AKJohnson
Registered
Just wanted to share my experience diving last month with BEYOND EARTH from Puerto Aventuras.
I arranged to meet him at the gas station in PA, arriving 15 minutes early, I was pleasantly surprised to see him already there (so unusual for Mexico!). First day we did Grand Cenote & El Eden, absolutely gorgeous cavern dives. Only one other diver besides me, such personalized service, he lugged all my gear, made me feel so comfortable. Next day, he picked me up in Akumal where I was staying, & we dove Cenotes Angelita & Taj Mahal, 2 of my all-time-favorite dives. Stunning cave formations!
Octavio is well-educated & well-spoken, fluent in English. Very knowlegable about Mayan culture, history, archeolology, biology, & geology. Fun, warm. courteous, & professional. Takes immense pride in his work. Prices reasonable. Extreme emphasis on diver safety & respect for the environment.
Next I wanted to get in some ocean diving, & Octavio kindly set me up with the dive shop at Bahia Principe, just down the road from Akumal. I was quite impressed with them as well. I found the staff to be amazingly friendly & helpful. Their boats are covered, which I really appreciate, being fair-skinned. Lastly, my divemaster, Carlos, let our small group of divers enjoy nice long dives; the first one was 61 minutes long. This means a lot to me, as I only get to dive a few times a year, & it's so disappointing to have to surface after only 25 minutes with over 2000 lbs. of air in your tank, just 'cause you got stuck with a newbie.
Octavio also found a terrific guide, Charlie from Cheymuyil, to take me to visit 2 nearby biosphere reserves, Rio Lagartos & Sian Ka'an, both marvelous day trips.
I'm already planning my return trip to the Riviera Maya next year, hoping to see more centotes with Octavio & also to head up to Holbox Island to do his whale shark tour.
I arranged to meet him at the gas station in PA, arriving 15 minutes early, I was pleasantly surprised to see him already there (so unusual for Mexico!). First day we did Grand Cenote & El Eden, absolutely gorgeous cavern dives. Only one other diver besides me, such personalized service, he lugged all my gear, made me feel so comfortable. Next day, he picked me up in Akumal where I was staying, & we dove Cenotes Angelita & Taj Mahal, 2 of my all-time-favorite dives. Stunning cave formations!
Octavio is well-educated & well-spoken, fluent in English. Very knowlegable about Mayan culture, history, archeolology, biology, & geology. Fun, warm. courteous, & professional. Takes immense pride in his work. Prices reasonable. Extreme emphasis on diver safety & respect for the environment.
Next I wanted to get in some ocean diving, & Octavio kindly set me up with the dive shop at Bahia Principe, just down the road from Akumal. I was quite impressed with them as well. I found the staff to be amazingly friendly & helpful. Their boats are covered, which I really appreciate, being fair-skinned. Lastly, my divemaster, Carlos, let our small group of divers enjoy nice long dives; the first one was 61 minutes long. This means a lot to me, as I only get to dive a few times a year, & it's so disappointing to have to surface after only 25 minutes with over 2000 lbs. of air in your tank, just 'cause you got stuck with a newbie.
Octavio also found a terrific guide, Charlie from Cheymuyil, to take me to visit 2 nearby biosphere reserves, Rio Lagartos & Sian Ka'an, both marvelous day trips.
I'm already planning my return trip to the Riviera Maya next year, hoping to see more centotes with Octavio & also to head up to Holbox Island to do his whale shark tour.
