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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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My husband, my son and his two boys spent 5 days at Hotel Cozumel and Resort.. He did his first scuba dive at Dive Paradise Club across from the hotel. The man who taught him was named Jordan. He was very thorough. The ocean was beautiful, the people friendly. It was a very relaxing vacation. Before we went I found your site, and spent several weeks before we went reading your newsletter. It was very helpful and gave us a wonderful view of what was going on. We were there at the end of May 2006 and I still am reading your news. I intend to continue to do so as we are planning to come back someday. Thanks for all the insight. I hope they keep that one beach open for the local people and fisherman's boats.. Even though we were tourists, it doesn't seem right to take everything away from those who live there. Connie Armstrong ~ Coyle, Oklahoma
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My daughter, 13 did the dolphin swim and it was the best time of her life.. up close and personal with scarlet.. the pictures were beautiful and the video wonderful.. this was a once in a life time event that she will remember for her entire life... well worth the 99.00 and the additional 75.00 for pics and video coverage.. if you can afford to do this, this is not to be missed.. it was the highlight of the entire vacation... go and have fun, well worth the cost and a lot of fun to be had. WONDERFUL TIME.... Monica Beach and katie Richards Monica Beach ~ Ocala, Florida USA
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My husband and I were there in August with a group from Deep South Scuba, Jackson, MS. It was my first experience in drift diving, and it was fantastic! Santos and Jaime are excellent divemasters and William was so helpful! They went out of their way to make sure we had an enjoyable time. Jaime also took several of us on a night dive and made sure that we had an experience that was "first rate". Thanks for the experience; all others will fall short! S. & K. Jones ~ Glen Allan, MS
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Sherri, I was browsing Cozumel Websites the last few days. I came across yours. I have never found a website so detailed to a destination in my life! You supply all the information a traveler could ever want!
You give us how to get there, what to do while we are there, where to stay, how to travel, what to do if we get sick, where to eat, and it just goes on and on!
Thank you for taking the time that you spent in making this my new favorite site!
I wish every vacation destination had a site like this! BRAVO! Jim Piere ~ Simi Valley CA 93063
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Hey, we got the pictures and they look great. We all had a lot of fun and it was a highlight of our vacation. All of us have stated to take some scubadiving lessons because we loved it so much. Thanks for everything and keep up the good work. We told all of our friends about it and hopefully they have a chance to try it as well. We will definity be posting a forum and checking out your website. Sorry about the slow reply. Thanks again. Kurtis, Dave & Bryan ~ Farmington, MA
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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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