Salty Endeavors — Attraction in San Miguel de Cozumel

We did two days of fun diving and the Perfect Buoyancy specialty with Salty in Cozumel, as well as booked a couple of cenote dives on the mainland with them. Our experience was mixed.

On the positive side, all online communication was very smooth; they promptly and patiently replied to every query we had. The buoyancy course with Julijana was incredibly fun (a highlight of our time in Cozumel), and really improved our skills. The rental equipment was in good condition (they helpfully provided a replacement mouthpiece when I needed one for my second dive of the day), and their fun dives are quite efficient: they have small boats and groups, and with people being picked up at several piers en route to the sites (as opposed to meeting at the shop), you really only spend time with the dives.

As much as we enjoyed the specialty course, we were quite disheartened by our fun dives. We were renting most of our equipment, so we arranged to drop by the shop the day before our first dives to check the fit. Still, the next day they had the wrong sizes for us on the boat (and shared incorrect sizes with their partner taking us on the cenote dives, as well). This was not a safety issue by any means, just disappointing. On our second day of fun diving, they only included my partner on the itinerary, so there were no tanks or equipment for me on the boat, and we had to rush back to the marina to get them. Overall, we felt rather rushed both days (not enough time to buddy check, very short briefings, etc.), which, together with the equipment problems, made us somewhat anxious about the dives.

To be fair, this rush was partially explained by the weather (on the first day, there was a chance of port closure) but I left these dives with my confidence shaken a little and with the impression that Salty's fun diving style is better suited to more experienced divers who are looking for a no-frills, small-group experience, with not much guidance from their dive master. As a novice diver, I learned a lot from these dives but they were not a particularly enjoyable experience.

Editing to add more context:

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my review, Henry.

Regarding the equipment: it's true that we submitted a registration form with our sizes but asked if we could come to the dive shop to confirm them. In your email, you assured us: "If you are not sure about the sizes, then you can come the day before to our shop to try on gear." This is what we did, so we thought that even if we submitted incorrect details earlier, you would update your records to the sizes we agreed on at the dive shop.

Regarding the itinerary: if you review our email exchange further, you will see that I was referring to our second day of fun diving with you, on 25 March. This one I have booked in advance (together with our other dives), for 2 divers - so I should have been on the itinerary. On the evening of 25 March, I indeed reached out to reserve another day of diving, just for myself (this is the email you're quoting in your reply) but you were fully booked already, so I ended up going with another center.

Based on your replies to other not 100% positive reviews, I kind of expected to receive a similarly hostile response, though I didn't expect to be blamed for something that was not my oversight. It's sad because it further sours the experience (this communication style was not our experience with you or your staff during our visit in Cozumel). With the administrative issues resolved, we could've had a great time (esp. if you think they contributed to the rush), so I hope you'll consider...

Cautious fellow divers!

For your safety and enjoyment, I would like to share my experience with you. I rarely make any comments but this is very important for us divers.

If you are going to dive with Salty endeavors then remember the name FREDDY and stay away from him for any cost!!

Why? Because we were left only when we had low air while the dive master was still proceeding to his destination! Please read my experience with him carefully.

for the first dive, The first question he asked me was how much weight you need, I said 16 pounds should work but can I do a weight check? He said no, we go straight down so you have to know how much you weight. I normally dove with 14 pounds in the ocean with a long sleeve 3mm but it’s the first day of the dive so I asked for more. We went down and I was slowly decending, he and the other divers went quicker than I do, he looked back and see I am slow then he went to me and put 4 more pounds on the buckle of my tank without even ask or check with me, when the dive was finished the two buckle was opened so you can imagine.

The second day I was diving with 11 pounds so I was very over weighted and had to kept compensating my bcd to find buoyancy.

For the second dive, we did a pressure check and I found my tank only had 2900 psi left while other divers have around 3300, I asked him if I need to switch a tank and he said no it’s enough air. then he made a dive plan that is impossible for me to finish provided he learned how my gas consumption is during the first dive.his dive plan was we swim pass a series of reefs and end up at a wall that doesn’t have bottom, the swim was approximately 40 mins!!! And my wife was only open water certified, so he said okay, at the wall, me and the other 2 divers will go to 90ft and you guys can stay at 60.

Again before we jump in he said no wait no wait on the surface, we go straight down so there was no signals to the boat no checking with other divers no nothing!!! Under the water he was diving at a speed that is impossible for us to follow especially when am over weighted, he was at least 40 ft from us for the entire dive and he never looked back, he never check or ask if we are okay.

At around 40 mins after a long swim with being overweighted, I had 1000 psi left, I attempted to swim to him but he was too far away and going fast so I had to kick really fast, when I almost give up he finally turned around, after 45 mins of the dive!!! And I told him I only had 800 left, he apply the smb but he was not trying to get close to me, he was keep swimming(there was no current at that moment), so I had to give up and find my buddy and surface and do the safety stop at the moment I reach my buddy I only had 500 left we went up and I was a little bit panic for low air and we surface without completing the safety stop.

The place where we surface was close to a cruise ship, when we got on the boat we got rangers running to us and ask us to leave because the ship was about to leave!!!! How dangerous that is!!!!

They surface 15 mins later,

The dive master, he never looked back and he continue his dive with the other 2 divers, eventually they reach the wall and went down to 90ft. So basically the diver master left us alone and continue his diving.

I reported this to the dive shop and they said they will get back to the boss and the boss said he will be in touch with me the next day, but I never received any feedback.

Stay away from this dive master Freddy for...

I dove five times with Salty Endeavors last week, and I have some safty concerns. On at least two days, the surface interval between dives was under 60 minutes. (Even though they advertise 60 - 70 minute surface intervals.) See the below photo, that surface interval was only 52 minutes. The other surface interval was 48 minutes. (On both of the above dive's the max depth was 80+ ft. with a dive time of 50+ minutes. We never broke the no decompression limits ... but a surface interval of over an hour was needed before the 60+ max depth dives that were planned next. After bringing it to the dive master's attention that we need to have longer surface intervals, the dive master was asking us if we were good to go prior to an hour passing. I appriciate he was asking us if we were ready. But, it's not rocket science to look at your watch, and wait at least an hour before inquiring if everyone is ready. (I just got the feeling they were more interested in getting back for the afternoon outings, than they were about insuring a proper surface interval.) The first day diving, the dive master seemed more interested in staying down for an hour rather than surfacing with at least 700 - 800 psi. I came up with 500 psi. (That's on me for letting it get that low.) But others in the boat only had 200 or 300 psi left in thier tank. (No one had more than 600 psi.) Although the dive master did "Kind of" give a predive talk. There wasn't much to it. And I never heard the captain tell us the safty procedures for the boat. (I did dive with Dive House later in the week. Their pre-dive talk was much, much better.)

This isn't really a safty issue. (And maybe it is.) After my first dive, when I was starting to take my equipment off, the boat captain started to remove my BCD from me. As I use extra equipment that is attached to my BCD, I politely asked him to let me do it. But he continued to try and remove my equipment. After I more sturnly (But politely) told him I did not need his assistance, he finally stopped. After I got out of my equipment, he switched tanks. As I was double checking his work, he started "chewing me out" ... "This is Mexico, and if you don't like the way we set up the equipment, then maybe diving in Mexico isn't for you." I was taught "It's your responsibility to ensure your equipment is ready for the dive". Being chewed out for double check that my gear is in working order prior to a dive, has no place in the...