Dive Review of Amigos Del Mar in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Costa Maya

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Amigos Del Mar: "Lionfish, Moral Eels and Eagle Rays, Oh My!", Mar, 2024, by Gilbert Zeimer, CA, US ( Sr. Reviewer 8 reports with 1 Helpful vote). Report 12906.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations	N/A	Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	This port and its adjacent beachfront town of Mahahual were built as a cruise ship destination by the Mexican government and the cruise industry about three decades ago. Today, it’s a bustling port with a vibrant business for tourists that now includes a huge mall of shops, tequila bars, restaurants, festively costumed locals, bungee jumpers from a pole about 30-feet high, and a huge swimming pool for day trippers. We grabbed a taxi and rode about 2.5 miles, arriving at 10am. Emiliano from Amigos del Mar was waiting for us, along with a couple from Edmonton, CA, who were staying at a small hotel next door. We were fitted for our 3mm wetsuits, BCs, regulators, weight belts, fins, and gauges. All of the gear but the regulators were new, but all functioned well. We also noticed that our tanks were filled to 3,500 psi vs. the customary 3,000 or even 2,800 at some shops in the Caribbean. We waded into the warm Caribbean sea and our large ponga took off to a site a few minutes’ ride away, ironically close to our cruise ship. There were five divers total, plus the captain and divemaster. The first site was called Tortuga (Turtle). We went down to about 60 feet, again enjoying 80 F. water temperatures and visibility of up to 100 feet for 55 minutes. On this dive, we saw Emiliano carry a spear gun and shoot two Lionfish which are a danger to both divers and other fish. He tried to feed them to a large, free-swimming green moral eel, but he wasn’t hungry for them. We also saw several spotted eagle rays. We were glad to be offered watermelon and cantaloupe between and after dives. But most of all, this dive shop handed each of us a thick poncho with hoods to keep off the chill between dives – never saw that before and they kept us all from shivering as we motored to the second site and back to shore. A while later, we dove at Cañones to a depth of only 40 feet and stayed under for 55 minutes again with similar visibility. We were treated to some huge angelfish and less current than the first dive. We saw many spotted eagle rays on this second dive, too. We were told to inflate our BCs when we got next to the boat, unhook them, and the boat crew pulled them off and onto the boat. Again, this was greatly appreciated. We got back to the ship by 1:30pm, in plenty of time to enjoy the rest of the day in port. Overall, a very satisfying way to spend a day in Costa Maya with one of about a dozen dive shops here. I highly recommend Amigos del Mar.
Websites	Amigos Del Mar
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	101-250 dives
Where else diving	Australia, Caribbean, California, Mexico, Hawaii, Micronesia
Closest Airport	SPR	Getting There	I was there on the Sky Princess cruise ship to the Western Caribbean and Mexico
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	80-80°F / 27-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	- Ft/ - M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Stay near divemaster, max depth was 60 feet, signal divemaster when air was 700psi, and safety stop for 3 minutes at 10-15 feet.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters	N/A	Large Fish
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	There were two divers with cameras among the five divers on our ponga. Both of us had Nikon Coolpix cameras and were glad to see a small rinse tank on the boat and a larger one back at the shop.

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Dive Review of Amigos Del Mar in Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Costa Maya

Amigos Del Mar: "Lionfish, Moral Eels and Eagle Rays, Oh My!", Mar, 2024,

Photos Submitted with this Report

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

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

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

Dive Review of Amigos Del Mar in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Costa Maya