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Dive Review of Blue Magic Scuba/Hotel Plaza Cozumel in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan

Blue Magic Scuba/Hotel Plaza Cozumel: "Blue Magic Scuba and Hotel Plaza Cozumel", Feb, 2015,

by Gregory S Bruce, OR, US (Sr. Contributor Sr. Contributor 23 reports with 19 Helpful votes). Report 8271 has 1 Helpful vote.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 3 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments Surprised that I have seen no other posts on Blue Magic Scuba or Hotel Plaza Cozumel. The hotel is right downtown a block from the plaza and 1/2 a block to the waterfront and the ferry to Playa del Carmen and 1 block away from the dive shop. Hotel is simple, extremely clean and well managed. Rooms are quite large with 2 double beds (a bit stiff), large bathroom and powerful AC. There is WIFI throughout the building and there is a rooftop pool with sunset/ocean views. Outstanding breakfast included in the price (fresh fruit, granola, yougurt, mexican dishes, eggs to order, juices, corn tortillas, bread, etc. Average price is $340-$370 for the entire week. That is NOT per person. That is total, so if you bring a dive buddy, you are paying $170-$185 for 7 nights and breakfast. This is not luxurious accommodations. It is however, super clean, well managed, excellently located and probably the best value in Cozumel. I have stayed here on my last two trips to Cozumel for 8 days each time 9/14 and 2/15.

I found the hotel through Blue Magic Scuba, which as I mentioned, is just a block away. This is an excellent operation and the owner (Yuval) is super responsive and honest and forthright.
The routine was to come down and have breakfast at the hotel at 7:45am and then walk over to the dive shop at 8:25 for an 8:30am departure. They provide a valet diving service (they take your dive gear after the dive and will rinse it, hang it up and have it back on the boat the next morning). The shop pays a taxi to come by and gather up the divers at the shop and transport you down to the marina, where the captain and divemaster are waiting and already have your gear set up and ready to go. Boats will take no more than 7 divers and are high speed getting out to the reefs. They are always accommodating in terms of letting the group make decisions on dive locations for the day. I have dove with 3 different divemasters from Blue Magic and found them all to be very competent, attentive to their clients and safety conscious. Captains are very solid and always on the spot at the end of the dive. One of the divemasters who has been leading dives for over 20 years does tend to stay very deep for an extended period of time on the days first dive, as opposed to multi level diving. It is really important to be monitoring your own dive computer and nitrogen levels and ascend whatever number of feet in the water column with your buddy when you believe you need to. I would just signal the divemaster and let him know that I was going to go up 20-30 feet above him. Diving costs are very reasonable. It is $370 for a 10 dive package and $35 per dive thereafter. Nitrox is $10 extra per tank and they do have an analyzer on board the boat. Tanks are 80 CU Ft aluminums, but they do have 100's available also for an additional charge. I have done 40 dives on two separate trips with Blue Magic and I highly recommend them overall.
Websites Blue Magic Scuba   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Channel Islands, Pacific Northwest, Southern California, Monterey, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Fiji
Closest Airport Cozumel International Getting There Portland, Houston, Cozumel

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy, rainy, cloudy, dry Seas calm
Water Temp 80-86°F / 27-30°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 60-150 Ft/ 18-46 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions [Unspecified]
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 4 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 [None]
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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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