The worst thing about Cozumel is how high it sets the bar. Diving in cold lakes with 10' visibility really didn't have much appeal after Coz.
The reefs, the variety of life, the visibility, and water temps all combined to make this our favorite dive experience, and it continues to be our favorite.
Cozumel is all about drift diving. Although you can shore dive there, and in fact we did do one shore dive, drift diving is absolutely AMAZING. I was worried before I did this trip about drift diving. Revan and I were new divers, and the thought of being dragged along underwater (out to sea?) was unnerving. I was also a little put off by the requirement that every Cozumel reef/drift dive requires a divemaster to accompany the dive. It felt like "baby sitting" to me. What happens when Joe "suck air" Bloe runs out of air when I have 1500 psi still left? What if I want to stop for a few minutes to watch a critter and the dive master doesn't?
If you are also concerned about having to cut your dives short due to others in the group consuming air like every breath was their last, shop around and pick a dive operator that allows divers (and their buddies) to surface at different times. Our dive Op ran things this way, and it made a huge difference in how long we actually stayed under water.
About divemaster "baby sitting"? After experiencing this at Coz, I have a few thoughts. First and foremost is safety. Coz has a fantastic reputation as a safe dive experience. This is due, in part, to having divemasters on every drift dive. Secondly, having a qualified divemaster really took away the "worry" factor for drift diving. If I had done these dives without a divemaster, I would have spent most of my time worrying about WHERE I was, and not enjoying the experience. And finally, our divemasters had an amazing ability to spot critters and unique formations that I would have missed on my own. In hindsight, it was really worthwile to have a divemaster with us.
We did both the PADI Advanced Open Water certification and Nitrox certification during our Coz trip. One of our choices for AOW was Peak Performance Bouyancy. I really wasn't expecting much with this training, however I was surprised at how much difference it made. Getting this skill fine tuned made subsequent dives more enjoyable. I was able to drop my weight down to 10 lbs, and spent less time fighting the water and more time relaxing in it.
Above the water line, we also had a fantastic experience.
Blue XT Sea Diving
The dive outfit we choose for this trip was Blue XT Sea Diving. My
reasons for choosing Christie and her team had a lot to do with her
reputation on Scuba Board, and her participation and willingness to
help folks on the board without 'selling' her outfit. I wanted a small
operator, with personalized service. Revan and I were new divers, and I
liked the small groups Blue XT Sea takes on each dive. I also wanted
fast "six-pack" boats so we could spend less time in-transit and more
time in the water or enjoying other activities in Coz.
We did 12 dives on this trip, 11 of them boat dives with Blue XT Sea.
The service was excellent, the divemasters were professional, helpful, and fun, the boats were small and fast, and all the "little extras" were welcome. In short, Blue XT Sea exceeded all of my expectations and I will use them again when I get back to Coz!
Caribe Blue Hotel (now Blue Angel)
We also had a great experience with Caribe Blu (now Blue Angel). Service was friendly, it is right on the beach with fantastic views, it has a private dock with shore diving right off the front of the hotel. The hotel is within walking distance to downtown Cozumel, but far enough away to be secluded. We walked to town on most nights, and on the nights we were too tired, we took a taxi. It was about a 15 minute walk to downtown.
This hotel is not fancy, but it is a divers best friend. Clean
rooms, restaurant right on the premises, dive boats pick you up from
their pier, and fantastic views from the rooms and restaurant.
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Reef descriptions are from www.cozumelinsider.com
Dive 1
October 29, 2006
Shore dive in front of Caribe Blu Hotel
Depth: 15' - 40'
Skill level: Novice
You don't go to Cozumel for shore dives, but this actually was a
decent dive. Not much in the way of coral, but plenty of wildlife. We
did a night snorkel here as well. Fun!
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Dive 2
October 30, 2006
Palancar Gardens
Depth: 40' - 70'
Skill level: Novice
"An excellent first dive for those not yet confident in their dive skills or perhaps some one who's been a few years without diving. These coral formations are very colorful and have literally hundreds of species of coral jammed together with purple and orange sponges interspersed. Calm currents typically prevail allowing maximum photo opportunities. Lots of crevices with colorful reef fish and banded cleaner shrimp."
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Dive 3
October 30, 2006
Paradise Reef
Depth: 40' - 50'
Skill level: Novice
"A series of three separate reefs running parallel to shore approximately 200 yards out. This is one of the few reef areas accessible to beach divers. All three sections have abundant marine life including octopi and the reclusive Splendid Toad Fish which lives only in Cozumel waters. Most popular spot for night dives."
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Dive 4
October 31, 2006
Columbia Deep
Depth: 60' - 90'
Skill level: Intermediate
Impressive drop off at 60 to 80 feet. Deep diving at its finest, at least as spectacular as any part of the Palancar. A series of gigantic coral pinnacles, most over 90 feet, marked with caves, tunnels and caverns. Large marine life such as eagle rays, turtles and large barracuda often seen.
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Dive 5
October 31, 2006
La Francesca
Depth: 40' - 60'
Skill level: Intermediate
"This area is partly a strip of colorful coral as well as patches of coral with a good variets of multicolored sponges and gorgonians. An excellent second dive of the day and great for photography with its splendid toadfish, butterfly fish and resident grouper. All of this, coupled with the barracuda that often shadow divers here, can be enough to put some divers on sensory overload."
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Dive 6
October 31, 2006
Paradise Reef night dive
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Dive 7
November 1, 2006
Palancar Caves
Depth: 60' - 90'
Skill level: Intermediate
"Another of Cozumel's most popular deep dives because of its deep buttresses, tunnels, caves and big caverns that sit along the edge of a sloping wall. Currents are usually mild and marine life is abundant. Turtle, shark and eagle ray sightings are very common."
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Dive 8
November 1, 2006
San Francisco
Depth: 35' - 50'
Skill level: Intermediate
"Begins on the Southern end of Old San Francisco Beach. This half mile reef is broken into three sections, separated by about 60 yards of sand. This is one of the shallowest wall dives and is loaded with life. Skim along between 35 and 50 feet and enjoy the big grouper and playful green moray eels."
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Dive 9
November 2, 2006
Palancar Bricks
Depth: 60' - 90'
Skill level: Intermediate
"Another section of Cozumel's most spectacular reef and an excellent deep dive. Large coral formations rise up from the brilliant white sandy bottom which easily slopes off into the blue abyss. Divers can wind in and around the large coral formations where marine life flourishes. But the stunning blue color of the abyss contrasted with the sandy bottom is what mesmerizes most divers visiting this area. Currents are usually mild and turtle, shark and eagle ray sightings are very common. Normally excellent visability makes this a photographer’s dream dive for those breathtaking "upward views"."
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Dive 10
November 2, 2006
Chankanaab
Depth: 30' - 50'
Skill level: Novice to Intermediate
"A long continuous band of colorful coral reef filled with cracks and crevices and holes which attract all sorts of marine life looking for shelter. There are sand rays under the coral ledges, stonefish and scorpion fish as well as splendid toadfish and lots of trigger and tang fish. The incredible quantity of very large sized lobster and crab in this area as well as octopus which are all typically shy in daylight, makes this a superb choice for night dives."
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Dive 11
November 3, 2006
Punta Sur
Depth: 90' - 130'
Skill level: Advanced
"An excellent multilevel dive for experienced divers only. Due to its southern location and exposure to prevailing tradewinds, topside conditions can be rough. This coupled with fast running midwater currents that can cause one to miss the dive site entirely, makes this NOT a dive for those who cannot descend relatively problem free. This site has two distinct sections and the air usage capability of the divers will determine if you can see both in one dive.
The most famous section, "Devil's Throat," starts inside a coral swim through. Divers descend into the opening of a dark narrow tunnel at 90 feet and takes you out into a sunlit opening at 130 feet on the wall overlooking the abyss. Eagle rays and sharks are occasionally spotted here.
The other section of this site "The Cathedral," is a large cave opening with giant sponges that form a cross in the ceiling of the cave where light passes through. Very impressive photo if divers refrain from kicking up the sand."
We dove the Catherdral, not Devils Throat
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Dive 12
November 3, 2006
Punta Dalila
Depth: 25' - 80'
Skill level: Intermediate
"A healthy reef strip populated by angel fish, squirrel fish and schools of grunts.. There are a lot of out croppings and overhangs of coral on the outer wall of this reef closest to the wall which are home to crabs and green moray eels. Good variety of corals and sponges along with the typically mild current makes this a good choice for photographers and it also makes a good second dive of the day."
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