Akumal planning for a group of newbies

[Soggy_Diver]

We sent some newly certified students to dive with Dive with Natalie and Ivan, on the recommendations of a friend who lives and teaches down there. They were extremely happy with their trip, and have used the same operator on subsequent visits.

Akumal itself doesn't have much in the way of resorts. If you are looking for something fancy and all-inclusive, you will need to look in a more general area. The Akumal Beach resort is pleasant but very basic.

Last summer, my teenage daughter did her first ocean dive with Natalie as DM, and she was top notch--best DM I have seen. She did a thorough predive briefing, was attentive during the dive, and did great post-dive debrief with the new divers in the group.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

forget going out on a boat to snorkel- the bay has plenty of turtles, some fish, good chance at seeing an eagle ray and other kinds of rays, and maybe a nurse shark. Either shop in AKumal will do a discover scuba diving experience event, though I am partial to Akumal Dive Shop. We go diving in Akumal almost every year. You will be rolling the dice as to weather (August is in the middle of hurricane season). Tulum and Cba are worth seeing. Cancun, not so much. Spend you time in the water ( very warm water) instead. For accommodations, Akumal Beach resort or a condo is about it. Akumal is small, and that is why it is a great place to go. Best beach in Mexico. period.
DivemasterDennis

 

[on99]

Last summer, my teenage daughter did her first ocean dive with Natalie as DM, and she was top notch--best DM I have seen. She did a thorough predive briefing, was attentive during the dive, and did great post-dive debrief with the new divers in the group.

that shld be a nice experience for ur daughter~

---------- Post added July 2nd, 2014 at 02:30 PM ----------

forget going out on a boat to snorkel- the bay has plenty of turtles, some fish, good chance at seeing an eagle ray and other kinds of rays, and maybe a nurse shark. Either shop in AKumal will do a discover scuba diving experience event, though I am partial to Akumal Dive Shop. We go diving in Akumal almost every year. You will be rolling the dice as to weather (August is in the middle of hurricane season). Tulum and Cba are worth seeing. Cancun, not so much. Spend you time in the water ( very warm water) instead. For accommodations, Akumal Beach resort or a condo is about it. Akumal is small, and that is why it is a great place to go. Best beach in Mexico. period.
DivemasterDennis

thx for ur comment DivemasterDennis~

 

[Blue Life]

Hola on99!

I will be glad to help you planning for your dives/snorkeling while in the Riviera Maya. We offer personalized services with top of the notch equipment and instructors/guides. No matter where you stay if it is Akumal or PDC we also offer transportation to and from your hotel. Please let me know what would you like to do and I will set up a package for all of you!

Looking forward to diving/snorkeling with you,

Karla

 

[mikeycanuk]

Why the rental car hate? For a little more $ you have the freedom of a car to buy groceries just up the street in PA vs the super$$$ Chomak. The cost of the transfers isn't insignificant. There can be a hassle at the airport to make sure you get an Easyway rep and getting the gas you paid for takes getting out of the car and making sure the pump says zero. A little research is needed, that's all.

As for getting a cab to learn the rules of the road?? We did a CUN- Mahahual run and back once with no incident plus 4 times CUN to the RM. It's one of the easier foreign locals to rent a car with subsidized gasoline, unlike the Carribean!$$$


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[Mike]

Why the rental car hate? For a little more $ you have the freedom of a car to buy groceries just up the street in PA vs the super$$$ Chomak. The cost of the transfers isn't insignificant. There can be a hassle at the airport to make sure you get an Easyway rep and getting the gas you paid for takes getting out of the car and making sure the pump says zero. A little research is needed, that's all.

As for getting a cab to learn the rules of the road?? We did a CUN- Mahahual run and back once with no incident plus 4 times CUN to the RM. It's one of the easier foreign locals to rent a car with subsidized gasoline, unlike the Carribean!$$$


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Ditto. If the guy is from NYC and has driven anywhere there, he will have no problems in Mexico. The only difficult driving aspect in Mexico are the unpredictability of the speed bumps.

 

[bkopec]

I just did a similar trip over Memorial Day (2nd trip to Playa/Akumal) so I have a little more to add. We were staying in Playa and rented a car at the resort for the day just to go to Akumal. The drive is super easy....get to the main highway, drive straight for about 45 mins, and then head into the main entrance to Akumal and pay a few bucks for parking and you're done. We took our own snorkel gear and left our towels, etc. at one of the dive shops (I always get them mixed up, but it's the 2nd one as you come into the main entrance of the beach). There are lockers, etc. available as well, but the guy at the desk was nice enough to set our stuff behind the counter for a couple hours so it worked out. The first time we went to Akumal, it was with a full day snorkel tour and we had to wear life vests and follow the guide and then get out after just 30 mins or so. This second time, we just went straight into the water w/ our own stuff and cruised around as we pleased. There seems to be a lot of debate as to whether you are required to wear a life jacket or be on a tour etc. We definitely confirmed that you can ignore all the hustlers trying to sell tours and just get in the water and do your own thing. Anyway, if you prefer to set up a tour w/ transportation, i'm sure it's fine, but just a heads up that it's a super easy DIY trip. If you stay in Akumal, you can snorkel all you want w/ the turtles, but as much as we love turtles, I think we'd get bored staying there vs. Playa where you have an actual town and more going on and the beaches are still super nice. Also, rode the bus from Playa to the CUN airport for the first time and confirmed that it's the way to go. I forget the ticket price but i think it was around 10 bucks or so and the lady at the desk spoke perfect english and told us our bus number and off we went 15 mins later. Nice comfortable cheap ride. Hope you enjoy your trip!

 

[Mike]

It's a beach in Mexico. And since all Mexican beaches are open to the public, you don't need any guides or permission to snorkel in the bay, I'm not even sure how anyone would even end up talking to a guide unless you specifically went looking for one. You just walk on the beach, put your towels and such on the sand and walk into the water.