Mahahual, Quintana Roo-Dream Time Divers

[DCDivenut]

Thanx Billelou,
We're ready ! I will post pics when we return.

Good Viz,
Scubadude

I am in Mahahual now. I am staying at Margarita del Sol and dove Chinchurro today. We are diving with a small operator called Bucaneros Del Caraibe (Pirates of the Carribbean) since the owners last name is Barbarossa (like the Pirate in the movie) They do not have a website yet but he (Arturo) is great.

Chinchorro is amazing. One thing is that not all the shops go since only certain Captains have the license needed to do it. We did two dives, one on called Paraiso Negro that had amzing black corals, HUGE sponges and lots of fish. We then had lunh on the island since out captain's brother is a fisherman there. We had lobster that they had pulled out that morning (we had a choice between lobtser and fish and had to pre-orer the night before so they knew what to catch!) We saw crocodiles (no kidding!!) on the island and lots of big iguanas (green and orange) as well as lot sof herons and other birds.

On our second dive (don't know the name) we saw 11 eagle rays, several morays and a nurse shark! The site was fantastic and Chinchorro really is all it is cracked up to be and well worth the boat ride. However, when I said I wishd we had left early so tat we could have spent more time on the island I was told that the harbor master needed to sign us out and his office did not open until 9Am so that was the earliest we could leave. Gotta love small towns,especially in Mexico.

My initial impression of Mahahual and Costa Maya is very positive. There is not a lot to do here though, but if you are lookingfor low key and laid back it is great. The pod people are only in M-F and they are pretty limited to the dock and the main drag of the town, butthey have not spoiled it yet. We are south of the town and it is very quiet. The resort is really nice (only open one year) and they are a true eco resort.They generate all their electricity via solar and wind, and collect rain water. The rooms have kitchens and would be great for families. Shore diving is a little limited since the reef is a good swim but tomorrow we are going to take some kayaks, tie off to some buoys about a mile down and try a "modified shore dive"

Let me know if you have other questions.

 

[CharlieSierra]

Man, am I glad I found this message string. I've been researching for some time now to see if Majahual is a do-able trip or not. My wife and I just started diving and hit some pretty cool spots so far, but the Yucatan is pretty close to us as we live in Texas, so I was thinking this may be a routine location for us if it works out.

DCDivenut, I'm curious how the logistics of getting to Majahual work if you have the time to share that info. It looks like it's cheapest to fly into Cancun and drive down the Yucatan. I'm a little leary of driving through Mexico with all that's been in the news lately. The other option was to fly into Belize and drive up - a much shorter drive. The small charter aircraft are waaaaaay too expensive - quotes appear to be $900 from Cancun. Considering my 2 person, round trip air fare would be around that much in peak season, I'm not too wild about spending that on a Cessna from Cancun to Majahual.

Please be sure to fill us in on the details about the rooms and daily routines (like what & where you eat) as well. I've really been trying to sell my wife on this location and the absence of people and technology seem perfect for my goal of diving, throwing back a few adult beverages in the evenings, and ripping through a couple of books during suface intervals.

Cheers!
Chris

 

[annlaur]

DO I SMELL A SHILL FOR A DIVE OPERATOR????Most of us write about other things, camera's trips our home countries etc. what we hate about mares/etc. but when i checked your other posts i found that all you write about is the resort...hmmmm maybe a shill here...what do you guys think???:06: and BTW you have babbled on for 6 pages seprately.....

Hi Billeelou
I WISH I had something to do with Dreamtime besides having learned to dive with them and hoping to do it again next year... But no, the reason they are the only topic I wrote about on Scubaboard is :
1- I think they’re great
2- I think the village, Mahahual, is great
3- Only other place I dove was Hurghada, Egypt, and the dive shop (Blue Lagoon) sucked (poorly-maintained equipment, DM who didn’t seem to care much about safety…), but since they cater only to French-speaking people, I didn’t see the point of posting anything about it on an English-speaking forum.

BTW, sorry if my babbling bore you but hey ! Nobody forced you to read it, right ?

 

[annlaur]

Man, am I glad I found this message string. I've been researching for some time now to see if Majahual is a do-able trip or not. My wife and I just started diving and hit some pretty cool spots so far, but the Yucatan is pretty close to us as we live in Texas, so I was thinking this may be a routine location for us if it works out.

DCDivenut, I'm curious how the logistics of getting to Majahual work if you have the time to share that info. It looks like it's cheapest to fly into Cancun and drive down the Yucatan. I'm a little leary of driving through Mexico with all that's been in the news lately. The other option was to fly into Belize and drive up - a much shorter drive. The small charter aircraft are waaaaaay too expensive - quotes appear to be $900 from Cancun. Considering my 2 person, round trip air fare would be around that much in peak season, I'm not too wild about spending that on a Cessna from Cancun to Majahual.

Please be sure to fill us in on the details about the rooms and daily routines (like what & where you eat) as well. I've really been trying to sell my wife on this location and the absence of people and technology seem perfect for my goal of diving, throwing back a few adult beverages in the evenings, and ripping through a couple of books during suface intervals.

Cheers!
Chris

Hi
There’s a cheap way to get to Mahahual from Cancun without having to drive a car. Riviera runs buses from Cancun airport to Playa del Carmen. From there, you can catch a bus going down south to Chetumal. Have the driver drop you off at the crossroad for Mahahual/Xcalak (it’s about a mile south from a small town called Limones).
There are three buses a day (early morning, morning and one around 5 or 6 pm) that will go from the crossroad to Mahahual. Or you can try to get a ride, it’s rather easy in that area. If you land in Cancun before 11 am, you should be able to reach Mahahual that same evening. If not, you can spend the night in Playa del Carmen or even Tulum.

If you’re flying into Belize City, bus your way up to the border and into Chetumal. That’s where the Mahahual-bound buses leave from. (if my memory’s right, the afternoon one leaves at 4 pm).
For more info, get a copy of Lonely Planet’s Yucatan or Mexico guide-book.

 

[scuba_addict]

There is a new operator in Mahahual called the Blue Ocean Safari Dive Center. At this time they are located in a palapa across from the Delfin restaurant while there store is being built next door. All divemasters are PADI certified and they will be a PADI facility. Two tank dives are very reasonable and they do do Chinchorro trips. If you dive Chinchorro be careful who you go with. Very few operators hold the needed permits to enter the area. Don't be afraid to ask to see the permits. There website is not up yet, but they can be contacted at phillip@blueoceansafari.com.

 

[DCDivenut]

Man, am I glad I found this message string. I've been researching for some time now to see if Majahual is a do-able trip or not. My wife and I just started diving and hit some pretty cool spots so far, but the Yucatan is pretty close to us as we live in Texas, so I was thinking this may be a routine location for us if it works out.

DCDivenut, I'm curious how the logistics of getting to Majahual work if you have the time to share that info. It looks like it's cheapest to fly into Cancun and drive down the Yucatan. I'm a little leary of driving through Mexico with all that's been in the news lately. The other option was to fly into Belize and drive up - a much shorter drive. The small charter aircraft are waaaaaay too expensive - quotes appear to be $900 from Cancun. Considering my 2 person, round trip air fare would be around that much in peak season, I'm not too wild about spending that on a Cessna from Cancun to Majahual.

**** We flew into Cancun, rented a car, and drove the 3.5 hours to Mahahual. It is a stright shot on Highway 307. I had no problems, stopped for roadside Ceviche in Tulum and gas somewhere else. Neither one of us speaks a lot of Spanish, although a little might help. If you have a GSM phone (Cingular TMobile) you should have service most of the way to Mahahual. I don't think you can fly into Belize and drive since you can;t take a rental car out of the country.

Please be sure to fill us in on the details about the rooms and daily routines (like what & where you eat) as well. I've really been trying to sell my wife on this location and the absence of people and technology seem perfect for my goal of diving, throwing back a few adult beverages in the evenings, and ripping through a couple of books during suface intervals.

Where we are staying, Margarita Del Sol (http://www.margaritadelsol.com/) is a very nice, new place. There are currently four rooms. In the interest of full disclosure, it is owned by divers at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, where I am also a volunteer diver, but I had nt met them prior to this trip. The rooms are very clean. Each has its own fridge, stove, oven with good closet space. It is right on the beach. The resort generates its own power through solar and wind (with a generator backup) so there is no AC but the constant brezes have proved there is no need for that.
The owners came down with us so we are on a "special mean plan" that I do not think exists normally. From what I see you would can stop in Cancun or PDC and stock up on basic for the week and then do dinners in town. There are a few places and we will be going out tonight and tomorrow so I can let you know then.

Diving - See my last post for some details on the op we are using. All I will say about Dreamtime is that they are the recommeded op from the cruise ships and that is enought to keep me from diving with them. I just don't get into ending my dive because some resort course slob blew through his entire tank in 25 minutes. They do have two nice looking boats though so if you group was large enough you might be able to work something out. I also heard that they want to take the pod people to Chinchorro, which would be a travesty in my book.

The operator we are using is great. It is one guy, Arturo, who has a French wife and a darling little girl. They don't have a website or anything but the name is Bucanero del Caraibe. I will say that my experience has been very positive so far. I would heartily reccomend the location, the resort, and the dive op I am using.


Cheers!
Chris

aa

 

[Scubadude]

DC,
Thanx for the report. Sounds like you are really having a good time. Man! 11 Eagle Rays. Great dive. We are ready to go. Although we are not scheduled to go until July. We will be there before you know it. Continue to enjoy. Thanx again.

Good Viz,
Scubadude

 

[billeelou]

[
BTW, sorry if my babbling bore you but hey ! Nobody forced you to read it, right ?[/QUOTE]


not too many times am I forced to do anything...

If you have been diving at only two places, what do you compare Dreamtime to?...:huh: Again this is coming off as harsh, and I really do not mean to sound that way....i am glad you had a great time with DREAMT****, in fact I hope every single time you dive is better than your previous dive and I hope you are able to dive for years...I have nothing negative to say about DREAMT****, and have no "first hand experience" in their operation...I have just reported what I have seen and heard and cited my resources....


DC, what a great REPORT!! you have to post how to get ahold of the Dive ops guys.....

 

[rjchandler]

yes keep posting on your trip. but really - i think everyone would forgive you if you waited until you got back If this place has internet access it may be too civilized.

 

[gratefuljames]

Again, my usual comment about the know it alls here and their judgmental attitudes towards others. If a diver has something positive to say, they can say whatever they like, and no one should be judging it or challenging it. Take what you need (or want) and leave the rest. You are a real downer when you do anything other than that (especially when that includes judgmental criticism, and, by the way, who died and left {insert handle here} the authority?)...anyway...thanks for all the good info, as we are heading down that way late June for a 2-part trip including Chinchorro and Cozumel...not too shabby of a dive trip...