Presidente vs Cozumel Palace?

[cicopo]

I'm guessing that they were walking up to the area where El Cid & the Park Royal (was Sol Caribé) are located, NOT the main section of town.

 

[MMM]

What are we looking for in dive operators? Fast boats with less than 10 people. Not necessarily looking for tons of bottom time since it doesn't matter how thick my wetsuit I get cold and bored (I think I have ADD....so I'm usually ready to move onto the next sight!) I really love to hang on walls 100+ feet. We usually only do 2 dives in the morning and then relax in the afternoons. It would be nice to find an affordable dive operator and it's always nice if the dive master jumps in to show you the little things we might not notice. If we stay at the Palace, do they have a locker for all our gear (we have everything) or where is that stored?
Muchas gracias por tu responde.
kelly

I don't know about gear storage at Palace but they probably do. If not, just haul up to your room which will be a good size andwith a balcony.

DMs always jump in and, for the most part, show you little things. If you are looking for "affordable", those within the $50-$65 range for morning 2 tank include Blue Angel (which I can recommend), Dive with Martin (I've not dived with but others like), and Aqua Safari. For latter you'd need to request small boat as they have several boats of differing sizes. Others here can probably suggest additional ops that fall within that range. If your idea of "affordable" is different from that, let us know. I don't think you will find many, if any, that are below $50.

 

[cicopo]

Everyone needs to remember that Aqua Safari has been replaced by Aqua World at the Palace so gear storage may or may not be available because of this change. Many small ops will look after your gear & have it set up & ready each morning. As for prices my diving in Kauai was far more expensive than it is in Cozumel so I thinking prices will be good relative to at home.

 

[billindenver]

In the affordable category I can whole heartedly suggest Dive with Martin. We spent a week with them and would happily do so again, but I've become addicted to steel tanks and huge bottom time. The prices for that bottom time is an investment though, while the Dive with Martin trip is all but free it seems. They handle all your gear cleaning and drying at night, have nice SI's on the beach etc and the best part in my mind is the early pickup times. They go early and return early...which means your wife spends less time waiting for you to arrive...which can certainly help matters. Whichever way you go...enjoy your trip!!

 

[MMM]

Everyone needs to remember that Aqua Safari has been replaced by Aqua World at the Palace so gear storage may or may not be available because of this change. Many small ops will look after your gear & have it set up & ready each morning. As for prices my diving in Kauai was far more expensive than it is in Cozumel so I thinking prices will be good relative to at home.

Good point. Don't let them rope you into on-site op. Probably wouldn't meet your criteria anyway.

 

[Turk9]

"If we stay at the Palace, do they have a locker for all our gear (we have everything) or where is that stored?"

It has been almost two years since I last stayed at the Palace, but as I recall they have a very nice, clean, tiled floor, locker room with benches, that is owned by the resort. They provide diving guests, upon request, and at no cost, with a key for a spacious locker that should hold all your gear. At the time I was there, I was diving with Blue XT Sea and there was no locker room restriction of those not diving with the in-house dive operator. There are also rinse tanks available outside of the locker room. And, the in-room jacuzzi, if you can keep your wife out of it for an hour or two, is great for a final rinse to get all the salt out after your last dive day.

Turk9

 

[LoveOceanicGears]

My family stayed at Cozumel Palace for 9 days and we returned to US before Labor Day weekend. Here is what I love about Cozumel Palace:

• You can dive or snorkel right outside of hotel
• Shower and gear washing stations are right next to pier
• Diving lockers are available. All you need to do is ask front desk for keys. However, I found there is no need to use them
• Staffs are friendly and professional
• Relaxing atmosphere. My daughter and I usually dove two tanks in morning and rest comfortably in afternoon, or wondering around in San Miguel
• It is close to San Miguel. 10 minutes of walk or $5 taxi fare

My daughter and I were just certified in July so safety is my top concern (drift diving sounds scary). When we arrived, I am not sure if I should use Aqua World or Aqua Safari. So I decided to take a Peak Performance Buoyancy Speciality then try one tank shallow dive with Aqua Safari first. My daughter and I absolutely love the divemasters and boat crews and I ended up using Aqua Safari for all diving trips. One diver on the boat told me he has been using Aqua Safari for 22 years, and it is always the same divemasters and boat crews.

My wife is not a diver so in between pool and spa, she took a discover scuba course with Aqua World. Divermaster of Aqua World is very responsible and honest. I asked divemaster if my wife can complete the Open Water and he suggested Scuba Diver due to time limitation. But before I pay, he decided to test my wife for 10 minutes of water treading. And my wife cannot pass that. So divermaster recommended my wife to practice swimming more and not to rush into taking scuba lessons until she is comfortable in water.

Afterward, my daughter and I did a shallow dive with my wife and divemaster of Aqua World. The boat we were on has snokelers, and some other divers look less experienced. But again, divemaster demostrated very high professionalism in helping my wife.

Overall, my opinion is although Aqua World's boat is newer and larger than Aqua Safari, boat crews are not as friendly as Aqua Safari. It may simply because I was on the wrong boat. But I would use Aqua Safari on next trip to Cozumel.

 

[Diver Diva]

Hello Divers,
Thanks millions for all the great help and advise! We have decided we will stay at Cozumel Palace and we are definitely looking forward to blowing bubbles in the big blue ocean! Just booked flights so now we just need to pick a dive op. I'm a little confused by the last post...they seem to love Aqua Safari but another post states it's now it's all Aqua World?
Am I correct that I although we are staying at C Palace the other dive ops will pick us up? We definitely prefer small, fast boats with experienced divers.

 

[FishOutUvH2O]

Hello Divers,
Thanks millions for all the great help and advise! We have decided we will stay at Cozumel Palace and we are definitely looking forward to blowing bubbles in the big blue ocean! Just booked flights so now we just need to pick a dive op. I'm a little confused by the last post...they seem to love Aqua Safari but another post states it's now it's all Aqua World?
Am I correct that I although we are staying at C Palace the other dive ops will pick us up? We definitely prefer small, fast boats with experienced divers.

Aqua Safari and Aqua World are two separate dive shops. Aqua World just recently took over as the on-site dive shop at the Palace. Prior to that, Aqua Safari was the on-site operation. Since, Aqua Safari was the on-site operation for so many years at the Palace, many people still choose to use them over Aqua World and you can still see Aqua Safari boats pulling up to the docks often.

Yes, the Palace will allow any dive op you choose to pick you up at their dock.

Have fun, stay safe!!!

Wow! I think I'll be typing the word "Aqua" in my sleep after that.

 

[lubetkin]

I have stayed at the El Presidente 3 or 4 times in the last 2 years and many times years ago. The El Presidente is probably the nicest and most expensive hotel in Cozumel....always has been...but since it was completely destroyed about 5 years ago it is even nicer ! they had close to 35m in insurance money to spend and they did. Fancy 400 thread count sheets flat screen tvs internet access on the entire property including the beach.....two beautiful swimming pools..... a great place for a romantic getaway........or to take the kids.....if you go on traditional holidays you'll see kids but otherwise you won't...I have been on several nice dives with the in house dive shop scuba du.....I thought they were great and they certified my 11 year old son....but I am not a hard core dive afficianado...however I have been diving 25 years and i keep coming back ! One very nice feature of the hotel is upgrading to the beach front superior rooms or the reef rooms but I prefer the beach front superior...You are on the beach literally open your door and go I don't like having to take an elevator or walk through large lobby to get to the beach or pool...on the other hand the beautiful reef right at the El Presidente is not so beautiful anymore.... destroyed by the hurricanes.....on the plus side you have really good quality room service...The staff is excellent. The spa is mediocre at best Also I have had other dive operators pick me up at the El Pres but the currents can be tricky so some don't want to. of course their is a marina right next door. Some people don't care about all of the creature comforts so it may not be for them. You will encounter more Mexican tourists at El Prsidente than any other hotel which is nice. particularly starting xmas day. Have a great time ! and respond withany questions