Diver-ticulitis
New
I know I shouldn't be telling you this, but I found one of the best kept secrets of the Mayan Riviera in Mexico - a real under-the-radar scuba diving operation that I only found out about through friends from back home in Montreal. This guy doesn't even have a website - although now he has a Facebook page (Enjoy! Riviera Maya) and a youtube video. I went on a one-week dive trip to Cozumel and Playa del Carmen with my wife and 23-year-old daughter.
His customized diving service was impressive. He showed really good instincts in getting our level and desires for diving as well as our other trip expectations right from the start. Francois Bizier has a calm, professional manner about himself, with good leadership skills and confidence as a dive instructor with expertise in cenote and cave diving. He was knowledgeable about and familiar with all the Mayan Riviera cenotes, and he was fully safety equipped for cenotes diving. (You can tell a lot about a dive instructor who brings a tackle box full of tools and replacement parts and fixes O rings on the spot before they become a problem, not to mention carrying full oxygen, first aid and other safety gear... like a doctor girlfriend.) We were really reassured to see how this dive master organized himself in such a natural way (not obsessive, but with great attention to detail. Nothing was forgotten!)
The underwater splendor was varied - each cenote more beautiful than, and completely different from, the next - from stalactites, stalagmites, rock caves, caverns, tunnels, fossils, to areas under mangrove forests and turtle ponds; from fresh water to salt water - including halocline experiences, and temperature differentials. Yet these were tranquil, pristine, natural, non-commercial sites - each felt like a private piece of paradise in safe, comfortable surroundings - ECO parks and privately supervised locations - you were never far from a bathroom or a changing room. It felt like we were diving where the locals dived and we successfully avoided the "MacDonald's" of commercial cenotes areas (although we could have requested them if we wanted).
On the first day we dove 2 cenotes (his special passion) in the morning in the Kan Tun Chi Eco-park, close to the Tulum ruins. Then we had a homemade prepared lunch he brought of typical foods - to your taste (we were asked if there were things we didn't want or allergies, etc.). Then he took us to visit the Tulum ruins. On the second day, we did 2 dives that brought us close to the ruins at Coba (Casa and Aktun Ha), had lunch in the car (to save time) and then for the afternoon we rented bicycles and rode through the forest looking at the Coba ruins, climbed the Nohoch Mul pyramid, etc., and came back for dinner together in Playa. We couldn't ask for a better experience of this beautiful area of the Riviera Maya Tipica not Turistica!!!!!!
Francois Bizier is a trilingual dive master - speaks fluently in French, Spanish and English. He gives personalized service. He picked us up at the ferry boat from Cozumel in Playa del Carmen, and brought us to a really nice posada at a reasonable price ($79 / night in high season for 3 in room). He seems to know everyone and all the great places to dive, stay and eat. Based near Playa del Carmen, with a true passion for and specialty in cenotes diving, he is also fully equipped for open water diving off Playa and Puerto Morelos for the bull shark season, as well as having connections to take trips north for the whale shark season. In our case, we were a group that included an experienced diver (227 dives) an intermediate diver (137 dives) and a less frequent diver (PADI Advanced at 37 dives). However, if we were all experienced divers and had the desire for more adventurous diving, Francois would have taken us to deeper dives and even more advanced dives (ex. a 140-foot drop). I imagine that if people were more beginner level divers that he would custom tailor the dive trips to accommodate these levels of diving, too.
He can build a trip to fit your diving and sight-seeing expectations. Everything works out of his Chevy wagon with roof rack - it comfortably seated five, including Francois, with all the gear and tanks in the back and on the top. Working with small groups out of his car, he can reach anywhere within 1 1/2 hours of Playa - as in cenotes and visits to Maya ruins; or, when requested, he can plan longer trips to Cozumel or Isla Mujeres Island. It is really customized and personalized service par excellence with the goal of ensuring that you enjoy your Mayan Riviera experience.
The best way to contact Francois is to email him personally to set up a plan. His email is: frankbizbiz@hotmail.com and his local phone at Playa (from North America dial 011-52-1-984-807-0936) (from Mexico 044-1-984-807-0936). Although the pricing is very competitive with other dive ops, you receive a far greater personal experience than you would find elsewhere - and give time for his response because when he's out with a group, he's out with his group!!! Like I said, I really shouldnt be telling you about Francois this is diving the Riviera Maya the way its supposed to be, and Id really like to keep this secret treasure all to myself.
His customized diving service was impressive. He showed really good instincts in getting our level and desires for diving as well as our other trip expectations right from the start. Francois Bizier has a calm, professional manner about himself, with good leadership skills and confidence as a dive instructor with expertise in cenote and cave diving. He was knowledgeable about and familiar with all the Mayan Riviera cenotes, and he was fully safety equipped for cenotes diving. (You can tell a lot about a dive instructor who brings a tackle box full of tools and replacement parts and fixes O rings on the spot before they become a problem, not to mention carrying full oxygen, first aid and other safety gear... like a doctor girlfriend.) We were really reassured to see how this dive master organized himself in such a natural way (not obsessive, but with great attention to detail. Nothing was forgotten!)
The underwater splendor was varied - each cenote more beautiful than, and completely different from, the next - from stalactites, stalagmites, rock caves, caverns, tunnels, fossils, to areas under mangrove forests and turtle ponds; from fresh water to salt water - including halocline experiences, and temperature differentials. Yet these were tranquil, pristine, natural, non-commercial sites - each felt like a private piece of paradise in safe, comfortable surroundings - ECO parks and privately supervised locations - you were never far from a bathroom or a changing room. It felt like we were diving where the locals dived and we successfully avoided the "MacDonald's" of commercial cenotes areas (although we could have requested them if we wanted).
On the first day we dove 2 cenotes (his special passion) in the morning in the Kan Tun Chi Eco-park, close to the Tulum ruins. Then we had a homemade prepared lunch he brought of typical foods - to your taste (we were asked if there were things we didn't want or allergies, etc.). Then he took us to visit the Tulum ruins. On the second day, we did 2 dives that brought us close to the ruins at Coba (Casa and Aktun Ha), had lunch in the car (to save time) and then for the afternoon we rented bicycles and rode through the forest looking at the Coba ruins, climbed the Nohoch Mul pyramid, etc., and came back for dinner together in Playa. We couldn't ask for a better experience of this beautiful area of the Riviera Maya Tipica not Turistica!!!!!!
Francois Bizier is a trilingual dive master - speaks fluently in French, Spanish and English. He gives personalized service. He picked us up at the ferry boat from Cozumel in Playa del Carmen, and brought us to a really nice posada at a reasonable price ($79 / night in high season for 3 in room). He seems to know everyone and all the great places to dive, stay and eat. Based near Playa del Carmen, with a true passion for and specialty in cenotes diving, he is also fully equipped for open water diving off Playa and Puerto Morelos for the bull shark season, as well as having connections to take trips north for the whale shark season. In our case, we were a group that included an experienced diver (227 dives) an intermediate diver (137 dives) and a less frequent diver (PADI Advanced at 37 dives). However, if we were all experienced divers and had the desire for more adventurous diving, Francois would have taken us to deeper dives and even more advanced dives (ex. a 140-foot drop). I imagine that if people were more beginner level divers that he would custom tailor the dive trips to accommodate these levels of diving, too.
He can build a trip to fit your diving and sight-seeing expectations. Everything works out of his Chevy wagon with roof rack - it comfortably seated five, including Francois, with all the gear and tanks in the back and on the top. Working with small groups out of his car, he can reach anywhere within 1 1/2 hours of Playa - as in cenotes and visits to Maya ruins; or, when requested, he can plan longer trips to Cozumel or Isla Mujeres Island. It is really customized and personalized service par excellence with the goal of ensuring that you enjoy your Mayan Riviera experience.
The best way to contact Francois is to email him personally to set up a plan. His email is: frankbizbiz@hotmail.com and his local phone at Playa (from North America dial 011-52-1-984-807-0936) (from Mexico 044-1-984-807-0936). Although the pricing is very competitive with other dive ops, you receive a far greater personal experience than you would find elsewhere - and give time for his response because when he's out with a group, he's out with his group!!! Like I said, I really shouldnt be telling you about Francois this is diving the Riviera Maya the way its supposed to be, and Id really like to keep this secret treasure all to myself.
