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Dive Review of Dive with Martin/Hotel Cozumel in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Cozumel

Dive with Martin/Hotel Cozumel, Oct, 2013,

by Mae L. Ding, CA, US (Sr. Reviewer Sr. Reviewer 9 reports with 10 Helpful votes). Report 7298.

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 3 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments Did 11 dives over 6 days including a night dive in October 2013. Great price with prepaid multiday discount plan and free rental equipment was a draw along with the excellent reviews on Tripadvisor. Used their BCD's to save us from having to bring a second bag for dive gear. Equipment was well used, but functional. Night dive on Paradise Reef is easy and has lots of great sea life - lots of large crabs, eels, toad fish, sea cucumbers, lobster, sting rays, and usual reef fish.

Other Positives - excellent dive masters who give thorough briefings, make a great effort to point out sea life, set up all equipment for you and tear it down at the end of the trip, help you get in and out of the boat. Clean boats in good condition; fruit, cookies, and plenty of fresh bottled water; try to take you to different places every day, will pick you up at your hotel pier. Usually arrive at dive locations before the competition. Nitrox is available and is about $7.50/tank. Early morning departures mean you are back at a reasonable time for lunch and earlier than other dive operators.

Negatives - no towels provided, different dive master and boat each day, only accept cash for payment, receipt given for initial down payment by mail but not for final payment. Early pickup at hotel at 7:30 am means early wake up call. Must have minimum of 4 for night dive so in low season, they may only have 1 or 2 night dives a week. Suggest you wait till you have a night dive confirmed schedule before you make your payment for night dive. Will not pick you up for night dive, must take taxi to International Pier where their shop is located. Cost of taxi from Cozumel Palace was 120 pesos each way. Usually you will be on a small boat with no head and no protected area from wind and rain if it is a cold rainy day. Everyone comes up together so if you have a heavy breather in the group, the dive could be cut short. They do not have a nitrox tester on the boat for you to test your own nitrox. If you use their BCD you get a different one every day so you have to set up your BCD every day with weights, dive accessories, dive light, etc.

I would use them again and would recommend them to others. All prices are quoted in U.S. dollars and their exchange rate for pesos is basically same as the bank so you are best off paying in dollars.

Hotel Cozumel: Above average 3 to 4 star facility about 1 mile south of town across the street from water with their own beach club and pier. Small dive lockers are available, and rinse tanks but no secure place to hang wet stuff except to drag everything back to room to hang on your room's veranda.
Great off season October price for all inclusive from Travelocity.com of $375/person. Food was served buffet style had a lot of variety. Not everything was tasty, but always some good choices. Comfortable beds, good air conditioning, clean, free wifi, HBO and CNN on flat screen TV, comfortable bed. Very friendly service. 2 blocks from big grocery store with several ATM's. Dive with Martin will pick you up at the hotel pier.
Websites Dive with Martin   Hotel Cozumel

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 101-250 dives
Where else diving Fiji, La Paz, Little Caymen, Hawaii, Maui, Palau
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather rainy Seas calm, currents
Water Temp 79-82°F / 26-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 60-100 Ft/ 18-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions Everyone comes up together at 700 pounds or 50 minutes whichever comes first for first dive. Second dive could go to 60 minutes or 700 pounds.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

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

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

Subject Matter 3 stars Boat Facilities 2 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 2 stars Shore Facilities 3 stars
UW Photo Comments Super Pangas do not have any protected area for working with cameras. A bucket is provided for cameras.
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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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