Aquanauts

[lovetodive-travel]

I have friends that will be staying at the Iberostar Paraiso Beach Hotel. They have "very limited diving experience" and will take a recertification course either in the states or in Mexico.
Our local diveshop recommended "Aquanauts". I told then that I would check with the scubaboard group for opinions... so what do you think... Is "Aquanauts" the diveshop to send them to????

 

[baystr]

hmmm.......I thought aquanauts was on the mainland in Puerto Adventuras.......Dennis Weeks "Pez Diablo" used to be a part.........I would look to someone smaller..........Aldora, Blue XTsea, for a more personal experience........small boat........

 

[lovetodive-travel]

Sorry about that- Iberostar Paraíso Beach in Riviera Maya... Aquanauts is about a 30 to 40 minute drive for them. They are so new to diving that their main concern, rightly so, is safety... They would prefer to do a shore dive and then maybe a boat dive...

 

[baystr]

They arent really that new to diving, they have been around a little while, under multiple owners..........they do some shore dives, and lot's of Cenote dives, I am sorry but dont have any experience boat diving out of Riviera Maya.........why would you when coz is such a short ferry ride to some of the best drift diving in the world!

 

[markmantei]

I've heard good things about Aquanuts on this board but have never used them personally. I would however recommend Abyss Dive Center in Playa Del Carmen. I've used them several times and they have been great. Small boats and personal service. The smaller boats mean that they will be able to ensure the dives are done on sites that are SAFE for the level of experience of your friends.

 

[DandyDon]

CONFUSION ALERT...!! :shocked2:

They arent really that new to diving, they have been around a little while, under multiple owners..........they do some shore dives, and lot's of Cenote dives, I am sorry but dont have any experience boat diving out of Riviera Maya.........why would you when coz is such a short ferry ride to some of the best drift diving in the world!

I think that the "they" referenced meant the newbie divers stayin at the Iberostar.

Ok so is this the hotel they are going to? Hotels - Iberostar Paraíso Maya - Riviera Maya That site doesn't say where it is and Maya Riviera is a vague term. This site Iberostar Paraiso - Iberostar Paraiso Beach - Iberostar Paraiso Del Mar says that it is a 5 hotel complex along the coast there.

And is this the dive Op you are asking about? Aquanauts Dive Adventures That one is at Puerto Morelos

A 30-40 minute drive to the dive boat would be much too much to me, but I don't think we know which hotel they are going to. If their hotel has an on-site dive operator, that would be much simpler and for first timers - should suffice.

As far as safety goes, beach dives are not safer to me. There is no crew helping and watching for you. They can help with weight checking I suppose. As far as safety...

I like to see new divers hire a private DM for the first day or two. Money well spent on learning ocean diving, be it shore diving, boat diving or both.

Even if they are using rental equipment, they need their own signaling devices each: SMB, Storm Whistle, etc. - and carry them on every dive, not leaving in the boat bag like one couple I knew who got swept away once.

Dive Insurance with DAN Divers Alert Network or Dive Assure is essential regardless of how often they are going to go. I do Trip Insurance for trips to Mexico too.
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[lovetodive-travel]

Clarification- Hotel... web site for hotel is Hotels - Iberostar Paraíso Beach - Riviera Maya, The Iberostar Paraíso Beach lies between Playa del Carmen and the lesser-known city of Puerto Morelos, which is some 15 minutes from Cancun International Airport.
Clarification- Dive shop- Aquanauts Dive Adventures is located in Puerto Morelos, Mexico.
My friends were certified 4 years ago and did dive in Cozumel but have not been diving since.
This is a family trip and they only want a day or two of diving.
My friends... do not want to dive off a boat and I respect their wishes. My friends want a shore entry where depth is easily controlled, where they can practice their buoyancy skills, etc...
My friends plan on diving with a dive master or a dive instructor for a recertification/resourse dive.
Aquanauts was a recommendation that they received from our local dive shop in Wisconsin...

 

[DandyDon]

Okaaaay, I was thinking it's only 40 minutes or so from PDC to Cancun airport. I bet they won't be 15 minutes from PM and the Op. Much better. Sorry I don't know the Op personally, but I bet they'll do well with them - and enjoy visiting Puerto Morelos from what I have heard.

 

[markmantei]

I don't believe there is much in the way of shore diving in the mayan riviera, I had a similar thought a few weeks ago and found this thread: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/mexico/83315-mayan-riviera-shore-diving.html

You could try emailing your questions to aquanunts though and see what they have to say.

Here is their contact page: Aquanauts Dive Adventures

 

[decidedlyodd]

I dove with this shop (Aquanauts in Puerto Morelos) last December. It was just two boat dives in one day of diving. Both dives were quite shallow (first about 45ft, second about 35ft), but were drift dives. I could be wrong, but my impression was that all the interesting diving was offshore and only reachable by boat there.

I had just finished my certification at the time and was still fairly green. The DM was pretty good about dealing with me as a somewhat uncomfortable newbie diver. The boat was small with just 4 divers, a DM and a boat captain. One of the owners shared her excellent, homemade passion fruit ice cream with us afterwards, which was also nice.