Diving Cozumel

Rating:
Summary: This book was great to plan dives
Review: Each time we got on the dive boat they asked where we would like to go. I used this book to plan our dives and each time the book was right about what we saw. I think the Top Side info could be better but for a diver this book is a must have!!!

Rating:
Summary: Muy excelente
Review: I have been diving for over 30 years and my wife had never done scuba until she got "hooked" in Cozumel a little over a year ago. She certified and I recertified over the last year and did a bit of local diving here in the Carolinas and in Florida.

We decided to go back to Cozumel this last year and started to look around for the best reference book on the subject. We decidedly are most happy to report that this book has to be the best of its kind out there. There was not one time that it led us down the wrong path. I won't comment on our accommodations because they were wonderful and quiet, and we would like to keep them that way.

Rating:
Summary: Obviously written by someone who knows the subject
Review: I note that one previous reviewer stated "A dive guide without good photographs is useless, and Rosenberg's photography is worth the price of the book." Whilst those sentiments are correct - on both counts, there are publishers who use a liberal supply of good photographs to mask an otherwise poor product which - in terms of being a diving guide, is neither well researched nor well prepared. Not so when it comes to Aqua Quest in general and "Diving Cozumel" in particular, because this is an excellent product.

There are many things a potential visitor needs to know before visiting any country - currency, climate, dining, accommodation, getting there, entry & exit requirements (and charges!), driving, shopping, and time difference (to mention just some). Then there is the additional information required by Scuba Divers - electricity supply, diving facilities, rental, boats, safety and, of course, some form of introduction to the underwater environment. How satisfying to find a book that has covered all of these points (and more) with the right degree of detail.

"Diving Cozumel" measures 10" x 7" and is, therefore, another diving guide in the medium size format favoured by Aqua Quest. As I have said elsewhere, these particular publishers, set high standards and demand all contributing authors/photographers maintain those standards at all times. This is, therefore, another worthy addition to the series.

The book is a well laid out and commences with an overall introduction to the Island of Cozumel which is both informative and interesting to read. This is followed by chapters on Accommodations, Dining and Sight-seeing before we get down to the subject of Diving. We are now at Chapter 5 and this sets the scene for anyone contemplating a Scuba Diving visit to the charming island of Cozumel with paragraphs on shore, boat and drift diving, currents, corals, preservation, equipment, safety, visibility and temperature.

Then we get down to specifics and Chapter 6 commences with a map of the island across two-pages on which are marked no fewer than 30 principle dive sites. This is followed by brief notes on each of those 30 sites - including the best places to see the "Splendid Toadfish" (Sanopus spledidus) - a species unique to Cozumel. With a final chapter devoted to Marine Life, the book then includes a number of Appendices containing that all-important emergency information, useful numbers and a list of diving facilities before concluding with a very useful selection of the most commonly used words and phrases (I really liked that!).

Altogether, this book contains all the information the potential visitor to Cozumel will require when contemplating such a trip - so have a good time.

NM

Rating:
Summary: Obviously written by someone who knows the subject
Review: I note that one previous reviewer stated "A dive guide without good photographs is useless, and Rosenberg's photography is worth the price of the book." Whilst those sentiments are correct - on both counts, there are publishers who use a liberal supply of good photographs to mask an otherwise poor product which - in terms of being a diving guide, is neither well researched nor well prepared. Not so when it comes to Aqua Quest in general and "Diving Cozumel" in particular, because this is an excellent product.

There are many things a potential visitor needs to know before visiting any country - currency, climate, dining, accommodation, getting there, entry & exit requirements (and charges!), driving, shopping, and time difference (to mention just some). Then there is the additional information required by Scuba Divers - electricity supply, diving facilities, rental, boats, safety and, of course, some form of introduction to the underwater environment. How satisfying to find a book that has covered all of these points (and more) with the right degree of detail.

"Diving Cozumel" measures 10" x 7" and is, therefore, another diving guide in the medium size format favoured by Aqua Quest. As I have said elsewhere, these particular publishers, set high standards and demand all contributing authors/photographers maintain those standards at all times. This is, therefore, another worthy addition to the series.

The book is a well laid out and commences with an overall introduction to the Island of Cozumel which is both informative and interesting to read. This is followed by chapters on Accommodations, Dining and Sight-seeing before we get down to the subject of Diving. We are now at Chapter 5 and this sets the scene for anyone contemplating a Scuba Diving visit to the charming island of Cozumel with paragraphs on shore, boat and drift diving, currents, corals, preservation, equipment, safety, visibility and temperature.

Then we get down to specifics and Chapter 6 commences with a map of the island across two-pages on which are marked no fewer than 30 principle dive sites. This is followed by brief notes on each of those 30 sites - including the best places to see the "Splendid Toadfish" (Sanopus spledidus) - a species unique to Cozumel. With a final chapter devoted to Marine Life, the book then includes a number of Appendices containing that all-important emergency information, useful numbers and a list of diving facilities before concluding with a very useful selection of the most commonly used words and phrases (I really liked that!).

Altogether, this book contains all the information the potential visitor to Cozumel will require when contemplating such a trip - so have a good time.

NM

Rating:
Summary: Covering 33 of the best shore and boat dive sites
Review: Now in an updated and expanded second edition, Diving Cozumel by diving expert and underwater photographer Steve Rosenberg is a gorgeous, descriptive, and illustrated tour of the drift driving seen in the exceptionally clear waters of the Mexican island of Cozumel. Covering 33 of the best shore and boat dive sites in intricate detail, along with basic information on where to stay, dine, and shop, and a chapter devoted to the Mayan ruins on the nearby Yucatan Peninsula, Diving Cozumel is a handy and practical guide. The stunning color photographs also allow armchair travelers a virtual tour of some of the most amazing seascapes to be found.


Rating:
Summary: An excellent guide book brought fully up to date.
Review: So what makes a good dive guide? Certainly those cheap books which are heavy on photos but short on information leave much to be desired. Then there are those which cover the diving - and nothing else, and once again they leave the potential visitor with an awful lot of questions. Some publishers need to learn that there is so much more to a diving guide than just information on diving and plenty of pretty underwater pictures to pad out the content. Firstly, there is all the information the visitor needs to know long before departure; Seasons, weather, currency, climate, dining, accommodation, entry & exit requirements (and charges.), driving, shopping, and time difference - and all that before we come to whetting the appetite on what may be found underwater.

Aqua Quest set the highest standards and demand all contributing authors maintain those standards at all times. I am, therefore, not surprised to find yet another excellent guide book from their stable - and yet another which contains just the right amount of detail on all those points which need to be covered.

The book itself measures 10" x 7" containing 120 pages of exactly what we require from a first class guide book for scuba divers. It is well laid out and easy to follow beginning with an introduction to the Island of Cozumel itself which is both informative and interesting to read. This is followed by chapters which cover all the aforementioned information before getting down to the subject of Diving. Here Rosenberg very skilfully sets the scene for anyone contemplating a scuba diving visit with paragraphs on shore, cavern and boat diving in addition to coverage of those less frequented sites. Rounded off with all the additional information such as marine life, emergency and useful numbers etc, this book certainly does not leave the potential visitor looking for more information.

In short, once again the combination of Rosenberg and Aqua Quest have combined to produce an excellent product.

NM

Rating:
Summary: This book was great to plan dives
Review: This series is a must for the touring diver and the Cozumel guide gets you past the language barrier by providing reef descriptions and drawings as well as narrative on the reef and marine life. After three dive trips to Cozumel, I still use my guide to refresh my recollections both before and after the dive.
Now if we could only get the publisher to print this on logbook size pages.

Rating:
Summary: Informed Diver
Review: This series is a must for the touring diver and the Cozumel guide gets you past the language barrier by providing reef descriptions and drawings as well as narrative on the reef and marine life. After three dive trips to Cozumel, I still use my guide to refresh my recollections both before and after the dive.
Now if we could only get the publisher to print this on logbook size pages.