Avoid this dive operation like the plague. I have a more detailed review of recent diving with Living Underwater in Cozumel here:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cozumel/225395-living-underwater-review.html
On one day I was scheduled with Liquid Blue Divers because there were not enough divers with Living Underwater. While I really enjoy diving and can think of very few occasions where I would say this, I wish I had not even gotten on this boat.
I had been diving 32% nitrox all week and requested it for these dives. The boat showed up with an air tank and 36%. When I said the mix-up was no big deal I just wont dive today I was told I could use 36% on both dives. Not what I really wanted to do, but I agreed. When we actually got to the dive site I was again given grief about diving 36% on a wall and we had to wait around before we could dive. There were only two paying customers on the boat and an inexperienced local that appeared to be trying to become a DM.
Liquid Blue uses high pressure steel tanks, meaning that a standard K valve which is only rated to 3,000 psi should not be used. They have DIN valves on these tanks but use inserts allowing the use of K valves. Now I am not that much of a stickler but since I had a DIN reg it was annoying to have to argue with the DM to allow me to take out the insert when they tried to force me to use a converter to convert my DIN reg to Yoke.
Liquid Blue Divers bills itself as a premium dive operation. The boat we were on was falling apart and had hull issues. So, while the seas were slightly choppy by Cozumels standards, the primary impediment to a fast trip to the southern reefs was the boat itself. As a result, the first dive was on Santa Rosa Wall. This is basically the nearest deep wall to town and it is lame by the standards of Cozumels reefs. While I can cut some slack for the weather, it would not have been very difficult to go slightly further for a much better site.
When we dropped on the wall the other customer and I ran a 80-90 foot profile. The DM dropped to 140 for five minutes or so. I dont have a problem with people that want to dive those depths on air but personally consider it stupid. Because the DM ran a deep profile he came up early from the wall and force the other customer and myself to leave the wall and dive the sand/ small reef after about 15 minutes.
The second dive was in the sand in front of El Presidente. You can do it from shore but it isnt worth it because there isnt much there.
My apologies for the long rant, but there is some great diving in Cozumel and plenty of good operators. I didnt want Liquid Blue Divers to ruin the diving for anyone doing some research before heading down there.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cozumel/225395-living-underwater-review.html
On one day I was scheduled with Liquid Blue Divers because there were not enough divers with Living Underwater. While I really enjoy diving and can think of very few occasions where I would say this, I wish I had not even gotten on this boat.
I had been diving 32% nitrox all week and requested it for these dives. The boat showed up with an air tank and 36%. When I said the mix-up was no big deal I just wont dive today I was told I could use 36% on both dives. Not what I really wanted to do, but I agreed. When we actually got to the dive site I was again given grief about diving 36% on a wall and we had to wait around before we could dive. There were only two paying customers on the boat and an inexperienced local that appeared to be trying to become a DM.
Liquid Blue uses high pressure steel tanks, meaning that a standard K valve which is only rated to 3,000 psi should not be used. They have DIN valves on these tanks but use inserts allowing the use of K valves. Now I am not that much of a stickler but since I had a DIN reg it was annoying to have to argue with the DM to allow me to take out the insert when they tried to force me to use a converter to convert my DIN reg to Yoke.
Liquid Blue Divers bills itself as a premium dive operation. The boat we were on was falling apart and had hull issues. So, while the seas were slightly choppy by Cozumels standards, the primary impediment to a fast trip to the southern reefs was the boat itself. As a result, the first dive was on Santa Rosa Wall. This is basically the nearest deep wall to town and it is lame by the standards of Cozumels reefs. While I can cut some slack for the weather, it would not have been very difficult to go slightly further for a much better site.
When we dropped on the wall the other customer and I ran a 80-90 foot profile. The DM dropped to 140 for five minutes or so. I dont have a problem with people that want to dive those depths on air but personally consider it stupid. Because the DM ran a deep profile he came up early from the wall and force the other customer and myself to leave the wall and dive the sand/ small reef after about 15 minutes.
The second dive was in the sand in front of El Presidente. You can do it from shore but it isnt worth it because there isnt much there.
My apologies for the long rant, but there is some great diving in Cozumel and plenty of good operators. I didnt want Liquid Blue Divers to ruin the diving for anyone doing some research before heading down there.
