Mayan Riviera shore diving

[Divindave]

My family and another are planning on going down to the Mayan Riviera this June and since only 2 out of the 8 of us dive we are looking for an all-inclusive resort with decent shore diving so my friend and I can get in some quick dives, on short notice or at odd times. We also plan on at least 2 or 3 days of boat diving and/or cenote diving.We're looking in the Playa Del Carmen now, but are open to any suggestions (except deserting our spouses and children for the two weeks!). If anybody knows of some resorts there with decent shore diving I'd sure like to hear from you. Thanks. Dave

 

[Skipraha]

I do not know about the reefs offshore, but Xpu Ha Palace has a huge lagoon that about 25 feet in places with tons of smaller fish (Sargent Majors, Tangs, etc) in it. You can do it snorkle, but with scuba it would be nice. My brother in law and I even saw a couple Tarpon (we think) tucked way back under a ledge. We didn;t have our scuba stuff with us, ubt had a blast. I would assume you would have to stay there to snorkle / dive there, but I am not sure. We were at an affiliated all inclusive and just went down for the day.

 

[CUunderH2O]

I've been to PDC several times and I don't know of any shore diving. The reefs are very close, however, and diving is not too expensive. A little further south in Akumal, or a bit further north in Puerto Aventuras could be better for shore diving. Try the forum at www.playadelcarmeninfo.com, they may be able to help you out.

 

[Diana5531]

Dave,

There really is no decent off shore diving in the M.R. proper. There is some MUCH further south in the Sian Kahn biosphere, but the accomodations there are VERY rustic. The very closest is directly on the outside of the reef protecting Half Moon Bay in Akumal. The closer you get to Playa, the less pristine the reefs. Once you get south of Xpu Ha, there are many little turn ins that there is good snorkeling and some diving, eg. Palmul. But you'll want to rent a car for this. What a lot of people do in your situation, is rent a house or condo in a great area with a good beach, close to everything that's familiy oriented and use it to explore (for those that want to). Some of the same places you want to go diving, also will allow snorkelers to go. But then I'm biased.

 

[STOGEY]

My family and another are planning on going down to the Mayan Riviera this June and since only 2 out of the 8 of us dive we are looking for an all-inclusive resort with decent shore diving so my friend and I can get in some quick dives, on short notice or at odd times. We also plan on at least 2 or 3 days of boat diving and/or cenote diving.We're looking in the Playa Del Carmen now, but are open to any suggestions (except deserting our spouses and children for the two weeks!). If anybody knows of some resorts there with decent shore diving I'd sure like to hear from you. Thanks. Dave

In one weeek plu two days I will be in Play del Carmen myself and my significant other. Anways if you go to a site called Puerto Morelos, and go to the diving part, you can read about many of the sites that you can dive at. Or if you google abyss.com. They are a dive operation right in PDC. Again yo can read all about the reefs that may be near where you are staying at.

 

[Divindave]

Thanks for the info everyone. we're sort of looking at the Xpa-Ha Palace, but just now my wife brought up Belize. Oh well, decisions, decisions. Thanks again everyone. Dave

 

[Skipraha]

Thanks for the info everyone. we're sort of looking at the Xpa-Ha Palace, but just now my wife brought up Belize. Oh well, decisions, decisions. Thanks again everyone. Dave

Hey Dave, Like I said above, if you go XHP, that lagoon is great for snorkeling. I am not sure how old the kids are, but if they are comfortable in the water, it would be a great place to introduce them to snorkeling as a step towards SCUBA (maybe the wife too). You will honestly see all the fish would you see on a reef on an expensive snorkle trip and more. The lagoon is literally about 80-100 yard acrosss. Has some slight wave action, but nothing major and has an INCREDIBLE array of fish within a 4 minute walk of the XPU beach. If I remember right, they also have gear you can use free of charge there so you wouldn't have to bring multiple fins, masks. etc. Final advantage is that immediately inland from the lagoon is another huge pool/lake formed by a stream that flows into the lagoon. The on-resort dive shop is set up on this lake which has platforms so you could practice blowing bubbles the day you arrive to knock the rust off before hitting the reefs.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. FYI, I do not work for Adventura Spa of XPH Palaces I just really enjoyed them.

Don

 

[gregpsych]

Not much opportunity for shore diving. If you want a good resort that is resoanble try Club Maeva. I use Tank-ha (just got back from a wonderful week) to book our trips, but we are all divers. Apple Vacations can book for you. The Club Maeva Tulum is about 14 miles south of Playa del Carmen. We have been there twice and love the place. It is all-inclusive with food that is better than most of the Hotels in Vegas. Take two wet suits as mid week yours will no longer fit. The shop has a second shop at the resort with a dive boat a short walk from your room. Tank-ha also has a boat that goes over to Cozumel. They can give you a package of reef dives, cenotes, and Cozumel. We stayed for 8 days in June and 7 this last week. You can get more info at tankha.com.

Greg

 

[Divindave]

Hey everybody, Thanks again for all the replies. I'll check them all out. I know my friend and I will be able to get away for at least two days of reef and cenote diving, but I was hoping to find a place where maybe we could sneak out the backdoor and get in some other spur of the moment quality dives without disrupting the plans of the others, ie wives and kids. No matter what happens diving-wise I'm sure we're in for a great time. Happy and safe diving. Dave

 

[catbrown]

We have had some people do a little shore diving here just to get familiar with the area or new gear. We have quite a few families who come and stay here with just a couple of divers most of them find Puerto Morelos perfect for that because the kids love it. The condos at Villas Playasol are fully furnished and right on our beautiful white sand beach and with a good pool. You are walkgin distance to the dive shop and there ar elots of other activities for people adn of course you are right in front of the National Maritime Park of Puerto Morelso where there is great snorkelling.