Isla Mujeres dive operators

[r466it]

Arriving Isla Mujeres June 15, departing June 20. I'll be part of a group of seven divers. Our experience ranges from newbie to a diver with 300+ dives. We are staying at Ixchel Beach Hotel and hope to snorkel with the whale sharks one day. We are looking for suggestions for a dive operator. Our local dive shop recommended Sea Hawk. TripAdvisor has a handful of recommendations. What are your experiences?

 

[seeker242]

Went whale shark snorkeling and diving with Mexico Divers while I was there. Their boat was kinda small but I think most of the boats down there are similar. Was a good trip, saw tons of whale sharks. Not far from hotel, 5 min walk.

 

[ifsixwas9]

I dive there a couple times a year with Mundaca Divers. They are friendly and their captain El Hermano is very good as is Pedro their dive guide. They've several boats but I've never been on one with more than 5 divers and the captain so I don't know if they have accommodations for 7 divers at a time. Their shop is across the street from the one suggested above. I never dove with Seahawk, but i have dove with Lalo, one of their dive masters, when he was with Mundaca Divers and had a good time. I did Whale Sharks with Ceviche Tours. The sharks were plentiful and Ceviche Tours prepared Ceviche on the trip back which we ate in the water near Ixchel Beach Hotel.

 

[Dan]

We (group of 10 divers) went reef diving with Aqua Adventures last August. Scheduled to swim with whaleshark with them, but bad weather cancelled the trip. So we plan to redo it again this coming July. We have a good experience with Aqua Adventures.

Last month we (group of 8 divers) took sailfish tour with Mexico Divers. We were also happy with the experience. At the end of the trip, they made ceviche for us & had a good afternoon relaxing in the shallow (chest deep) near Ixchel Beach Resort. They provide us with a floating table to park the beers on top while we cool off in the water.

 

[AlexL]

Our local dive shop recommended Sea Hawk.

we've dove with Sea Hawk twice over three years, both times spending 5 days diving with them and renting one of their apartments. Bonnie and Ariel have repeatedly gone out of their way to provide a good experience no matter what situation comes up. DMs and crew tend to be very laid back, but novice divers have always been well watched, and more experienced divers tended to be let off the lease after a checkout dive.

They have multiple small boats, heading out morning and afternoon. Think all their boats can fit up to 8 divers or 10 snorklers, but I'd call to confirm with a 7 person group. be aware, there are no camera tanks on the boats!

Meet at the shop before hand for gear up, then you're trucked the dock next to the ultramar terminal. Whale sharks can be hit or miss even during peak season.

 

[ScubaBobCancun]

Arriving Isla Mujeres June 15, departing June 20. I'll be part of a group of seven divers. Our experience ranges from newbie to a diver with 300+ dives. We are staying at Ixchel Beach Hotel and hope to snorkel with the whale sharks one day. We are looking for suggestions for a dive operator. Our local dive shop recommended Sea Hawk. TripAdvisor has a handful of recommendations. What are your experiences?

I work with many of the dive shops on Isla and I think Bonnie and Ariel at SeaHawk are one of the best operators in the area. I highly recommend them and tell them that ScubaBob sent you. Mexico Divers is also very good but overall I tend to put groups and friends with Seahawk.

 

[wunderhorn]

Hola everyone! I'm glad to have found this thread. I recently contacted a dive OP in Isla called Delfin Divers. They offered a private boat for 8 to visit the whale sharks for $1400 (which I thought was a bit steep, but I looked at their boats and they may be nicer than others). The odd thing is that they wanted me to send a check, $700 now and $700 by June 1st. Is this normal? First of all, I haven't sent a check in quite some time, and it would be difficult/impossible to get any money back if there was a weather issue (or any other issue for that matter). What do you guys think? FYI I just emailed SeaHawk to see if I could book with them.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Ellen

 

[ScubaBobCancun]

DO NOT send a check. Most shops want a 20% deposit by credit card and the balance by cash on the day of the trip. Bonnie at SeaHawk is simply great. Try reaching her with WhatsApp as that is what everyone in Mexico uses to communicate. They very rarely respond to emails. Or give her a call. +52 (998) 877 1223. I will be seeing her on Friday and Saturday this week and if I can help please let me know. You can text /WhatsAPP me at 301-789-7685 or send me an email at bob@scubabobphoto.com. If you contact Bonnie be sure that you tell her that ScubaBob sent you. That will help get her attention.

 

[wunderhorn]

Bob,
Thank you so much for the information. I have been in contact with Bonnie via email and she got right back to me. There are also rooms to rent above the shop, which would work out well for our group! I will let Bonnie know that you recommended her.
Thanks again!
Ellen

 

[Dan]

Mexico Divers requested 20% deposit via PayPal. I've done it last year for Feb 2017 Sailfish Run tour. I also did it again last month (20% deposit) for Whaleshark tour in coming July. No problem so far.

I have also sent a check to Aqua Adventures last year. They have US Bank account (Wells Fargo Bank). No problem.