Arriving Mexico [Puerto Morelos] 29th November - Need advice

[Cav]

Hi everyone

Considered searching but seeing as I have a broad range of questions I thought it best to get targeted answers for exactly what I'd like to know from those more knowledgeable/experienced. Thanks in advance!

I'm arriving in Mexico 29th Nov and staying through until the 13th Dec at Puerto Morelos.

I am newly certified, my partner has 30(+-), and her friend will be getting certified in Mexico before we arrive (PADI Open Water) We plan to do AOW whilst in Mexico.

I'm wondering a few things:

• Where is the best diving?
• Is Cozumel crowded? How big is it? Any recommendations on when to go (day) or what dive site to visit?
• Are there any highly recommended wrecks to dive between Cancun and Playa del Carmen (We have a car)
• Where is the best place with the least amount of people? (Crowding)
  • We'd like to see: Marine life, colourful corals, rock formations, no dead or damaged stuff!
• Are there any diveable aeroplane wrecks along the coastline in the aforementioned range?
• Are there any recommendations on dive shops/operators to go with?
• Are there any dive sites worth seeing past Cozumel further out to sea?

Thanks for your help
Cav

 

[TSandM]

I had an interesting conversation with a dive shop owner here in Puerto Aventuras the other day. We both agreed that the diving on Cozumel is NOT ideal for beginning divers. The dives are deep and the currents can be strong. Diving off the mainland tends to be lower in current and there are shallower sites.

I have written about not being impressed with the reef diving off Akumal, but I did a couple of ocean dives here in PA this trip and was very pleased with the health of the reefs, and the profusion of fascinating sponges.

 

[ibj40]

I had an interesting conversation with a dive shop owner here in Puerto Aventuras the other day. We both agreed that the diving on Cozumel is NOT ideal for beginning divers. The dives are deep and the currents can be strong. Diving off the mainland tends to be lower in current and there are shallower sites.

I have written about not being impressed with the reef diving off Akumal, but I did a couple of ocean dives here in PA this trip and was very pleased with the health of the reefs, and the profusion of fascinating sponges.

We're heading back down to PA the first week in December, and share your appreciation for the ocean diving environment there. Can I ask if you were diving with Dive Aventuras (which is who we dive with)?

 

[Kryssa]

We dove a wreck right off Puerto Morelos a couple of years ago when we were staying in Cancun. I have it down as the C-58 Juan Escuita. We dove with Scorpio Divers that trip and had a good time. We only had 15-20 dives after certification when we dove it so it's not very deep, but I remember the current was kicking. Also saw my first sea turtle on that dive!

 

[scubadada]

You might want to do some of your diving right in Puerto Morelos. My wife and I had a short trip to Puerto Morelos and enjoyed the diving with Dive in Puerto Morelos Welcome to Dive in Puerto Morelos Very responsive, small operation. The wreck is the C56ARM/Cadete Juan Escutia. It had a school of Eagle Rays on it, lots of other life, max depth was 90 feet. Puerto Morelos is a reasonably quaint place for the Riviera Maya, many very good smaller restaurants. We enjoyed the trip

 

[BRT]

We dove Puerto Morelos almost every year since 1997. The reefs there are full of clouds of fish. Last January we spent over a week in Coz. In most ways it is better diving but later in our vacation we got back to PM and really enjoyed the fish filled reefs again. The C56 is great. So far as airplanes a local fisherman took me out to what he thought was the landing gear of a plane. I couldn't identify it as such at all but there were thousands of 9-12" identical gray fish covering the bottom. After we spent a few minutes there he took off spearing fish and collecting lobster. I asked him why he didn't spear any of the multitude of fish around the landing gear. He said they were good to eat but he just liked to see them there! We have stayed at Akumal, Cozumel, Tulum, Mahahual, Xcalak and Cancun but Puerto Morelos may be my favorite place in the world.

 

[MMM]

You might want to take a look in the Coz sub forum for more detail related to many of your questions, including SCADS of recommendations for dive ops. I live part-time in Cozumel and it is not crowded. It is kind of like a beach town. You just avoid the main drag during the period cruise ships are in since the cruisers seldom venture further than one block back in town.

The whole Mayan Riviera area is not known for its wrecks. It is best known for the life on the coral reef off Cozumel and the cenotes located on the mainland. I would suggest that you are probably too new to try diving cenotes and there really is no life, to speak of, in there.

In terms of days, Sundays are good since there aren't m/any cruise ships in port on that day. Any dive sites past Cozumel further out to sea would be quite advanced and would take a long time to get there. I'm not aware of much further out than Maracaibo (starts at 140 feet) and ops will only go there under certain sea conditions due to the remoteness.

I think there is lots of good beginner diving in Cozumel, but you need to be clear up front with the operator that you are new divers and want fairly benign sites/conditions. Stay away from the cattle boats and if you dive with the smaller ops that provide customized service and small groups, you should be fine as they have excellent safety records.

Hi everyone

Considered searching but seeing as I have a broad range of questions I thought it best to get targeted answers for exactly what I'd like to know from those more knowledgeable/experienced. Thanks in advance!

I'm arriving in Mexico 29th Nov and staying through until the 13th Dec at Puerto Morelos.

I am newly certified, my partner has 30(+-), and her friend will be getting certified in Mexico before we arrive (PADI Open Water) We plan to do AOW whilst in Mexico.

I'm wondering a few things:

• Where is the best diving?
• Is Cozumel crowded? How big is it? Any recommendations on when to go (day) or what dive site to visit?
• Are there any highly recommended wrecks to dive between Cancun and Playa del Carmen (We have a car)
• Where is the best place with the least amount of people? (Crowding)
  • We'd like to see: Marine life, colourful corals, rock formations, no dead or damaged stuff!
• Are there any diveable aeroplane wrecks along the coastline in the aforementioned range?
• Are there any recommendations on dive shops/operators to go with?
• Are there any dive sites worth seeing past Cozumel further out to sea?

Thanks for your help
Cav

 

[Cav]

Thanks everyone for your input. I will have a scour of the Cozumel specific sub-forum too.
Whilst I am a beginner diver, we were planning to do some of the cenotes towards the middle/end of our trip - after at least 8 OW dives, and asking the dive operator for "Beginner" Cenotes if they exist. They have captured my fascination!

 

[TSandM]

We did dive with Dive Aventuras -- we took a whole group (22 people) down this time, and DA managed all the open water diving for us. They did a very good job. My only complaint was the guide wanted to cover too much ground, but that's not unique to DA or this guide!

Cav, the dive ops will take anybody on a cavern tour, but may I suggest that you consider doing a day of snorkeling or swimming in the cenotes, instead of diving? Although the dives have an excellent safety record (as long as the guides follow the rules), the caves show the price paid by taking people with limited skill into an environment that cannot heal or replace itself. In addition, I think it's an awfully good idea that you have some sense of how you react to problems underwater, before you might have to face one in an overhead environment.

I love the caves and think everybody ought to get a chance to see what they are about, but it does take a certain level of control of one's buoyancy, trim, and kicking technique to do it without damaging anything.

 

[Oldbear]

I have dove twice with Dive Puerto Morelos and Brett will take good care of you. He can also help set up cenote dives that make your skill level and training. PM has to be one of the best little villages that mass commercialization has not found yet.

Like others have said, if you dive Coz, please be forthwith on you groups diving skill levels...there are some great dive sites that would be fun for any new diver...just tell them truthfully.

Happy Bubbles...

~Oldbear~