Question Cavern diving Tulum

[Lu Y]

Hello,

My husband and I are planning to do 1 week of cavern diving (we have AOW, single tank) in Tulum in 2025 or 2026, and would welcome perspectives on the topics below:

- Season: Which months do you recommend for the best chance of sunny weather and lights in the caverns?
- Dive center: How does Under The Jungle compare with ProTec for recreational cavern diving? We are planning to get a private guide.

Many thanks!
Lu

 

[rick00001967]

i think weather is always a crap shoot but google says feb, march, and april have the least average rainfall in that area.

both those dive shops you mentioned have great reputations. i am sure either would be just fine.

might come down to which location works best for you. protec is right in tulum where as under the jungle is at the entrance to tajma ha and eden i believe, which is north of tulum

 

[Lu Y]

i think weather is always a crap shoot but google says feb, march, and april have the least average rainfall in that area.

both those dive shops you mentioned have great reputations. i am sure either would be just fine.

might come down to which location works best for you. protec is right in tulum where as under the jungle is at the entrance to tajma ha and eden i believe, which is north of tulum

Thanks Rick.

Regarding the location, we would like to dive 14+ caverns (the 5-day package from Under The Jungle has 14 caverns). Which location would you recommend between protec and under the jungle, please?

The price for private dives (3 dives per day, 2 divers) are a bit lower than protec.

 

[rick00001967]

as i said, either shop in my opinion is a safe bet. but depending where you are staying, and which cenotes you will be diving, one shop location may be more convenient for you.

i do not know where you will be staying but for example, if you are staying right in tulum (i believe protec offers their own accommodations in case you were not aware) then using protec might be more convenient.

 

[halocline]

Thanks Rick.

Regarding the location, we would like to dive 14+ caverns (the 5-day package from Under The Jungle has 14 caverns). Which location would you recommend between protec and under the jungle, please?

The price for private dives (3 dives per day, 2 divers) are a bit lower than protec.

I’m a huge fan of Under the Jungle, having done the majority of my cave training there. They are just very high quality people, very dedicated to hiring top quality guides and instructors. But, Protec has a good reputation too. It’s your choice. As far as the location, if you’re diving in 14 different caverns, you’re very likely going to be going around the whole area between playa and Tulum, so I’m not sure the location of the dive shop makes that much difference. You can look on a map and see where UTJ is located; it’s basically at the entrance to the Tajma Ha cenote, about 30-40 minutes north of downtown tulum. Other than the first day, I’d guess that it won’t be necessary for you to go to the shop every day; if you were diving in the tulum area the guide could meet you down there with the tanks and take you to the cenotes. That’s something to ask about.

 

[34109411]

Hello,

My husband and I are planning to do 1 week of cavern diving (we have AOW, single tank) in Tulum in 2025 or 2026, and would welcome perspectives on the topics below:

- Season: Which months do you recommend for the best chance of sunny weather and lights in the caverns?
- Dive center: How does Under The Jungle compare with ProTec for recreational cavern diving? We are planning to get a private guide.

Many thanks!
Lu

there is nothing such sunny wheather and lights in the cavern most of the time.

 

[Lu Y]

I’m a huge fan of Under the Jungle, having done the majority of my cave training there. They are just very high quality people, very dedicated to hiring top quality guides and instructors. But, Protec has a good reputation too. It’s your choice. As far as the location, if you’re diving in 14 different caverns, you’re very likely going to be going around the whole area between playa and Tulum, so I’m not sure the location of the dive shop makes that much difference. You can look on a map and see where UTJ is located; it’s basically at the entrance to the Tajma Ha cenote, about 30-40 minutes north of downtown tulum. Other than the first day, I’d guess that it won’t be necessary for you to go to the shop every day; if you were diving in the tulum area the guide could meet you down there with the tanks and take you to the cenotes. That’s something to ask about.

Thanks a lot, this is very helpful. In your experience, does the dry season have better lights vs. rest of the year?

 

[Lu Y]

there is nothing such sunny wheather and lights in the cavern most of the time.

Sorry by lights I meant those light beams

 

[DiveLikeAMuppet]

Evil idea: if you are going to Mexico in 2026, you could do intro to cave and have so much more fun (you know you want to and if you get obsessed with cave, you certainly will do it sooner or later...) In general, if you are doing so many cavern dives, I would look into a bit of training beyond AOW as being stable in the cavern zone will make it so much more enjoyable, and the guides might be comfortable taking you to more interesting caverns such as Dreamgate.

ProTec is in Tulum, so probably a better location and they are great. I think it's good to be able to meet at the shop, you should (need to) analyse your gas anyway, you can mingle with other divers and look at what others are doing too. Don't discount independent guides who might be working for the big shops either.