Hurricane Season in the Yucatan

[resumeman]

So we want to take a dive vacation in early September. We were considering the Sea of Cortez, but what we were hoping to do wasn't working out. So now we are thinking again about heading to Playa del Carmen.

Obviously, that's the middle of hurricane season. But of course hurricanes don't come through ALL the time. So we were thinking that we'd chance it, but I'd like a little more info.

What, really, is the weather like generally that time of year? Would we expect storm after storm, or is it nice most of the time, unless a tropical storm/hurricane happens to come through? Asked another way, do most of the dive ops go out into the ocean most days in Aug/Sept?

Assuming that a massive hurricane doesn't come roaring through in the middle of our trip, we were also thinking that a good backup might be to go to cenotes during bad weather days. Any reason that that would not be viable?

Thanks -- I just don't know about the weather there, and I'm a bit concerned about the risks...

 

[docmartin]

there were two hurricanes in 2005 that hit playa. before that there were about 15, maybe 20 yrs of no hurricanes. to say that "hurricanes don't come through all the time" is an understatement to say the least. i'd say the odds are hugely in your favor. i have never missed a day of diving in september (not to mention that the cenotes are always open for diving). however, september can have downpours (usually short) and many places are closed because there will be very few tourists.

 

[TSandM]

I haven't been there in September, but I have been in October. We had a lot of short rainstorms, and some wind. The ocean diving got blown out a bit, I believe, but it didn't matter to us, because we were diving in the cenotes. The worst part was driving in the downpours, which really affect visibility on the roads.

 

[scubawife]

Don't get too worried about seasonal tropical weather. I've had dive trips over the years to Cayman, Puerto Rico, Mexico and even Curacao where we had a tropical storm or the outer bands of a hurricane come through... lost a day or two of diving, but that's all. Pretty much just a rain storm that churned up the ocean.

I've had more nortes in winter months in the Riviera Maya and Cozumel, and they have effected more diving days for me then any tropical systems.

Every season has it's weather.

Cenotes are a great option for days that ocean diving is not possible, but if you do have a really severe weather situation then forget about any diving. People will be busy taking care of their homes, businesses and families. Just find a place to hang out and relax.

Even if you have a whole trip of fantastic weather, book at least a day of cenote diving. It's something unique to the area and worth experiencing.