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#132
HEADED TO COZUMEL and GRAND CAYMAN
beachn69 - 8/20/2009 11:14 AM
Category: Travel
Replies: 17



My wife and I are headed out on a cruise in the middle of October. Does anyone have any reccomendations for diving in either of the above locations ro what company is the best? Thanks guys. Any help would be appreciated. We are traveling on the Inspiration if anyone has done this cruise before give me some tips if you have any.
#788
divergirl4u - 8/20/2009 12:39 PM


I would use DiveTech in Grand Cayman they are top of the line :)


http://www.divetech.com/


 


 
#51828
Greg - 8/20/2009 3:06 PM
You should check out http://www.searobincozumel.com/ in Cozumel. They really treated me great. Good prices too. Tell them you’re a DiveBuddy member!
#3091
divemaiden - 8/20/2009 6:40 PM
Stingray City in Grand Cayman is an easy dive and lots of fun. There’s lots of other great places to dive there as well. Never got to dive Cozumel.
#3062
Indiana - 8/21/2009 1:29 PM
What cruise line.and what ship.
#132
Subscribed
beachn69 - 8/21/2009 1:58 PM
Arriving on Inspiration, Oct. 22nd
#3062
Indiana - 8/21/2009 4:49 PM
 I think your best bet is to do the it through the cruise line.They did use Sand Dollar in cozumel.I heard mix reveiws about them but I had a great time with them.Plus they supply transportation.In Grand Cayman they used Don Fosters.They were good.Had 2 good dives.Remember if you book through the ship you will be back in time or they will get you to the next port.They also provide transportation so you dont have to worry about getting taxis.Alot of dive shops will not cater to the cruise ship diver.The prices are about the same once you add in transportation.I think you will have a good time no matter what shop you use.The rental stuff is hit or miss.I bring my own.The wetsuits were alittle beat up.If you have any other questions just send me a message
#179
BellbrookDiver - 8/21/2009 5:56 PM
Hello. Got back from Cozumel July 18th and used BlueXTSeadiving.com 3 days and was very Happy with them. Arturo is a Great DM. Their boats are fast and they take 6 divers max. A little more than some of the other Op’s, about 80 buck’s for 2 dives but they have snacks between dives. For no frills and a little cheaper, about 60 bucks we used Papa Hogs 1 day and had 2 great dives. Ask to be on the boat BRAIN DAMAGE. It is very fast which is what you want in Coz. They also have 6 or 7 divers max per boat. Beware of the cattle company’s! Whoever you go with tell them you would like to dive Palancar Bricks. Awesome dive. HAVE FUN!
#5802
csemenko - 8/21/2009 8:39 PM


DO NOT use the cruise line unless you want to pay double. For Cozumel you can call Sand Dollar yourself if that is who you chose. I recommend calling Raul at 011-52-987-872-2786 he will arrange for a very fast boat to pick you up, take you diving, and get you back to your cruise on time. Another option is look up Dive with Martin...a great group to dive with. They will also pick you up.


From my experience the charges for a two tank dive including pick up and drop off is less than $80 per person. Just let them know what cruise ship, arrival, and departure times...they will handle the rest. Good luck.
#3062
Indiana - 8/22/2009 12:57 PM
Ck the prices.they will not be double maybe 10 or 20 dollars more but that includes transportation.Just remember if you dont make it back in time the cruise ship will not wait 1 second for you unless you booked it through them.All the dive shops I talked to would not pick you up.You had get your own ride to their shop.Also most dive shops will not work around the cruise schedule.But call the dive shops and ask what they can do for you.Good luck
#132
Subscribed
beachn69 - 8/22/2009 3:31 PM
Thanks for the info Indy. Ive been looking into it and it appears that thye have set times to go. You can never really tell when you are getting in or if the schedule may change due to weather. So I may be leaning more towards going through carnival because of that.
#931
houtxboy - 8/23/2009 10:58 PM


If you are going with Carnival Cruises, then you should have a great time. I went last December and they used Don Foster’s Dive Shop in Grand Cayman. The crew was awesome. Have a great trip.


Bill
#355
firediver57 - 8/24/2009 10:15 PM


Sunset House was top notch on our last trip. Would not let you move a thing - did everything for you. Great sites and good on the boat treatment, snacks water. Dive tech was good but you lugged your own stuff to the boat. (Long dock) Water only on the boat. Have fun on the trip. If you go Sunset - tell Mike Pennington hello for me. Carmine
#3485
FINSUPHAMMERDOWN - 8/27/2009 11:27 AM
i have gone both places on Royale Caribbean crusies, twice. the dives were great.i went through the ship they used Resort Sports in Cayman and Sand dollar in Cozumel and it only cost $99.per 2 tank dive.
#67
Subscribed
Jango - 8/30/2009 7:35 AM


We are going on Carnival’s Valor on Sept 27th. I’m diving at Cozumel and Grand Caymen on this trip. I’ve dove on cruises about four other trips, sometimes with the ship. The cruise ships contract with shops that have large boats so they can guarentee that they’ll have room for as many that may go.


I checked out Sand Dollar’s site and there is a good chance of a cattleboat situation so I’m avoiding them.


I am diving with Deep Blue on Cozumel. A sign on the side of their shop reads "Extended Range Diving" :)


I dove with them for four days on one trip and found them to be great. The highlights of the trip were Devil’s Throat and Maracaibo Wall at 140. I also did the centoes with them. They run small, fast boats with 6-8 divers. I have to take a taxi to their shop to get some of the gear I’ll be using but no biggie. The ship arrives at 8:00 and leaves at 5:00 so plenty of time to dive and mess around too. The dive is at 9:00. They said that they would drop me off at the ship if I wanted after the dives.





On Grand Cayman I’m diving with Neptune’s. Again, I have to take a taxi or bus to get to their shop. I found them recommended on Scubaboards and Casey Keller is a member of Scubaboards too. I sent a mail to the shop and PM’d her on the boards about the same time and she answered both in about ten minutes. Their shop boasts "Cayman’s origional 8 Divers Max" :)





They give their cell number in case there is a problem or you want to verify the dive once in port.





The ship uses Foster’s. Check their site. They have lots of cattleboats. They contract with several cruise lines is why.
#1119
sandiver - 9/07/2009 6:50 AM
on grand cayman you can walk to eden dive shop with your gear and dive right from shore.in the marine park its great,its only 12 dollars to rent tanks and you can get in 2-3 dives if you want . i have done this 3times and there great dives and inexpenseve,you can get 40 -50 feet out of them and at least an hour dive .and spend as much time as you like it across the street from margaritaville. and in cozumel i like the scuba club been diving with them for 12 plus years . have fun.
#51
David - 10/04/2009 8:49 AM
i just got back from the caymans. see if you can dive the east side of the island. if so, Tortuga divers are great!!!
#35
caymandiver - 10/24/2009 5:21 PM
it’s no doubt too late this year but if you ever dive Grand Cayman again you should check out Ocean Frontiers on East End of Grand Cayman. One of the best operations there is.