SavetheSharks
Registered
This is a little overdue but here it is.
We won a trip from a radio station here in Denver to Playa Del Carmen well a little south of Playa staying at the Occidental Grand Xcaret. Before the trip we email a couple of dive shops (we have dove in Cozumel a few times but never at the mainland). We decided to go with Geofish.
Before we arrived in Mexico, both Max and Morgan were very responsive to all our emails and questions...and we had quite a few. They were very patient and polite to our inquiries. When we arrived for our first dive trip, it was very well organized. They set us up into separate groups and we were in Marco's group both days we dove with Geofish. Marco is a very safety minded DM. He also took our equipment and set everything up for us. He did a very thourough predive plan with us, so we knew exactly what to expect. While diving he checked on everyone in the group (there was only one other person beside my partner and myself so a nice small group) several times making sure we were still together and had plenty of air. The one other gentleman we dove with decided he wanted to swim all over the place and do sommersaults. Very strange. He obviously ran out of air fairly quickly doing this so we all came up together. The next dive he started to do it again and Marco swam up to him and waived his finger at him, and he stopped. Marco also found us several turtles and eels on all the dives. My partner is not what I call a big fan of eels so he always warned her that was what he was showing us before she got too close. The next day of diving(we went snorkeling with the whale sharks in between our two days of diving), the sommersault guy was not on the boat, and we were paired with another couple. Those dives were much better since we didn't have someone with us just goofing around using up air. The lady in the couple had only been on 15 dives but she was much more pleasant to dive with.A few times she drifed a little close to us on accident, but all in all she did very well for being almost a complete beginner. (The sommersault guy almost stepped on a yellow ray too, as he was trying to show us it) I would definately go with Geofish again if we are ever in PLaya again. I would love to do the bull shark dive with them someday. (I don't think I can talk my partner into going...maybe she can sit at the beach that day!)
Geofish also set up our whale shark trip. We left from Punta Sam, and the day we went the ocean was pretty rough. The boat crew warned people that they may want to take some motion sickness medicine before we left, but I think me and my partner were the only ones that took that advise. When we found the sharks there seemed to be several them. It was a little difficult snorkeling with the water so rough but we still had a great time snorkeling. Back on the boat however, there were several sick people. Then on the way back, on of the engines blew out and another boat had to come "rescue" us. Hoping from one boat to the other was quite the adventure too in rough water. I got one foot on the "new" boat and then the waves pushed both boats apart...let me tell you, this is as close to as I have ever gotten to doing the splits. I had to pull my foot back to the original boat and wait for the boats to come back together. On the new boat....were more sick people. My advice is that if the crew tells you that you may want to take some motion sickness meds...take them!! A few years ago we went snorkeling in Holbox, and although it is a much longer trip, I enjoyed that one much more.
The Occidental Grand Xcaret is probably the biggest resort I have ever stayed at. It was not terrible but probably not a place I would choose if I am footing my own bill. The thing I really didn't like about the resort, or the Xcaret park is that it seemed a little too zooish. I like seeing wild animals and not animals in a pen or cage. At the resort there were several wild coati mundis and that was cool to see, but they also had several deer in a pen. Really? There are people that have never seen a deer and they have to keep them in a pen? Felt bad everytime I passed them. Xcaret the park also had several different animals in a pen. The day we went there we only went for a couple of hours and then went back to our resort. We went back for the show at night which was pretty good.
We had a fun time, but I have to say, I missed not going to Cozumel. But hey, it was a free trip!!
We won a trip from a radio station here in Denver to Playa Del Carmen well a little south of Playa staying at the Occidental Grand Xcaret. Before the trip we email a couple of dive shops (we have dove in Cozumel a few times but never at the mainland). We decided to go with Geofish.
Before we arrived in Mexico, both Max and Morgan were very responsive to all our emails and questions...and we had quite a few. They were very patient and polite to our inquiries. When we arrived for our first dive trip, it was very well organized. They set us up into separate groups and we were in Marco's group both days we dove with Geofish. Marco is a very safety minded DM. He also took our equipment and set everything up for us. He did a very thourough predive plan with us, so we knew exactly what to expect. While diving he checked on everyone in the group (there was only one other person beside my partner and myself so a nice small group) several times making sure we were still together and had plenty of air. The one other gentleman we dove with decided he wanted to swim all over the place and do sommersaults. Very strange. He obviously ran out of air fairly quickly doing this so we all came up together. The next dive he started to do it again and Marco swam up to him and waived his finger at him, and he stopped. Marco also found us several turtles and eels on all the dives. My partner is not what I call a big fan of eels so he always warned her that was what he was showing us before she got too close. The next day of diving(we went snorkeling with the whale sharks in between our two days of diving), the sommersault guy was not on the boat, and we were paired with another couple. Those dives were much better since we didn't have someone with us just goofing around using up air. The lady in the couple had only been on 15 dives but she was much more pleasant to dive with.A few times she drifed a little close to us on accident, but all in all she did very well for being almost a complete beginner. (The sommersault guy almost stepped on a yellow ray too, as he was trying to show us it) I would definately go with Geofish again if we are ever in PLaya again. I would love to do the bull shark dive with them someday. (I don't think I can talk my partner into going...maybe she can sit at the beach that day!)
Geofish also set up our whale shark trip. We left from Punta Sam, and the day we went the ocean was pretty rough. The boat crew warned people that they may want to take some motion sickness medicine before we left, but I think me and my partner were the only ones that took that advise. When we found the sharks there seemed to be several them. It was a little difficult snorkeling with the water so rough but we still had a great time snorkeling. Back on the boat however, there were several sick people. Then on the way back, on of the engines blew out and another boat had to come "rescue" us. Hoping from one boat to the other was quite the adventure too in rough water. I got one foot on the "new" boat and then the waves pushed both boats apart...let me tell you, this is as close to as I have ever gotten to doing the splits. I had to pull my foot back to the original boat and wait for the boats to come back together. On the new boat....were more sick people. My advice is that if the crew tells you that you may want to take some motion sickness meds...take them!! A few years ago we went snorkeling in Holbox, and although it is a much longer trip, I enjoyed that one much more.
The Occidental Grand Xcaret is probably the biggest resort I have ever stayed at. It was not terrible but probably not a place I would choose if I am footing my own bill. The thing I really didn't like about the resort, or the Xcaret park is that it seemed a little too zooish. I like seeing wild animals and not animals in a pen or cage. At the resort there were several wild coati mundis and that was cool to see, but they also had several deer in a pen. Really? There are people that have never seen a deer and they have to keep them in a pen? Felt bad everytime I passed them. Xcaret the park also had several different animals in a pen. The day we went there we only went for a couple of hours and then went back to our resort. We went back for the show at night which was pretty good.
We had a fun time, but I have to say, I missed not going to Cozumel. But hey, it was a free trip!!
