Any Decent Diving Near Cancun?

[cleung]

I've been to Cozumel twice and therefore have experienced the great diving there. I have a chance to go to Cancun for a non-dive related event in early December so I thought that I should also bring my dive gear. I've never been to the Cancun area. Is there any half decent diving near Cancun or should I just not bother and take the two hours to get over to Cozumel?

 

[h2odragon1]

keep in touch withthe weather reports. hurricaine Wilma is having a field-day with Cancun at the moment.
A Dec. trip may give them time to rebuild.
good luck and good diving

 

[papps953]

I was in Cancun last year and did the cenotes dives. While there is almost no life to see it was very interesting. I enjoying swimming around stalagtites and stalagmites.

Bill

 

[RiotNrrd]

A friend and I went earlier this year. The diving was nice. We went to Herradura and Manchones, and got to see lots of typical marine life. Tons of parrotfish, grunts, morays, sergeant majors, and pudding wifes (pudding wives?). Also a couple barracuda.

We also did four of the cenotes. They are quite amazing, but as the previous poster indicated, there is not so much in the form of marine life. It's more about the whole cavern diving experience. The halocline is quite a bizzare effect, and looking up into a cenote from underwater is amazingly beautiful. The cenotes are closer to Tulum.

Here's a link to a decent book:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0844248584/102-3680051-8485725?v=glance&n=283155&s=books&v=glance

And a link to a good cave diving shop in Playa del Carmen:

http://www.protecdiving.com/

 

[Charlie99]

Cozumel is better, but Cancun is definitely worth diving. And the cenotes an hour or 90 minutes to the south are a unique experience.

As RiotNrrd says, there is a ton of life on the Cancun reefs. IMO Cancun would be a popular dive destination were it not so close to Cozumel. The coral formations are nice, but not the truly massive formations like in Cozumel. Cozumel has the C-53 artificial wreck. Cancun has the sister ship C-55 (or vice versa).

Although you can get to Cozumel, dive, and return to Cancun in a day, since you have already been to Cozumel IMO it would make more sense to dive mostly in Cancun with one day devoted to going south to the cenotes.

 

[cleung]

How's the water temp in the cenotes? I've heard about them and just might check them out.

 

[RiotNrrd]

I dove them in a 3/2 and was fine. No worries.

Since they are fresh water, it's also nice to dive them near the end of your trip, so you can rinse the salt off all your gear.

 

[cleung]

That's right! I never thought of that. Diving in the cenotes will definitely give all my gear a good rinse.

Thanks

 

[Diver Lori]

The temps in the cenotes are a constant 78 degrees. I cave dive there and wear a 7mm with hooded vest....but I'm in the water alot longer than you will be.