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Dive Review of Scuba Club Cozumel in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan

Scuba Club Cozumel: "An all around Great dive destination", May, 2018,

by Jeanne Reeder, MO, US (Contributor Contributor 16 reports with 19 Helpful votes). Report 10394 has 1 Helpful vote.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 4 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling 2 stars
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments Cozumel June 2018

Once again I headed to Cozumel to dive the beautiful clear water and incredible topography. It was my 30th trip, and I was eager. The flight is short from St. Louis, with a stop in Houston, only a little over 5 hours total, and the price is reasonable. Most of my trips are much further afield to world awe inspiring locales where unusual fish and critters abound. But the usual 30+ hours to get there is draining of my enthusiasm…at least until I have a long sleep and dive in. But Cozumel is reasonable and offers so much.

No matter how many times I have seen the towering very dramatic coral formations of Palancar, each time is as the first of being awed, and this time was no different. No current at Palancar Bricks allowed a leisurely paced gazing at the formations, turtles, and large parrot fish. I took as many swim-thru’s and swim-arounds as I could find – that’s another reason this is one of my favorite dive sites in Cozumel. The next dive was Punta Tunich where currents encouraged flying over the reef. The highlight here was a Spotted Eagle Ray, although there was a lot of tropical fish, too. Among all the great diving in Cozumel, I always think it is a special treat when we go south to Devil’s Throat. Our group was divided in half, advanced divers for the 130' depth, and the other less experienced or just those who wanted to cruise the 90'-100' swim thru's. I fit in the second category, as I'd never explored those before, but have been to Devil's Throat several times. I was entranced at their intricacies and was glad for my decision.

I went with a group of fun folks from Rainbow Dive Adventures, LA area, led by the intrepid leader, Ralph Buck, known affectionately as Buck. I have been on several of his trips here and elsewhere, and they have a common thread: excellent dive trips which are well planned. No matter what the issue, Buck has the experience as a dive instructor and world traveler to help his divers through all kinds of diversity.

On this trip, the big test came when one of our divers approached him underwater at depth, and gave the signal for distress. Buck and he slowly surfaced, and once safely back on the boat, he was put on oxygen, as he had labored breathing and was coughing up blood. There was no commotion, but an air of calm, as Buck orchestrated his care, along with the diver’s partner. The ambulance was waiting when we returned to the resort. The diagnosis was Immersion Pulmonary Edema. He was hospitalized and returned to the resort within a couple of days, but of course, not to diving. High praise for saving the diver’s life goes to Buck, the diver for not panicking, and to the dive crew of Scuba Club Cozumel as their boat was well equipped for handling emergencies, and to Cozumel’s DAN Chamber, now an International Hospital. It is a very attractive modern hospital for foreign travelers, with friendly staff who are eager to provide quality care. Our diver was also impressed with the food, as the procedure for meals is to order from the menu from a nearby restaurant.

There were two other mishaps within our group of eighteen divers – a high rate from my experiences. When climbing one of the two solidly anchored ladders on the back of the boat, a diver fell on her knee, and ruptured her meniscus. After going to the hospital and getting crutches, she and her husband flew home as soon as they could get reservations to see her Orthopedist. And I was the third, but it was very minor. I took off my gear, handing it to the boatman to haul up the ladder. There was a light chop and surface current. I was waiting to the side while this transpired, holding on with one hand while removing my fins. The boatman dropped my gear on my thumb, splitting it open. My dive master tried to staunch the bleeding and bandaged it. After one more dive, I was back at the resort and in a cab to the 'Chamber' for a few stitches & antibiotics. The DAN doc, a diver, too, emphatically told me not to dive until it was healed. Luckily I only had one more day to go, so I enjoyed the comfortable hammocks by the water at Scuba Club Cozumel.

The dive resort of choice for Buck’s Rainbow gay LGBT divers is Scuba Club Cozumel (SCC), a well-established, well-maintained, all-inclusive dedicated divers resort on the beach, about a fifteen minute walk to town. There is an air of privacy, as there is a guard/greeter at the entrance gate. There are sixty rooms on three stories with private patios. My favorite is on the ground level, as it is nearer the rinse tanks and easier to haul my gear to dry out. The patio has a table and two chairs, and a hanging bar for wetsuits. Rooms are kept spotless, but of course it is impossible to get up all the tracked-in sand. My room had two double beds, table with two chairs, and two water proof single-size benches which were good with a towel down to dry regs and dive computer. There is a plastic pitcher for water, which we filled from a water container with spigot in the outside covered hallway. The AC in my room worked well, and linens were soft, bed comfortable, and towels were changed daily. The toilet/shower is separate from the dual sink area, making it convenient when sharing the room, as I was. There is a safe in the room, two closets to hang clothes, several shelves, and a mini-fridge.

Three meals a day are included, and they are tasty. Breakfast is a typical well stocked buffet of eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage, pancakes, French toast, and lots of fresh fruit. Lunch is from a menu of many choices of American and Mexican, and dinner choice is selected at lunch from one of several entrees, including fish, chicken and vegetarian. The large variety of Yucatan dishes are well prepared and delicious, particularly their soups. My two favorite dishes were Pescado a la Veracruzana, fish in tomato sauce with olives and peppers, and Camaron al Mojo de Ajo, shrimp in garlic lemon butter.

This is my fourth time staying at the all inclusive Scuba Club Cozumel. Usually I stay in town as I prefer to sample the fine Mayan cuisine offered off the main drag, and when it's an all inclusive place, I tend to take the easy way out and eat there. This time I only had dinner out once when four of us went La Perlita's for their lionfish prepared many different delicious ways. It was a very tasty evening out with excellent Chelada con Sol (beer and lime juice).
Websites Scuba Club Cozumel   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving Andamans, Sudan, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Alor Indonesia, Philippines, Palau, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Raja Ampat, Turkey, Saba, St. Kitts, BVI, Bonaire, Cayman Brac, Cozumel, Turks and Caicos, Statia, Nevis
Closest Airport Cozumel Getting There United Airlines: St Louis - Houston - Cozumel. Smooth, easy!

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy Seas calm, choppy, no currents
Water Temp 80-82°F / 27-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 70-150 Ft/ 21-46 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Keep an eye out for your buddy, carry a safety sausage, don't kick up sand in swim-thru's
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics N/A

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

Subject Matter N/A Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's N/A Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments I only dive with my Paralenz, so no photography accommodations needed.
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Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

Subscriber's Comments

By Greg Bruce in WA, US at Aug 15, 2018 12:41 EST  
Thanks for the detailed report. I appreciate you taking the time to share.
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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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