Need advice on Cozumel dive operators

[Jarrett]

I sixteenth that motion: Christi @ Blue XTSea

I'm a newb and have dove with 3 ops in Coz and going forward will only try and dive with Christi based on how much better I was treated with her crew. In fact, my recently certified GF and I are headed down later this month to do our AOW with Christi.

Also, here is a poll I put up just for ocassions like this which surprisingly also recommends Blue XTSea

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=155194&highlight=favorite

 

[judydivescoz]

If you looking for a suggestion other than Christi at BluexTSea, try Albatros Charters. Small operation, not crowded, we have dove with them for years. We have always found Rita and Burak to be great at planning great exciting uncrowded dives for us or allowing us to pick our own sites. Our bottom time is dictated only by our air consumption. Great boat capt, he is always close when we surface. Food and snacks on the boat, we have SI on the boat and on the beach. They can arrange pickup. We are heading to Cozumel on Saturday and are going to enjoy Albatros for the week.

 

[Moodiejeff]

Hate to say it, but we are another Christi and Blue XT Sea fan.

I try to avoid the "me toos" but Blue XT~Sea is my dive op of choice. Her crew is top notch.

There are LOTS of good choices on the island... you didn't mention where you are staying.

 

[scubawife]

Hi Everyone!

We are going to Cozumel in March 2007. We've already found a place to stay and want to do some dive trips with local operators. We are both newly open water certified (5 dives) and probably will take the advanced open water class at the end of this month (Sept 06) and then get a few more dives in after that up here in Puget Sound before our trip.

We would like to find a dive operator that can work with a couple novice divers, get us to where we can see some fun things, intro us into drift diving there and try to tailor the first days dives to our level.

I know lots of you have been and have recommendations, so I'm counting on you for some advice. I can follow up your questions too.

Thanks in advance,

Tom

If you are staying at a hotel or resort south of town then you should be able to get just about any dive operator to pick you up at the hotel pier. If you are in town or north then you'd have to make other arrangements to meet the boat.

Picking the right dive operator will depend on - your budget, if you want a small boat or if you prefer big boats, if you want the dive op to take care of your gear. Do little extras like drinks and snacks, SI's at the beach, etc., matter? Once you make those decisions then you can narrow down your choices.

 

[tom_n_tacoma]

OK, thanks for all the info everyone! We will be staying at the Barracuda, which was recommended by a friend of ours who's been down there before. We'll try and book Blue XT Sea but if they're full already will try another one of the list.

We will arrive march 15 in Cozumel. We will have had an advanced open water course by then and a few more dives in the PUget Sound. we would like to do a refresher dive with someone before heading out on a boat. Then every other day (maybe) schedule a boat trip with someone. It would be great to find an operator that can pick us up at or near the hotel barracuda.

ScubaBoard has been a great find! Thanks again for the advice everyone!

Tom

 

[Jasonmh]

We spent a week diving with BlueXTSea in April, and I have to echo what everyone else has said. They did a fantastic job, we will definitely use them again.

 

[scubawife]

OK, thanks for all the info everyone! We will be staying at the Barracuda, which was recommended by a friend of ours who's been down there before. We'll try and book Blue XT Sea but if they're full already will try another one of the list.

We will arrive march 15 in Cozumel. We will have had an advanced open water course by then and a few more dives in the PUget Sound. we would like to do a refresher dive with someone before heading out on a boat. Then every other day (maybe) schedule a boat trip with someone. It would be great to find an operator that can pick us up at or near the hotel barracuda.

ScubaBoard has been a great find! Thanks again for the advice everyone!

Tom

Pretty much any operator you choose will pick you up at the Barracuda.

 

[pleasan7]

Last Tuesday Sept. 5th, we scheduled our excursion with Eagle Ray Divers. The group was small and we chose the dive spots. We made two, sixty-five feet dives of about forty minutes each. The coral was breath taking. We enjoyed seeing big fish on this trip, a turtle was resting next to a barrel sponge and a nurse shark was sleeping under the edge of some coral. We saw the biggest grouper that I have ever seen. The snorkel group spotted turtles and a shark as well. The crew was friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable. The really tall reef was one of the reasons that I had always wanted to dive Cozumel.
I hope you have a great time and great weather too!
Carol

 

[scubawife]

Last Tuesday Sept. 5th, we scheduled our excursion with Eagle Ray Divers. The group was small and we chose the dive spots. We made two, sixty-five feet dives of about forty minutes each. The coral was breath taking. We enjoyed seeing big fish on this trip, a turtle was resting next to a barrel sponge and a nurse shark was sleeping under the edge of some coral. We saw the biggest grouper that I have ever seen. The snorkel group spotted turtles and a shark as well. The crew was friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable. The really tall reef was one of the reasons that I had always wanted to dive Cozumel.
I hope you have a great time and great weather too!
Carol

Glad you had a great time. 40 min dives at that depth are on the short side for Cozumel. Did the DM cut your dive short or did you have some divers who went through air quickly?

 

[pleasan7]

You guessed it. This is just my 25th dive in so many years. I run through the air pretty fast. My husband on the other hand could have stayed down longer but he never complained at all. Husbands are often so sweet. He loved the coral canyons so no complaint on the scenery either. The other people on the boat were snorkeling so it did not mess anyone up. We all had a great time.
I hope you have a good dive - if you get down there Scubawife.
Carol