Div3r
Registered
I am wondering if anyone has any good ideas of where to go for a shark dive? also my fiance wants to dive for the first time with me there, so what would be a good dive for her and i together? thanks
Going to Puerto Vallarta
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ItsBruce
Contributor
I don't know about sharks. But for a first dive, I'd go with Villarta Adventures. It is somewhat of a cattle boat, but they consistently have good DMs and the whole thing is a very good time. They generally go out to an island off the coast, called "Marietas Islands" and do two dives there. I've gone with this operation 4 different times over the last 3 years and expect to go again in late December. The dives are not too challenging and there is lots to see.
La Ovejita Negra
Registered
There aren't any sharks in the bay - if you want a chance to see sharks, you can go to Corbetena - but that's really far and there's no guarantee. If you are looking for an opp that uses shark cages, etc... there isn't one here.
The best dive op in town is PV Scuba (Puerto Vallarta Scuba Diving and Specialty Diving School: PVSCUBA). I've been diving with nearly every shop here and Alex is the best because he doesn't cut corners. I hear constant complaints about faulty equipment from Vallarta Adventures and Chico's, bad divers/DM ratios, no head counts on the cattle boats, etc...
The best dive op in town is PV Scuba (Puerto Vallarta Scuba Diving and Specialty Diving School: PVSCUBA). I've been diving with nearly every shop here and Alex is the best because he doesn't cut corners. I hear constant complaints about faulty equipment from Vallarta Adventures and Chico's, bad divers/DM ratios, no head counts on the cattle boats, etc...
maremd50
Contributor
Div3r -
I recently returned from Puerto Vallarta from my very first dive trip!!! (I am officially hooked - my husband is contemplating divorce, since this doesn't interest him and I am already trying to plan another dive trip. Any counseling advice is welcome. Yes - My name is Nancy and I am a dive addict.)
Anyway, it is my understanding that sharks are not found in Banderas Bay due to the whale and dolphin populations - I guess they keep the sharks out. It was a little early for the whale season, but one day we saw at least 4 of them. Very cool! And many dolphins.
But for your wife and her first dive adventure, I can't recommend Pacific Scuba enough! They are NOT the cattle boat type of operation, which I was able to witness out there. Pacific Scuba has small numbers of divers on the boat with a ratio of divemasters to newbies that gave me much comfort, especially considering that it was my first open water dives. They were friendly, very knowledgable, patient, spoke very good English, knew how to have a lot of fun / joking, etc.. but when it came time to dive they stuck to what I had learned was the "right" way. They clearly went over what to anticipate at the site, (how deep, type of bottom, special things to look for, etc) and filled us in on the wildlife both above and below the surface. We reviewed hand signals, which were much more extensive than just the safety type in the PADI book, and included signals for different types of sea creatures. I always felt safe and secure in their hands. I learned so much more than I ever anticipated! Emilio, the capitan, didn't speak very good english, but the others were great. I didn't get to practice my spanish much cuz they were so good. I dove with Armando, Alex and Paul, my instructor, with whom I spent most of my time. (He's obviously very good at what he does, and sexy too!) I dove at Marietas Island (my favorite - made famous by Jacque Cousteau, home of the blue-footed booby birds), Majahuitas, and Los Arcos. I spent four of my six days in PV with Pacific Scuba and I will use them again when I return. Which I will, as I did not see a manta, which was a disappointment. Guess I can't expect that Pacific Scuba could control that, tho! I did see trumpet fish, sever types of eels, one a Moray that was at least 4 ft long, different types of stingrays, angelfish of various sorts, puffer fish, a lobster, crab, urchins, and lots of things I don't know what they were.....It was SOOOOO COOL!!!!!! Since I was doing the referral and some extra dives, they were willing to work with me a bit on price, so I felt the cost was quite fair. Lunch was sandwiches, and they were accommodating in trying to bring food that people enjoyed. If you were diving with them a couple days, they would bring in whatever type of sandwich and drinks you wanted. The food was simple but good. When we saw the whales and dolphins, they were good about stopping the boat so we could all get a good look and watch to our hearts desire! I never felt that we were rushed, which in hindsight is sort of surprising - after all, they spend day after day doing this and they have families and life away from work too. There was an attitude of "this is your dive trip and we're here to accommodate" All in all, I have no doubt that you would be pleased to dive with Pacific Scuba, which is located conveniently in the Hotel Zone -easy to find and for me, was just 100 yds from my hotel. I think there is a second location too, but you'd have to research on their website. They are responsive in trip planning, either through email or with a phone number in both Mexico and here in the states. I know they dive at sites that would not be appropriate for your wife, but the guys were willing to take people on the boat that just hung out when their spouse went under, if they weren't interested in diving. Anyway, have a GREAT trip - and No, this isn't a Pacific Scuba ad. I was just very impressed, esp when I saw what some of the other dive companies were offering. Happy Diving!
I recently returned from Puerto Vallarta from my very first dive trip!!! (I am officially hooked - my husband is contemplating divorce, since this doesn't interest him and I am already trying to plan another dive trip. Any counseling advice is welcome. Yes - My name is Nancy and I am a dive addict.)
Anyway, it is my understanding that sharks are not found in Banderas Bay due to the whale and dolphin populations - I guess they keep the sharks out. It was a little early for the whale season, but one day we saw at least 4 of them. Very cool! And many dolphins.
But for your wife and her first dive adventure, I can't recommend Pacific Scuba enough! They are NOT the cattle boat type of operation, which I was able to witness out there. Pacific Scuba has small numbers of divers on the boat with a ratio of divemasters to newbies that gave me much comfort, especially considering that it was my first open water dives. They were friendly, very knowledgable, patient, spoke very good English, knew how to have a lot of fun / joking, etc.. but when it came time to dive they stuck to what I had learned was the "right" way. They clearly went over what to anticipate at the site, (how deep, type of bottom, special things to look for, etc) and filled us in on the wildlife both above and below the surface. We reviewed hand signals, which were much more extensive than just the safety type in the PADI book, and included signals for different types of sea creatures. I always felt safe and secure in their hands. I learned so much more than I ever anticipated! Emilio, the capitan, didn't speak very good english, but the others were great. I didn't get to practice my spanish much cuz they were so good. I dove with Armando, Alex and Paul, my instructor, with whom I spent most of my time. (He's obviously very good at what he does, and sexy too!) I dove at Marietas Island (my favorite - made famous by Jacque Cousteau, home of the blue-footed booby birds), Majahuitas, and Los Arcos. I spent four of my six days in PV with Pacific Scuba and I will use them again when I return. Which I will, as I did not see a manta, which was a disappointment. Guess I can't expect that Pacific Scuba could control that, tho! I did see trumpet fish, sever types of eels, one a Moray that was at least 4 ft long, different types of stingrays, angelfish of various sorts, puffer fish, a lobster, crab, urchins, and lots of things I don't know what they were.....It was SOOOOO COOL!!!!!! Since I was doing the referral and some extra dives, they were willing to work with me a bit on price, so I felt the cost was quite fair. Lunch was sandwiches, and they were accommodating in trying to bring food that people enjoyed. If you were diving with them a couple days, they would bring in whatever type of sandwich and drinks you wanted. The food was simple but good. When we saw the whales and dolphins, they were good about stopping the boat so we could all get a good look and watch to our hearts desire! I never felt that we were rushed, which in hindsight is sort of surprising - after all, they spend day after day doing this and they have families and life away from work too. There was an attitude of "this is your dive trip and we're here to accommodate" All in all, I have no doubt that you would be pleased to dive with Pacific Scuba, which is located conveniently in the Hotel Zone -easy to find and for me, was just 100 yds from my hotel. I think there is a second location too, but you'd have to research on their website. They are responsive in trip planning, either through email or with a phone number in both Mexico and here in the states. I know they dive at sites that would not be appropriate for your wife, but the guys were willing to take people on the boat that just hung out when their spouse went under, if they weren't interested in diving. Anyway, have a GREAT trip - and No, this isn't a Pacific Scuba ad. I was just very impressed, esp when I saw what some of the other dive companies were offering. Happy Diving!
I'm in PV right now and diving with Pacific Scuba. This is my third vacation diving with them -- they have always been great, and work hard to accommodate new and experienced divers. Paul and Alex were our DMs last week -- both are true professionals.
maremd50
Contributor
tslane888 -
Oh I am so jealous!! Wish I was there! If you get this, tell Paul and Alex HI from Nancy in Wisconsin. And tell Paul to check his email! Have a great time - (like I need to tell you that!)
Oh I am so jealous!! Wish I was there! If you get this, tell Paul and Alex HI from Nancy in Wisconsin. And tell Paul to check his email! Have a great time - (like I need to tell you that!)
OP
Div3r
Registered
Leslie from Puerto vallarta divers messaged me and it sounds like i will be going that route. I am going to try to dive Majahuitas. Too bad i will only be able to get in 2 dives, only cause the people that are going with me arent certified and they are afraid of diving. I tried to tell them that they would love it but they are content in sticking with snorkeling. oh well as long as my fiance is interested im ok with that. thanks for all the replies!!
pvscuba
Contributor
Hi,
Like it has been said, we don't have sharks in the bay. We do have a place called "Anegados" just outside the bay where there's a small cave where we often find nurse sharks.
There are several locations appropriate for beginners: Los Arcos, Majahuitas, Marietas, Colomitos, etc, and any of them are nice for experienced divers as well.
Since your fiancee is diving for the first time, she'll need a pool lesson before hitting the open water. We offer the pool lessons in a 10-ft-deep scuba training pool (the only one in PV) so you can get the real diving feeling and actually learn to equalize in confined water before going to the ocean.
Thanks to La Ovejita Negra for her kind words! We do strive to offer the best possible service.
Alex from PVScuba
Like it has been said, we don't have sharks in the bay. We do have a place called "Anegados" just outside the bay where there's a small cave where we often find nurse sharks.
There are several locations appropriate for beginners: Los Arcos, Majahuitas, Marietas, Colomitos, etc, and any of them are nice for experienced divers as well.
Since your fiancee is diving for the first time, she'll need a pool lesson before hitting the open water. We offer the pool lessons in a 10-ft-deep scuba training pool (the only one in PV) so you can get the real diving feeling and actually learn to equalize in confined water before going to the ocean.
Thanks to La Ovejita Negra for her kind words! We do strive to offer the best possible service.
Alex from PVScuba
diverdowndh
Contributor
I'm curious... what is the viz? I was in PV about 6 years ago in February and the viz was terrible. I should have known, with the whales wintering there, that means plankton. I used Chico's Dive Shop, they were really good but everyone got lost on every dive because the viz was so bad. We went out to the Marietta's because the viz was supposed to be better but it wasn't. I loved PV, and would love to actually dive it (don't call what I did diving), so what time of the year is good and what is the usual viz?
pvscuba
Contributor
the whales and the plankton are still here...
generally speaking, the plankton stays within 30 ft of the surface, so we do deeper dives to get better viz. Call us crazy, but we still thoroughly enjoy our dives even if the viz is not so hot. We just concentrate in what we do see: nudibranches, sting rays, puffers, and hundreds of other species as well as some incredible topography such as the wall at Devil's Canyon in Los Arcos National Underwater Park.
generally speaking, the plankton stays within 30 ft of the surface, so we do deeper dives to get better viz. Call us crazy, but we still thoroughly enjoy our dives even if the viz is not so hot. We just concentrate in what we do see: nudibranches, sting rays, puffers, and hundreds of other species as well as some incredible topography such as the wall at Devil's Canyon in Los Arcos National Underwater Park.
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