Diving Playa Del Carmen this July! Any advice

[ScottBuck]

Hello Everyone

At the end of July my family and I are going to PDC for a week and I will be doing some diving! I am staying at the Sandos Caracol resort so I booked my dives with Scuba Libre because they are located at the resort. Does anyone have any advice for me while I am down there like spots to dive, type of equipment to bring or anything that you would suggest for PDC. Also I know during the winter years there are bull shark dives, are there any type of shark dives (not whale sharks) during the summer? Anything that anybody has would be helpfull, Thanks!

 

[Ed Hatfield]

The bullsharks are gone once the water warms in late spring. You will likely see a nurse shark and possibly a reef shark while diving in the summer. I would like you to post a trip report once you get back as I am interested in knowing more about Scuba Libre. They don't get a lot of attention on ScubaBoard and tend to cater more towards the Spanish speaking community at the shop in PDC. This obviously can't be the case at the resort - so I'm just curious.

 

[ScottBuck]

No Problem!

 

[ednedfred]

Make sure you dive the cenotes. The water is chilly +/- 74 degrees. I typically use a 3 mil and a hood.

 

[VIKING54]

Newly married I went with my wife to Cozumel(opposite P-D-C)a week in early February.She'd NEVER been to a tropical country(her ex was a golfbore),and Not a diver. So of course she deserved something special! Took her to Columbia Reef on a snorkel excursion,but as I was the only certified among 54 mainly"Tequila Snorklers",I tried to stay a little in the very edge of the permitted area. My wife(and another couple)followed one of the guides,who swam over to me ca.
5 min. later and(looking serious)said"BOOLSHARK!". Confused I said"NURSESHARK?"(I'd NEVER even
imagine I'd see a such in the Caribbean!!!).He looked even more confused and disappeared,while I
thought"Bullshark,my eye....".Then my wife came,overjoyous;"DID YOU SEE IT?"."Ehhh,what??".
"The Bullshark,of course!"."Nurseshark,you mean....?". "NO,Bullshark.JAWS!!!". You should have seen this diver that moment.....The guides interrupted and demanded all back on the boat,where most everybody crowded around her and the couple.I had along a"Caribbean Reef Fish plate",and
pointed towards a Nurseshark,but both all of them said it was"much more massive,a REAL shark"!
They also agreed it was between 7 and 8 foot,and I would calmly say I was the most shocked
aboard. WHY? Because before leaving,my wife had SPECIFICALLY asked about sharks. I,never seen any but Nurseshark in that geologically new sea,had told her that,with the comment that it would be the Nurseshark which would flee IF she'd be around,and NOT the opposite.Now she looked me deep in the eyes,and said with pride:"Because you said there wouldn't be any dangerous sharks,I wanted to get a better look and swam towards it. However,I don't think it liked me,so it made a twitch with its tail and it was gone!". YES,I'M STILL SHOCKED!!!
Not precisely a quick reply,neither about diving from P-D-C in July,but I'm sure you will admit that not even Hollywood could have concocted this all too true story!

 

[mzaroff]

Hello! I have been to sandos caracol twice and dived with Scuba Libre both times(obviously). The DMs and Instructors are multilingual, very friendly and I always felt safe on the dives. If you have all your gear, bring it (except for weights and tanks) because it'll save you money in the long run. But if you don't bring your gear, no worries because their rental gear is very sturdy and safe. Talk to Alex and he can get you some good dive deals that aren't posted on the website!
I did notice that Scuba Libre isn't talked about very much at ScubaBoard.... I was starting to wonder whether I was the only one here that dive with them!
Unfortunately, there are no bull sharks once the water warms up (around end of March they leave I think?). Even though the bull sharks aren't there, there is so much more to see at PDC! I would definitely recommend at least one cenote dive...you won't regret it!
Hope this helps!

 

[ScottBuck]

cool thanks!