Different Diving with Laura Cozumel: The Complete Guide
Different Diving with Laura is a one-instructor PADI operation in Cozumel where every price is quoted at 1:1 or 2:1 — the maximum is two divers per instructor, meeting daily at Marina Fonatur.
Different Diving with Laura Cozumel: The Complete Guide
The Cozumel option for divers who want one instructor to themselves, not a place on a group boat
Different Diving with Laura is a one-instructor PADI operation in Cozumel run by Laura Tucker, and its defining feature is structural rather than promotional: every single price on the site is quoted twice, once at 1:1 and once at 2:1. There is no group rate, because there are no groups. The most divers Laura takes at a time is two.
That is unusual on an island where the standard product is a two-tank morning with six to twelve divers behind one guide, and where a private guide is normally a surcharge on top of the boat fee. At Different Diving with Laura the ratio is the entire proposition. Laura states it plainly: "I only use fast boats, no big groups, provide personalized attention."
---
Why Choose Different Diving with Laura
Three reasons, in order of how much they actually matter.
The ratio. A 1:1 or 2:1 ratio changes what a dive is. On a group boat the guide is managing a spread of divers, watching gauges, counting heads and holding a line through the current. With one or two divers, the instructor is watching you: your trim, your breathing, your buoyancy, the thing you keep doing with your left hand. For skill development, that is the single highest-leverage variable in recreational diving.
Flexibility on sites. Different Diving with Laura does not publish a fixed daily site rotation. The site says "The dive sites we explore are a delightful surprise every day," and custom requests are accommodated. With two divers rather than twelve, actually honouring a request is realistic.
A named, single instructor. You know before you book exactly who is taking you. Laura describes herself as "your spirited scuba instructor from Down Under! With 2.5 years of adventure living in the sun-soaked paradise of Mexico, Laura has traded the Australian outback for the vibrant reefs of Cozumel."
---
Diving Style and Experience
Diving with Different Diving with Laura means Cozumel drift diving on fast boats, in a group of one or two. Divers meet at Marina Fonatur every day at 9 AM.
The standard fun-diving product is a private two-tank morning. Beyond that, Laura offers to "customize a dive vacation to your unique experience levels, all the way down to picking you up in the morning," which in practice means the schedule is built around you rather than around a boat manifest.
If Cozumel drift diving is new to you, our Cozumel dive sites guide covers the reefs you are likely to be taken to and what the current does at each, and the dive terminology reference explains the briefing vocabulary.
---
Courses and Training
Different Diving with Laura is a PADI operation. Every course is priced at both ratios, in US dollars.
| PADI course | 1:1 price | 2:1 price |
|---|---|---|
| Discover Scuba Diving | $110 USD per person | $100 USD per person |
| Open Water Diver | $570 USD per person | $500 USD per person |
| Open Water Referral | from $430 USD per person | $400 USD per person |
| Advanced Open Water | $370 USD per person | $345 USD per person |
| Private two-tank morning fun dive | $135 USD per person | $115 USD per person |
| Rescue Diver | On request | On request |
| Divemaster | On request | On request |
Specialty courses are published individually, roughly $120–$350 USD per diver, and include Wreck ($310 USD), Deep ($350 USD), Drift Diving ($160 USD), Night Diving, Fish Identification, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Navigation and Divers Against Debris. A "Scuba Bootcamp" programme is also listed alongside the standard courses.
Note what the 1:1 Open Water price actually buys: a full entry-level certification with an instructor who has no other student. On a standard Cozumel Open Water course you would typically share that instructor with three to seven other beginners.
For background on the certifications themselves, see the dive courses in Cozumel index, the PADI Open Water Diver course page, the Advanced Open Water page, the Discover Scuba Diving page, the Drift Diver specialty page, the Wreck Diver specialty page, the Deep Diver specialty page and the Peak Performance Buoyancy page.
---
Boats and Group Size
Group size is the clearest number in this entire guide: one or two divers per instructor, always. There is no third pricing tier.
On boats, the site says only that Laura uses fast boats and avoids big groups. It does not publish a vessel name, length, engine specification or capacity, which is normal for an independent instructor who charters rather than owning a fleet. If the specific boat matters to you, ask before booking.
| Different Diving with Laura | Typical Cozumel group boat | |
|---|---|---|
| Divers per guide | 1 or 2 | 6–12 |
| Site selection | Custom requests accommodated | Fixed rotation set by the shop |
| Price, two-tank | $115–$135 USD per person | Commonly $80–$120 USD per person |
| Boat specifications published | No | Often yes |
| Instructor named in advance | Yes — Laura Tucker | Usually assigned on the day |
---
Location and Getting There
Different Diving with Laura meets divers at Marina Fonatur, Cozumel, every day at 9 AM. The FAQ on the site answers the question directly: "Where do we meet to go diving? Join us at Marina Fonatur every day at 9 AM for fun!"
There is no published shop street address — this is an instructor-led operation, not a storefront with a counter and rental racks. Marina Fonatur is on the northern side of San Miguel de Cozumel, a short taxi ride from downtown and from most town hotels.
Morning pickup can be arranged as part of a customised dive vacation, so if you are staying further out, raise it when you book.
---
Prices and What's Included
All prices published by Different Diving with Laura are per person, in US dollars, and are quoted at both 1:1 and 2:1 ratios.
| Item | Published price |
|---|---|
| Private two-tank morning fun dive | $135 USD (1:1) / $115 USD (2:1) |
| Discover Scuba Diving | $110 USD (1:1) / $100 USD (2:1) |
| Open Water Diver | $570 USD (1:1) / $500 USD (2:1) |
| Open Water Referral | from $430 USD (1:1) / $400 USD (2:1) |
| Advanced Open Water | $370 USD (1:1) / $345 USD (2:1) |
| Drift Diving specialty | $160 USD per diver |
| Wreck specialty | $310 USD per diver |
| Deep specialty | $350 USD per diver |
| Other specialties | approximately $120–$350 USD per diver |
| Rescue Diver, Divemaster | On request |
What the site does not publish: whether the Cozumel Marine Park fee is included, equipment rental rates, nitrox availability, or tank and weight inclusions. Ask about all four when you book — the marine park fee in particular is charged separately by most Cozumel operators.
---
Who It Suits Best
Nervous or new divers. One instructor, one or two students. If your worry is being left behind in a current or rushed through skills, this format removes the cause.
Divers coming back after a long break. A 2:1 refresher-style fun dive is far less exposed than dropping into a group of strangers on your first dive in five years.
Couples and dive buddies. The 2:1 rate is the sweet spot here: two people get an instructor to themselves at a per-person price close to a standard private guide surcharge elsewhere.
Divers working on a specific skill. Buoyancy, trim, air consumption, photography positioning — all of these improve fastest with an instructor who has nobody else to watch.
Divers who want a say in the sites. Custom requests are explicitly accommodated.
---
Who Might Prefer a Different Shop
Divers on a budget doing many tanks. At $115–$135 USD per person for two tanks, a week of daily diving costs substantially more than a group boat with a multi-day package. If total tank count matters more than attention, a larger shop with package pricing is the rational choice — see the full Cozumel dive centre guide.
Divers who need nitrox, technical training or rental gear certainty. None of these are published on the Different Diving site. If you dive nitrox every day or need a full rental kit for a week, confirm availability before you commit, or choose a shop with a rental counter.
Groups of three or more. The pricing structure stops at 2:1. A family of four or a group of friends who want to dive together will need to split across days or look elsewhere.
Divers who want a large, redundant operation. A single instructor means a single point of failure. If Laura is ill or fully booked, there is no second boat. Larger shops have that redundancy.
Divers who want the boat specifications in writing. Hull, engines and capacity are not published.
---
Practical Information
| Business name | Different Diving with Laura |
|---|---|
| Instructor | Laura Tucker |
| Meeting point | Marina Fonatur, Cozumel — daily at 9 AM |
| Street address | Not published |
| +1 416 998 6987 | |
| differentdiving@gmail.com | |
| Website | https://www.differentdiving.com |
| @differentdiving and @iwillfindallthefish | |
| Agency | PADI |
| Maximum divers per instructor | 2 |
| Currency | USD |
| Nitrox, rental gear, languages | Not stated on the website |
For when to visit, what the currents do through the year and which reefs suit which certification level, see our best scuba diving in Cozumel guide, and the Cozumel diving FAQ for marine park fees and what to pack.
We are an independent guide and take no booking commission, so you book direct at Different Diving with Laura's own rates.