Dive Operator For Cozumel

Does anyone know what company Princess uses for their dive excursions in Cozumel? My husband is trying to decide whether to book through the cruise ship or on his own.

I think it is Sand Dollar. I have done a lot of dives in Coz and would highly recommend Alison...doesn't get much better. You can email her at alison@scubawithalison.com. She typically books up months in advance, but it would be worth checking.

If she is full, email Troy at Pelagic.....fishboy@prodigy.net.mx and see if he has some openings.

They both leave from Marina Caleta which is just a few minutes south of the pier....cabs are cheap.

I too have done a lot of dives @ Coz - won't go near Sand Dollar (yes that's the Princess provider). Allison was fine, but I've been diving with Eagle Ray for years.

I will give Eagle Ray a try. I have a place in Akumal and spend a lot of time in the area.

I'm a snorkel devotee of Eagle Ray. Excellent operator. Strongly recommend the three stop trip that goes to the off shore reefs, then stops at the Money bar for lunch before returning to the dock.

The shorter trips go only to the near shore reefs. They still exhibit some of the damage done by Hurricane Wilma.

http://www.eagleraydivers.com/

The best diving is with Scuba Club Cozumel. They are not part of the shore excursions on ships but we have used them for over 10 years. If we are not cruising we are booking week stays with them. You can tell them you are coming in on a boat and arrange a day trip. If you have someone not diving they can stay at the resort and enjoy the hammocks, view, pool, snorkel area. The resort in situated for diving and snorkeling so the beach is coral but they have great sand area as well. Showers for after diving are provided as well as storage lockers to stow your gear if you decide to walk into town (bring a padlock). Take a cab from the pier to Scuba Club. Dive, shower, eat lunch if want (the food is very good) then walk into town, come back, get your gear and have a cab take you to your ship. We have done this many times and never been disappointed.

Lots of positive reviews about Eagle Ray (their communication has been lacking as of late).

We will be diving with Aldora this coming Saturday and I will post a review here. They use Steel 100s and 120s for much greater bottom times.

The professor seems to really like Scuba Club, and I look forward to trying them next time.

I think what is generally accepted amongst experienced divers is that nearly everywhere cruise ships dock (with the possible exception of Nassau) you will get a better dive experience with more experienced divers on less crowded boats for less money using an independent dive operator than the one the cruise lines contract with...

Good luck...

I give a hearty second to the Prof. Scuba Club is hands down the best for drift diving. Boats and crew are top notch.

When we were in Cozumel last month Princess used Island Divers. Their boat picked us up at the cruise port pier. Both dives were easy drift dives just north of the cruise port. We were allowed 50 minutes of bottom time. The heavy breathers were sent up in groups as needed. We had about 16 people from the ship. We were divided into three groups. First dive was a wall dive with the second being a shallower 60' reef dive closer to the cruise port.

Just back from Cozumel and wanted to give a report on Aldora.

I am emphatically stating that Aldora is a class operation. They attended to everything on board and took us to two outstanding spots. The surface interval was adequate and allowed us some beach time to get something to eat. Fortunately our group of 5 divers were all experienced divers, so our dives were to 80 and 70 feet. The DM's octo had a 7' hose in case there were any air hogs, with his rational being if someone was running low, yet everyone else had plenty of air, he would let them use his long octo so we could continue the dive. Fortunately everyone managed their breathing well.

What sets them apart is they do NOT use AL80s. A Steel 100 for the ladies, and a Steel 120 for the guys, are standard. The steel tanks pushed to 3500psi allowed a 53 minute and a 67 minute dive. You're not likely to see that with a diverse group of divers to these depths with AL80s.

An excellent DM, very good crew, and the use of steel tanks set Aldora apart in my opinion. This, by no means, is any reflection of Scuba Club, which two of our forum members give very high remarks to. Good operators need "air time" (positive publicity) from knowledgeable divers. So it sounds like we have two good operators to choose from, Scuba Club and Aldora.

I just returned from a cruise stop in Cozumel with my daughter and her boyfriend. We booked a discover scuba trip with ERD. We thoroughly enjoyed our dive. Antonio was a great teacher and monitored us continually throughout the dive. We were able to see lots of beautiful coral and fish, as well as a sea turtle and large grouper. He customize the dive just for us, and made sure we were able to relax and enjoy the dive and make the most of our trip, with fresh fruits and drinks. We would love to go back and be certified with Antonio and the wonderful crew of ERD.

Just dove with Aldora again 3/25/15. This time we had air divers, not too happy, as I usually dive with only nitrox divers. It worked out fine.

I came up with more air than usual, But I still enjoy the dives.

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I think it is Sand Dollar. I have done a lot of dives in Coz and would highly recommend Alison...doesn't get much better. You can email her at alison@scubawithalison.com. She typically books up months in advance, but it would be worth checking.

If she is full, email Troy at Pelagic.....fishboy@prodigy.net.mx and see if he has some openings.

They both leave from Marina Caleta which is just a few minutes south of the pier....cabs are cheap.

And for anyone searching and reading this thread....Allison recommends Eduardo with Sea Robin and they are a great operation in Cozumel!