Dive Review of Dressel Divers in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Puerto Aventuras

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Dressel Divers: "Ocean Okay, Cenotes Fantastic!", Jan, 2023, by Ron Jyring, ND, US ( Sr. Reviewer 11 reports with 5 Helpful votes). Report 12767.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Diving: Okay, & Great! My wife, son, and I did four dives over three days. Two were in the ocean, and two were in a cenote. My wife and I have our own gear, my son rented all equipment. The total price was US $1068.00. The company appears to cater largely to beginning/casual divers, like us. The first dive was in the ocean (required, as my son hadn’t dived in a while). The dive shop was on shore, a modest walk to the pier, and then a long walk to the boat. We had to carry our own gear. Not horrible, but be aware if you’re older or otherwise less-abled. There was a very rough but short ride to the reef. Visibility was ~40 feet. The reef appeared healthy to me. There were many small fish (juvenile triggerfish?), but very few larger ones. There was a single spiny lobster, one pipefish, and only one pair of French angelfish. Fortunately, no lionfish. The next day we were transported to Cenote Dos Ojos. This was our fourth time diving cenotes, and they are magical! We geared up in a gravel parking lot, and then hiked, in full gear including weights and tanks, to a steep stairway and climbed down to the entry. The entry itself was very easy. The only visible life (besides humans) were small tetras. The “trail” (called “Barbie”) was well-marked with a continuous cord. After returning to the entry, we had to climb UP those stairs, return to the van, change out our tanks, and then back down to the same entry. This time we took the other well-marked trail, “Batcave”, so called because we ascended to a dome connected to the surface that contained bats. It was very cool! We continued past a second entry, and then completed the dive. On both dives there were lots of other divers, and snorkelers near the entry, but it didn’t feel crowded. If you are at all concerned about diving underground, this would be a good place to start. The dives were entirely freshwater. There was no halocline, so no turbid interface. Our maximum depth was 32 feet, and the temperature was 77°F. The fourth dive (which we probably would not have done, except we had already paid for it) was back in the ocean. Again, a very rough but short ride to the reef. There was one small swim-through, lots of soft coral moving in the surge, lots of the same small fish, but very few larger fish until the very end when there were several barracuda in a small canyon. I would not go here again just for the ocean diving. However, the cenote was wonderful, and I would return for that. The company was competent, but it had a “Walmart” feel, even though the staff/crew were nice. Resort: Good, except for the bathroom! This is the fourth resort we have stayed at on the Yucatan mainland. It is by far the largest, and most expensive. It is a complex of several resorts. We were in the southernmost, so had a measure of privacy, even though the building itself was huge. The main buffet dining area was also huge, with a large variety of good foods. There were several themed restaurants also. All were good (although I am not a “foody”). Our rooms were spacious, clean and quiet, with a large balcony. The only problem was the bathroom. From the bed, or really anywhere in the living area, one looked through a glass wall into the shower! And then, through the shower into the toilet area, which also had a glass door! It would have fine for a couple, but was very awkward for my son. If you’re not intimate with your dive buddy, you might want to look at a different hotel! Or just plan to spend a little time on the balcony filling out your dive log while your buddy showers. Snorkeling: From our room it was a short walk past the pools to a nice beach area. There were many palm trees providing some shade. The shore was sandy and rocky, making entry a little difficult. Every day there were substantial waves that made the entry even more difficult. Visibility was just a few feet. Nothing really to see until getting close to the pier, which provided a little protection. After a few days, I left my camera behind, as there was nothing to see, let alone photograph. I don’t know if this is typical.
Websites	Dressel Divers
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	101-250 dives
Where else diving	ND, FL Keys, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Cozumel, Akumal, Puerto Aventuras, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, Big Island
Closest Airport	CUN	Getting There	The Cancun airport is very large, with lots of connections, so no trouble there. Our problems involved ground transport. Mexican Travel Solutions appears to be a middle-man that failed to provide us with our pre-purchased return to the airport. (The ride to the hotel was fine.) They did not return texts, and I had to spend well over an hour on hold, only to be disconnected. We had to make other arrangements (Speedy Shuttle - very good), and were denied a refund. We'll never use MTS again.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	choppy, surge, no currents
Water Temp	82-82°F / 28-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	35-40 Ft/ 11-12 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions	[Unspecified]
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		Large Fish
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	There was no setup for photography.

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Dive Review of Dressel Divers in Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Puerto Aventuras

Dressel Divers: "Ocean Okay, Cenotes Fantastic!", Jan, 2023,

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 Dressel Divers in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Puerto Aventuras