Best Dive sites...Cancun or Playa

[Mako Mark]

Cancun has some great diving and is greatly underestimated, even by people who live here like myself. Cozumel has the corals and the wall that are spectacular and have made it world famous, but the truth is, that there are not all that many fish there. Part of this is because it is such a narrow ecosystem, that it cant sustain much.

Cancun OTOH has very large, spread out reefs and a huge lagoon, which as far as area goes, supports a lot of life.

My favorite sites in Cancun are Iglasia, punta negra and no name.

I agree with most posters here, DO NOT MISS THE CENOTES. they are an awesome and facinating diving experience that is unique to this area.

 

[Pez de Diablo]

I would have to vote for the Cenotes between Playa del Carmen and Tulum. Then the reef dives in Cozumel followed by the Puerto Aventuras area.

I can't really comment on the diving out of Cancun, 1990 was the last time I dove there

 

[AKmountaineer]

Cancun has nice diving, but personally I would opt to dive further South to get away from the tourist hoards.

 

[dhunteriii]

Just got back Friday night from Cancun. Did 4 dives off Cancun and two in Cozumel. The coral around Cancun was badly damaged by Ivan as well as the wreck we dived but they were still awesome dives. Lots of sea life!

 

[stevsgarage]

"Cancun has nice diving, but personally I would opt to dive further South to get away from the tourist hoards."

I have to pretty much agree with this. The whole area is good but I really can't say I've seen that many more fish or larger fish around Cancun.

 

[Chocoholic]

I would have to vote for the Cenotes between Playa del Carmen and Tulum. Then the reef dives in Cozumel followed by the Puerto Aventuras area.

I can't really comment on the diving out of Cancun, 1990 was the last time I dove there

Are the cenotes safe for divers who are not cave certified? I have dove a lot in Cabo but never Yucatan and I would love to dive the cenotes. Are they considered an overhead environment or are they caves not quite full of water, I mean do they have a ceiling above the surface of the water? (And yes, I have done a search on the board.) I am considering going to PDC instead of Coz for my first trip to the area because of comments from the board about more fish life and less current in PDC. What do you all think about the Mayan Palace Riviera Maya? Thanks for the info.

 

[stevsgarage]

The Cenotes open to rec. divers are considered Caverns (visible light) Divers are taken down in groups of 4 with a certified cave diver leader and often followed by another experienced diver (often a videotographer or Divemaster candidate).
The Cenotes you will enter are well explored and laid out with a guide string. Like all diving there is a certain risk you have to assume, and you should never attempt to go beyond your own comfort level. Having said this I would say if you choose a good dive operation cenote diving is very safe

 

[AmyJ]

Are the cenotes safe for divers who are not cave certified? I have dove a lot in Cabo but never Yucatan and I would love to dive the cenotes. Are they considered an overhead environment or are they caves not quite full of water, I mean do they have a ceiling above the surface of the water? (And yes, I have done a search on the board.) I am considering going to PDC instead of Coz for my first trip to the area because of comments from the board about more fish life and less current in PDC. What do you all think about the Mayan Palace Riviera Maya? Thanks for the info.

Hi there.. I don't know if I responded to you in another thread... (my brain is dehydrated) But we love the Mayan Palace. Will be there next week for the third time. It is a great place to hang out (pools are awesome!)... but also very close to alot of fun stuff. We spend more time there if we are with the kids, and if not, mostly just sleep there. If you have any questions or would like to chat, feel free to pm. And by the way, we love PDC... tend to eat there every night...

 

[AmyJ]

The Cenotes open to rec. divers are considered Caverns (visible light) Divers are taken down in groups of 4 with a certified cave diver leader and often followed by another experienced diver (often a videotographer or Divemaster candidate).
The Cenotes you will enter are well explored and laid out with a guide string. Like all diving there is a certain risk you have to assume, and you should never attempt to go beyond your own comfort level. Having said this I would say if you choose a good dive operation cenote diving is very safe

We are setting up a cenote dive for next week. so... what do you acutally see down there? Is it really dark? So.. there is an overhead environment but you are close to an exit?? is that it? What about snorkeling there (family members that don't dive). Is that a good experience and again, what do you see?? Thanks for the info!

 

[DiveExtreme22]

A recent article in Sport Diver magazine made reference to really good dive sites off Cancun. I was leaning toward Playa but now ??? Any comments/suggestions.

Tuckster :11:

i dove pdc during the summer with my resort...seafari and then another dive with phantom divers...do tortugas reef if you end up diving playa, saw tarpon tuna cuda sharks and at least 20 turtles on that dive, and its real relaxing cuz its a drift. do los arcos and pared verde too if your up for a 100 foot wall dive, idk your cert level. the best dive i did there was definitely tortugas though...cant give u any input on cancun, never been there