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Cozumel Scuba Diving |
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You've heard it all before, but diving the waters of Cozumel is exceptional and breathtaking and the dives sites look different even if you return to the same spot in the same week.
Rated in the top 5 diving sites in the world, Cozumel remains popular for all levels of diving from the beginner to the highly experienced technical diver.
There is challenge and beauty for everyone so take your time, get all the info you can, and learn from the Insiders ...
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Selecting a Dive Operator and Dive Trip |
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Since there are over 130 dive shops to chose from on Cozumel, deciding who to dive with can be overwhelming.
The choices range from large operations with as many as 15 boats in the fleet to mom-pop shops with a single boat to launch daily as well as freelancers hawking on the street and renting boats at the last minute when they get enough clients to cover costs.
Basics for Choosing the Right Dive Shop |
- Verify the dive operator is affiliated with a certifying agency such as PADI, NAUI, SSI or even FMAS which is the Mexican counterpart to the US agencies. All of these agencies have "incident" reporting processes to ensure safety and compliance with industry guidelines.
- Check the certification and experience levels of the shop owner as well as the person who will be conducting the dives. Your safety will depend on the guidance and decision making of these professionals. The more experienced guides are familiar with the water currents and reefs.
- Select dive operators who invest in safety equipment. The minimum safety equipment on board a dive boat is a radio, lifejackets and a DAN oxygen kit for emergencies. Professional operators will carry fresh water and first aid kits as well.
- Choose dive operators who employ multi-lingual employees. You will be more comfortable and misunderstandings are minimized.
- Most importantly, deal with a dive shop that understands the nature of customer service. With so much competition, there is no reason for anyone to be less than professional to you.
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Basics for Choosing the Right Dive Trip |
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- Private Charters: These trips are organized for just your group. You make all the decisions as to where you want to go and what you want to do. This is fun for a large family or group that works well together and knows the area. This is generally more costly then the regular scheduled trips but it doesn't hurt to inquire if you are interested. Contact us and we would be happy to help you set one up.
- Small Boat or "Fast Boat": This type of trip is typically taken on a small boat with an outboard motor. The boat can accomodate comfortably no more than 4-6 divers. Since the boat is small and fast it gets you to the reef quickly (maybe ahead of the other groups).
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- Larger Boat: This trip is taken on a larger boat typically with as as many as 10-15 other divers. The trip is very comfortable as there normally is plenty of room for your gear and to move about. While travelling to/from the reefs, these boats typically have areas to relax and sun and most offer some ort of refreshments/snack.
Each option has its merits and can be fun in its own way. If you prefer privacy, book a charter; if you are gregarious and enjoy meeting people from all over the world, jump on a larger boat and make some new friends!
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Some SCUBA (and almost) activities you might enjoy!
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Sherri and her staff did everything under the sun to help us get on one of their shore excursions. Phone calls and emails were promptly acknowledged and answered cheerfully and professionally. These are "home" folks; no need to worry about language or accents getting in the way of success. Book with confidence, and have fun! J Meyers ~ San Antonio, Texas
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My family and I have returned to Cozumel many times - it's a favorite destination and we have watched it change over the past 20 years. The Cozumel Insider is a great publication - it's a wonderful way to keep up with the news about one of our favorite islands. We are preparing to visit again this August and the Insider has shown us some different activities to try, as well as helped to bring us up to date with local political and ecological happenings. We're delighted to see the interest in wildlife conservation throughout the area. Keep up the good work on this terrific site. D. McClean ~ unknown
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Hey ~ I just wanted to follow up and say what a great time we had swimming with the whale sharks. I also wanted to commend our tour guide Cesar. He was very knowledgeable of the people, the land, the culture, and the history. I would highly recommend him to anybody wanting to tour Mexico. Thanks again for all of your help, Matt Brosh ~ Austin, Texas
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We cannot begin to express our thanks to Sherri and the staff at IslaMar Villas for our wonderful 11-night stay. This was our third time staying at IslaMar Villas and for us it's the only place to stay in Cozumel. It has truly become our home away from home. We love the apartments, the courtyard and pool, and the warm and friendly neighborhood.
We also used "COZUMELINSIDER" to book our car rental with Avis. It went very smoothly and you guys also helped us trade in our little Chevy Pop for something a little bigger.
A big THANK YOU to Sherri for introducing us to a wonderful private driver on the mainland and for arranging our excursion to Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and Akumal. We were so happy that we decided to finally venture off the island and go to the mainland to see the ruins. The driver Sherri arranged for us was extremely friendly and went above and beyond to make sure we saw things we wouldn't have even known about had we taken the car ferry and driven on our own. To anyone looking for a private tour of places on the mainland, we highly recommend asking Sherri to arrange it for you. It was well worth it!
Thank you again, Sherri! Your kindness and warm hospitality makes us choose IslaMar Villas and your services over and over again. R & M Browning ~ Superior, CO
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What a great Experience!!! We booked our excursions through this website with a slight bit of apprehension. We figured it would be safer to book through our cruise ship since this was our first time going to Cozumel. Boy am I so thankful we didn't. Our cruise ship (which we thoroughly enjoyed) had many excursions organized with tons of people in each excursion. By booking through INSIDER we were definitely given smaller groups to be with. We did the Atlantis Submarine excursion and we saved almost 100 dollars right there!!! We also booked a Resort Scuba with Eagle Ray Divers. We had 1-on-1 attention with Antonio (the owner), our own boat to go out on, and got personalized attention with the lesson/dive. I know if we had booked on the cruise ship there probably would've been many other people ... Also, we originally booked a car rental for that Saturday morning. Jacqueline @ Cozumel Insider, called us at home prior to our cruise to inform us of some minor scheduling changes. She then suggested that the rental car may not be neccessary due to our number of excursions and our limited time. Due to her advice we cancelled our car rental which was the wise thing to do. This shows that this company has a lot of integrity and is not out there just to make a buck on the unsuspecting tourist. Next year we will definitely book through Cozumel Insider, we will recommend this company to all our friends, and we plan on booking with Antonio for more scuba next time!!!! M Carson ~ Tullahoma, Tennesseee
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Copyright 2000 - 2024 Sherri Davis, All Rights Reserved. Contributors retain the copyright to their work. Please do not take art or written content without permission. Other graphics and reference materials are used and attributed as per the Fair Use Provision of The Copyright Act and individual terms of use.
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