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Dive Review of blue Angel Dive Shop/Amaranto B&B in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan

blue Angel Dive Shop/Amaranto B&B, Feb, 2008,

by Steven Belmont, AK, United States . Report 3899.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 4 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 3 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments I chose Blue Angel over Aldora and Living Underwater because of the price per dive. Jeanie Buscher of Blue Angel gave me a price of $55 per two tank boat dive. This included taxes and park entry fees (if you pay with a credit card a 7% fee will be added so bring your travelers checks and dive at a great price). With this I was able to add Ean 32 and 36 at $10 (each tank) per dive, tip both the boat captain and Dive Master and still beat the price of the others. I consider myself to be a diver and not a tourist. I do not require anyone to set up my gear (though the DM's at Blue Angel do this) and I don't need special fleece robes and home baked cookies between dives. My air consumption is good and I look for bottom time at a decent price. The other mentioned shops are great and offer 100 and 120 cu ft tanks along with the robes and cookies, so if you want to be catered to, have larger and heaver tanks, dive with them and pay the price. Blue Angel offers free tanks for shore diving.
I requested to be placed on boats with expert divers and not cattle boats. Jeanie acommodated my request and I was placed on one of the 8:30 boats with divers who requested diving the more advanced sites. I was supprised at the number of divers my own age (56) who were very safe, expert and just good divers. I made many new friends on this trip.
Most of my dives were led by Jorge who did a terrific job at introducing us to his home under water. The Devil's Throat offered one of the most amazing swim throughs that I have ever done and Columbia Pinacles offered similar caverns and crevices at a lesser depth. The dives to the north at Barracuda and San Juan were very fast current drift dives and we were required to decend and ascend as a group so the boat pick up could be completed before we drifted to Cuba. The diving to the south was similar with currents that were less but still dramatic enough to offer exciting drifts. On these dives one could dive their computer and wander off if desired. Most of us stayed within sight of the DM and found our own way around. Turtles and Eagle Rays were always present with groupers, eels and the tropical fish life always about. Columbia Shallows offered great second dives where one could gas off in 20 to 30 feet of water and poke around the reef and find anything. I spent 90 minutes with a new dive buddy on one dive at this site. At Paradise we saw seahorses. These timid creatures are terrific and after 3 years of searching, I found them.
I found the Amaranto B&B on the web and it was perfect. My wife is a non diver and this establishment offered us a place to stay in the center of town away from the cruise ship/tourist area within walking distance where she could shop and explore. The neighborhoods were friendly and we were greeted with holas and smiles where ever we walked. There are hundreds of local eating establishments in the neighborhood and Otata's became our favorite. We could have dinner there for less than $10 for the both of us. We had our own bungalo at the Amaranto for $49 per night.
I averaged just under an hour of bottom on 26 dves that I did with Blue Angel. They have lockers and a place to hang you gear when you are done for the day. They offer afternoon dives and will schedule night dives. I highly reccommend them and will use them the next time I am in Cozumel. Please email me with any questions that you may have, or better yet email Jeanie Buscher at bluangel@fidmail.com and schedule a trip.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving Palau Chuuk Micronesia 2007
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, dry Seas calm, choppy, currents
Water Temp 79-81°F / 26-27°C Wetsuit Thickness 5
Water Visibility 80-110 Ft/ 24-34 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Group diving when doing the north very strong current dives. On the southern dive sites you could dive your own profile and move away from the group if you desired.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

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 4 stars Large Fish 1 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

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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