rsqdvr
Registered
So after more than 30 years of diving I finally made it to Cozumel! After my Belize trip in November was a bit of a bust, I was really looking forward to this trip. Only a few hiccups on the trip but nothing that was enough to ruin the trip or even bring it down at all. Overall, very happy with things and I will absolutely be going back.
This is quite long so if you don't feel like reading it, here are the Cliffs Notes - Great place to go, very chill and relaxed in Coz, diving was great but no big creatures, no major issues with dive operators, hotel on Coz had a few issues but still fine, if staying at Blue Angel on Coz and are not a morning person avoid rooms 201. 301 and 401, PdC was crazy busy, expensive as hell and crowded (Spring Break!), dive shop was unorganized but cenote dives were great.
SEA to CUN - Flew direct on Alaska. Got upgraded to First Class which was amazing. It was so good with the extra legroom and service I used my miles to upgrade for the flight back. Even got to check out the lounge at SEA-TAC which I hadn't seen before.
CUN to Cozumel - Getting through passport control in Cancun was a nightmare. It looked like 40 planes all arrived at once. Many of the agent spots had their green light on but no agent was working there. In short, it took me more than 2 hours to get through passport control. I've since been told that this is highly unusual. Since i had never done the "Bag Drag" I elected to hire a car to drive me to the ferry terminal in Cozumel. The car was not in great shape but it got me where I needed to go. I'm not sure it was worth the US$90 charge.
Cozumel ferry - once I wound my way through the shops and found the ferry terminal it was pretty straightforward. I had paid an extra couple of bucks for 1st class on the ferry ride but didn't realize it lets you go down to board first so I hung out in line. It was late and the line was short so not really a big deal. Overall, I am not sure paying extra was worth it. I ended up moving up top into the fresh air anyway.
Cozumel - what a great time and a nice adventure. I made a big mistake by not having any cash on me. I just assumed the taxis would be able to take cards. Definitely not. I eventually got a taxi driver to take me to an ATM. I was able to get out cash but my bank screwed things up. I was charged about 200 MX pesos as a fee but my bank charged it as US dollars so I have to fight with them to correct it. Further ATM withdrawals were not a problem but I will try to find a way to avoid that completely in the future. Maybe change money at the airport or just use US dollars. Everyone seemed to take US dollars.
I stayed at the Blue Angel Resort for my entire stay in Coz. It was recommended by a friend who has stayed there multiple times over the last 20 years. I think it was decent but I also think my expectations were quite high given his assessment of the place. I arrived late but they were very accommodating with helping get my heavy dive bag up to the fourth floor (no elevator) and , thankfully, the restaurant was still open. The room itself was fine. Had some large chips out of the concrete floor that had then been painted in so I think that was part of the design. The balcony overlooked the pool and the ocean but had a very low rail. It would not be safe for a kid or going out there drunk! I had planned to dive with Blue Angel for 3 days, starting the next morning. They put me on the 10am boat, which was great for me because it would allow me to sleep in. I am not a morning person. Unfortunately, they put me in 401 which is right next to the dive shop. Each morning of my stay promptly at 630am I was awoken to Bang, Bang, Bang for about 30-45 minutes while they unloaded the tanks for that days dive. And they were full so I wasn't able to move. Breakfast was included in my package, which was nice. I ended up going to breakfast early most mornings. On that first morning though, I wanted to make sure that I was at the shop early to take care of whatever. I know things can move slowly in Mexico so I wanted to plan for that as well. When I ordered breakfast at the hotel restaurant, I mentioned to the waiter that I was scheduled to be on the 10am boat and said that this was all I was having and asked if he could bring the bill with the meal so I could take care of it and get down there. He got surprisingly angry at me and said "You just need to be patient, this is Mexico"! Having been properly chastised, I ate my meal. He was fine the rest of the time but it did leave a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. The dinners, though, were always great. Pancho greeted me each evening and was always very nice.
Diving at Blue Angel was pretty good. They are located between downtown and the Marine Park where most of the dives happen. This means you could reasonably walk to town (about a mile ish). It also means that the boat rides where a little long but it was honestly hardly noticeable. Dives themselves were very chill and I loved every minute of them. Lots of fish and turtle or two but no sharks or rays. I apparently just missed a whale shark. Dove with Carla and Marcos, who were fantastic. On my 3rd day the weather turned a little bit so they cancelled the dive. Oddly, the hotel was hesitant about giving me a refund. In fact, they said they wouldn't at first but then said they would look in to it. By the next morning they gave me credit on my bill so turned out fine.
I then did two dives with Blue Note. They run out of the marina a couple miles from Blue Angel. I had rented a bike from Blue Angel and thought about riding to the marina but the bike was from an outside vendor and was an absolutely rusty piece of ****. I rode it for about 20 minutes before taking it back and refusing to pay. So cab rides to and from the marina worked out fine. It was a bit chaotic at first as Blue Note had no signs and no shop to let me know where to go. There were multiple divemasters around asking everyone who they were diving with. Many languages being spoken and many people talking at once. Chaotic, but still somehow manageable. After about 30 minutes they let me get on the boat, which was already full of people and about to leave. I believe they do pick up people from their hotels near the marina so it is definitely something to keep in mind for another trip. Dove with Lu for both days. Unfortunately, I did get grouped with very new divers on both days which, I suppose, is the price you pay sometimes for being a solo diver. On the first dive there were a ton of swim throughs that I was dying to go through but I knew the newer divers couldn't go and I didn't want to freak out the DM. After talking with her in the SI, I did do a few on the second dive. Lots of fish again, a cool green Moray, Splendid Toadfish,, and just some beautiful & relaxing scenery.
PdC - was a bit much, if I am honest. Super, super busy the entire time I was there. Everything was crazy expensive, much more than I expected. It was still Spring Break so that may have accounted for it. I can't tell you how many times in 3 days I was asked "Want some Cuban cigars, senor?", "Want some Tequila, free tasting", "Want some weed, senor", "want some Mexican P*^^y", "Let's take a tour, senor", etc. It was a bit overwhelming for me in the beginning but I eventually just tuned everything out and tried to ignore it. The one thing PdC does have is options. So many shops and restaurants, it is impossible to not find something that you want or need.
Tank-Ha - I dove with Tank-Ha for both of my dives while in PdC. My original plan was to dive the reefs and a wreck on the first day and the Pit and Dos Ojos on the second day. I had been emailing back and forth with the shop for months and the day before I arrived they asked for a deposit. No big deal. However, once i paid it a different person started emailing and asking me all of the initial questions again (when was your last dive, what do you want to dive, need equipment, etc). I didn't think much of it until they said they had nothing going the next day because they think the port was going to close for weather. I reminded them that I already had determined a plan and no one had notified me that there was a possible issue. They hadn't held me a spot for any of the cenote dives they had going. I did get a little bit frustrated at their disorganized manner. At that point, I tried contacting a few other shops in the area to see what they had but it was already 545pm and my chances were slim. To their credit, someone stayed at Tank-Ha until about 730pm when I got back to them and they were able to find me a spot for Chac Mool the next day. This is a cenote I had decided I wasn't going to do because no cameras were allowed. It ended up being great and the father-son team I dove with split the cost of buying the professional photos (which were incredible). The next day the Pit and Dos Ojos didn't disappoint and I was very happy that I got to do them. I dove with Pablo (DM) both days and he was great and very professional.
Sorry for the long post but there was a lot to cover. The key for this trip for me was to stay flexible and not get too upset if things didn't go to plan. I spent way more money than I planned simply because I didn't really know a better way. For my next trip here I will bring cash, take the ADO bus to and from the airport, likely plan on staying at a resort on Coz where the boat picks me up, and probably look at other dive shop options in PdC. Weather wasn't as much of a factor on this trip as it was for me in Belize but I would probably go a few weeks later next time. I also hope to check out Tulum at some point.
This is quite long so if you don't feel like reading it, here are the Cliffs Notes - Great place to go, very chill and relaxed in Coz, diving was great but no big creatures, no major issues with dive operators, hotel on Coz had a few issues but still fine, if staying at Blue Angel on Coz and are not a morning person avoid rooms 201. 301 and 401, PdC was crazy busy, expensive as hell and crowded (Spring Break!), dive shop was unorganized but cenote dives were great.
SEA to CUN - Flew direct on Alaska. Got upgraded to First Class which was amazing. It was so good with the extra legroom and service I used my miles to upgrade for the flight back. Even got to check out the lounge at SEA-TAC which I hadn't seen before.
CUN to Cozumel - Getting through passport control in Cancun was a nightmare. It looked like 40 planes all arrived at once. Many of the agent spots had their green light on but no agent was working there. In short, it took me more than 2 hours to get through passport control. I've since been told that this is highly unusual. Since i had never done the "Bag Drag" I elected to hire a car to drive me to the ferry terminal in Cozumel. The car was not in great shape but it got me where I needed to go. I'm not sure it was worth the US$90 charge.
Cozumel ferry - once I wound my way through the shops and found the ferry terminal it was pretty straightforward. I had paid an extra couple of bucks for 1st class on the ferry ride but didn't realize it lets you go down to board first so I hung out in line. It was late and the line was short so not really a big deal. Overall, I am not sure paying extra was worth it. I ended up moving up top into the fresh air anyway.
Cozumel - what a great time and a nice adventure. I made a big mistake by not having any cash on me. I just assumed the taxis would be able to take cards. Definitely not. I eventually got a taxi driver to take me to an ATM. I was able to get out cash but my bank screwed things up. I was charged about 200 MX pesos as a fee but my bank charged it as US dollars so I have to fight with them to correct it. Further ATM withdrawals were not a problem but I will try to find a way to avoid that completely in the future. Maybe change money at the airport or just use US dollars. Everyone seemed to take US dollars.
I stayed at the Blue Angel Resort for my entire stay in Coz. It was recommended by a friend who has stayed there multiple times over the last 20 years. I think it was decent but I also think my expectations were quite high given his assessment of the place. I arrived late but they were very accommodating with helping get my heavy dive bag up to the fourth floor (no elevator) and , thankfully, the restaurant was still open. The room itself was fine. Had some large chips out of the concrete floor that had then been painted in so I think that was part of the design. The balcony overlooked the pool and the ocean but had a very low rail. It would not be safe for a kid or going out there drunk! I had planned to dive with Blue Angel for 3 days, starting the next morning. They put me on the 10am boat, which was great for me because it would allow me to sleep in. I am not a morning person. Unfortunately, they put me in 401 which is right next to the dive shop. Each morning of my stay promptly at 630am I was awoken to Bang, Bang, Bang for about 30-45 minutes while they unloaded the tanks for that days dive. And they were full so I wasn't able to move. Breakfast was included in my package, which was nice. I ended up going to breakfast early most mornings. On that first morning though, I wanted to make sure that I was at the shop early to take care of whatever. I know things can move slowly in Mexico so I wanted to plan for that as well. When I ordered breakfast at the hotel restaurant, I mentioned to the waiter that I was scheduled to be on the 10am boat and said that this was all I was having and asked if he could bring the bill with the meal so I could take care of it and get down there. He got surprisingly angry at me and said "You just need to be patient, this is Mexico"! Having been properly chastised, I ate my meal. He was fine the rest of the time but it did leave a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. The dinners, though, were always great. Pancho greeted me each evening and was always very nice.
Diving at Blue Angel was pretty good. They are located between downtown and the Marine Park where most of the dives happen. This means you could reasonably walk to town (about a mile ish). It also means that the boat rides where a little long but it was honestly hardly noticeable. Dives themselves were very chill and I loved every minute of them. Lots of fish and turtle or two but no sharks or rays. I apparently just missed a whale shark. Dove with Carla and Marcos, who were fantastic. On my 3rd day the weather turned a little bit so they cancelled the dive. Oddly, the hotel was hesitant about giving me a refund. In fact, they said they wouldn't at first but then said they would look in to it. By the next morning they gave me credit on my bill so turned out fine.
I then did two dives with Blue Note. They run out of the marina a couple miles from Blue Angel. I had rented a bike from Blue Angel and thought about riding to the marina but the bike was from an outside vendor and was an absolutely rusty piece of ****. I rode it for about 20 minutes before taking it back and refusing to pay. So cab rides to and from the marina worked out fine. It was a bit chaotic at first as Blue Note had no signs and no shop to let me know where to go. There were multiple divemasters around asking everyone who they were diving with. Many languages being spoken and many people talking at once. Chaotic, but still somehow manageable. After about 30 minutes they let me get on the boat, which was already full of people and about to leave. I believe they do pick up people from their hotels near the marina so it is definitely something to keep in mind for another trip. Dove with Lu for both days. Unfortunately, I did get grouped with very new divers on both days which, I suppose, is the price you pay sometimes for being a solo diver. On the first dive there were a ton of swim throughs that I was dying to go through but I knew the newer divers couldn't go and I didn't want to freak out the DM. After talking with her in the SI, I did do a few on the second dive. Lots of fish again, a cool green Moray, Splendid Toadfish,, and just some beautiful & relaxing scenery.
PdC - was a bit much, if I am honest. Super, super busy the entire time I was there. Everything was crazy expensive, much more than I expected. It was still Spring Break so that may have accounted for it. I can't tell you how many times in 3 days I was asked "Want some Cuban cigars, senor?", "Want some Tequila, free tasting", "Want some weed, senor", "want some Mexican P*^^y", "Let's take a tour, senor", etc. It was a bit overwhelming for me in the beginning but I eventually just tuned everything out and tried to ignore it. The one thing PdC does have is options. So many shops and restaurants, it is impossible to not find something that you want or need.
Tank-Ha - I dove with Tank-Ha for both of my dives while in PdC. My original plan was to dive the reefs and a wreck on the first day and the Pit and Dos Ojos on the second day. I had been emailing back and forth with the shop for months and the day before I arrived they asked for a deposit. No big deal. However, once i paid it a different person started emailing and asking me all of the initial questions again (when was your last dive, what do you want to dive, need equipment, etc). I didn't think much of it until they said they had nothing going the next day because they think the port was going to close for weather. I reminded them that I already had determined a plan and no one had notified me that there was a possible issue. They hadn't held me a spot for any of the cenote dives they had going. I did get a little bit frustrated at their disorganized manner. At that point, I tried contacting a few other shops in the area to see what they had but it was already 545pm and my chances were slim. To their credit, someone stayed at Tank-Ha until about 730pm when I got back to them and they were able to find me a spot for Chac Mool the next day. This is a cenote I had decided I wasn't going to do because no cameras were allowed. It ended up being great and the father-son team I dove with split the cost of buying the professional photos (which were incredible). The next day the Pit and Dos Ojos didn't disappoint and I was very happy that I got to do them. I dove with Pablo (DM) both days and he was great and very professional.
Sorry for the long post but there was a lot to cover. The key for this trip for me was to stay flexible and not get too upset if things didn't go to plan. I spent way more money than I planned simply because I didn't really know a better way. For my next trip here I will bring cash, take the ADO bus to and from the airport, likely plan on staying at a resort on Coz where the boat picks me up, and probably look at other dive shop options in PdC. Weather wasn't as much of a factor on this trip as it was for me in Belize but I would probably go a few weeks later next time. I also hope to check out Tulum at some point.
