Ranking dive destinations

[Saniflush]

OK, I understand that this is WHOLLY subjective and you can have phenomenal dives no matter where you are depending on what you see and what your criteria is. Knowing all of that there is a group of us who are cruising at the end of the year. Some folks are only going to dive in one or two ports unlike me who will be diving in all of them. I have been asked to rank them by port. I have not dove in any of these places except Cozumel so I have no frame of reference. Would be curious as to what everyone's thoughts/ranking are?

We are stopping in these ports....Cozumel, George Town, Roatan Bay, Costa Maya.

Thanks in advance

 

[robint]

All different.....
Cozumel is amazing on every level, but it is drift diving and conditions vary greatly day to day.
I would rank Roatan above the others listed as great places to dive from a cruise ship. Anthony's Key Resort is a great op, and the cruise ships use them. Shortest boat trips to reefs, beautiful coral and sealife. Least amount of current, so not drift diving.
Grand Cayman....good diving, we saw the usual creatures, but wasn't' really blown away.
Haven't done Costa Maya yet.

 

[mi000ke]

Dove them all and I would rank them in this order: Cayman (because diving is great, and reef is only 5 - 10 minute boat ride from shore), Roatan, Coz (as mentioned due to conditions, so would not want to count on it for a cruise), and Costa Maya. Although you won't have a bad dive anywhere. Have gone diving on several cruises and we almost always use a local operator rather than the excursion outfit. Do research, email them with your port schedule and they will tell you if they can accommodate you.

 

[Dogbowl]

I've also done all 4 from a cruise ship multiple times. Actually, this is my "go-to" cruise itinerary! I basically agree with the above, but find it difficult to rank given no criteria. Here are my thoughts:

Coz - amazing diving; majestic coral formations; can have strong currents and can be blown out due to "el nortes" so highly dependent on conditions; I'd say it's more "advanced" diving than, say, Roatan.

Cayman - great diving and "more refined" (hard to explain); I like how the boats are tied to a mooring and you descend along the mooring line; usually involves an initial deeper wall dive followed by a shallower dive; wall dives can be intimidating for beginners; you can dive the Kittiwake which is popular with tourists. This is also a tender port so also a consideration.

Roatan - generally calmer seas and shallower so I consider it easier diving than the 2 above; still great diving.

Costa Maya - definitely most rustic of the 4 destinations; diving nice but not "wow" for me.

I'd do all 4, but if I could only do 3 I'd skip Costa Maya. Choosing between the other 3 is difficult without knowing the wants/needs of the particular diver.

Now, having said that, organizing non-ship dive ops that will take cruise ship divers is a whole different can of worms!

 

[scubadada]

I have dived pretty extensively in Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Roatan. I have never dived in Cosa Maya/Mahahual. I would imagine it's very different diving one of these locations over an extended visit with an operator of choice vs. visiting for a short time and being limited in choice of operators and/or dive sites. All else being equal, I would probably dive them all as per @Saniflush. My own ranking would be as I listed them in the first sentence of my post, but it really depends on what sites you have the opportunity to dive.

 

[2airishuman]

We are stopping in these ports....Cozumel, George Town, Roatan Bay, Costa Maya.

I've been in all these places on cruise itineraries and have dived the first two.

I would rank Cozumel first for a number of reasons. Most cruise ships have a somewhat longer shore window here, and it is relatively easy to book a dive with a local operator to accommodate the cruise ship schedule. There are also fewer must-see things to do (besides diving) in Cozumel. Access is OK although I had to carry all my gear through both floors of a shopping mall to and from the ship because the port is configured such that passengers aren't allowed on any other way. I believe there are a couple of piers so it may depend which one your ship uses. There are dozens of excellent dive ops and you should be able to find someone who will work with you. I used Aldora and would recommend them. As noted upthread, these are drift dives.

I had excellent diving in George Town however there are fewer operators and I had difficulty finding one that would accommodate the cruise ship schedule. This is a tender port which adds a level of delay and uncertainty to arrival and departure. The beach here is also excellent. While the diving is good I would much rather dive Cozumel and stay on the beach in George Town than the other way around.

I have not dived in Roatan but at one point took the "private island" beach excursion with Carnival, which is very good and which I would recommend. I'm not sure what the name of the resort is that operates the island attraction, but they serve several cruise lines. Nice uncrowded beach, snorkeling, some replicas of the Mayan ruins, and a well-run shelter for Macaws -- I've never seen Macaws as healthy as the ones here. Can't speak to the diving.

Costa Maya has a lengthy beach with restaurants, bars, and shops that open out onto it and that serve food and drink in open-air tables on the beach itself. Not crowded when we were there. Can't speak to the diving but have heard it's nothing special, and I'd put this one last for that reason.

When diving from the ship, I booked my dives privately and brought all my gear except for tanks and weights.

 

[mcohen1021]

I find it hard to believe Cozumel was not #1 overall so far. I've been diving for 28 years and and as far as Caribbean diving goes, I have yet top beat Cozumel. There's a reason I've been there 15x and going back in Dec. The added bonus is the island too. GREAT restaurants, amazing atmosphere, friendly people... TBH, Roatan, and Cayman have good diving (far from the excellent ranking I give Cozumel), but outside of the scuba both are borrrrrrring...

 

[Dogbowl]

I find it hard to believe Cozumel was not #1 overall so far. I've been diving for 28 years and and as far as Caribbean diving goes, I have yet top beat Cozumel. There's a reason I've been there 15x and going back in Dec. The added bonus is the island too. GREAT restaurants, amazing atmosphere, friendly people... TBH, Roatan, and Cayman have good diving (far from the excellent ranking I give Cozumel), but outside of the scuba both are borrrrrrring...

I agree with everything you’ve said about Coz and I’ll be there land-based in December. But this was posted under the cruise forum so the OP is looking for rankings based on a cruise ship diving experience. Coz is great but there are downsides for it from a cruise ship diving perspective, thus making it not necessarily 1 in everyone’s books.

 

[mcohen1021]

I agree with everything you’ve said about Coz and I’ll be there land-based in December. But this was posted under the cruise forum so the OP is looking for rankings based on a cruise ship diving experience. Coz is great but there are downsides for it from a cruise ship diving perspective, thus making it not necessarily 1.

I can see what you're saying. What are your dates? I'm staying at my favorite place - Casa Del Mar

Personally, I dive with a private guide who's a friend of mine. DWM is right there at International Pier and they are an excellent operator. Plus Ernestos is right near by! <3

To the OP: If you want a GREAT dive op in GC, Diver's Down is excellent. Small groups They also cater to cruise ships on some of their trips.

 

[Dogbowl]

My dates are Dec 19-26. Staying at Casa Mexicana. Diving with Tres Pelicanos. I also use a private DM for Coz. I don’t know what it is about Coz and Playa...I always go back to them although I keep telling myself there are other places in the world I need to see! Somehow the Mexican hospitality makes me happy!