Hola! Diving and snorkeling from base of Akumal

[ultimate.gringo]

Going down to Akumal in mid May, want to do a mixture of snorkeling and diving. So far seems like snorkeling off beaches at Paamul and Xpu-Ha seem to offer good fish sighting ops. Diving so far have narrowed down to Playa Del Carmen for diving Tortuga for the turtles, or Punat Venado or Barracuda, plus a night dive. Have no idea where to do night dive or if it matters that much since it will be first night dive ever.

Also considering diving off of Paamul with Scuba-Mex, looking at Paamul Mini Wall, Paraiso Shallow or Horst's Reef.

Aditional snorkeling down at Tankah and Casa Cenote. Interested in other free cenotes down around Coba, Tulum area or between Akumal and PDC.

Comments welcome on choices and any others.

Hola!
Ultimate.Gringo

 

[dlndavid]

Hola Gringo,
Welcome to SB.
Don't miss out on diving the Cenotes, they are awsome.

 

[scubawife]

There are some nice dive sites within a 5-10 boat ride off Akumal. Lots of turtles and rays on these sites. Check out the Akumal shops before you make a trek to PDC for diving. And the cenotes are well worth a dive.

If you've got the time and want to do some very good diving, a day trip to Coz is very duable from Akumal.

 

[Maya]

I don't know of many free cenote dives/snorkels in the area.

 

[ultimate.gringo]

No coz, this trip, been there, love it, but sticking to the main land and wringing out everything it has to offer.

Are all cenotes owned by somebody? I have not seen a map of Quintana Roo that specifically shows the cenotes, they are hard to track down.

 

[scubawife]

The most cenotes aren't hard to find at all. Drive down Hwy 307 and you'll see signs for the turnoff roads that lead right to them. Most have a small enterance fee ($2-$5), and if you're not cave certified you'll have to hire a certified guide.

If you've got people in your group who will be snorkeling and others who will be diving, one of the best no-brainer cenote options is Hidden Worlds. They offer both dive and snorkel tours of the cenotes on their property - Dos Ojos and Bat Cave.

If you want to get a good map of the Riviera Maya that includes all the possible places you might want to go and things you'd want to do, check out the "Can-Do Riviera Maya Map" at www.cancunmap.com They're $8 each and there are maps for

 

[nocalparrothead]

I'll second the cancunmap suggestion. The maps are more like a concise guidebook. I used them a few years ago, and ordered new ones for this June. It sounds like you've done lots of research on where to dive, so the only thing I can add is Yal-Ku lagoon in Akumal for snorkelling. It's about $6. The other recommendation - the ceviche at the bar next to Lol-Ha (just between the arch and the water in Akumal). Please post here with your experience after you get back. We are going w/our 2 small kids, so only one dive day for us. We're trying to choose wisely. Anything you find for snorkelling that's cheap or free would be great to hear about. Have a great trip!

 

[ultimate.gringo]

Actually I ordered individual PDC, Mayan Rivera, Chichen Itza maps from cancunmaps on Monday, I agree they look awesome.

Since originally posting I think we have the cenotes figured out. - The only free one I can find talked about on the Internet is Casa Cenote. You can read about it from a first hand experience here:http://www.epinions.com/content_164305538692, however be warned that she mis-spells a lot of key names of locations if you try to find it on a map. It is acutally in Tankah.

Around Tulum there seem to be a group to choose from : Car wash, Gran, Temple of Doom, Cristal and Escondido. So the cenotes are pretty much figured out for snorkeling.

I think we will consider Dos Ojos with hidden worlds if we do a cavern dive.

I was aware of Yal-Ku lagoon for snorkeling, but something about paying to snorkle just puts a burr under my saddle with so much free ocean around. We are boycotting the 'eco parks' and will discover our own fun hopefully.

Thanks for your help, anybody with specific reef dives please let me know.

 

[Maya]

However, if the weather is windy and the ocean is rough, it will be well worth it to spend the money to snorkle Yal-Ku lagoon.

 

[scubawife]

The shops in Akumal are great at picking the sites with the best conditions for the day you are diving, and I don't think there's a site there that I could say was bad. There have been days I wanted to do a specific site and they suggested something else that would be better conditions that day. A few favs for me are Gorgonian, Tortuga, The Nets, Yalku Norte, Tarpon and Miramar.