Shore diving in Coz

[SoccerJeni]

I've been looking into taking a dive trip next February. One of the locations I've been considering is Coz.

Recently, I had a diver tell me that Coz does not have good shore diving anymore because a lot of the reef was destroyed a few years ago by storms (or maybe she said a hurricane). I don't really know if I should believe her or not, so I thought I would come here and ask.

 

[ReefHound]

Depends on what you mean by "good". The shore diving is not comparable to the reefs you'll visit by boat but you will have clear viz and ample marine life to look at. There isn't a lot of coral but the critters love the rubble.

 

[SoccerJeni]

Well, that is a good question. I was just telling her about the trip I was considering going on, and that it would have 2 morning boat dives and unlimited shore diving. She told me it was a little expensive and that the shore diving was not good anymore because of the storms.

I love clear vis as that's not what I get around here. And I love critters. So those are two positives for sure.

I hope this doesn't sound like I'm trying to knock Coz by any means. I just didn't know what to think when she told me that and wanted to discuss it with some people who were from there or had recently been there.

 

[Diver Kat]

RH has it right .... if you're looking for amazing reef structure, you'll get that on the boat dives. If you're happy to wander around and look for critters in the shallows without the amazing reef, you should be fine. Areas of the reefs were destroyed by several hurricanes that devastated the island a few years back. But it left much of the deeper reefs untouched and uncovered new swim-thrus in others. Great thing was the marine life came back pretty quick and move right back in. Viz is always good, and sometimes downright amazing in Coz. It probably has the clearest water I've ever dove in.

Especially after a recent dive under the Blue Heron Bridge in FL, I've come to realize that critters will make their homes anywhere in anything, and they are spectacular to watch whether in a coral reef or living in a dumped cinder-block or grocery cart.

 

[bbarada]

Try Scuba Club. Amazing boat dives and unlimited shore diving. If you take your time, you will see everything on shore dives in front of Scuba Club.

 

[cruiser]

Shore diving at Scuba Club Cozumel is probably the best shore diving to be had on the island that I have found. It's not a big fancy reef, but if you just require being underwater and seeing critters, you'll find it at Scuba Club Cozumel. PLUS, entry and exit is easy here, and you don't have to walk over iron shore to get into and out of the water.

 

[Gdog]

Jeni, the boat dives are where its at, and you will find the diving to be fabulous. Did the hurricanes damage the shallow reefs, yes. Is it coming back, yes. However, the midlevel and deeper reefs are in great shape. Lots of life, coral, great stuff to see. If you base your decision on what your friend is telling you, you will be missing out on some fantastic diving. Give it a try!

 

[ReefHound]

A lot of sites along the shore have lots of rubble from collapsed piers and other structures. In 20 feet of water I have seen just about everything I've seen on the boat dives except for manta rays and sea turtles. I've seen lionfish, stingrays, skates, starfish, morays, all the tropical reef fishes, flounder, angels, burrfish (largest I've ever seen was a night dive at Villa Blanca), trumpets, crabs, lobster, and so on.

Shore dives can be so convenient, especially if you stay at a hotel nearby. I've stayed at Hotel Barracuda, Hotel Cozumel, and Villa Blanca where a shore dive is steps away. I'm sure Scuba Club and Blue Angel would be just as nice. Night dives are especially convenient from shore. You can dive on your own schedule and get much more bottom time on a tank. I would not go to Coz just to shore dive but I always work in several shore dives when I go.

 

[Nursediver]

The shore dive reefs are coming back, but yes they took quite a hit in the last storm. I love the boat dives, though! That's why we will go back next year for a third year in a row.

 

[darook]

I spent several hours shore diving off of Scuba Club a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it. Since you really can't get deeper than 22 feet you can make a tank last a long time. We would kick south into the current for about 45 minutes which would get us down by the light house. It would only take 5-10 minutes to get back. There is a small Mayan temple replica off of Hotel Coz covered with anemones and arrow crab that is fun to check out.

The boat dives are where you really see some jaw dropping structure but the shore dive is where you will likely see octopus, squid, a very busy feeding time in the late afternoon, and sleeping parrot fish at night.

You could do the same shore dive from Hotel Cozumel and I think from the Palace though I don't know much about those hotels.