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For Divers since 1975 The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975 |
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Blue Angel Dive Shop, Dec, 2010,by Stephen Kouri, WA, US ( Contributor 12 reports with 4 Helpful votes). Report 5867.
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No photos available at this time | |||
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best): |
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| Accommodations |  |
Food |  |
| Service and Attitude | |
Environmental Sensitivity | |
| Dive Operation | |
Shore Diving | N/A |
| Snorkeling | N/A | ||
Overall Rating |
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| Value for $$ |  |
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| Beginners |  |
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| Advanced | |
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| Comments |
I have been to Blue Angel as both a novice and advanced diver. Blue Angel is set up for experienced divers who want a great value. This is a no frills operation with small fast boats that generally have 4-6 divers. Capable dive masters (DMs) are very good, but expect divers to know what they are doing. If you get lost and surface away from the group they are good at finding you, but you're expected to be smart enough to have a safety sausage. DMs will do some show and tell, if you happen to be around when they spot something good, but are also happy to let you dive your own profile. No restrictions as long as you don't deco your computer. One warning: watch your surface intervals with Blue Angel since they will sometimes want to shrink it to 30 instead of 45-60 minutes. In combination with the deeper dives this can be a computer killer. Your input is significant to where the boat will be going each day. Since they get a lot of repeat customers there is often a great deal of knowledge regarding multiple dive sites. Of note, there has been almost no turnover in the staff at the dive shop in the past few years, which I feel is a sign of a well-run operation. I have seen people with cameras, but I would go with a bigger boat if you think rinse tanks and camera tables are important. They do have two larger boats, but they are often used on cruise ship excursions, which are not very interesting for most divers. Also, this is not valet diving. The captains/DMs will help swap out gear between dives, but you are responsible for your own equipment and set up. Two large rinse tanks on shore are divided into camera/regs and all other gear. Cozumel was cloudy,windy and cold in mid-december. Very different from my previous visits. We froze during our surface intervals. Bring some windproof jackets and pants for the boat as insurance against this problem. If you get blown out by the Nortes in Coz, as we did for 2 days out of 7, consider diving the cenotes on the Playa side. Tony (dive shop manager) will set it up with an excellent operation called Mexican Blue Dream -- see separate review on this site. On land, the restaurant is decent, with large portions and a mix of mexican and american/italian offerings. Most divers get packages that include breakfast and lunch every day they dive, as this is an excellent value. I recommend the $6-7 cab ride to town for dinner, say Guido's for upscale or Casa Mission for midrange. Service at the desk and in the restaurant is generally very good. Rooms are clean, have AC, and have adequate room to hang gear on the deck or patio. Overall Blue Angel is a great operation if your expectations are in line with what they deliver. If you want to be pampered, pay more money elsewhere. If you want great diving with knowledgeable DMs who don't want to dive where there are crowds of divers then Blue Angel is perfect. |
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| Websites | Blue Angel Dive Shop | ||
Reporter and Travel |
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| Dive Experience | 101-250 dives | ||
| Where else diving | Kona/Maui-HI, Figi, Little Cayman, Belize and Cozumel | ||
| Closest Airport | Getting There | ||
Dive Conditions |
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| Weather | windy, cloudy | Seas | choppy |
| Water Temp | 80-83°F / 27-28°C | Wetsuit Thickness | 3 |
| Water Visibility | 80-100 Ft/ 24-30 M | ||
Dive Policy |
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| Dive own profile | yes | ||
| Enforced diving restrictions | Surface after 700 PSI and 3 Minute Safety Stop | ||
| Liveaboard? | no | Nitrox Available? | yes |
What I Saw |
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| Sharks | 1 or | Mantas | None |
| Dolphins | None | Whale Sharks | None |
| Turtles | 1 or | Whales | None |
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best): |
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| Corals | |
Tropical Fish | |
| Small Critters | |
Large Fish | |
| Large Pelagics | N/A | ||
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best): |
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| Subject Matter | N/A | Boat Facilities |  |
| Overall rating for UWP's | |
Shore Facilities | |
| UW Photo Comments | Diving is from a small boat without separate rinse tanks or tables for cameras on board. | ||
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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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