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Dive Review of Blue Angel Dive Shop in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Cozumel

Blue Angel Dive Shop, Dec, 2010,

by Stephen Kouri, WA, US (Contributor Contributor 12 reports with 4 Helpful votes). Report 5867.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 4 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity 3 stars
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 2 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments I have been to Blue Angel as both a novice and advanced diver. Blue Angel is set up for experienced divers who want a great value.

This is a no frills operation with small fast boats that generally have 4-6 divers. Capable dive masters (DMs) are very good, but expect divers to know what they are doing. If you get lost and surface away from the group they are good at finding you, but you're expected to be smart enough to have a safety sausage. DMs will do some show and tell, if you happen to be around when they spot something good, but are also happy to let you dive your own profile. No restrictions as long as you don't deco your computer.

One warning: watch your surface intervals with Blue Angel since they will sometimes want to shrink it to 30 instead of 45-60 minutes. In combination with the deeper dives this can be a computer killer.

Your input is significant to where the boat will be going each day. Since they get a lot of repeat customers there is often a great deal of knowledge regarding multiple dive sites. Of note, there has been almost no turnover in the staff at the dive shop in the past few years, which I feel is a sign of a well-run operation.

I have seen people with cameras, but I would go with a bigger boat if you think rinse tanks and camera tables are important. They do have two larger boats, but they are often used on cruise ship excursions, which are not very interesting for most divers. Also, this is not valet diving. The captains/DMs will help swap out gear between dives, but you are responsible for your own equipment and set up. Two large rinse tanks on shore are divided into camera/regs and all other gear.

Cozumel was cloudy,windy and cold in mid-december. Very different from my previous visits. We froze during our surface intervals. Bring some windproof jackets and pants for the boat as insurance against this problem. If you get blown out by the Nortes in Coz, as we did for 2 days out of 7, consider diving the cenotes on the Playa side. Tony (dive shop manager) will set it up with an excellent operation called Mexican Blue Dream -- see separate review on this site.

On land, the restaurant is decent, with large portions and a mix of mexican and american/italian offerings. Most divers get packages that include breakfast and lunch every day they dive, as this is an excellent value. I recommend the $6-7 cab ride to town for dinner, say Guido's for upscale or Casa Mission for midrange. Service at the desk and in the restaurant is generally very good. Rooms are clean, have AC, and have adequate room to hang gear on the deck or patio.

Overall Blue Angel is a great operation if your expectations are in line with what they deliver. If you want to be pampered, pay more money elsewhere. If you want great diving with knowledgeable DMs who don't want to dive where there are crowds of divers then Blue Angel is perfect.
Websites Blue Angel Dive Shop   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 101-250 dives
Where else diving Kona/Maui-HI, Figi, Little Cayman, Belize and Cozumel
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather windy, cloudy Seas choppy
Water Temp 80-83°F / 27-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 80-100 Ft/ 24-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Surface after 700 PSI and 3 Minute Safety Stop
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics N/A

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter N/A Boat Facilities 1 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 2 stars Shore Facilities 2 stars
UW Photo Comments Diving is from a small boat without separate rinse tanks or tables for cameras on board.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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