General Dive questions

[Diver_Dave]

I will be cruising Victory in July, do I book my dives in Cozumel and Grand Caymans separately of through the curise line?

 

Do I just take my minimum gear, Reg, fins, mask?

 

What gear is available to rent?

[bruce-r]

Ah, the often asked question, Book your own dives, or use the ship's excursion.

 

Both have their good points and bad points.

 

Private operators positives:

• Usually cost less than the ship's dive
  
• are a better choice for more advanced divers because if you choose the right operator, you can dive your own profile and determine your own bottom time.
  
• can have smaller, less crowded boats
  
• You usually get some say in deciding which dive site you visit, which means a potential better dive
  
• Lots of operators from which to choose.
  
• In Cozumel, the better operators do their surface interval at one of the beach clubs which means no bobbing around on the boat. They also do longer SI's so you get more bottom time on the second dive.
  

Private operators negatives:

• You have to make all the arrangements
  
• they don't always have all the rental gear you might need if you don't make arrangements with them in advance
  
• It is more work getting to/from their pickup site. Usually involves taking a taxi. Hauling your gear all around it a pain.
  
• If you are detained for some reason, there is a very slight chance that you will miss your ship.
   
  Ship's excursion positives:
  • Very easy to make the arrangements
    
  • transportation is usually included to the dive boat
    
  • less advance diving which is better for beginners
    
  • gear is often included for the dives (but check first to be sure)
    
  • since it is a ship arranged trip, the boat will wait for you if you are late
    

  Ship's excursion negatives:

  • Usually cost more
    
  • Usually a larger boat which sometimes is crowded (but not always)
    
  • restrictive, follow the leader diving with predetermined bottom times.
    

   

  For me, I prefer to make my own arrangements. In warm water, I consider my experience level to be advanced. (I usually dive in cold water and consider my experience level to be intermediate in that environment.) I don't want to risk being on a larger crowded boat with 16 other divers. I will not accept having my dives limited by a set bottom time. I have a dive computer and expect to be allowed to determine my own bottom time. I don't want to have to end my dive early because someone else used up their air quickly or because the dive operator has a schedule to keep. I want to dive the more advanced dive sites.

   

  It is up to you to determine what you are looking for in a dive experience.

   

  I take all my own gear.

  Should you take your own gear? Yes, if you have your own reg, take it. Even better if you have a computer. Some private operators have them for rent, some of the advanced op's in Cozumel, provide them free if you don't have your own.

[Diver_Dave]

Wow, Bruce-r thanks for the tips...Finally I am getting some feedback from this web-site.

 

Can you recommend any of the private operators.....I really would prefer the private operators and with that in mind I know basically what gear to take.

[alsanto]

Cozumel..... We have been here 6x's and have dove with Eagle Ray. We really like them. Very easy dives and great people. 4 to 6 divers at a time. From 60 to 100 ft. dives and great Vis. We usually do 2 to 4 dives each time we go. then sometimes we have lunch on the beach, it just so nice, and easy going. http://www.eagleraydivers.com

 

Grand Caymans........ We have dove here 2x's so far. Both with Abanks. And had a great time. it's a shore dive. We rented tanks & weights. It's a short walk from where you get off from the tenders. I know that you can get a guide, from them. http://abanksdivers.com.ky/

check out my dive pictures if you want

[KaC-Cruiser]

Can you recommend any of the private operators.....I really would prefer the private operators and with that in mind I know basically what gear to take.

 

DD ... For Coz, Scuba with Alison is great, and Papa Hogs is very good as well. As for GC, last 2 trips we grabbed a bus up to the Turtle Farm and did shore diving next door with Dive Tech. Our 1st GC trip we did shore diving at Eden Rock, a 3 minute walk from the pier, but the reefs at Dive Tech were much nicer, and very uncrowded. (All 4 of these places have good websites.)

[bruce-r]

Here are my personal recommendations along with a few other operators I have had recommended to me by people I trust.

 

Cozumel:

1. First choice is http://www.bluextseadiving.com This operation is owned and operated by a very nice lady from Texas. Christi provides excellent, personal service. The things I like about diving with Blue are: small fast boat, dive your own profile, long surface interval at a beach club, snacks/drinks on the boat, wind parkas for divers, large fluffy towels, and great customer service.
   
2. Caribbean Divers - Though their boat is slow, it is large enough for 12 divers, but they usually take only 10 or less. Good dive guides. Dive your own profile. Flexible scheduling for odd ship arrival times.
   
3. Liquid Blue - Excellent choice for advanced divers. They have a comfortable small, fast boat too. What sets them above the average is 2 things; they use large steel tanks for very long bottom times and the owner, Roberto, is a really nice guy and an excellent dive guide. They also do long surface intervals at a beach club and let the divers decide where to dive.
   

 

Some other dive operators I would like to try are Blue Angle, especially if I stayed at Caribe Blue hotel. Their shop is right next door and the shore dive there is something I want to try. It would be a good site for macro photography. Dive with Martin, the low price leader in Cozumel, but still good quality is also an operator that I would consider. Scuba with Alison and Living Underwater both are good too.

 

Eagle Ray seems to cater to cruise divers, so they would be a good choice, but their boat is a bit on the slow side. This probably won't matter to most people and they do get very good reviews here on Cruise Critic.

 

There are many, many dive operators in Cozumel, but there is no "Best One". It is important to pick an OP that is a good match for what you are looking for in a dive trip.

 

 

Grand Cayman is the largest of the 3 Cayman Islands. The 2 small islands are Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, known as the little sisters.

 

I have gone with http://www.neptunesdivers.com and they are easy to recommend, especially for cruise divers as they are willing to be flexible with their departure time.

 

My second choice would be Red Baron divers for a boat dive. For a shore dive I'd take a taxi to the http://www.divetech.com shop and do the shore dive there. Sure it is farther away from Georgetown than the Eden Rock site, but because of the distance, it will be much less crowded and I'm sure the site is in better condition.

 

Hope this helps

[alsanto]

Bruce-r... any info on diving in Freeport. :D Thanks for any help

[bruce-r]

Bruce-r... any info on diving in Freeport. :D Thanks for any help

Sure wish I had personal experience there to make recommendations, but I don't. Second choice for for sites to look for recommendations is http://www.scubaboard.com. Look in both the Liveaboard section and the General Caribbean section.

 

It seems to me that diving in the Bahamas would be pretty good, but often the times the ships are in port are inconvenient to the morning dive trips.

[Jerry_G]

I agree with everything that Bruce-R has said. The only thing that I disagree with slightly is the ability to determine your dive profiles and dive sites. Let me explain. When I dive it is just myself and my wife. Even when the boat is a 6-PAX that means 4 other divers who all have some say in where we go and how long we stay on the bottom. Also the nature of a lot of the Caribbean is a requirement for a dive master. Whether that is to protect the reefs, as they tell you, or to force a higher employment rate, the dives will be led by a dive master. So the follow the leader dive is almost a given. If you have a group of 6, you certainly will have the ability, within limitation, to determine where and how long to dive. With 6 people you could probably negotiate a third dive if your dive computer would allow it. Good luck

 

JerryG

[Woodsmaster]

Bruce Jr. has provided some good information over the years. A lot of what he has stated above is dead on.

 

Other Private operator positives:

 

If you dive with a certain operator long enough (or know others who have dove with them) you can request certain divemasters and boat captains who get to know your group.

 

Whether you are on a six pack or not, you can often times rent a 6 pack for just your group (we do with three - four divers).

 

You can dive the locations you want (weather and currents permitting), but I really rely on them to put us in the right place (but when we don't like a particular dive location, we let them know).

 

You can make friends with your operator and that is worth a lot if you go back several times.

 

Positives with cruise ship operator:

 

The cruise ship will not leave you if it is one of their excursions and doesn't get back before leaving.

 

 

Private operators:

 

Cozumel - Blue Angel Diving http://www.lorenz.pl/angel/usver/intro/menu.html

 

Great bunch to be around and they work with you in just about every way you can think.

 

Grand Cayman - We have dove with Dive Tech and Absolute Divers

We are scheduled to go with Neptune Divers in July. Both Dive Tech and Absolute were Professional and Courteous, we just wanted to try someone else. Dive Tech is pricey. Absolute was just the one divemaster/boat captain for three of us and we were happy and pleased.

 

We take our BC's, fins, mask, snorkels, regulators, booties, safety sausages, etc. We don't bring weights or tanks.

[Cybele]

We did our Cozumel dives last week thru the ship's Shore Excursion tour. They used Sand Dollar Sports: http://www.sanddollarsports.net/

 

I would not dive with them again and will pre-arrange my own tour in the future. Sand Dollar's dive boats were crowded (it felt like a cattle drive) and they did not pre-assess the divers very well. Apparently you need more weight to dive in that part of the world's oceans, due to the higher salinity, and they did not communicate this to us very well when we were gearing up. They were trying to tell us, but it wasn't coming out right. The divemaster kept asking me, "Are you sure you only need 6 pounds?" I dive in warm water wearing just a swimsuit, and am a PADI Rescue SCUBA diver with lots of Hawaii and Guam experience, but no Caribbean experience. I told him, "My last 60 saltwater dives were with 6 pounds and a swimsuit." If he had just told me, "People find they need 2-4 pounds more weight here than they do in other seawater diving spots," then I would have cheerfully added more weight. I couldn't figure out why he kept asking me "if I was sure" I only needed 6 pounds! But every one of us in the "intermediate/advanced" group had a hard time getting down until we added weight. As a result, he bagged the wall dive once we were down and just hung around at 35 feet. We were pretty disappointed!

[Jerry_G]

The 2-4 lbs surprises me. I know there is different salinity levels throughout the oceans, but 2-4 lbs seems like a lot. I usually overweight myself a little bit to allow for the more buoyant empty tank to ensure a good long safety stop. I know that the divemasters at Sealife divers in Playa Del Carmen usually carry extra weight on their person during a dive to assist in buoyancy problems. They also carry extra weight on the boat and if you are having difficulty in descending they simply add a few pounds to your BC pocket. Sounds like you had a bad experience with this operator. Good luck in the future

[Cybele]

I wonder if the current might have also had something to do with it, pushing us "up." I also wonder if the tanks we were using might have had something to do with it, as I was used to using a 60 and they had 80s. My husband was wearing just a diveskin and needed 15 pounds to get down. Bizarre!

[Woodsmaster]

Aluminum 80's take 4 pounds to get them negative when empty.

 

If you use steel 60's, they may stay negative.

 

Bermuda will take an extra 6-7 pounds due to increased salinity. I know I use less weight at Cozumel than Bermuda. A skin should not have added any real bouyancy to you.

 

I found the Cruise lines choice of dive boats to be cattle boats as well, but we did not have that much trouble.

 

We pick our own operators as well.

[Diver_Dave]

I want to thank all that have responded to this post. Your information is invaluable. A note to others: I contacted Christi , http://bluextseadiving.com/ and Bruce-r you are correct, she is great very responsive, asked a lot of questions, but unfortunately she is booked for my only day in Cozumel. Based on my limited correspondance, she is runs an excellent operation and if I decide to go back to Cozumel she would be my first choice. So a tip to all, e-mail and book early. I am in the process of trying to contact Allison, but have not been able to reach her. Have others had this problem? I will keep you posted on this effort. For GC I am looking into Dive Tech. Thanks again all, I leave July 17th, so keep the information coming

 

D_D

[Jerry_G]

Here's how I feel about some of the topics so far

 

1) I look at when the ship arrives, when it departs, when the dive boats depart, and when they return you to the cruise ship dock. If the difference between when they promise a return and when the boat departs exceeds 2 hours then I make my reservations locally. If not then I book with the cruise line. The two hours is my comfort threshold.

 

2) I read, read, read both here and the scubaboard.com to get info like you are receiving. Remember, just because they have a quality website does not mean that they are a quality dive operation.

 

3) I take my own equipment. Everything that I will need. I know I will not be night diving so I leave my lights home. I know that the water will be warm so I leave my wet suits home and take my dive skin. Most of the Caribbean will not allow reef gloves or knives. So leave them home. That means take only the essentials. Mask, Fins, Regulator,BCD, Dive computer. Yep handling all this on a cruise ship can be a pain. But as somebody else pointed out, when you return to the ship just go up to the sundeck and lay everything out, including yourself. Have a good drink and watch how quickly everything dries.

 

Good luck and keep in mind that you are doing the right thing by asking questions.

[KaC-Cruiser]

I am in the process of trying to contact Allison, but have not been able to reach her. Have others had this problem? I will keep you posted on this effort. For GC I am looking into Dive Tech. Thanks again all, I leave July 17th, so keep the information coming

 

D_D

 

DD ..... We've never managed to get in with Christi either .... she's just too darn popular!! ;) As for Alison - she's always been very fast to respond to our e-mails. It may be the wonderful internet system - it seems that e-mails to Coz sometimes don't get thru. I'd shot off a follow-up, just in case it didn't make it .... don't give up on her yet ... she's worth the wait!!:D

[KaC-Cruiser]

DD .... just heard from Alison myself - she's been on vacation and just got back yesterday so she should get back to you soon!!

[Diver_Dave]

KaC, allison called me directly, she is great, we are booked for July 19. She had some great questions, very detailed, latest equipment to rent. can't wait.

[KaC-Cruiser]

KaC, allison called me directly, she is great, we are booked for July 19. She had some great questions, very detailed, latest equipment to rent. can't wait.

 

Will look forward to a review when you return!! I hope you enjoy your dives with Alison as much as we have!!