My search for a dive outfit in Cozumel - post your review!

[Bellfree Bat]

As I suspected, I will be getting more replies now that the weekend is over: I sent my enquiries on on Saturday morning and afternoon.

 

Chucho Divers

 

 

 

I dove with Chucho a couple years ago when he worked for Allison. Since then, he has branched out on his own. Great, safe divemaster and highly reccommend.

 

Note about operators only accepting cash: Credit Card fees are high and take a bite out of their profit. When you are meeting them at the boat it is also difficult, if not impossible, to charge your card. If the charge does not go through later when they return to their shop, you are gone and they are out the $$$. Personally, I have no reservations about dealing with cash for dive operators.

 

Thanks for compiling all this information into one thread!

[Ottawa_cruise_man]

I dove with Chucho a couple years ago when he worked for Allison. Since then, he has branched out on his own. Great, safe divemaster and highly reccommend.

 

Note about operators only accepting cash: Credit Card fees are high and take a bite out of their profit. When you are meeting them at the boat it is also difficult, if not impossible, to charge your card. If the charge does not go through later when they return to their shop, you are gone and they are out the $$$. Personally, I have no reservations about dealing with cash for dive operators.

 

Thanks for compiling all this information into one thread!

 

 

Thanks for the great point on credit card transactions and the problems associated with them. It doesn't occur to us consumers that are in the city with all sorts of transactions being done simultaneously. And the cut they loose to the credit card fees.

So maybe "cash-only" doesn't mean tax evasion as much as company size. If you have the revenue, then you have your staff either get full payment by CC before the dive date(s) or you have the wireless CC you can do it instantly on the spot. So maybe this is an indication of the size of the organization. :)

[bruce-r]

Thanks for the great point on credit card transactions and the problems associated with them. It doesn't occur to us consumers that are in the city with all sorts of transactions being done simultaneously. And the cut they loose to the credit card fees.

So maybe "cash-only" doesn't mean tax evasion as much as company size. If you have the revenue, then you have your staff either get full payment by CC before the dive date(s) or you have the wireless CC you can do it instantly on the spot. So maybe this is an indication of the size of the organization. :)

CC transaction fees in Mexico can be as high as 12%. You wouldn't expect a small operation to eat that charge. Even in the US where the transaction fee is a more reasonable 2-4%, when buying large items you can often negotiate a cash discount.

[sunandsnow]

My DH dove with SandDollarSports when we were on our cruise on RCCI Liberty of the Seas in March. The dive was very good. Only about 6-8 people on the boat. Problem arose when he got back to the ship and noticed he was missing his US Divers mask and dry snorkle. He immediately notified SandDollar and said he would be willing to come back to the boat and look for his equipment. They said they would look and let him know. DH believes that the crew took his equipment when he returned the fins, regulator etc. to the office and left his bag on the boat. He contacted the dive shop on LOS and wrote about the incident. They supposedly sent a fax to the shop. We paid for the excursion through AMEX so 5 months later they are still trying to get RCCI to respond. Don't know if this has ever happened to other divers. DH has a mustache so he is frustrated having good equipment stolen from him while diving. Just an FYI if you are considering a dive through the cruise line and SandDollar.

[Tiki_Man]

Just back from Coz on Aug 4th, Celebrity Solstice. Dove with Chucho

 

I have not read all the posts, so my format may be off but here is a quick skinny.

 

Originally it was just me to dive, contacted Alison, she had room. Then my wife decided to join. Alison was already at 6 (no more allowed), so she referred Chucho. He contacted me back, said no problem. We arranged to meet at 8:30 at Caleta for 2 tank dive with rental BC and regs.

 

After sailing starts I find out we will not arrive in Coz until 9:00 am. On the day of dive I call Chucho at 8:30, explain we have not cleared customs and it might be 9:30 before we get there - he is VERY nice and again, No problems.

 

We are among first off (little bit of a battle), grab a quick cab to Caleta {side note, cabbie had NO change and I only had a US $20 for a $7 dollar cab. Chucho's capt talked to the cabbie and paid the fare, said he would just add it to our cost (very nice). Marina is very very busy and packed. Chucho took our gear and we were headed out the cut in less than 5 minutes. We stop along the way at San Francisco Reef Resort and pick up another couple (funny, our age of late forties and same experience level). They were happy to be delayed a little (Chucho had called them) gave them time to relax.

 

Chucho's equip was EXCELLENT - brand new BC for my wife (Small) and mine was great. Tanks had 3100 each. Boat is small, but with 4 divers plus Chucho, Vincente the Capt and another helper there was still plenty of room and they did all the work.

 

My wife had not been diving in 18 months, I asked Chucho prior to booking if that was okay and if he would take "special care" of her. No problems and he was true to his word.

 

We dove Palancar Reef - Palancar Bricks - which are fantastic swim throughs. Chucho led, Mary followed close behind him and he was constantly checking her for the first 10 - 15 minutes to make sure she was fine (she LOVED it and had 2 great dives). Easy entry and exit, he sent up a saugage while we did the safety stop and the boat was right there when we surfaced.

 

Surface Interval was back on shore at a resort, several dive boats (maybe 6) were there. We just stayed by the boat. He had bottles of water, poundcake and cut up melons. 50 minutes. Then we head to Deliha reef.

 

This was a drift dive and VERY fast (I loved it). Saw 6 Nurse sharks, 2 turtles, huge crabs, lots of lobster, couple of lionfish but Chucho did not kill them because of the drift, parrotfish that were as big as a dog (no kidding), Barracuda and tons of reef fish.

 

Little more challenge of getting everyone back on board due to current but turned out fine (fun to do a safety stop and floating along still enjoying the dive).

 

We dropped the other couple off first and then we headed back to Caleta. Taxi was there waiting (with change this time). Chucho charged us $150 plus $7 for the cab. Needless to say he also got a NICE tip.

 

He was wonderful. I posted a Solstice Review on the Celebrity board Aug 1st that has my Shutterfly album with pic's of Chucho and his boat if anyone is interested. (look for Mr or Mrs Tiki)

[Bellfree Bat]

Just back from Coz on Aug 4th, Celebrity Solstice. Dove with Chucho

 

So nice to hear a great review about Chucho. I dove with him when he worked for Allison and also enjoyed our dives with him.

[Loves_Dogs]

So nice to hear a great review about Chucho. I dove with him when he worked for Allison and also enjoyed our dives with him.

 

We also dove with Chucho when he worked for Allison and had a wonderful time. These were my first dives after getting certified and he couldn't have been more helpful. We are looking at a cruise late next year that stops in Cozumel and I will absolutely be booking with Chucho.

[crock921]

The personal reviews are more important to me than pricing. It is worth it for me to pay a premium price to have excellent service. Unless there are certain reefs or wrecks that not all dive boats go to, I think we will be diving with Allison or Chucho based on stories and recommendations.

 

Do these shops offer snorkeling as well? DW isn't a diver, but likes to snorkel.

[Tiki_Man]

The personal reviews are more important to me than pricing. It is worth it for me to pay a premium price to have excellent service. Unless there are certain reefs or wrecks that not all dive boats go to, I think we will be diving with Allison or Chucho based on stories and recommendations.

 

Do these shops offer snorkeling as well? DW isn't a diver, but likes to snorkel.

 

Alison will take "bubble watchers" - she offered this to my wife but DW really wanted to dive. She has a nicer boat that Chucho (little bigger with covered area) and can take more folks but 6 is the max on a dive.

 

Funny part was seeing all the dive boats in the same general vicinity (maybe 10 or 15) but not on top of each other. We did see another dive group under water in the distance but no interaction or confusion. Then they all line up next to each other on the beach for a surface interval (but again, not crowded).

 

ALSO - I just read my review again and I made a silly silly mistake - we did NOT see any Mako's of course - they were Nurse Sharks, although 1 was a green color. My bad, fingers typing faster than my brain was working.

 

Tiki

[borg1of2]

Great comments and suggestions, thank you for the kudos, and I will add this information for those that have given it to me.

 

Also, I have included the web site address for every dive shop so far, so if I don't have it, you can look there.

 

Wanted to post that we selected Cruise with Allison. I greatly appreciate this thread and all of the information you gathered, and other replied. I will certainly post back my experience when we get back.

 

I am also curious whom you selected, since you did all of the hard work!!

 

Again, Thanks

 

Scott

[Motorcycle Gma]

We've been going to Cozumel for the last 15 years and we always dive with Dive with Martin. They're right on one of the piers, convenient for cruisers and competent. They also have fast boats, although not all of them are covered. As for snacks, I don't recall.

 

The divemasters are very watchful and once, one even saved my life when my regulator blew at 90'. My husband/dive buddy was too far away looking at gorgeous stuff! :eek:

[Ottawa_cruise_man]

Well, I finally did my dive club selection, and it was a good one - a fantastic one, really!

I had first chosen to go with Alison, but when I called to book, I was told they were full - and in the slow season too. I was not given any other dive outfits to try, or anything else - just a good luck. Oh well!

 

So I contacted Chucho Divers, and got a great response from them. Yes, they can do a 3-tank dive, yes they have soft weights for me, yes they have larger than 80 cu ft tanks, yes they offer lunch, yes they will take care of my dive buddy who is on his first dive after O.W. certification. It was yes, yes yes all the way!

There was one catch though: he didn't have any other divers to join us, so there would be a surcharge for only having 2 divers int he boat. How much? 30 buck a person! Now I have been on a crowded boat before, and had to deal with a dive getting cut short because of an inexperienced and improperly-trained diver, plus I have read the horror stories from fellow divers. So when I learned that for only 30 bucks each, we get a PRIVATE charter, with just the 3 of us, I jumped on that opportunity!

Let's get the money part taken care of first:

100 CU Ft. tanks - $5.00 / tank extra, so $15.00. $90.00 for the 3 dives (includes lunch). $30.00 charter. P. lus gear rental for my dive buddy (I brought my own and was very happy with the decision)With park access fees and everything, it came to a total of $300.00 for the both of us. Now that seems a little high, but when you take in the fact that we had a full day's diving, and met some wonderful people at the "naked beach" pier, I think it was the best deal out there!

 

The dives: We did 2 dive on Palancar reef: First one was Palancar Gardens, and I think the second one is called Palancar Bricks, because we saw a few brick formations on the second dive.

We did what are called novice dives, due to our inexperience levels, but they were amazing in beauty: the flora and fauna were so colourful and plentiful - I kept thinking that it looked like I was in an aquarium or on a Jacques Cousteau movie: there were so many different and abundant fish around us.

The 3rd spot is called Paradise Reef: it's a nice dive too, but not quite as fantastic as the first 2 - but well worth it.

The highlight was when a sea turtle was feeding on whatever it eats, and it just didn't care that we were withing inches of it! Got some great video and pictures to remember it by.

 

Our dive master: Chucho Divers is owned and operated by a guy aptly named Chucho! Chucho was very patient and made sure we had nice long dives. Each dive was over 60 minutes, which is great for me, since I'm an air-hog! Chucho took the time to show us all sorts of wonderful stuff from these real small animals to nurse sharks and 3 different types of stingrays. And he was always making sure my dive buddy was having a good dive - no problems at all: his first recreational dives were free of any problems, and he had a fantastic time!

Once out of the water, he would give us pointers, and joke with us - very nice personality, and great sense of humour!

between our second and third dives, we stopped at this pier where the local dive operators go to off-gas. There's this sign there that says "naked beech" - but strangely no naked women. Pitty. :D I did notice another dive operator had the exact same dive boat as we were on, but had 8 divers in it! hehe! After eating, then keeping warm in the water (overcast, rainy and windy day), we took of to Paradise Reef for our last dive.

 

Our Captain: unfortunately, I don't recall the name of our captain, but he was great too: took care of our gear, helped me done mine, made our lunches, and was always right there once Chucho sent the sausage up. He positioned the boat perfectly every time, and we had no issues getting out of the water.

 

Overall experience: fantastic! It was more than I expected, and I left feeling like we got our money's worth. I can imagine if I did a whole week of diving, that I would be with a larger group, and that the rates would have been a bit lower, but 3 dives, larger tanks, lunch for about $130.00 is a good deal for me - especially since I compared it tot he mediocre diver experince I did the previous day (did the Costa Maya dive with RCI's group - not a good dive, crowded boat, high price, short dives).

 

This is me - notice the new ScubaPro Seawing Nova fins?

 

This is the turtle I was talking about:

 

Pretty fish:

 

Chucho on the left and my dive buddy, Jerry, on the right: