Mahahual, Quintana Roo-Dream Time Divers

[DCDivenut]

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.

Actually the place I am staying at has wireless since the owners have satellite internet, so I am currently sitting in a hammock, alternately checking e-mail and drinking coffee, watching the waves roll in! Sort of the perfect blend of total relaxation and still being connected since I told work I had no access!

I will get contact info for the dive op (phone # and maybe e-mail) today and post tonight or tomorrow. I know he is working on a website as well.

Had dinner at a local restaurant, El Delfin and had ceviche. Very good but not the best I have ever had. Tried a drink called a MIchelada, which is where you take lime juice, hot sauce, worchestershire sauce and some other stuff and then pour in a beer. Not my thing for sure, but try everything once, right? Nice night dive, and the op I went with may be the only one that goes since the channel is not marked. They need to work on some of their procedures, like putting out a line, but I think they will remember from this point forward. One of the owners of the resort I am ataying at is Mexican and we are going to write down our comments on the dive op and she will pass them along and translate for him. Interesting PM dive as well. We are swimming along at about 70 feet, about 25 minutes into the dive when the DM comes over to me and gives me an OOA signal. I pass him my octo and he shows me that his gauge is at zero! Anyway, no big deal, we start to do a nice slow ascent since I had plent of air and I was actually pretty relaxed ( considering thisis the first time in 203 dives I have actually ever been involved in a true OOA situation). I was so relaxed in fact that another diver in out group who has been diving for 20 years and is an instructor saw us and thought I was unconscious so she came barrelling over. Needless to say when she realized I was the donor her eyes sort of bugged out and first before she relaxed. When we got backto the boat it turned out that someone had put an empty tank on the wrong side of the boat and the DM didn't check before splashing in. Anyway, it all worked out okay and the instructor said that if I took rescue diver with her I would get partial credit!!

BTW, my attempt at kayak diving failed miserably, although fortunately not spectacularly. We got all the equipment on the kayaks and went off. I stayed closer to the shore since the first 100 yards are pretty shallow. At one point I shifted to ease my back and rolled the kayak. Luckily, I had inflated my BC ( I am dumb but not stupid) so I didn't lose anything. Anyway, since putting the BC and tank back on the kayak was pretty tough in chest deep water I figured it would be near impossible; in deeper water so we scratched it. I guess we could have towed the BCs but I was just not THAT desperate to dive!

Will keep posting during the week (if I feel like it )

 

[gratefuljames]

What place is this DC? How do you get in touch with the dive ops? Can you post some phone numbers for the ones not on the internet or with email? Gracias!!!!

 

[billeelou]

DC a dive trip for the memory books!!! As my old instructor says, "no one ever drowns, they just panic....."

Keep reporting, I am lovin it!!!

 

[DCDivenut]

Will start a new thread with final thoughts on destination, dive op, resort but thought if anyone was subscribed here they would want a heads up...

 

[2dive.com]

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.

Lobster - Between March 1st and June 30th it is prohibited from selling Lobster. This is mating season and Consumers are being asked not to purchase from restaurants who continue to serve conch and lobster in off season. The way that many lobsters are harvested by local fishermen it is hard to tell which ones are female and full of eggs until after they are dead.

This is a SEMARNAT directive.

The University of Quintana Roo is trying to find alternative ways for fisherman to make a living rather than continue to over-fish these species and is supporting fisherman in creating tourist cooperativos rather than continue to over-fish areas such as Banco Chinchorro and the Sian Ka'an.

 

[Gaviota]

I think if you check the post date - 22 Feb. This is before the restricted season.

 

[2dive.com]

And it is illegal to take any lobster or fish unless you are a member of the cooperativo which in actuality is a small minority of the fishermen at Chinchorro

 

[Scubadude]

Well fellow divers I must say that it was great! The diving was very good. We did not get to go to Chinchorro Banks due to the politics of Mexico. There are only 2 boats with licenses to go there and one of the boats was not worthy of going out 15 miles in the changing weather at the time. July as some know is rainy season in Mexico and the weather was unpredictable.

Some of the more notable reefs were The Old Lighthouse, Punta Tam, Cyclops Reef, Los Escalones, and Dos Ojos. The dive operator was on a scale from 1-10, a 7. Sometimes the DM just didn't feel like going out so they would tell us that the Harbor Master had closed the reefs and no boats were allowed to go out that day. Night diving was cancelled everyday too, with calm seas, hmm , made us wonder.

The atmosphere is very laid back. locals from Chetumal come on weekends with their families to hang out. Food is very cheap and fresh. The lobster divers would go out in the early morning and catch about 10 -15 lobsters and that was your dinner. A lobster dinner went for about $15.00. Great deal!

Dreamtime divers is a great resort. Right in front of the ocean andvery tranquil. The people treated us very well. I recommend you fly into Chetumal airport from Cancun because the drive is about 4.5 hours from Cancun. If you enjoy driving and seeing old Mexico then the drive is for you. The road is in excellent condition and there are no hassles on the way.

Overall I would rate the entire trip a B. Only because the dive operator was kind of shaky at times. Other than that I say go for it.

 

[billeelou]

I rate them as a A-, only because I like a little more in the way of creature comforts, but they BENT OVER BACKWARDS to DO whatever we wanted!!!

Last January when I was down there , they could not have been more accomodating!!, and they treated me as if I was their solo customer...In talking with them later, they will do the pickup if they are in Cancun around the time you are set to arrive...

Thats why I go with MayaPalms rather than the much more advertised DREAMTIME who I am sure is a competent Dive operation.....

Just my preference....:14:

 

[Scubadude]

The folks at Dreamtime treated us like kings & queens, don't get me wrong, but I just had a slight problem with the dive operator because of the unreliability.

One morming we wallked down to the shop to pick up our gear in the back and someone had tampered with my girl's regs. When she went to turn the air on, the hose snapped off and almost hit her in the face. The regs were connected solidly the day before, as always. I think someone was in there trying to steal and someone came and they left the reg loose.

Good Viz,
George