Restore my confidence in Cozumel

[Thalassamania]

You should not indite Cozumel here, I have known of similar dives made on almost every tropical diving destination I've ever been too. It usually involves one or more Instructor/Dive Guide types and an off island friend and starts out ... "You just gotta see this ..."

 

[ggunn]

Bad decisions were made in the name of cruise ship tourism and politics (like trashing a wonderful reef so cruise ships could dock several miles from town so folks would have to support a large taxi industry rather than just building the thing in town where folks could walk to town).

You are blaming the taxi service on Cozumel for the placement of the southern cruise ship dock? That's quite a reach for even the most paranoid taxi-haters.

 

[ggunn]

I haven't lost any confidence at all in Cozumel as a Diving location; I've been going there for 20+ years, and will continue to go there. However, this Dive Incident HAS reinforced my prior operating assumption - Do Not Shop for Dive Ops on Price Alone; if I'm relying on these folks to get me back safely from every trip, I don't need to pinch pennies. There are a number of Dive Ops that I will Not use. No need to name names here, but as a general rule, any Dive Op which contracts with the Cruise Lines to take divers and any Dive Op which advertises itself as the cheapest will not likely get my business. If I'm on my own, I'll choose Aldora, for any number of reasons; all boats carry Oxygen, I can get a steel 120 tank, all divers are on cumputers, so I can pay attention to my own situation (i.e., if I get a couple bars into the yellow, I'll probably ascend a bit, & keep near or at the top of the group, & add minutes to my safety stop before surfacing), long surface interval on the beach, meaning extra safety on second dive. All these factors make me feel safer, and are worth any extra cost. But there are other Dive Ops I feel safe with as well. So find one that meets all your criteria & stick with it. Knowing nothing about Scuba Mau other than what happened here tells me I won't be diving with them, and if I learn that Dive Professionals at another Op also engage in this kind of reckless behavior, I won't dive with that Op either. Off day or not, I do not want to put my life in the hands of a DM that doesn't respect and assiduously follow the safety rules in his own diving.

To each his own. I dive with a no-frills dive company on Cozumel and I never feel like I am being short changed when it comes to safety. True, I have to wrangle my own gear and they don't take me to upscale beach clubs between dives, but I don't care about that stuff and won't be paying extra for it.

 

[blue steal]

To each his own. I dive with a no-frills dive company on Cozumel and I never feel like I am being short changed when it comes to safety. True, I have to wrangle my own gear and they don't take me to upscale beach clubs between dives, but I don't care about that stuff and won't be paying extra for it.

Now Gordon I wouldn't call it a no frills company. (no names mentioned lest I be cheer leading)
The DM's and boat captains are great, SI's have water and fruit and pasteries.
Get to dive your gas or time.
Back at the shop has rinse tanks, hanging racks, lockers, bathroom, and nice shower.
Plus lunch with a cold "Victoria" is usually included.

And I don't mind "wrangling" my own gear either, actually prefer it.

 

[diveprof]

You are blaming the taxi service on Cozumel for the placement of the southern cruise ship dock? That's quite a reach for even the most paranoid taxi-haters.

Not really blaming the taxi folk unless there is a connect with the taxi consession and the ownership of the pier, though this was an initial impression and it is an outcome. Do you have a better explanation as to why they trashed one of the nicer shallow reefs when they could have put this downtown with minimal reef impact or need for taxi service to do anything other than shop in the purpose built cruise ship shopping area at the pier (well maybe that could explain things too - cruise lines own this or who??)? I'm open to other thoughts. My thought was that the only logical reason that I could see that they would put it there was to insure more local employment (taxi drivers). I am willing to hear other logical explanations for selection of this location.
However, all this is jsut a side story to the point I was trying to make. Coz is OZ. Neither man nor nature has thus far managed to ruin this as a dive destination (yet).

 

[Jax]

You should not indite Cozumel here, I have known of similar dives made on almost every tropical diving destination I've ever been too. It usually involves one or more Instructor/Dive Guide types and an off island friend and starts out ... "You just gotta see this ..."

Are you sure about that???

I thought it began with, "Hold my beer . . ." Then, "you just gotta see this . . ." or "Hey, y'all watch this . . . "

 

[deborahdelamar]

cruise lines own this or who??)? I am willing to hear other logical explanations for selection of this location.

The southernmost pier, Puerta Maya, is owned by Carnival Cruise Lines and the International Pier is owned by the SSA Marine division of Carrix, Inc.

I can't answer your question as to why either facility is located where it is.

The intown pier, Punta Langosta, which is locally-owned is under utilized, presumably due to high docking fees.

 

[ggunn]

Not really blaming the taxi folk unless there is a connect with the taxi consession and the ownership of the pier, though this was an initial impression and it is an outcome. Do you have a better explanation as to why they trashed one of the nicer shallow reefs when they could have put this downtown with minimal reef impact or need for taxi service to do anything other than shop in the purpose built cruise ship shopping area at the pier (well maybe that could explain things too - cruise lines own this or who??)? I'm open to other thoughts. My thought was that the only logical reason that I could see that they would put it there was to insure more local employment (taxi drivers). I am willing to hear other logical explanations for selection of this location.

Well, it could be the same economics that determines where anything else is built. Negotiations over property, access to infrastructure, natural conditions making construction easier, and/or any of a myriad other factors that we have no way of knowing about. I think you have put two and two together and come up with fourteen.

 

[boulderjohn]

I have no plans to visit Cozumel at this time, but it has nothing to do with the recent situation. That stuff has been going on there and at every other dive destination I have visited for my whole diving life--behind my back and without my knowledge. It only affects me if I choose to let it affect me. If a dive master were to offer me some sort of off the books deep dive on his own--which I don't imagine would ever happen--I would simply turn him down and continue with the safe dives normally offered.

Now, when I do go again, I will probably be interested in some of the deeper diving opportunities or perhaps a look into the caves there. When that happens, I will contact the legitimate and safe operators who offer those services to customers with the appropriate training to take advantage of those opportunities.

The key idea is that I will be in charge of those decisions, as is true of anyone visiting Cozumel or anywhere else that offers diving.

 

[MMM]

I guess its no different to when a plane goesd down - doesnt detract from the fact that flying is the safest mode of transport.

What happened here is quite different from when a plane goes down. No comparison.