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Dive Review of Dive Palancar/Allegro Cozumel in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan

Dive Palancar/Allegro Cozumel, Sep, 2009,

by Shawn McDermott, FL, USA (Contributor Contributor 16 reports with 12 Helpful votes). Report 5148.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 4 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 1 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments I go back to dive here again and again--seems like my home away from home these days, since diving off Melbourne Florida is mostly spearfishing oriented. I have a timeshare there which allows me to stay at reduced rates and also gets me a discount at Dive Palancar. My daughter (22) was certified there in June and was with me for the first week in September. She did 12 dives, I did 22. There were turtles on most dives, sometimes 5-6 on a dive, one dive had two large green Morays free swimming, one coming in the opposite direction during a swim-through/cave swim at Palancar caves. I spent 20 minutes on my last dive watching a large nurse shark root around und a coral head accompanied by two black groupers and a gray one too. On several dives we encounterd HUGE stoplight and midnight parrot fish (4-5 ft long), groupers as big as a Buick--well maybe not, but I swam close enough to one that was larger than my open arm span. Also big lobsters, barracuda, 18-in angelfish, even the occasional lionfish. We saw seahorses and dragon seahorses, toadfish, grunts, garden eels, flamingo tongues. We watched a large octopus perched on a brown sponge morph into their weird shapes and change colors for about 15 minutes on a late morning dive. Most sealife encounters were on the second morning dive, since the early dive goes to deeper sites. I love being at around 90 feet and turning to see the sun coming through the massive and awe-inspiring coral pinnacles--an almost religious experience for me. The reefs overall are returning to their former splendor, Palancar Gardens and a spot they call Quivones between the northern part of Punta Sur and Columbia most notable. A deep dive to Maricaibo was awesome, multiple sharks, huge crabs, turtles, and COMPLETELY intact stands of seafans, corals, sponges untouched by Wilma four years ago. Dive Palancar will let you dive your own profiles if you're diving with a group minimum 8, it's something they will worn on if requested. Their current dive day involves 4 single tank dives at 9:00, 10:30, 1400 and 1530, and two night dives a week. Dives to Maricaibo and Punta Sur are done as two-tank dives with surface interval on the boat and cost $15 extra. Nitrox is available for $6 additional per tank. As far as the hotel goes, The drinks are unlimited and the food is good, I just can't pass up the convenience of rolling out at 8 am, grabbing breakfast, and being on the departing dive boat by 9 am. Nighttime entertainment is non-existant, but if you're there to dive, what else do you need? I'll be going back Nov. 30 for another two weeks.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving San Salvador, Grand Bahama, Andros, Turks & Caicos, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, St. Vincent, Florida, Costa Rica
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, rainy Seas calm, choppy, currents
Water Temp 82-85°F / 28-29°C Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility 50-125 Ft/ 15-38 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions Depth limits/Time limits
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas Squadrons
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish 4 stars
Large Pelagics 3 stars

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

Subject Matter N/A Boat Facilities 4 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 3 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments [None]
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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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