Leaving for Riviera Maya next week. Suggestions on booking dives

[PM-Performance]

I am going to Riviera Maya next week and I a plan on doing at least 6 dives while down there.
I am staying at Iberostar Tucan and was told my the Travel agent I can book thru Olympus tours.
Apparently they have a dive shop there called Dressel Divers Club.
Anyone know anything about them? Are they pretty good to deal with?

Another thing I am trying to figure out is if it is worth the extra money to take the trips into Cozumel over Riviera Maya?
Anyone with suggestions that have dove down there before? Id like to get some good diving in, but I dont want to go crazy catching ferries all over the place and traveling Mexico on my own to get to these places and spending a fortune doing it.

Thanks in advance

 

[divingjd]

Take the ferry over to Coz once anyway. It would be a shame to be that close and miss it completely. You will not, however, want to spend all day every day trekking back and forth. There is worthwhile diving around Playa del Carmen. I have heard mixed reports on Dressel - some pretty good, some not so good. I used Abyss and Tank Ha out of Playa and liked them both. I prefer Tank Ha. Their boats are bigger and more comfortable, but they still take small groups. Their staff is very good also.

 

[Randy-S]

dressel divers are your typical resort dive shop. Most dives have 6-8 peeps with one dive op. They have a nice dive boat, keep track of were you dive because they will take you to the same spots unless you speak up.
Your going to love your resort ist really nice. just remember to make your dinner reservations each mourning.
Randy

 

[ShakaZulu]

Go to Cozumel and also do a Cavern dive, absolute must in my book.

http://www.hiddenworlds.com/

 

[PM-Performance]

Looking at Dressel's packages now irratate me. They only do 1 dive per trip instead of 2 dives and a little SI between.
My wife will flip if Im diving 6 days out of the 8 I'll be there, so I guess I am gonna look into something else.
The resort isnt really getting back to me with any worth wild information either which is frustrating. They tell me you save when you book ahead, but not giving me enuff info to book.

For the cenotes dives, do you need to be cave certified? I am a newer diver and bouyancy control isnt perfect yet, but I was really interested in trying it.

I just tried to email TankHA and it wouldnt go thru. i wonder if they still operate?

 

[divingjd]

You only need open water certification for the cenote dives. They are guided dives. A cave instructor leads a small group (no more than four). If you are still working on your buoyancy, you may not enjoy it as much. I've done it twice. The first time, I did not have my buoyancy dialed in yet. I was at least a little anxious the whole time, really sucked down my air, and did not enjoy it that much. It was interesting, but I wasn't excited about it. The second time was much better. I was much more relaxed and able to enjoy the experience.

I don't think you need to feel stuck with Dressel. There are lots of well-regarded dive shops in Playa and the area.

 

[PM-Performance]

Thanks for the info.
I also found this. Which seems like it would be ideal . I was looking at the package that allows 2 dives locally in Playa Del Carmen, then 2 cenotes dives and then 2 dives in Coz.
Looks pretty good, but I dont know anything about the operation.
http://www.divingplayadelcarmen.com/discount_dive_packages.htm

On thebouyancy thing. I think its alot better when I dont have a 7mm wetsuit on like I do here at home. Wearing a 3mm or whatever for that temp of water will likely help.
When I did a resort course in Turks, my bouyancy was actually pretty good. Just recently when diving in quarries around me trying to get used to my weighting I suck down alot of air. Thats a whole other subject. lol. Damn thick wetsuits keep me tooo bouyant.

 

[scubawife]

Most dive ops in the PDC - Aventuras- Akumal - Tulum area do 3 single tank dives a day. The sites are a max of 10 minutes out and you're usually on a panga. You don't want to be drifting for an hour in that. It's much nicer to come back to the beach, change tanks, have a drink or snack and then head out. I know the shops in Akumal have a schedule of 9am, 11am and 2pm. The 11 can end up being 11:30ish if we get back a bit late.

Single tank trips are also nice if you aren't crazy about the conditions you get on your first dive or if the weather goes downhill.

You'll get the best cenote experience with a private guide. I've really enjoyed the cenote dives I've done with Dennis from Diablo Divers. He's based in Aventuras but will pick divers up in PDC. www.diablodivers.com

Traveling on your own in this part of Mexico is a non-issue. I've done it and won't hesitate to do it again. I feel safer in Cozumel walking around town on my own at night then I do when I'm with my husband in many other places we've been. The diving in Coz is much different then the mainland and so is the general atmopshere topside. It is worth the trip and it's very easy to get there.

 

[bayeloi]

I wholeheartedly agree with Scubawife about Dennis Weeks of Diablo Divers. I can't recommend him enough. Diving with Dennis is more like going diving with your best friend. Besides that the Cenotes are something not to be missed. After diving with Dennis you will be a much better diver. Be sure to check him out.

 

[PM-Performance]

I will check out his site too. thanks guys. I appreciate all the feedback.
I cant wait to get down there!