This is how Reef Riders operates and is not an “add-on”. This means once you give us your gear we take care of it until you are done diving. We rinse it, store it, and it will be back on the boat waiting for you the next day.

Most recreation diving takes place in the Marine park which begins just south of the cruise ship terminal and continues to the south end of the island (Punta Sur). There are dozens of sites you choose from in this site. You can dive a whole week, twice a day, and not do the same site twice (unless you want to).

There are dive sites outside the Marine park to the north. At the right time of year and with the right conditions these can be fantastic. Eagle Ray fevers, large marine life, reef sharks, and much more. Nitrox, and the right conditions (weather and diver skill) make these sites memorable!

If you are meeting us at the Fonatur marina here is a google map link directly to where are boat is in the marina:
Boat Location

The beautiful thing about diving is Cozumel is that there is something for everyone. There are dive sites with strong current, and others with very little that it doesn’t feel like you are even moving. We will not take divers where their skill level does not match what should be considered for a particular dive site.

Of course not, but there are some dive sites we will not take you unless you have some experience under your belt. They might have varying degrees of current and if you are not used to it, it may make you uncomfortable. If you are in doubt, schedule a few days of diving with us and we will give you an honest opinion of where you could dive. We will never push a ‘harder’ dive site on a ‘newer’, or recently reactivated, diver. A great experience for you is a great experience for us!

Though our boat can comfortably accommodate 8 divers plus crew, it is somewhat rare to be on a full boat. Our typical group is 4-6 divers. Even in a larger group you will be divided up with a group of 4-6 with a dive guide.

Our boat can easily accommodate 12 passengers when it is a snorkeling trip.

Well, I think we all were at some point and maybe even different points along our dive lives–remember when your were practicing your deployable SMB and it got tangled in your air dump pull release 😉

Let us know how you are feeling and we will find the perfect dive site that will make you feel like you are floating on air and you will be able to relax and enjoy the underwater zoo.

You can book online. We worked hard on a fancy dancy reservation system to help manage all availability of boats and dive spots. You can also call/email us and we will use the same system to book your dive.

The good news is the marina we operate out of is less than 5 minutes south of the main cruise ship terminal (unless you happen to be on one of the few that dock at the terminal downtown). Our standard boat trips are 8:30-12:30 and 1:30-5:30. If those times do not work please reach out to us with your group size and time needs and we will try to make it work for you.

Absolutely not. We have a large selection of Aqualung gear (BCD’s, regulators), fins, masks, computers, wetsuits, etc. We might even brag a little bit and say we might have the nicest rental gear on the island. We have everything you might need. Use our rental form and we will have your gear ready and waiting for you on the boat.

We hope you will love the diving, absolutely enjoy the experience we provide, and above all you will want to do it again. Just like all things tourism related, tips are part of what a person working in tourism hopes to add to their pay. A good tip is $10/tank. A great tip is anything above that.

Tips are shared equally between the dive guides and boat staff. No need to tip separately. The only tip you may want to do separately is for the person taking your gear off the boat, rinsing it, hanging it, and returning it to the boat for your next dive.

If you are diving multiple days it is ideal to tip at the end of each dive trip just in case there is a guide or captain change on a following day.

Truly that is a sad day when you have to cancel your diving 😉 but we will try to make it as painless as possible. Please see our cancellation policy.

The TLDR; help us help you. Give us enough notice that we can give your spot to someone else.

Water temperature average through out the year is about 82/F, 28/C. Summer and Fall months we have seen the water temperature (according to our dive computer) at 87/F, 30.5/C. Winter months you might see 78/F, 25.5/C.

It is common for women to be more comfortable in a wetsuit, and common for men to be comfortable in a rash guard. We attempt to post the water temperature weekly on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ReefRidersCozumel/. If in doubt, bring a wetsuit with you, we also have them available with our gear rental.

It is smart to use sunscreen, however, if you have the proper clothing you can limit the use of sunscreen. The marine park advises against the use of sunscreen while diving/snorkeling due to the unknown effects of sunscreen chemicals in this sensitive area. Most of the boat is covered so you have shade to hide in. The back of the boat is uncovered in case you want to seek out the sun.

Things to consider:

• Towel
• Long sleeve rash guard
• Dry shirt to change into between dives or after diving (hooded sun shirts are fantastic for this purpose).
• Camera/GoPro (unless you are just snorkeling you will need dive housing for this gear, do not bring a naked GoPro, these are limited to 30-ish feet)

If you are even thinking this question it probably means you have been on a slowww moving boat. Reef Rides uses fast boats which means we can get to even the furthest dive sites in 30 minutes or less. So lets do the math: 30 minutes to dive site + 1 hour dive + 1 hour surface interval + 1 hour dive + 30 minute return trip. You should plan on 4-ish hours for every dive trip.

Our boat has a max capacity of 10 passengers + crew, but in all reality most dive trips are 4-6 divers. Even at full capacity you will have multiple dive masters and the group will be divided up appropriately. We want the best experience for you too.

Absolutely! If you have your Nitrox certification you can request Nitrox tanks on the Gear Rental form. This will allow you to enjoy the beautiful reefs of Cozumel a little longer. Some adventure dives (e.g. Eagle Ray explorer and others) we require Nitrox due to the dive profile. Most Nitrox blends are 32% but we can also request 36%.

Cozumel is the northern part a reef system that goes all the way south to Honduras. Most dive sites have multiple options that can be suited to the experience level of the divers in the group.

Depending on the season, you will see turtles, sharks, rays, groupers, giant eels, lobsters, crab, flounders, sea horses, barracudas, various species of fish, and the ever beautiful and endemic to the area–the Splendid Toad Fish.

Please discuss pickup with when making your reservation or at least a week before your dive trips begin. We do offer boat pick up service directly at your hotel pier when in the following situations:

• Booking as a group, or
• Hotel pier is within the marine park and planned diving sites for that day are near the hotel.

Please be aware that some hotels charge us a pickup fee, usually no more than $5 per person/day.

Maybe yes, maybe no. It depends.

We hope your non-diver friends will want to become divers and there is no better way to do this than to see the excitement of a completed dive. Certain times of the year the boat will be full of paying divers and in that situation we cannot provide a free ride along when a diver wants that spot. If there is space available we would be happy to see them come along.

Reef Riders does not require dive insurance, but it can be obtained at minimal cost and you can have the peace of mind if you have an emergency in the water. A popular provider of insurance is DAN.