Dive Shops in Cozumel are like 7/11’s and McDonald’s in most cities: there’s one on every corner!

Just google “best dive shops in Cozumel” and well over a 100 different Cozumel dive centers pop up. Some are boutique operations and others are all-inclusive. Some cater to big groups and others focus on smaller, more personalized experiences. With all the choices, what’s a diver to do?

While we’d love for everyone to dive with us, we know that our island is a world-class diving destination with many reputable Cozumel dive centers to choose from. While there’s a dive center for everyone, not all dive centers are created equal. And what makes a great dive center to you might be different for another diver.

Here are 6 criterias to help you choose from the best dive shops in Cozumel. You can also use this criteria to assess dive centers in any dive destination!

Where you will stay on Cozumel will depend on the type of accommodation you wish to stay in, the topside activities you wish to do and how long you want to travel to the dive sites.

The Cozumel Marine Park where most of the dives are done is in the southern part of Cozumel. There are many all-inclusive hotels and AirBnB type vacation rentals. Most of them have piers allowing us to pick you up on the way, giving you 30 to 50 more minutes in the morning and afternoon. 

The northern part of Cozumel also has all inclusive hotels and vacation rentals and is about a 20mins drive to the marina.

Downtown area has hotels and vacation rentals and is walking distance from all of Cozumel’s amenities and a 10mins drive to the marina.

Jungle Divers shop is situated between downtown and the marina.

In the post-covid-economy, most of us might need to watch our vacation budget closely, if cost is a deciding factor in how we choose a Cozumel dive center, here is a list of things we need to check before making our decision to avoid unpleasant surprises…

1. Does the final price include the 16% Mexican VAT?
2. Does it include the daily $250 mxn (USD $12.50) Cozumel Marine Park bracelet?
3. If I pay by credit card, are there any fees? What is their exchange rate?
4. How much is my resort’s daily dock fee if I get picked up?
5. Do I need to leave a deposit? 
6. What is their cancellation policy?

Value for Your Money

• Is the rental gear included?
• Is the rinsing and storage of my dive gear included?
• Do they offer multi-day packages?
• What drinks and food are included?
• Does my divemaster have extensive experience on the Cozumel reefs?
• How many divers will be in my group?
• How long will my dives be?

At Jungle Divers, we offer great value for your money. 
The price displayed is the cash price you pay. We strongly encourage you to pay cash to avoid transaction and exchange rate fees. There are plenty of safe and reputable bank ATMs in town that will dispense US dollars, we have been using them for many years.

Our quality Aqualung rental gear is recent, maintained, serviced regularly, and offered at a very reasonable price. Equipment is included in the Discover Scuba Diving program only. Dive computers are included in every PADI course. Flashlights are included for night and cenote dives.

By assessing how the shops organize their dive groups, save yourself from frustrating dives.  

Be sure to learn about the group sizes and number of people per boat when researching. Specifically, ask what the diver-to-divemaster ratio is for dives. The fewer fun divers assigned to a divemaster, the less likely you’ll be waiting for your turn to see cool stuff, and the less likely you’ll get fins in your face!  

How the groups are organized matters as well. Find out if groups are arranged by skill level. If you’re into photography, see if there’s an opportunity to dive with other photographers and organize a photography dive.  

If you are a student, ask about the course ratio. While some PADI courses allow for up to 8 students per instructor – we believe that courses are more manageable for instructors and students get more personal attention when the ratio is 4 students to instructor or less.  

Make sure they have all the emergency gear (O2 and 1st Aid Kits, life jackets, and radio) and have emergency trained staff.

Could you ask for a sample dive profile of your planned dives and the safety protocols your divemaster will be following?

Here at Jungle Divers, when it comes to group size, we believe less is more! Our dive groups are kept small at an average of 2-4 but never more than 6 divers per guide. We organize groups by skill level and interest whenever we can, and we make sure you see a wide variety of Cozumel dive sites. Courses are capped at 4 students per instructor to allow for more personalized attention even in a group setting.

There are many different types of dive shops in Cozumel. Each offer a different vibe and customer service experience. Each also has different amenities and course offerings. Here are a few examples of the type of dive shops in Cozumel you can find:   

• Boutique Dive Centers:
  These are smaller operations that focus mostly on recreational diving and courses. The boats are smaller with a capacity of around 10-15 people compared to 20+. Many offer 3-4 dives per day and cater to a personalized experience. These centers cater to folks who are visiting Cozumel with the primary focus to dive and explore as much as they can. You’ll get a mix of experienced and well-traveled divers, along with younger people who have a newfound passion for scuba diving.
   
• Dive Resorts:
  These centers are usually connected to hotels. Dive resorts are most prevalent in south part of Cozumel, inside the Cozumel Marine Park and tend to cater toward large groups and families. Many offer all-inclusive deals and also have amenities in common with the hotels they’re located within such as a pool, restaurants, gym and beach lounge chair access.
   
• Instructor Freelancers: 
  Unique to Cozumel, we call them Facebook dive shops since they only have an online presence and no physical dive shop. They are independent instructors who rent boat spaces and gear from bigger dive shops and run their “shop” from their studio apartments.

Jungle Divers is an official PADI Dive Center, a family-owned and run boutique dive center focused on creating epic dive trips for recreational divers. No one’s feeling like a number here. We take great care to pair you with divers of similar skills & interest, and make sure to show you a wide variety of dive sites.  No heavy lifting required here! We set up your gear for your on the boats and will store all of your personal gear for you securely for the duration of your dive trip.

If you are a photographer, we love you! We have great macro shore dives and big stuff and macro boat dives.

If you’re a student, you’ll learn from one of our experienced PADI scuba diving instructors and we always keep our groups small to ensure plenty of personal attention.  

Don’t be afraid to ask questions about the type of gear and boats offered by the dive shops that you’re considering. Here are some questions worth asking:  

• What is the brand/model of the BCDs, regulators and wetsuits?  
• When was your equipment last replaced and serviced?
• Do you use weight integrated BCDs or weight belts?  
• Does your boat have toilets, shade, sun deck?
• Is the entry a giant stride or roll back?
• Do you offer included drinks, snacks and lunch? 

At Jungle Divers, we have a strict commitment to quality, whether it’s our all-star team, our impeccable boats and facilities, or the top-rate Aqua Lung dive equipment we offer. Check out the details on our BCDs, regulators, fins, wetsuits and masks available for rent. We offer bigger boats of 16 divers and speed boats of 8-10 divers.

Communication with your potential dive center is really important, look for dive shops who:

• Are quick to reply to your messages and questions.
• Keep you informed on the dive conditions and departure times.
• Are accessible at all times during opening hours.

At Jungle Divers we constantly keep in touch and keep you informed from your very first question to your next dive trip with us. 

What do other customers say about them?

• Check out TripAdvisor, Facebook and Google Reviews.  
• How quickly do they respond to your inquiry?  
• How thorough is the information they provide?  
• Do they offer multi-dive packages? When it comes to dive services, you get what you pay for, cheaper doesn’t always equal better.
• Do they offer any unique experiences such as trips to the mainland cavern diving the cenotes, bull shark dives?