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Dive Review of Blue XT Sea Diving/Hotel Villa Las Anclas in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan

Blue XT Sea Diving/Hotel Villa Las Anclas, Jan, 2004,

by Chuck and Nancy Anson, CA, USA . Report 926.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 1 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments This was our fifth trip to Cozumel. We stayed in town at Villa Las Anclas and dove with Blue XT Sea Diving, a small operation that let us dive our own profiles. Both were great.

With Blue XT Sea diving we got long bottom times, good fast boats, experienced dive staff, and our choice of dive sites. They picked us up at the Plaza Las Glorious pier each morning around 8:00am. Their dive boat, Shamu, is a fast twin engine boat that easily accommodates 8 divers but there were never more than 6 with us plus the D.M. They use aluminum 80’s and fills were consistently 3000 plus. Almost all our dives were over 60 minutes. The two dive masters, Raul I and Raul II, have each been diving Cozumel’s reefs for over 10 years. You can tell them what you want to see and they will take you to it (great for photographers). They chose dive sites that were uncrowded and off the beaten path. Entry is a back roll with a sturdy ladder return after you pass your weights and BC up to the boat captain. After setting up for the first dive, we never touched our gear again. The crew rinsed and dried our gear each night and set up on the boat for us the next day so we didn’t have to hump it back to the hotel. Surface intervals were spent on a beach or a resort pier where dry towels, drinks and snacks were passed out. All PADI required safety equipment was on board and in good condition. A second boat was available if necessary so that divers could be separated by skill level. If you are there in the winter, and are an advanced diver, they will take you north to swim with the Eagle Rays. We went 3 times on this trip. On one dive we saw 21 Eagle Rays. Blue XT Sea staff love their work and make diving fun. We will definitely dive with them again.

Villa Las Anclas is 1.5 blocks south of the town square and 1 block from the waterfront. It doesn’t look like much from the street but inside the gated courtyard are 8 large air conditioned studio style suites with kitchenettes. A high wall surrounds the courtyard for privacy and security. There is a wash tank and drying area for divers and tables and chairs outside for lounging, dining, and socializing. The property was recently renovated and had large sound proof windows that let in lots of light, marble tile in the bath room and shower, upgraded fixtures and stained glass windows. The living room, dining room and kitchenette are downstairs. A spiral staircase goes to an upstairs loft where there is a bed, bathroom and plenty of closet space. The dining area was large enough to accommodate 4 people. The kitchenette was adequate with a microwave, a 2 burner hot plate, mid sized fridge, bottled water and just enough cookware and utensils to prepare a modest meal. Villa Las Anclas is close to a number of restaurants, dive operators and scuba stores. The DAN chamber is in this neighborhood and Aldora’s pier is just 1 block away. There are no in room phones but you can use the phone in the office. Cable was installed for T.V. but they had not arrived yet. Take bug spray if you are sensitive to mosquitoes and noseeums. They are around in modest numbers. Daily maid service is provided.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Sonora Bay Mexico, Loreto Mexico, Bonaire, Roatan, Belize, San Salvador, Grand Turk, St. Croix, St. Vincent, Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, Little Cayman, Fiji, Carriacou, Cozumel
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy, rainy, cloudy, dry Seas calm, choppy, currents
Water Temp 78-80°F / 26-27°C Wetsuit Thickness 2
Water Visibility 80-100 Ft/ 24-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions 130’ max, 500 psi
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

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

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

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities 4 stars
UW Photo Comments The dive op staff was great with accommodating photographers and handling gear. They provided fresh water buckets when asked. We travel with a small cooler that holds all our gear and the staff would fill it with fresh water and place cameras in it at the end of the dives. No camera tables aboard but film could be changed during surface interval on shore.
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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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