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Dive Review of Living Underwater/Park Royal Cozumel in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan

Living Underwater/Park Royal Cozumel, Nov, 2009,

by Dan Fazekas, VA, USA (Sr. Reviewer Sr. Reviewer 11 reports with 2 Helpful votes). Report 5253.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 5 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments We chose Living Underwater/Jeremy Anschel based on Undercurrent reader reviews, and he sounded ideal for us, as most sites visited require advanced certification, which weeds out the day-trippers from the cruise ships that can ruin a dive experience. He did not disappoint. Jeremy met us at our hotel to pick up our gear. All paperwork and a deposit for first day of diving was completed prior to our arrival.
His canopied fastboat, the Jewfish, was at our dock at 8 am for a two tank dive. The boat has twin 115 hp outboards and gets through the chop very smoothly. Our gear was already set up by Captain Francisco and mate Ricardo, and for our entire week, we never had to handle our gear. They passed out snacks, water and softdrinks during the ride. The boat is designed perfectly for comfort, stowage, and shelter. Each diver has his own cubbyhole under his seat, and there are two tanks secured between each diver to provide maximum room on the seat. Cushions are provided for the ride. Marine radio and oxygen is on board. No head is on board, but all surface intervals are at a full service beach where you can purchase food, drink and use the restroom, palapas and lounge chairs.
Jeremy solicited requests on where we wanted to dive or what we wanted to find. Dive sites included Cardona, Virgin, C 53 Wreck, Paseo Cedral, Palancar Caves, and Paradise. Most dives began with a sandy bottom, a short swim to the reef structure or the wall, then lots of time looking under and around corals for the Cozumel Toadfish. The visibility was clear, the corals and sponges were healthy, and there were all of the usual varieties of tropical fish, but plentiful and ranging from juvenile to intermediate phase to adult. Small critters included pipefish, arrow crab, banded coral shrimp, and juvenile scorpionfish. Large critters included nurse shark, turtle, ray, grouper, spotted and green moray eel, Bermuda chub, French angel, queen angel, parrotfish, and dog snapper. In between were cowfish, trunkfish, filefish, trumpetfish, drumfish, octopus and toadfish. On most dives, current was not too strong near the reef, but would increase only during the ascent to the safety stop. On our night drift dive, we saw three octopus, two toadfish, several crab, three spiny lobster, lots of sleeping surgeonfish, and a ray. After the dive, parkas were handed out for the short ride to the pier. As we came off the boat onto the dock, Jeremy handed a Caramel Mocha Java to each diver, talk about service!
Our lodging was Park Royal Cozumel. It is a beautiful property, with its own beach, pools, restaurants and bars. The staff at Park Royal is very friendly. The shower had hot water, but it takes several minutes to arrive after the faucet is turned on. The rooms are modern, clean, and quiet.
Our first trip to Cozumel was in 1997 and we used Dive House/Fiesta Americana, which is why we had not returned for 12 years. We are glad we gave it another chance, and happier still to have dived with Living Underwater, as we had the best dive experience ever. World class diving with competent divemasters that allow ultimate enjoyment by advanced divers, combined with friendly and personal service topside. We will return a lot sooner next time, like maybe next year!
Websites Living Underwater   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 101-250 dives
Where else diving Belize, Bonaire, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hawaii
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy Seas choppy
Water Temp 82-84°F / 28-29°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 80-100 Ft/ 24-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Max depth was suggested for each dive.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

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

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

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 4 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 5 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Freshwater tank onboard for exclusive use of camera equipment. Camera handed to diver after entry, and taken upon return. Knowledgable divemasters for subjects and techniques.
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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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