3 months diving trip

[roncha]

Hello friends! I am planning a 3 months diving and sight seeing trip to central america. I am planning to start in Mexico

Can you reccomend me on good diving places to visit? Maybe help me build the trip (where and for how long to be at each place)

I admit that I don't find a lot of information at my mother tongue so I'm seeking help here

 

[Lorenzoid]

I did the following itinerary, but you could do it in reverse. I started in Guatemala, to see Mayan ruins. Then I went to Honduras to see more ruins. From Honduras, I took a ferry to Utila and Roatan, the famed "Bay Islands." Fantastic diving there. I stayed for about six weeks. Then I returned to the mainland and went to Belize. In Belize I dived mostly from Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker. Activities in Belize that I tried included floating through a river inside a cave. And of course more Mayan ruins. From Belize, I crossed into Mexico. I took the ferry from Playa del Carmen to Cozumel, which has the best diving in the region.

You could fly into Cancun from Europe and take a bus to Playa del Carmen and begin your trip there.

That should be plenty for three months! Have fun.

 

[Trailboss123]

What @ Lorenzoid said! I lived in Central America for 7 years and this is a nice itinerary. In addition to the Tikal Ruins in Guatemala, you should spend a bit of time in Antigua, Guatemala and up at Lake Atitlan. The ruins in Honduras are called the Copan Ruins. You can get reasonably priced direct buses these days from Antigua to the town of Copan and just across the Guatemalan border, which is a quaint place to stay while taking a day to see the ruins before heading out to the Bay Islands for some diving. Once in Belize, you can dive out of Placencia in the south and then make your way north and hit the islands before heading up to Mexico and Playa del Carmen and over to Cozumel. There is no diving in Guatemala, so the purpose of going there would be to add some culture to your trip. Technically, you can dive in Lake Atitlan and there is a dive shop there, but... Another nice side trip in Guatemala is a place called Semuc Champey-- you can look it up online.

 

[Schwob]

I wonder how long deco might be after a three month dive.
That and the number of stages...
...
No, I am not serious of course, ... just envious...
...
And curious to learn what you end up deciding on and how it goes, when the time comes...
...Sorry I can't be of help with advise.

 

[Pkishino]

I did the following itinerary, but you could do it in reverse. I started in Guatemala, to see Mayan ruins. Then I went to Honduras to see more ruins. From Honduras, I took a ferry to Utila and Roatan, the famed "Bay Islands." Fantastic diving there. I stayed for about six weeks. Then I returned to the mainland and went to Belize. In Belize I dived mostly from Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker. Activities in Belize that I tried included floating through a river inside a cave. And of course more Mayan ruins. From Belize, I crossed into Mexico. I took the ferry from Playa del Carmen to Cozumel, which has the best diving in the region.

You could fly into Cancun from Europe and take a bus to Playa del Carmen and begin your trip there.

That should be plenty for three months! Have fun.

Cozumel, best diving in the region?
Hahaha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha....sorry, I mean Yes, please keep telling yourself and everyone else that!

 

[Lorenzoid]

Cozumel, best diving in the region?
Hahaha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha....sorry, I mean Yes, please keep telling yourself and everyone else that!

First, what region are we referring to? I meant the Costa Maya or whatever they call it. There could be great diving further south toward Belize, but although it's geographically close, the travel makes it another region in my mind--more the Belize region than Mexico.

 

[Clark Fletcher]

Before anyone else says it.... I hate you.

Just kidding. I am however extremely jealous.

I like what @Lorenzoid recommended. I can't offer much in the way of diving advice for that area but, if you are going to follow that route and you end up in Playa del Carmen, it would be a shame not to take time out to hit the Mayan ruins in Tulum.

 

[Lorenzoid]

It's a well trodden (dived?) route. The old Hippie Trail. There's no longer the ability to, say, camp on the beach in Tulum, but I'm sure the route hasn't lost its charm entirely. Despite the kale and quinoa tacos, Tulum is still nice. Caye Caulker is still Caye Slacker. I can't imagine there has been excessive development in the hippie enclave of Lake Atitlan--maybe a spa or two.

 

[KeriMe]

Wow. Sounds like a great trip.

I would dive in Cozumel Mexico with Scuba Tony. I'd stay in a condo, shop at the Mega and eat out at Le Chef and El Muelicita.

Then I'd head down to Belize. Stay at Black Rock Lodge so I could visit Tikal and ATM cave and maybe a lazy canoe trip on the Macal River. Then I'd head to Placencia or out to a caye for diving. I like Isla Marisol for its proximity to Glovers Reef but if you need more excitement and entertainment then it might be too quiet for you.

You could hit Roatan or Utila next. But I'd avoid mainland Honduras at the moment.

If I had your kind of time to travel, I'd work in a trip to Costa Rica and explore from coast to coast. There's good white water rafting, wineries and coffee plantations to explore. Surfing is also popular on the pacific side. But this is still on my bucket list since I haven't been there so I'm not an expert.

I'd then head to Galapagos as the grand finale to the epic trip.

 

[JamesBon92007]

If you start on the West coast of Mexico, I personally think that Puerto Vallarta is under-rated. I did some nice dives with PV Ocean Tours at Mismaloya and Majahuitas. Further South in Costa Rica I did a couple of fascinating dives near Playa del Cocos with Las Sirenas. In both cases the visibility may not compare to the Caribbean but there is abundant life down there! I have not been to Cocos Island yet but it's supposed to be really great and I'm planning my trip Meanwhile I'm taking notes from this thread for other places I need to get to. On the Caribbean side I've only been to Cozumel and Playa del Carmen and I've yet to meet anyone that didn't like Cozumel (except for perhaps Pkishino on this thread) and Playa isn't too bad either.