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Dive Review of Dive House/Ruby Princess in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Cozumel

Dive House/Ruby Princess, Jan, 2009,

by Paul Lima, TN, US (Sr. Contributor Sr. Contributor 27 reports). Report 4626.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations N/A Food N/A
Service and Attitude N/A Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 2 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments Second time diving with Dive House and again very pleased with the large, clean vessel, competent staff and choice of sites. David provided detailed briefings about the sites and about exit and entry procedures. Due to strong NW winds they could not pick us up at the ship and we had to taxi (provided) to a nearby marina where we boarded. Gear requirements had been completed on board ship and there was plenty of choice in various sizes available. Once choices had been made the remaining gear was bagged up and returned to the dive store dock as we passed by. The gear was generally good quality though we only rented a BCD, having brought the rest. There was plenty of water as well as various bottled soft drinks available and the crew was quick to take and stow empties for you. A 40 minute ride south to the first dive site, Santa Rosa wall. The procedure was to gear up and shuffle to the dive platform with the aid of a crewmember, then giant stride in. Returning to a trailing line the procedure was to remove fins and hand them up, then stand on the ladder, hand off the weight belt and then the BCD before climbing on deck. A crew member was on the dive platform and one was in the water by the ladder such that they did all the heavy lifting. I was light and had difficulty submerging but was spotted quickly by Manuel who added the exact required additional weight while in the water. Strong currents in midlevels but manageable as one got closer to the wall. Several swim-throughs though little life as recent hurricanes had deposited white sand over everything. After an hour surface interval we motored north to Punta Tunich which turned out to be an excellent dive with moderate currents. We glided effortlessly over rolling terrain at the edge of the wall, lush with growth and teeming with sea life. The largest angel fish I have yet seen (french, grey, queen) and none were skittish. Schools of various fish under overhangs and in the lee of rocks. The highlight was a huge turtle eating, accompanied by a grouping of angels, the entire aggregation the size of a Volkswagen (and I chose not to take my camera on this dive). None of them paid the slightest attention to our group as we drifted by. After surfacing we found the wind had diminished sufficiently to motor directly to the pier. Under the conditions we encountered this was definitely not for beginners. In retrospect a fleece jacket would have been nice since it was a rather cold wind and few places (other than the head) to get out of it.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 101-250 dives
Where else diving Hawaii, Florida, Cayman Islands, Roatan, Belize
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy Seas choppy, currents
Water Temp 75-78°F / 24-26°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 100-150 Ft/ 30-46 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions follow divemaster, 80 ft. max
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 2 stars Large Fish 1 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

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

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 4 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments dedicated fresh water rinse container on board
plenty of room for equipment
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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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