Akumal

[docmartin]

regarding marine life it seems to me that there is a drop off from north to south. cancun is amazingly fishy, playa has apparently a lot of fish, too, but fewer than cancun, puerto aventuras may be less than playa and akumal has less than puerto. admittedly, my sample size is not great because I have not done many dives in cancun or playa but i do know puerto, akumal and cozumel quite well. last time i was in Coz (6 months before Wilma) i recall thinking that there really were not that many fish. i definitely did not see many of the dense aggregations that you can see from Puerto Aventuras north.

 

[traciedee]

Docmarten-is that your condo? Looks awesome. Any dives shops near by?

 

[docmartin]

yes. it's a 5 minute walk from Dennis Week's Aquanauts. lots of comments about him on scubaboard and all good.

 

[driftwood]

Just wondering if anyone has done any diving here recently and what your thoughts are. We are thinking of a trip next Sept/Oct and would like to do some diving. Looks like most of the dive sites are pretty close to shore. Also, I'm wondering what cenote diving is like. I'm not really even sure what it is. Is it like cave diving or could you surface while in a cenote?

Hi Tracidee,

Becky and me spent a week there diving in '06. Akumal is one of our favorite places for a vacation. Love the beaches and its hard to beat a condo right on Half Moon Bay for $100 a night. All the recent hurricanes have missed Akumal. We would go back at the drop of a hat.

All diving is good, some if better than others. The reefs in Akumal are pretty monochromatic. There is a decided lack of sponges and soft corals that add so much color to a dive. You will see fewer fish, but the ones you do see are much larger. Overall, if you are in Akumal and want to go diving it's a great place. If you want to go diving in Akumal 24/7, there are much better places. I would avoid the Akumal Dive Shop and use the Akumal Dive center.

Cenotes, that is the area's claim to fame. Akumal is probably one of the best place on the planet to cavern dive. It's not for everyone, but it is the clearest water in the world. The first thing you have to do is wear exposure protection for 72 degree water. Take into account that you will be moving very slowly in high specific gravity water. That means that your diving abilities had better be spot on and don't count on surfacing. I love cenote diving and Becky gets bored. Take a look at Hidden Worlds Cenotes Park Yucatan Mexico Riviera Maya.

For anyone making a trip to the area you should go to Can-Do Maps and travel guides and get all the maps for the areas you will visit. We have used them for 7 years and they are pure gold. Also for Akumal try Riviera Maya Hotels, Resorts, Rentals: Mexican Caribbean Vacation and for Playa del Carmen Playa del Carmen, Mexico's Virtual Guide Book : Playa.Info. We have used them both for hotels and tours and have been very pleased.

Hope this helps,

Jeff

 

[tallgirl2]

Who were you diving with in Akumal? I have found a couple resort websites but nothing that gives me a lot of information. I also found akumaldivecenter.com but it looks like their website hasn't been updated since 2003. . . any suggestions? We are going to be staying at the Grand Bahia Akumal

 

[scubawife]

Who were you diving with in Akumal? I have found a couple resort websites but nothing that gives me a lot of information. I also found akumaldivecenter.com but it looks like their website hasn't been updated since 2003. . . any suggestions? We are going to be staying at the Grand Bahia Akumal

Akumal Dive Center is a great shop. Well run, good staff, good DMs and nice location. If you use them, see if you can get Cheppo for your DM.

 

[ScubaBumlet]

I 'echo' scubawife's reply. I have been diving with Akumal Dive Center for 17 years. Love them!

AKUMAL DIVE CENTER - Scuba and cave diving courses/trips, south of Cancun

 

[driftwood]

We have used both the Akumal Dive Center and the Akumal Dive shop. When we go back the Center will get our business. I don't like diving on boats that don't meet the Mexican Coast Guard requirements for basic things like first aid kits. Might have changed since we were last down there, but they were not in compliance in '06.

 

[traciedee]

Tallgirl have you checked out the Bahia dive op? I have read a couple of good reviews about them on other forums.

When are you going? I am considering Bahia or Sirenis, leaning towards Bahia basically because of the positive things I''ve read about the dive shop.