Diving in Akumal?

[minnesnowta]

How is the diving in Akumal?

Hubby and I are considering a trip there. We are OW certified. Akumal Dive Center's website offers a cenote dive for OW peeps.

Other than that, we would just be diving in the ocean, I think...how is the ocean diving there? I know it is known for cenotes, but I am not finding a whole lot of info on ocean dives in Akumal. I will continue to search through the forums but any information is appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[nimoh]

I have been diving with Akumal Dive Center a few times, and I like their operation.

Their dive leaders (especially Chepo) are very good at pointing things out to see during dives. they have small boats, and the boat rides are less than 10 minutes to most of the dive sites that they go to. I believe they run 3 dives per day, and surface intervals are all on shore. There are also some good restaurants right on the beach for surface intervals.

For the cenote dives, you need to have pretty good buoyancy and trim for it to be fun. The protocol is that divers exiting the cavern environment have the right of way, and you may have to stop for them. If your feet drop in this situation, you will make a real mess of the visibility kicking up the sand. If that isn't a problem for you, then I would do some reading up on gas planning, and go for it. I know ADC goes to Dos Ojos, but not sure of what others they may go to.

 

[TexasSnowcat]

We did Akumal last Summer, stayed at Akumal Beach Resort and dove both caverns and open water with ADC. They took good care of us, open water is good, not as much color as Coz but lots of big turtles. First time in caverns. they were spectacular. We did Dos Ojos with an ADC guide. Go see the ruins in Tilum, if you have not done it before consider the swim with whale sharks trip. We took the airport shuttle from Cancun and then rented a car in Tilum- good deal.

 

[driftwood]

I wasn't impressed with the ocean dives off Akumal. Lot of algae, not many fish (but the ones we did see were big) and mostly dead coral. The snorkeling off Akumal is actually better than the diving. The cenotes were fantastic! Another couple of plus' for Akumal are the beaches and you can get a beach front condo on Half Moon Bay for a reasonable rate. We vacation in Akumal every couple of years and love the place. We just don't ocean dive there anymore. That being said, if you do dive off Akumal, ADC is the shop I would go with.

If you haven't seen any Mayan ruins, Tulum is an easy trip. The site is drop dead beautiful but the actual ruins are a shadow of what the Mayans could do. Coba, Chichen Itza and Ek Balam are much better.

 

[dfx]

We did a few ocean dives with Akumal Dive Shop last year and thought it was quite pretty. The "motorcycle reef" was the best

 

[cancun9]

We went in November 2011 & are heading back this July. I like the dives, not as much pretty coral as Cozumel, but tons of turtles. Just give it a try & if you don't like it, try cenotes or head down to Playa for a day. We usually use Dive Akumal because we always rent in Half Moon Bay & can walk or ride our bikes to the shop. However we are using Akumal Dive Shop for a Whale Shark trip in July.

 

[Grover48]

We have been to Akumal every year for the last 5 years. Akumal Dive Center is who we always use after a bad experience with another dive shop.

We rent a villa for the week and share the cos with another couple. We also spent one week at Hotel Akumal Caribe and just walked the 50 yards to the dive center.

They have 3 dives a day, two before lunch and one in the afternoon. All dives are single tank dives from an open panga. Divers return to shore after each dive. It will be best to dive at least one day before trying a cenote dive. That way the guide can assess your skills and it will give you some dives to get familiar with the area.

There is a website that will give you lots of the local info. LocoGringo dot com. There is an Akumal forum for info and many links for activities.

Yes, the reef is dead in spots. Hurricanes take their toll on the coral. The ruins in Tulum and Coba are well worth the time and effort to get there. If you rent a car, it gives you more freedom. If you don't rent, there are taxis everywhere and you can get hooked up with tours from the hotel.

PM if you want more info.

 

[BlackPatch]

Hi There,

I stayed at the Grand Sirenis 5km north of Akumal.
I dived with UTW. The instructors and DM's were great. Look up Iktor and Carlos, awesome blokes. Look up the Photographer girl whose name escapes me.. Fantastic pics and a great instructor to boot.

Anyhow... The reef dives (3 per day) are run at 0800 for the deep dive, 1100 to 60ft, 1300 to 30ft. If you like sand, coral and pretty fishes then it is not a bad place to be. You will most likely see Turtles and the such.
Vis can be as much as 70 + ft as low as 25ft. Water is warm at 27 deg C. Currents can move you you along quickly. Stay with the group.

The Cenotes have been mentioned before but, IMO are some of the most stunning places you will see in this lifetime. Cenotes such as Taj Mahal have the Light shows and blew me away. Chak Mool and Kukulcan were equally amazing, just in a different way. As has been mentioned you will need to abide by the "rule of thirds" for gas management in the cenotes (Just good practice in my opinion anyway). Obey your DM and all signs. Practice PBC and give way to outgoing divers.

Other than those few things I reckon you will have a blast.

Summary:
Akumal (and surrounding area) Ocean dives are nice with lots to see although there are better reef dives in Mexico.
Cenote's are just bloody stunning. Go see for yourself but follow the rules and have good Buoyancy Control.

May all your Caribbean Bubbles be fun filled.