Dive Op Review

OVERALL RATING: 7
After doing some research on the Internet prior to our trip, we decided to go diving with Blue Angel, versus the dive operation at our resort. The biggest factor in this decision was price. Blue Angel was cheaper and would still come pick us up on the Fiesta Americana dock. When making your arrangements, be sure to mention that you are looking for a package deal. When we went to pay our bill, we discovered that they had changed their quoted price. My advice... print any email communications you have with the company.
The Blue Angel boats were small, but this meant you had less divers with you. The largest number of people on any of our boats was eight divers. You had to keep your gear picked up and organized. The boat was on time arriving to our dock. The divemaster and captain were helpful in the loading of gear.

After getting loaded, you were off. The smaller boats did result in a shorter travel time. The divemaster was well aware of the surroundings and made sure that all divers were safe and enjoying their dive experience. His knowledge of the dive sites resulted in the sighting of a variety of creatures and fish.

During our stay in Cozumel, we took two night dives. For the night dives, we were on larger, newer boats. These were our first ocean night dives, and even with the larger number of divers, the Blue Angel staff took good care of everyone. I really appreciated their skills on our final night dive. About 3/4 of the way into the dive, one of my weight pockets fell out. I went from 30 feet to the
surface in roughly 10 seconds. After hitting the surface, I didn't know what had happened, was close to hysterics, and couldn't get back down. Within another 10-15 seconds, the divemaster was at my side. (He was the one who discovered my missing weight.) He immediately called the boat over to us, got more weight, helped me get back down to 15 feet, and stayed by me throughout the safety stop. His quick thinking was impressive and reassuring in my panicked state.

Other than the discrepancy in the package price, the only other negative thing we experienced with Blue Angel was our last day of diving. They forgot to pick us up. Not being able to dive on the last day of our trip was frustrating. Because of their mistake, they did discount our total bill.

Overall, we were pleased with the Blue Angel divemasters and captains. Considering the large selection of dive operations in Cozumel, we will probably select someone else to dive with on our next trip. They are a small operation and seem to be able to offer more personalized service... as long as they don't attempt to overcharge you, and they remember to pick you up. :-)
You can find Blue Angel online at http://www.blueangel-scuba.com