local dive shop's equipment here. This is an industrial size facility. If you're in Cozumel and have some free time, go see it. Love it or hate it, it is impressive. It's on the corner of Calle 7 and Avenida 30.

 

[jd950]

Like I said, I have never run a dive operation, so I was speculating. I live in a landlocked state and even here most shops seem to have compressors and fill their own tanks. I know on Bonaire and Curacao divers can use all the tanks they want for $20-$30 per day, and it is easy to get air fills for $3-$5 in Florida, so the cost per fill can't be much to the one with the compressor. I have no idea what the fill station in Coz charges the Operators. Maybe it is so cheap that it really oisn't even worth talking about. I am sure the fill station in Cozumel is huge, as it supplies every diver on the island. I heard once what the average daily number of tanks used on Coz was, but can't remember.

Christi, sorry I thught you were a bigger operation than you are. I guess I just see so many people talking about diving with you I fuigured you had more boats than you do.

Please note that I am not attacking Cozumel or its Nitrox prices, just talking costs in general. A few bucks one way or the other for Nitrox doesn't add up to a lot, and doesn't dictate where I go to dive, but it is one more little cost. I see people talking all the time about whether this hotel or that hotel is a $4.00 taxi ride to town or an $8.00 taxi ride to town, or whether beer someplace is $2.00 or $3.00 or which store is cheaper for beer and groceries. It's the same thing... the big expenses we know and calculate before we go and it is the smaller costs and tips and taxes that sneak up on you, or at least they do for me.

Money is just a little tighter than it was a couple years ago and I seem to noitice these things more.

 

[FishOutUvH2O]

Like I said, I have never run a dive operation, so I was speculating. I live in a landlocked state and even here most shops seem to have compressors and fill their own tanks. I know on Bonaire and Curacao divers can use all the tanks they want for $20-$30 per day, and it is easy to get air fills for $3-$5 in Florida, so the cost per fill can't be much to the one with the compressor. I have no idea what the fill station in Coz charges the Operators. Maybe it is so cheap that it really oisn't even worth talking about. I am sure the fill station in Cozumel is huge, as it supplies every diver on the island. I heard once what the average daily number of tanks used on Coz was, but can't remember.

Christi, sorry I thught you were a bigger operation than you are. I guess I just see so many people talking about diving with you I fuigured you had more boats than you do.

Please note that I am not attacking Cozumel or its Nitrox prices, just talking costs in general. A few bucks one way or the other for Nitrox doesn't add up to a lot, and doesn't dictate where I go to dive, but it is one more little cost. I see people talking all the time about whether this hotel or that hotel is a $4.00 taxi ride to town or an $8.00 taxi ride to town, or whether beer someplace is $2.00 or $3.00 or which store is cheaper for beer and groceries. It's the same thing... the big expenses we know and calculate before we go and it is the smaller costs and tips and taxes that sneak up on you, or at least they do for me.

Money is just a little tighter than it was a couple years ago and I seem to noitice these things more.

I can't speak for anyone else that responded to your post directly. But, your question/speculation seemed perfectly reasonable to me. And it didn't sound like you were attacking Cozumel, or it's dive ops.

 

[Sundancr260]

Was just there in February, Dive House offers Nitrox

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

Well, if you think the Nitrox premium is bad... I was talking to one op about getting some Trimix fills. Ca-ching!!! For the money it would cost, I think they could throw in my flight and put a limo at my service for the duration of my stay.

 

[eelpout]

In this age of economic turmoil an increase in price is a reality for the recreational world. Divers still have a choice. Dive air which is usually free with your dive boat fees or pay $8-15 more for Nitrox. If you thin it is too expensive the you still have other options such as: Dive air, do your 2nd dive with nitrox, split days diving nitrox & air. etc.

We dove with air for many years before Nitrox came around. I agree with advantages of diving Nitrox and make it a priority. I will curtial my spending on some other things and save my money to dive Nitrox.

I personally do not pick my dive sites because of the availability of Nitrox. If it is available, I dive it. I usually reevaluate my budget and my diving priorities. If one location is better fitted to dive air (deeper 80-110')then I use air, then use Nitrox on the second dive where it fits with the depth (40-80').

I personally go to Cozumel because the people I dive with, eat with, party with, hang out with are my friends. I personally won't let the price of Nitrox affect my decision when it comes to visiting my Cozumel friends.

Jim