2/5 Dallas F. 1 year ago on Google
Unsafe
and
Underwhelming
My
husband
and
I
spent
a
week
diving
at
Cocoview
in
early
January
2023.
The
resort
had
come
highly
recommended
from
various
divers
we
met
in
Belize.
SUMMARY
-
The
best
part
of
our
trip
was
the
wonderful
group
of
divers
we
met.
The
Cocoview
regular
crowd
is
55-60+.
My
overall
impression
is
that
the
resort
had
its
heyday
some
time
ago—all
the
dive
site
maps
were
illustrated
back
in
the
mid-late
90s.
Cocoview
feels
like
a
museum
dedicated
to
past
glory
days
(signed
shirts
on
walls,
faded
posters
and
memorabilia).
The
resort
needs
massive
investment
in
updates
and
much
higher
safety
standards
for
its
divemasters
in
order
to
compete
with
other
popular
dive
resorts
in
the
Caribbean.
SERVICE
-
The
Cocoview
Main
Office
and
Gift
Shop
were
often
closed
during
regular
office
hours,
and
the
front
office
staff
seemed
busy
with
other
tasks
when
we
popped
in
to
ask
a
question.
We
often
felt
like
we
were
bothering
them.
The
dive
nurse
was
rude
on
multiple
occasions.
The
dive
shop
was
not
consistently
open
during
regular
business
hours.
I
was
allowed
to
dive
without
providing
proof
of
my
Padi
Open
Water
certification,
as
I
didn’t
have
it
handy
when
filling
out
the
forms
and
no
one
ever
followed
up.
SAFETY
-
We
experienced
an
extremely
lax
approach
to
safety
on
our
boat.
We
often
had
to
wait
5+
minutes
at
the
underwater
rendezvous
point
for
our
divemaster
to
appear,
and
he
usually
seemed
more
interested
in
seeking
out
small
sea
creatures
and
hunting
lionfish
than
keeping
the
group
together.
On
one
dive,
the
group
(10
divers)
had
to
stay
put
swimming
against
a
strong
current
while
we
waited
for
our
divemaster
and
2
other
divers
to
hunt
lionfish.
On
a
separate
occasion,
the
group
was
slowly
moving
along
a
wall,
staying
together,
and
became
tangled
with
another
boat
group
because
our
divemaster
was
nowhere
to
be
found.
On
our
last
dive,
my
husband
and
the
divemaster
were
the
last
divers
remaining
under
the
boat,
and
our
divemaster
climbed
up
the
ladder
first,
leaving
my
husband
to
fend
for
himself
in
choppy
conditions.
We
believe
it’s
only
a
matter
of
time
before
a
diver
becomes
lost
or
separated
from
the
main
group
or
an
injury
occurs
due
to
lax
safety
protocols.
DIVE
CONDITIONS
-
Low
visibility
and
poor
weather
conditions
on
the
majority
of
our
dives.
Trash
in
the
water
around
the
Front
Porch
during
our
orientation
dive.
Apparently
this
is
due
to
pollution
from
the
mainland
/
other
parts
of
the
island.
ACCOMMODATIONS
-
We
rented
one
of
the
Playa
Miguel
beach
houses
adjacent
to
Cocoview,
though
we
still
booked
our
meals,
diving,
and
travel
through
the
main
Cocoview
resort.
Upon
arrival
we
were
asked
to
move
to
a
different
beach
house
for
mystery
"maintenance"
reasons,
and
declined.
Beach
houses
are
not
in
the
best
condition
-
our
showers
smelled
of
bleach
and
mildew
and
we
felt
we
needed
to
wear
shower
shoes
when
showering.
The
sheets
and
towels
were
threadbare.
Control
of
the
air
conditioning
unit
in
one
bedroom
had
to
be
fixed.
A
toilet
broke—would
not
flush—on
the
2nd
day
and
a
part
had
to
be
replaced.
Our
grocery
order
was
incomplete
and
several
of
the
produce
items
weren’t
ripe
(e.g.,
green
tomatoes).
Leaks
in
the
roof
soaked
gear
that
we
hung
inside
to
dry
during
a
thunderstorm.
FOOD
-
Meals
were
buffet-style
and
heavy
on
fried
and
carbs.
Vegetables
lackluster
-
usually
steamed
cauliflower,
broccoli,
and
carrots.
Same
salad
bar
night
after
night.
Bar
food
was
popcorn
and
various
frozen
fried
apps.
The
most
memorable
fare
was
fresh
fruit,
pico
de
gallo,
and
lionfish
ceviche
courtesy
of
our
boat
mates.
I
asked
for
a
veggie
patty
during
cheeseburger
lunch
but
they
said
they
were
out.
(If
you’re
a
vegetarian,
you’ll
likely
be
eating
lots
of
beans
and
rice.)
There
is
a
nice
variety
of
hot
sauces
on
the
tables.
We
enjoyed
the
steak
and
lobster
on
Friday
night.
You
typically
clear
all
of
your
dishes
and
cups
and
napkins,
though
a
staff
member
will
sometimes
pick
up
items
from
