Looking for Cancun Info

[doghouse]

I am thinking about going to Cancun for a vacation this year. I am looking for suggestion on a dive shop, and thoughts on safety. We are looking at staying at the Hard Rock. How do you get to the dive shops? Do they provide transportation or ...
How safe is it in the hotel district? (am I crazy for even thinking about going to Mexico?) I know the last time we went, they had armed guards all night around the property, and never had a problem at El Mercado.

Thanks in advance.

 

[horn34]

Any reason you want to stay/dive in Cancun? You can fly into the Cancun airport, then take a bus, then ferry to Cozumel for $20/person. Cozumel diving is much, much better and safety really isn't an issue.

 

[hilljo88]

Cancun has a certain vibe to it, but if you are focused on diving +1 for Cozumel.
Another option is Puerto Aventuras

 

[Rob9876]

+1 on Cozumel. To me Cancun has too much of a Spring Break vibe. I don't like to hear music thumping while I'm in the water. YMMV

 

[Hethen57]

I have a vacation booked to Cancun in June where we plan to do a bit of diving and have been researching this pretty thoroughly. Next time we will do Cozumel for the full Coz dive experience, but we didn't have that option this time. Here are the dive shops/guides that seem to have great reviews and cater to divers staying in the Cancun Hotel District: Scuba Total Cancun, Scorpio Divers, Cancun Scuba Center, Scuba Total Cancun; Coconut Divers Cancun; DivePro Cancun Diving; Scuba Diving Cancun; Manta Divers Cancun (has trips to Isla Mujeres and Coz) (all excellent Tripadvisor reviews and favorable mentions in various dive posts). From what i can tell, the hotel district seems safe and these dive operators can take you to some interesting reefs, the underwater museum, and other cool places. I am seeing mixed posts on the viability of diving Coz while staying in Cancun due to travel logistics, but at least one of these operators says they can take you by boat.

If anyone has other comments suggestions for divers staying in Cancun, I would be interested as well.

 

[Chavodel8en]

I only did one morning of diving while in Cancun, but I was very impressed. I did one of the wrecks, the C-55 I think, altho the C-58 is more composed and probably better (these are advanced dives, high current). In winter, so lots of Eagle Rays were there. Second dive was the reef generally done as the 2nd dive - I think its name is "No Name Reef". Tons of life on that reef - it was the highlight of my trip - I highly recommend the reef.

I made a thread about my Cancun trip here, it was in Dec. 2016.

I don't see how you wouldn't feel safe in the hotel zone. Everything there caters to tourists. Even in the downtown 28th St. Market I felt safe, altho maybe wouldn't want to be there after hours.

Cancun may not have the extensive diving of Cozumel, but it can be a good base of operations for other vacation stuff - the ruins at Chichen Itza, Tulum & Coba, take a ferry to Isla Mujeres, go to Isla Contoy for the day, cheap shopping. Especially if you're w/ a non-diving companion, and you don't plan to do tons of diving, Cancun isn't a bad option. Although I prefer the vibe of Playa del Carmen, as it is more pedestrian friendly.

 

[JPipes]

Hi y'all,
I am making this trip in a couple of weeks as a first dive trip. I am happy diving anywhere right now, just looking at sand will be fun for me. Yes this is not a world class reef but it is still warm and clear water. Plus he MUSA looks pretty cool. I am going with a nondiver so this destination is a good balance. Yes Cozumel is awesome and it is not far, but it is also not going anywhere anytime soon. (I will be getting the fins wet there during a cruise in April).

As far as getting around I was just planning to jump on the bus in the morning to ride down to the shop. I was happy with them a couple of years ago, I would not imagine they have changed much. I am just now reaching out to operators to see about setting up a plan for several days of diving and possibly an afternoon where the better half could snorkel while I blow bubbles. That list is a little longer than what I have seen, time for research.

 

[Rocketman3]

My first ocean dives were with scubacancun.com.mx in 2012. I thought they did a great job. If I was going back to Cancun I would look at them again.

We got on the bus at our hotel and a bus stop was really close to their operation. I did three days of diving with them and did other tourist stuff on the other days with family.