Cancun or Playa del Carmen

[Jethroish]

Not to be short with anyone, but let me first say that, if you are going to say, "don't bother, just go to Coz," please don't.
I have found a deal on air and resort to Cancun and/or Playa. Cancun is up to $250 cheaper than Playa.
I have not been able to find much about Cancun diving but have found some on Playa.

We have only dove once in the Caribbean (heck, once outside of U.S. waters) so I won't be in in the mindset of comparing Playa to Coz, or Cayman to Belize, etc.
Just looking to plan a short winter get-away.

So...what I am looking for is, are there good dive operators in Cancun? Would Playa be better? If we go to Playa, I am going to schedule with Tank Ha.

Thanks

 

[bfisher]

Jethro,

I don't have any evidence to prove what I'm about to say. Just my expereience with Cozumel and Playa del Carmen.

I think if you want a better dive experience i'd forget Cancun. Most of the reefs there are of the shallow variety and if what I saw in Cozumel is any indication then they have to have been beat up pretty bad. Wilma took no prisoners. The reefs a little farther south will have probably faired better.

I was in Coz in May and June of this year and January and July last year so can make a pretty good comparison. However, I did have the pleasure of diving a couple reefs just south a Playa del Carmen several times in the last three years. and it seems they faired pretty well. I always like a dive on Tortuga reef as there just seems to be a slew of turtles on this thing and often a school or two of tarpon.

The reefs off the Yucatan don't have the grandeur of the Plancar pinnacles and other structure like Coz, but they should still give you a good time. And if Coz does call for you you can always take the ferry over and book a dive op for the day.

Just remember. This is drift diving so just go with the flow, relax, and have a good time. Wish you some good diving.

 

[divingjd]

Going with Tank Ha in Playa sounds like a good idea. The diving in Playa is similar to diving in Cancun, maybe a little batter. I've done both, Playa recently and Cancun several years ago. I can't really comment on the current Cancun dive operators. Personally, I like Playa better topside. It also puts you closer to the cenotes if you want to try a cenote dive. From Playa, you could take the ferry over to Coz pretty easily. Tank Ha also makes a direct run to Coz from Playa. There are some pretty reasonable hotels in Playa, check out Hotel la Tortuga. We stayed there in Janaury and loved it.

 

[scubawife]

Having dived in Cozumel and the mainland, I would suggest that if you stay in Playa del Carmen, if time permits, schedule a couple days diving out of either Puerto Aventuras or Akumal, and also a day of cenote dives. I enjoy Coz and the mainland. They are very different both above and below the water and really shouldn't be compared as one being better then the other. They are too different to compare fairly.

I've found the sites south of Playa (in Aventuras and Akumal) to be a bit better then Playa. And the area is known for it's cavern and cave dives so take advantage of that and experience the cenotes (cavern dive). You could also go to Cozumel for a day.

The best way to dive Cozumel is with a Cozumel based shop. Shops coming from the mainland are restricted to specific sites (or so I've heard from Coz operators). There are lots of very affordable hotels in Cozumel. You could do morning dives on the mainland, get the ferry and spend the night in Cozumel. Dive with a Cozumel op in the morning then head back to Playa after your dives. Staying in Playa would be a good central location to get several different dive experiences.

 

[Spratman]

If you are staying in the Cancun area, I recommend Maya Aqua Dive, km 5.5 on the Hotel Zone. They have dives for all skill levels and I dove Cancun/Isla Mujeres when I go down every year.

You don't say when you are going, but if it's anytime after Nov 1, contact the owner directly at benrmooney@yahoo.co.uk. He has two fast boats with showers and I've dove Machones and Punta Negra on my last trip the end of August with him.

Definitely do a couple of cenotes!

 

[miked10]

just got back from Puerto which is 15 minutes outh of playa. Playa had tons of dive shops. also the ferry for coz leave from there so you could alwys jump the ferry for the day. Playa gives you a good alternative to the ocean with cenote diving which is awesome. taj mahal and gran cenote are great just to name a few. i would go with playa. hit some reefs and cenotes and maybe a day in coz.

 

[clown trigger]

The first 25 dives I did was with Phantom Divers in PDC, 6 person boats, very fun/nice DM & boat operators. Did cenotes with them also. Dove in Coz twice great diving but there were people EVERYWHERE, whether from the boat I started on (16+ DM) or all the other dive operators that all seem to converge on the same dive site. PDC I never ran into crowds.

Mike10 is right the cenotes are great fun dos ojos and taj mal are incredible

 

[Blue Moon]

Not to be short with anyone, but let me first say that, if you are going to say, "don't bother, just go to Coz," please don't.
I have found a deal on air and resort to Cancun and/or Playa. Cancun is up to $250 cheaper than Playa...

Not sure what part of Oklahoma you live in but if you can get to DFW to start the air portion of your trip, you can get great deals on the charters that fly direct to both Cancun and Cozumel so either location may be an option for you to consider if you are willing to drive a few hours.

For example, if you can fly out on Monday and return on Friday, you can still get $79 roundtrip airfare to Cozumel or Cancun via the charters Ryan & Champion that fly that route... With taxes and other fees the fare is actually closer to $120 or so but still makes for a cheap flight….Weekend and holiday rates are much more expensive… You can get great deals on hotels in both places so it really comes down to what you want to do on your "short winter break."

Playa offers great beaches and with the resort atmosphere is a fantastic place to accommodate children and non-divers… For divers, the Cenote diving near Playa rivals some of the best diving on the planet and should be the focus of any dive trip to that area. The offshore diving is less than spectacular but certainly better than diving with catfish and cotton-mouths in Oklahoma… If you stay south of Playa, cenotes and natural water parks like Xel-Ha would be enough to keep you entertained. Xel-Ha is like Turner Falls on steroids…

On the other hand, Cozumel offers the most affordable world class reef diving experience available from DFW. You would likely be amazed at the reef diving off Cozumel compared to the Florida diving you mentioned in your bio. Cozumel offers some of the best visibility, marine life, and reefs on the planet…

Fortunately, in this scenario, it is possible to have the best of both worlds… If you stay in Playa, you can easily dive both the world class Cenotes and take the ferry over to Cozumel for a day of world class reef diving… If diving is your primary focus, this would make for a very memorable trip…

If flights and hotels end up being the same price, I would rather stay in Cozumel and dive the reefs most of the time and spend the final full day diving the beautiful Cenotes near Playa…. The ferry runs both ways so this is possible… Time is a consideration, especially on short trips… It takes 2 hours to fly from DFW to Cozumel or Cancun. If you land in Cozumel, you are minutes away from your resort or hotel. If you fly into Cancun, and go with the cheap package deals, your ground transfer will likely be included so you will get stuck on a slow shuttle to Playa and an even slower shuttle back from Playa to the Cancun airport that can often take over 2 hours… You will spend most of your final day traveling back just to wait at the Cancun airport for your flight unless you pay for private transportation.

You’ll enjoy Mexico. Please post a trip report when you get back.

Blue Moon

 

[plagsage]

I am a rookie, but I dove in Cancun 6 years ago and cozumel 1.5 years ago. I would choose Cozumel over Cancun. Would you take the ferry to Coz from Playa? Or, is there diving off of Playa del Carmen?
Also, consider diving the Cenotes (freshwater caverns) they are so cool. the ones I went to were a van trip south of Playa.