Operator offering 3 daily dives? And lodging with meal plan?

[deepsea21]

What a great idea. You may be able to drop your gear off with Tres Pelicanos in the afternoon after you are done with your dive with Awua Safari, then you don't have to worry about taking it to your room.

I hadn't thought of that but there is no doubt the gear could be dropped off back at 3P's shop after the 3rd dive with Aqua Safari for the next days' AM dives with 3P's. Heck, they'll probably rinse it as well! The walk back to 3P's shop to drop off the gear would take less time than it would take to rinse it yourself at Aqua Safari's shop!

 

[deepsea21]

I have an extra week of Vacation I will probably take sometime in October. I'll by diving about 9 days so if you go with 3P I hope to see you there. I normally try to get at least 1 Twilight / Night dive in during my trips, not so much for the night dive (which is always fun) but more so for the twilight. Just prior to sundown the reefs get interesting as it seems to be a peak feeding time.

Don't use all your vaca time... It wouldn't be the same without you over X-mas (We'd miss the "CHINK" "CHINK" "CHINK" from those spear points!) We're looking at the 10th - 25th of DEC right now.

 

[deepsea21]

Thanks again for all the replies! I missed getting notifications on this thread for the past two days, so didn't reply. I got some great information from 3P (and Blue Angel). I'm currently considering between 3P + Casa Mexicana (14 dives) and Iberostar + Dressel (11 dives), with the scale leaning towards 3P (the biggest hesitation is a silly one for a dive trip - as a not-very-social-picky-eater, I'd rather not have to strike out on my own to find a place to eat). After thinking about the night dive some more, if I go with 3P, I will probably trade one of the 2-tank afternoon dives for a night dive.

If you've narrowed it down to 3P's/Casa and Dressel/Iberostar there is absolutely no comparison. 3P's and the Casa without a second thought. The breakfast buffet at the Casa is so massive I haven't eaten a lunch in Cozumel for years (and usually have no interest in the surface interval snacks provided by the dive ops either). That's just me though as I love diving on a full stomach - some prefer to eat lighter or dive on empty stomachs as they claim they experience acid reflux. One of our "must-packs" for every dive trip is the biggest box of pink Pepto tablets we can buy. We eat them EVERY DAY in the AM before breakfast and the PM after dinner. When someone complains of acid reflux while diving and I ask them what they ate/drank the night before... Umm... So you killed a bowl of pickled jalapenos, doused everything on your dinner plate with the "non-gringo" salsa and managed to put down how many tequilia drinks? Now they have acid reflux in the AM? Hmmmmmm. I wonder if they eat and drink like that every day when they're not on a dive trip. I say the acid reflux they may experience on a dive trip has absolutely nothing to do with what they ate or would have eaten for breakfast. Never met a commerical diver or DM who doesn't eat breakfast before he goes to work!

No worries about striking out on your own for dinner in Coz from the Casa - you can't throw a rock without hitting a restaurant and if you're a picky eater (like my wife) that's all the better as you'll have so many options from which to chose... You can stay close to the Casa or venture far on foot. There are LOTS of people who vacation/dive Cozumel solo and of course you're safe anywhere you'd be walking to and from staying at the Casa. As a matter of fact, I can't remember a single trip over the past 14 years when there hasn't been solo vacationers/divers diving with us at some time our 2-week trips. If there's a night you don't want to go out, the Casa offers a pretty nice room service menue that goes beyond breakfast.

Also remember, the Mega Mart is just a short walk down the main waterfront street to the south (think the Walmart with full grocery and full hot/cold deli of Mexico - everything from motor scooters to Ceviche!). You can walk down there and literally build your own meal from the cold/hot deli at the back of the store and bring it back to the Casa. Whenever my wife and I want to take it easy and save a few bucks we'll head down to the Mega and do a take-out dinner from the deli. It's not going to match many of the supermarket deli's you'll find in the states but you'll find something there that will appeal to you.

 

[DjDiverDan]

Also remember, the Mega Mart is just a short walk down the main waterfront street to the south (think the Walmart with full grocery and full hot/cold deli of Mexico - everything from motor scooters to Ceviche!). You can walk down there and literally build your own meal from the cold/hot deli at the back of the store and bring it back to the Casa. Whenever my wife and I want to take it easy and save a few bucks we'll head down to the Mega and do a take-out dinner from the deli. It's not going to match many of the supermarket deli's you'll find in the states but you'll find something there that will appeal to you.

The Mega has sort of a Food Court area on the lower level with several take-out places. There's a Thai Noodle place that has very decent Thai noodle dishes, or at least I thought the Pad Thai was good.

 

[deepsea21]

The Mega has sort of a Food Court area on the lower level with several take-out places. There's a Thai Noodle place that has very decent Thai noodle dishes, or at least I thought the Pad Thai was good.

Thanks for the tip! I've always been on such a hurry to get up top to the Mega I tended to pass by whatever was below at ground level. Thai Noodles in Coz... Who would have thought and I am a fan of them!

 

[gopbroek]

Don't use all your vaca time... It wouldn't be the same without you over X-mas (We'd miss the "CHINK" "CHINK" "CHINK" from those spear points!) We're looking at the 10th - 25th of DEC right now.

I bid the week on Dec 3-12 off. I am down to 2 weeks in September, a week in November and December plus a floater I will probably use in October. We lost several weeks off per year in the bankruptcy which cripples my available dive trip scheduling.

 

[Markus Fleischmann]

I And Pro Dive told me I wouldn't be able to do morning dives the day after I arrive, which I'd never heard before.

Hi Carole, actually, we just had that subject on another thread here. I assume the other poster has read your comment and that way started his own thread (as he stated he read this somewhere) . The thing is that at Pro Dive usually the AM dives are deep dives (85-100 feet), and for your very first dive its preferred that you start on a shallower dive. So you check out, get comfortable, and they are able to see your skill and comfort level when diving as well. Remember there can be quite some current at Cozumel dive sites. And the shallower dives are usually PM.

That being said exceptions are sometimes made when you have a certain dive experience, and then you may be allowed to join on a deeper dive right away. Also, sometimes there is an AM boat doing a shallow dive too (but not every day), or a guide may just stay shallower with some of the divers on an AM dive. So I'd recommend you to check back with the operator if the morning dive on a first day is so important to you. Also they offer 4 dives daily (up to 5 if there is a night dive) so you have planty of choices, offer free Nitrox and apply their "dive your air" policy, not restricting your dive time when part of the group needs to ascend early due to quick air consumption. I work there, so I know . Wherever you go, I wish you great fun diving in Cozumel!

 

[ronski101]

we stay at hotel coz and do 2 am and 1 pm dives all week. we use sea robin who are very accommodating, have fast boat......

 

[outofofficebrb]

Pro Dive. They do packages with the Allegro and Grand Occidental in Cozumel. Meets all of your requirement as you indicated. I had an amazing time with them. Re: the morning dive, you can sway them with your experience and/or certifications. It wasn't an issue for us. We did it. We were diving 4 tanks a day and there were plenty of people doing 4 tanks a day. We always went out. I did 4 straight days of 4 tanks a day and then 1 day in the cenotes in PDC for 2 tanks.

 

[1bubbleoff]

( About to pizz off Jenn lol)...

Tres Pelicanos imo. The entire operation is geared toward allowing CAPABLE divers to DIVE..not be herded like a pack of kindergarten kittens by a nanny-sitter.
I firmly believe they have the finest Capt in Coz with Chan Fran... and some of the best dm's around. The shop is responsive to any needs you may have, and they will...try very hard to help you in any way they can. All you need to do is COMMUNICATE.

As far as food...too many GREAT places to list. Want a quick taco and a beer with beans and rice? The Machete Grill. A nice relaxing semi upscale QUIET dinner? La Choza hands down. The best Pollo in Coz? El Moro is NOT to be passed up.

Yes..I'm a fan boy of Tres Pelicanos. But only because they have they are the best fit for ME. Ymmv. Best suggestion I can make is try them out... I can't think of a better option.

Bubs