Info on Puerto Vallarta

[Earl Grey]

mike0479 - Depending on your sensitivity to temperature, 3mm may be fine this time of year. I'd bring a hood or hooded vest just to be sure. Most of the shops have 5mm rentals, but some are so compressed that they are prob more equivalent to 3mm...

dixonk - I'm usually in PV in December and the water temps tend to be mid to low 70s F. Expect similar in Nov (mid 70s F).

The Hard Rock, I believe, is in Nuevo Vallarta. I think there may be a shop or two nearby, but most dive shops are in downtown Puerto Vallarta or Marina Vallarta. Nuevo Vallarta is a distance from PV proper. Some shops will pick you up with boat/car, or you may need to take a taxi - I would inquire with your shop on best means of transportation.

 

[bnajdrovsky]

I'm joining this thread, as I'll be in Nuevo Vallarta last week of June. While I know the Caribbean side (Riviera Maya/Cozumel) like my own back yard, this will be my first time on the Pacific side. My wife is a diver, but I think she doesn't plan on diving this trip. I, on the other hand, must get beneath the waves every chance I get, so I will bring my gear along. I see the NV is just north of PV.... are there any preferred operators in the NV area or will I have to go to PV? I'm more of an advanced diver, but my only criteria for an operator is that they don't force hard bottom times, but rather let me dive my computer profile. Nothing ruins my dive more than having to get back to the boat with 1200 PSI still in the tank. I also prefer smaller boats with 6 divers max. Other than that, I'm pretty flexible.

Previous posts suggest that I should probably bring my 5 mm suit. I had been diving my 2/3 in Cozumel with water temps around 78 and definitely felt the chill at the end of the second dive, so the 5 mm sounds reasonable for the Pacific side.

Anyway, I guess I'm just looking for general suggestions/pointers since I don't know this area at all.

 

[Earl Grey]

I'm afraid I wouldn't be any help as far as operators in NV. I'll defer to others or Tripadvisor for that. Do note that most of the frequently visited dive sites are in the southern part of the bay, thus the boat ride from NV would be longer (ie you generally will be traveling longer from NV regardless of via car or boat).

If you do decide to head into PV, the closest operators are in Marina Vallarta, both of which generally run smaller boats. PV Sea & Dive and Vallarta Undersea are located on opposite ends of the marina. There are a number of other options, including some mentioned elsewhere in this thread, but I believe the rest are based downtown PV. Some may provide transportation.

The Pacific side will be a lot different from the warmer, clearer water of the Caribbean, but I always dive when I visit PV and always enjoy myself.

 

[mike0479]

Thanks for the Info earl Grey. Ill post my review here in a few weeks when I get back....

 

[bnajdrovsky]

So, based on Trip Advisor reviews and recommendations here, I tried to contact Vallarta Undersea, but haven't been able to reach them via either email or phone. When I tried to email, I got a bounce telling me the inbox is full, and when I tried calling their U.S. number posted on the website, I got a "number disconnected" announcement. Needless to say, this doesn't inspire much confidence. Any suggestions? Do I even need to make reservations or should I just mess with it once I arrive in Mexico? Really, all I want is to do a few dives at Islas Marietas and Los Arcos, preferably with an operator that will let me dive my own computer profile (i.e. no hard bottom times).

 

[Earl Grey]

I've never contacted Vallarta Undersea via email or telephone, I've always just walked into the shop a couple days before I wanted to dive. Especially during low season, this should not be an issue. If for some reason Vallarta Undersea cannot take you out, PV Sea & Dive is also located in the marina, plus there are numerous shops located downtown.

As for the diving, most of the shops put a DM in the water to lead the dive. About half the time the dive ends when the first person hits low air, but I have had cases where I had plenty of air left and the DM and I would swim around a bit more. I should also note that when it is low season sometimes it has been only me and the DM so maxing out bottom time was no problem. If max bottom time is important to you, I would have that conversation with the DM in advance.

 

[mb diver]

Have you tried contacting Twin Dolphins in Puerto Vallarta? I have over 250 dives with them - a small operation that can and will accommodate individual divers' bottom times - drop them an email. Giovanni's dive shop is a very well respected operation in Vallarta. I am heading back there at the end of August.

 

[c-fstb]

I would strongly recommend a couple of dives at El Morrow and Los Anegados. Better visibility, lots of life, a few small caves, caverns, nurse sharks. In March the average temp was 24C dropping to 22C below 100'. Chimo is also a pretty decent dive. The main thing to watch is the surge can get pretty strong at any of the sites outside of the bay. Not unmanageable, but be prepared for it.
Vallarta Undersea was used for Chimo and was pretty good and took us to a small fishing village for an included lunch & beers afterwards. The only beef was that while it was booked as an advanced dive and they checked my credentials (min 40 dives, AOW), then they had one diver with us on her 5th dive. She was more than a little overwhelmed.
Vallarta Adventures was used for El Morrow & Los Anegados, as they had the schedule that fit mine and if you book 2 adventures you get a third free. They are generally regarded as a cattle boat company, but for the dives outside of the basic level they use small boats and are no different than most other companies. I really enjoyed these dives. If you do the Marriettas with them, be prepared for a circus boat/booze cruise. Not recommended.
As for Los Arcos, I can't recommend it for the diving. We chartered a private boat for my entire family and it was great for my young son for snorkelling with lots of fish at the surface, but not much for diving. And very busy, too busy for my tastes. Mismaloya was better, but poor visibility.
Next time I'm down, I hope to do a trip out to Corbetena & El Sequial, however they only do private groups with a minimum of 8 people.

 

[bnajdrovsky]

@mb diver, appreciate the operator recommendation. I got in touch with Twin Dolphins, and they got back to me, so I'll give them a try. They told me to call them once I arrive, and I'm supposed to meet them the Los Peines pier in Puerto Vallarta.

@c-fstb, thanks for the dive site info. I'll be sure to ask about those when I get there. My understanding is that on Thursday, the trip will be to Islas Marietas, and they make trips to El Morro as well, so I'm looking forward to checking that out as well.

 

[Earl Grey]

let us know if you make it out to El Morro or Chimo. I've not had much luck in getting out that far as the operators either (a) not enough divers to make the longer trip worth it or (b) weather wasn't cooperating.