Shore diving in Coz

[jlyle]

So if we were all in Cozumel and we met on the dock in the morning and we said, okay, you have your choice to go out on a boat dive or you can stay here and shore dive, how many would opt out of the boat dive and stay and shore dive?

How many days in a row of making the choice to go boat diving would it be before you'd finally opt out and stay and shore dive?

Suddenly we have a dozen people who go to Cozumel for the shore diving.

Of course we don't go to Cozumel just for shore diving, the reefs in the Marine Park are fantastic, but it would be a big mistake to skip a shore dive when you aren't on a boat. On our recent vacation, we did the two-tank boat dives everyday, but we also spent just as much time in the water in front of the hotel every afternoon and evening. The pont is, too many divers do one shore dive and conclude that there's nothing to see. Just look at the photos posted by AZscubadude and others! Shore diving is great.

 

[Mike]

Tomayto, tomahto. We are not disagreeing about what the shore diving is, we are disagreeing (some of us) about how we feel about it. If the shore diving, such as it is, were all there is at Cozumel, it would not be the diving mecca that it is. It's a great (or not, depending on how you feel about it) adjunct to the boat diving there, but for most of us it would not be worth going there to dive if it were all there is.

I understand that and you understand that. I'm referring to the 3-4 posts above that are in a different reality. The ones that say "I totally disagree", "muck diving is awesome!", "I wouldn't go to Cozumel to shore dive... oh wait I fibbed". These people are obviously the ones who would sit out boat diving to go shore diving, cause they totally disagree, muck diving is awesome and the last one fibbed and he does actually go to Cozumel for the shore diving. Whatever, please pass the dobie or whatever else they are smoking.

As I said the original question is kind of hard to answer because it asks "does not have good shore diving anymore", as if it was something special before and now isn't. Shore diving on Cozumel is obviously far down the list of choices if there is boat diving available instead and it's down there for a reason. Sure we can all make the best of something, but lets stop pulling each others legs like shore diving is more than it is on Cozumel, or that anybody here is going to go to Cozumel and make shore diving a major percentage of their dives there. I still haven't seen any replies from those who disagree totally or think Cozumel shore diving is awesome who have piped in saying they would skip boat diving to shore dive. Let's keep it real.

 

[sharky60]

If you will go to my webpage, you can look at my Cozumel trip reports and see many, many images that I have taken on shore dives in front of Scuba Club Cozumel. Like others have said, shore dives are not like the offshore reefs. Instead of coral/sponges, you have lots of rubble. However, muck diving is fantastic. If you go slow and look carefully, you will find all kinds of wonderful critters.

Jim's Web Page

PS We just got home from three weeks at SCC. I'm working on the trip report...stay tuned.

Don't get me wrong, I love the reef, but I'm with 'j', some of my best photos have been taken in the shallows along the Cozumel shoreline.

Shore diving on Cozumel isn't a "scenic view" dive like, say Columbia Deep, Palancar Gardens or Cathedral, it's a "critter hunt" and I love critter hunt dives. Poking around the small coral heads and rock/coral debris scattered along the Cozumel shoreline to see what I can find...very relaxing for me. And quite frankly, that is how I was taught to dive almost 30 years ago out on Midway Island...moving slow, taking your time, looking and waiting for things to develop on a spot.

So shore diving, for me, is really a nice break from the reef and drift diving with a bunch of people who INSIST on SWIMMING down the reef as fast as they can, thinking they are going to see something "realy cool" just swim up the them without any effort on thier part to find it, when they are supposed to be floating along with the current. Geesh! relax! you're on vacation!! (sorry little rant there )

Last year we made a shore dive from aprox. Casa del Mar's pier to the Papa Hogs area, and it was some of the best looking shore diving I have seen on the island in years!

There were more sea fans & soft corals along that stretch than I have seen on shore dives since Wilma. Lots of juvenile fish of all kinds and generally a very pretty dive for a shore dive.

Blue Angel is our hangout so we do the Villablanca Shallows dive every year. When the Stingray enclosure was orginally built, everyone was up in arms. But since it has been up something quite remarkable has happened. The enclosre has drawn quite a few animals to it's outside boundries and has made that little shore dive quite interesting...especially at night.

I've talked to several folks who have made night dives there and have never made it past the enclosure, because of all the stuff they have found just hanging out along the fence.

p.s. to 'j', 3 WEEKS! I'm sooooo green!!!!

p.s.s. If you don't like shore diving, don't put others down because they do. And nit picking the "original question" to death is really quite ignorant as well.

 

[ReefHound]

The OP was considering a trip that included two boat dives in the morning so it seems to me that shore diving was being considered to augment that not replace it. And in that respect Cozumel shore diving fits the bill.

You can get your best bottom times from shore due to the shallow depth. You can often get your best photos from shore because the shallow depth allows more ambient light. And you can putter around in one place for a long time whereas on the deeper reefs you are drifting in a group. And it's only the cost of a tank which is often included free by who you're boat diving with.

 

[azscubadude]

So if we were all in Cozumel and we met on the dock in the morning and we said, okay, you have your choice to go out on a boat dive or you can stay here and shore dive, how many would opt out of the boat dive and stay and shore dive?

How many days in a row of making the choice to go boat diving would it be before you'd finally opt out and stay and shore dive?

Suddenly we have a dozen people who go to Cozumel for the shore diving.

For me (and IMHO) it is the difference between taking photos or a relaxing and fun drift dive, especially in Cozumel. If I just want some good scenic diving I go out on the boat without the camera and dive with the group. If I feel like critter hunting and shooting photos I do a shore dive, whether it is morning, afternoon or night.

If you have a group of photographers on your boat drift diving can be fun and interesting. If not the group is drifting along at the pace of the current, so other than a chance encounter with a turtle or ray, and a fast photo or two, there usually isn't time for stopping to compose the shot the way you want.

If you are on a live-a-board or a non drift dive location and dive with a buddy that understands you will be hanging around a critter to get a good shot (or 20) you will be fine, but you will never hold up a whole group of non-photographers on a drift dive. So most of the time I make the choice to either go diving and leave the camera behind or shore dive and take photos.

And (IMHO) unless you are a very patient diver that likes to poke around and explore in small areas shore diving as a non photographer can sometimes be pretty boring. The only caveat to the above are the night dives which can be equally rewarding as a shore dive or boat dive.

 

[Basscat]

No, I wouldn't skip boat diving, and as I said I recently have skipped shore diving to stay in town. But I would not discount the shore diving to the extent you seem to, if staying at a place that offered it. No doobies here, I just love to dive, and doing it in the clear, warm, blue waters of Cozumel is a joy, from the boat or the shore.

I understand that and you understand that. I'm referring to the 3-4 posts above that are in a different reality. The ones that say "I totally disagree", "muck diving is awesome!", "I wouldn't go to Cozumel to shore dive... oh wait I fibbed". These people are obviously the ones who would sit out boat diving to go shore diving, cause they totally disagree, muck diving is awesome and the last one fibbed and he does actually go to Cozumel for the shore diving. Whatever, please pass the dobie or whatever else they are smoking.

As I said the original question is kind of hard to answer because it asks "does not have good shore diving anymore", as if it was something special before and now isn't. Shore diving on Cozumel is obviously far down the list of choices if there is boat diving available instead and it's down there for a reason. Sure we can all make the best of something, but lets stop pulling each others legs like shore diving is more than it is on Cozumel, or that anybody here is going to go to Cozumel and make shore diving a major percentage of their dives there. I still haven't seen any replies from those who disagree totally or think Cozumel shore diving is awesome who have piped in saying they would skip boat diving to shore dive. Let's keep it real.

 

[modiver71]

Recently got back from Blue Angel resort. Had a blast both from the the boats and the shore. Most of the time went out on both the morning and afternoon boats. Shore dive at Blue Angel is absolutely worth the time, as there is very little effort involved in getting in. As the the OP is a fellow Missourian, I would strongly suggest they take the time for shore diving, but don't let it take away from primary boat dives in COZ.
Pix:
http://picasaweb.google.com/modiver09

 

[driftin' by]

Cozumel's non-shore diving is a 9 out of 10, its shore diving is a 2 out of 10 at best. Maybe it was a 2.5 before at best. So we are still talking about shore diving that's a 2-2.5 out of 10, which is nothing to write home about.

So if we were all in Cozumel and we met on the dock in the morning and we said, okay, you have your choice to go out on a boat dive or you can stay here and shore dive, how many would opt out of the boat dive and stay and shore dive?

I think what caught a lot of people off guard with your post is the application of a rating with something that is so subjective. Whether or not it's "good" is what you want to get out of your diving which is unique to each person. Like other's have said, I too enjoy poking around seeing what I can find without fighting the current and taking pictures.

I've been to Bonaire and I love it. Aside from the "feel" of the island and the way divers go about their business there, I would say the in-water experience shore diving in Cozumel would be a 8 - 8.5 on a scale of 10 with Bonaire being a 10. If Cozumel had the same kind of dive-at your own pace with drive-through Nitrox and marked sites around the Island, and the ability to walk through some hotel, resort or private property to access a site, I'd probably opt for shore diving 50% of the time. Until then, I'll jump on the boat most days vying for sites like Columbia Shallows and as long as I'm already there, and a tank is no or little financial consequence, sore diving is an absolute no-brainer and relative to 99% of other island activities, it's not just good, it's f-ing fantastic! YMMV.

FWIW, I just honed my chomps on shore diving in Cozumel a couple years ago in front of Fiesta Americana. While my experience with it is limited, I sincerely believe it's time very well spent and look forward to shore diving this November at the Allegro.

 

[SoccerJeni]

Thank you for all the info guys! It's great to learn about what people enjoy about the shore diving. And it actually sounds like something I would really enjoy.

The reason why I started this thread is while discussing the trip with someone she acted like it wasn't that great of a deal, the price was high and the shore diving wasn't any good because of the distruction of the hurricane and that I'd basically be looking at sand only on shore dives. That's why I wanted to get opinions. Of course I'm going to do the 2 inclusive boats dives a day, it's part of the all inclusive amount. But, you bet your butt I'm getting more dives in a day than 2! Which means I'm moving onto the unlimited shore diving after the morning boat dives. Thus the reason for this thread because I want lots of diving time. Make sense?

 

[Basscat]

Beats the heck out of Beaver Lake, even in a good year, trust me ;-)

Thank you for all the info guys! It's great to learn about what people enjoy about the shore diving. And it actually sounds like something I would really enjoy.

The reason why I started this thread is while discussing the trip with someone she acted like it wasn't that great of a deal, the price was high and the shore diving wasn't any good because of the distruction of the hurricane and that I'd basically be looking at sand only on shore dives. That's why I wanted to get opinions. Of course I'm going to do the 2 inclusive boats dives a day, it's part of the all inclusive amount. But, you bet your butt I'm getting more dives in a day than 2! Which means I'm moving onto the unlimited shore diving after the morning boat dives. Thus the reason for this thread because I want lots of diving time. Make sense?