Scuba or Snorkeling in Cozumel?

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psdiver

I'm a SCUBA instructor and you mentioned you are taking a cruise, why don't you enquire if the ship has a dive instructor and take what is known as a "resort course", it consist's of about 45 mins. of theory, and if they have a pool on board a try out in the pool. When you get to port your instructor may even have an open water excursion planned you can go on.
The resort course is the fastest way to get to dive, and then later you can advance to open water, and advanced open water, and take it from there!!!

Oracle

My husband and I just went this past summer on a carnival cruise. We went to Jamacia, Grand Caymen and Cozumel. We really wanted to try scuba too so we inquired with some people we knew that had been to all three places. We were told that, while Cozumel and lots of aquatic life, the under water landscape was still pretty baron and still recovering from a massive hurricane a few years back. We were told that Grand Caymen was a better place to try scuba if we wanted the scenery. If you're alos going to Grand Caymen I highly recommend scuba diving in Parrot Bay. Now, in Mexico we opted for a "three reef snorkel" excursion in Cozumel. I enjoyed the snorkeling very much, and the guide bring food to attract the fish, so they make sure you have fun. There really wasn't much in the way of coral or anything other than fish to see. Beware though, the place that most of those excursions go for snorkeling is a very high traffic place. After a while I started getting a little nauseated at the smell of gasoline in the water/air. Also got stung by a little jellyfish so watch out for those little guys too.

Having said all that, if all you're looking for is to try scuba and get used to the regulator/gear/breathing/etc., then Cozumel is as good a place as any. Check with your Carnival representative or log on to carnival.com and see what excursions they offer for your cruise. If memory serves, there is a "beginners scuba" excursion in Cozumel.

Good luck and have a great time!

Jose C

I've been diving for some time now and can assure you that it is a wonderful experience. I've also heard that Cozumel is one of the best diving spots so I'm really looking forward to going there someday.
Nevertheless, I've been snorkeling my whole life too and it's also extremely fun and rewarding. Especially if you have a good guide to take you to the best places.
My recommendation is that if you are willing to try scuba diving then go for it. It would be best to have someone you know go with you (for comfort =D) and that you are both comfortable in the water. Most probably you will do a Discover Scuba Diving from PADI courses (which is what most dive shops around the world offer) where instead of giving you a full course for certification, the instructor will give you a thorough briefing on the most important aspects of diving. A Discover Dive can count for any future plans to continue taking a full course, and is a great way to start scuba diving. The most important thing is to have a responsible and fun instructor.
Scuba is great. But snorkeling is never a bad option. Either one you choose will be rewarding as long as you have a good instructor and/or guide.

There are all kinds of companies you can choose for any of these excursions.
http://cozumelcruiseexcursions.com/Carnival_Fascination.htm
http://www.deepbluecozumel.com/
http://www.diveparadise.com/

There is also Snuba and Helmet Diving which I personally don't have experience on but they also seems fun.

Enjoy your trip.

marjorie

i saw lots of exotic fish snorkeling. I even swam up on a coral reef shark.
you will see turtles. sting rays, lots of cool fish.
snorkeling is easy and less envolved.
find a little tour boat on the beach. about 10-15 dollars for a couple of hours. they will put you right on a sweet reef to cruise through.
there is so much good reel off of Cozumel. I was there last May.

tropicalg77

You can do both...and still see plenty on the Island..you can also snuba..

Cozumel has so much to offer with their reefs that you cannot possibly get bored.

Just me.

Scuba diving there is a lot involved with air tanks and stuff, you can see if someone in the cruise line can refer you to someone who offers the deep sea diving in Cozumel,.

Snorkeling there is less involved, you won't see a whole lot of exotic fish, because you will be basically skimming the surface, but you will have a lot of fun !

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