Akumal Diving?

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kixy1

Contributor
Messages
615
Reaction score
403
Location
35 mi N of Seattle
# of dives
200 - 499
I've been diving Cozumel for years, but we've decided to retire in Akumal so I'm wondering about the diving in that area. I did a bit of diving a number of years back out of Puerto Adventuras and it was 'OK'. Wasn't super impressed with the experience. It was pretty self-serve and rushed and the coral heads were not very healthy.
I understand the topography will be much different than Palancar, but what kind of sites are there? I'm also looking for recommendations of dive ops in the Akumal area.
With Coz just a couple of hours away, I may just end up heading there, but it would be nice to get underwater close to home.
Thanks for your input and suggestions :)
 
My wife and I haven't been back to Akumal in better than a decade. Love the condos on Half Moon Bay and the beaches are some of the best in the area.

That being said, the diving didn't impress either of us. Mostly tongue and groove and the coral had a lot of algae. Given the current, I suspect that Tulum isn't doing that good a job with their discharge.
 
Getting underwater is better than not getting underwater, right? Mainly tongue and groove, not too deep, not too varied, not too currenty, but pleasant and certainly turtle-filled. You’d want to get back over to Cozumel for the thrills, and you may wish to experiment with travelling further south to Xcalak.

Blue Experience has my vote. Dive with Natalie and Ivan looked professional too.
 
Would you consider taking up cave diving? You have some of the world's best caves right at your doorstep. And you can simply go anytime you feel like it, no need to make a reservation on a boat etc. Some cenotes are even on public land, no fee charged, you can just drive up for a pleasant dive whenever you want to.
 
Done the cenotes a few times and they're just not my thing (don't flame! LOL)... I'm obviously spoiled by Coz, but was hoping to dive now and then closer to home. In addition to the poor reefs and short dive times, I remember hauling my gear and tanks to the boat through the surf one trip and a long walk down a pier on another trip. Hardly the valet service that Coz offers for the same price.
 
There is no dock at Akumal (will check this again in March), so yes you are wading out to the boat. But I didn’t have to haul my heavy stuff.
 
FT - be sure to come back with a full review! I'll be watching for it :) We'll be done in April for a quick week, so maybe I'll try to fit in a dive or two.
 
If you decide to dive Akumal, my choice for a dive op would be the Akumal Dive Center.
 
Back with a report, as promised. Dived March 11, 12 and 14 with Blue Experience. Same fine full service: the Mr had to carry his own tank out to the boat, and the younger women chose to, but I didn’t; wet stuff was stored and returned for us the next day, rinsed and dry; rental gear in very good shape; patient, clear guiding. Both Tim and Kathrin went in with us if there were four clients. They have changed host shops since the last time I was there, and are now setting out from the Akumal Dive Shop, which is very well set up with lockers, rinse tanks, showers and change areas.Three different captains served us, all competent, two of them very attentive. We were underwater within 5-10 minutes of setting out each time.

There was sargassum to wade through on the way out to the boat, not that gross since we were wearing wetsuits and boots. Workers were making an effort to clear it, and there may be less when you arrive — luck of the winds.

On the down side , I have to say the coral and fish life were not in as good shape as a few years ago, and it was only medium then. Now, as driftwood reported, there is too much algae. Colours and vis happened not to be great on two of the days. A few schools, a decent selection of the usual Caribbean suspects, only one or two lion fish, and the statutory turtles. Lots of gorgonians and you can see that there had been a variety of coral species, but they didn’t look very healthy. A fair amount of rubble. I would suggest you give Akumal a chance on a bright day, but see who might take you over to Cozumel for serious fun.

Granddaughter had gifted me with the beginnings of mild cold symptoms that I thought I was fighting okay, but I had real ear issues on the second dive of the third day. Tim was quite good about helping me go down slowly whilst encouraging Mr T to explore beneath us, and I ascended very slowly indeed at the end, but that put an end to our dives for the week.

Access to the beach is now impossible through the grounds of the Hotel Akumal Caribe, which has put up fences and a container barrier, and the only access is a turnstile beside/inside the Akumal Dive Shop. Feels a bit unwelcoming. Maybe it cuts down on touts on the beach? Never could find a way to sneak through others’ condos to the Half Moon Bay beach; a mountain of stored sargassum blocked the way from La Buena Vida to the rest of the beach.

Fine food and service at Turtle Bay Bakery and Cafe, La Taverna and La Lunita. We ate elsewhere too but those were the impressive ones. Enjoyed snorkelling at Yal-ku and Sac Actun (like you, kixy1, we have no cenote diving ambitions).
 
Did Akumal last August. Very good diving, with plenty of turtles (up to 8 in one of the dives), including 2 loggerheads in 8 dives. Large barracudas were very common. We'd definetely go again.

Akumal Bay itself is a madhouse. We stayed a bit north in Del Sol (they have a small convenience store), dived with Akumal Dive Adventures (1 min walk from Del Sol) and ate at La Buena Vida, which was very good.

The only downside with diving was that sometimes their boat was rented out for fishing. Otherwise, they do 3 dives per day. P7170539-1.jpg However, snorkeling was also very good, including night snorkeling (see the picture of octopus). If you'd like to snorkel in Akumal Bay with turtles, just ignore the local guides and snorkel there from Del Sol. In the bay, do not go inside the roped area cause the guides will be pissed off, but there are just as many turtles outside the ropes. Do not go out far, the turtles tend to stay in the shallows.
 

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