Cenote Diving suggestions?

[1KWIK_69]

I've only been to one Cenote and that's because we just stumbled across it on our way back from Coba and we had our masks and fins with us.

I'm thinking about taking one day out to actually burn a couple tanks Cenote diving this trip. Any suggestions on a good outfit in Playa to take us to one?

 

[ggunn]

I've only been to one Cenote and that's because we just stumbled across it on our way back from Coba and we had our masks and fins with us.

I'm thinking about taking one day out to actually burn a couple tanks Cenote diving this trip. Any suggestions on a good outfit in Playa to take us to one?

You might check with your Coz dive op to see if they can take you. It will be more expensive than a boat dive, but by the time you factor in car rental and hiring a guide, plus the trouble of driving yourself, having to find the site, etc., it might be worth it. When Blue Angel took me over to Dos Ojos, I believe it was about US$100 plus ferry fare.

Another thing - it was a plus for me to go with a DM I already knew and trusted.

 

[Tunaman68]

Mexico Blue Dream

Playa Del Carmen Dive Center ..::Mexico Blue Dream::.. Profesional Dive Center

They ran a very nice trip, a great DM, two very nice dives, and a great lunch!

A+ for them!

 

[bwetter]

contact GeoFish, they are on this blog site and @ Geofish Dive - Scuba Diving, Snorkeling & PADI Instruction in Playa del Carmen & Cozumel, Mexico - DM's are the best and the lunch is great - not only will you get the dives but you will learn a little about history and culture also - very informative and makes the dives even more interesting ...not that you won't be amazed by the Cenote itself

 

[orm]

Which cenote did you go to?

The guides that guide cenotes are cave trained guides and will not be the DMs that work in the shops. I don't see GeoFish there that often so can't comment, Mex B Dream I think Etienne still does their Cenotes and is more than experienced to do the job and is a nice fella.

A lot of shops tend to use freelance guides depending on the frequency of their trips. Yukatec are pretty much always their as are Scuba Libre and Dressel.

As a rule most of the guides have been guiding a long time and are very very good and more than proficient to take you underground, it then just boils down to when you want to go and where you want to go and how much you want to pay.

The two most common are Chac Mool and Dos Ojos, both hugely different systems. Then there's Tajma Ha as maybe the third most popular this side of Tulum.

Good luck!

 

[CAVDVR93538]

If you rent a car there are several. Since you are just cenote diving, then you could find a map and dive them by yourself. On the road to Coba there is Temple of Doom and right across the street (Coba Rd) is Car Wash. Get a map and a car and check them out instead of spending money on a guide. One of the larger cenote's is Ponderosa as well as Dos Ojos. If you were "cave diving" my opinion would be different.
There is also a new shop in Tulum

 

[1KWIK_69]

Which cenote did you go to?

We just snorkled in a place called Grand Cenote just off the road from Coba to Tulum on the North side of the road. It was so cool that I decided one of these trips I have to actually bring all the gear and dive one.


Thanks for all the advice everyone!

 

[ggunn]

If you rent a car there are several. Since you are just cenote diving, then you could find a map and dive them by yourself. On the road to Coba there is Temple of Doom and right across the street (Coba Rd) is Car Wash. Get a map and a car and check them out instead of spending money on a guide. One of the larger cenote's is Ponderosa as well as Dos Ojos. If you were "cave diving" my opinion would be different.
There is also a new shop in Tulum

There is no way I would have dived Dos Ojos without a DM.

 

[Texas Torpedo]

One of the best IMO is Dennis with Diablo divers. I believe he is the NACD safety officer for the area and one heck of a great guy / guide / cave instructor. He gives excellent briefs and info on all the cenotes in the area. If you are diving in Cozumel you can take the ferry across and he'll pick you up at the terminal in Playa.
Diablo Divers

 

[TSandM]

Get a map and a car and check them out instead of spending money on a guide.

I'm sorry, but this is TERRIBLE advice. Some of the cavern zones in MX are enormous and very confusing (I've had trouble figuring out where to go when I decided to take an alternate route out of Grand Cenote, myself -- in the daylight zone. I couldn't get from where I was to where the light was without going back into the darkness, and I know the place.) If you lose the line, you may find one that heads into cave by mistake. Please, anyone who is reading this, do not believe that because there is a good safety record for OW divers doing the tours with a qualified guide, it is fine for OW divers to do the same dives by themselves. It's not.

Cenote tours are a big business in Quintana Roo. There is a set of rules by which the guides are supposed to govern themselves, but adherence is voluntary. I have seen outfits breaking just about all of them, including diver to guide ratios, availability of lights, and not having the guide in cave gear. It's worth doing some homework before signing up with someone.

Dennis, as mentioned, is a very good guy. Two other delightful people I know who do guiding are Natalie Gibb and Jason Renoux. Both are fun to be around, knowledgeable about the caves, and safety-conscious. Plus Jason has just got his certification to teach through Intro to Cave, so if you got the bug and wanted to do a cavern class, you could go ahead and do it with him!