Need Mexico suggestions?

[*Floater*]

I'm considering a trip to Mexico in late August or September. Need dive op suggestions and general advice. Specifically, I'd like a friendly, inexpensive dive opration that offers cave and tech diving and preferably free shore dives.

My girlfriend is thinking of taking her first tech and cave courses there. Something like TDI adv. nitrox/deco procedures or equivalent, and a reasonable intro cave course. I'd like to ultimately take GUE's tech-1 and cave-1, but I'm probably ready yet for those, so I'm deciding whether to join her on the easier courses to get access or to wait.

Suggestions, advice?

 

[scubawife]

Check out Aquatech and Villas de Rosa www.cenotes.com

It's really not a shore diving area but the Akumal - Tulum area is a great base for cenote/cavern/cave diving. The ocean diving in Akumal is mostly shallow reefs (45-70 ft) with some sites down to 90ft. Not really tech diving oriented. You won't have the deep walls or spectacular colors that you find in the southern and eastern sites in Cozumel, but the reefs are pretty lush with a decent amount of marine life considering it's not a protected marine park area.

There is a new shop on Cozumel that's catering to tech divers. I don't know anything about them but they do have a website www.deepexposuredivecenter.com

If you have the time, you might want to consider splitting your trip between Akumal and Cozumel. We do this a couple times a year. We're not tech divers and only dive cenotes (plan on doing a cavern cert this year). But, the combination of the deeper wall dives in Coz and then relaxing ocean dives and cenote dives in Akumal make it a great mix.

 

[*Floater*]

Aquatech would be my first choice if money was not an issue, but at the moment they look a little too expensive; they want $45 to rent double tanks with nitrox. :11: That can't be standard in Mexico...

 

[scubawife]

The average guided 2 tank cenote/cavern day will run you around $100 pp. The average 1 tank ocean dive is around $30 ($25 if you buy a multi-dive package), and in Cozumel, the best shops are $65-90 for a 2 tank trip (upper end of the pricing is for shops that offer steel 95s & 120s, give you longer bottom times and go to the more advanced sites). If you want a quality instructor for tech and/or cavern, you won't get it at budget prices. Cozumel and the Riviera Maya have become popular tourist destination and prices have gone up for everything in recent years. I find it to still be a good value for the diving and vacation experience I get there. There are lots of places you can stay in Playa del Carmen for under $75/nt, and you can find cheap places to eat. There are ways you can make the trip cheaper I just wouldn't recommend trying to go budget on the diving. You will get what you pay for.

My favorite private cenote guide so far is Dennis Weeks www.diablodivers.com I believe he's currently working with Aquanuts in Puerto Aventuras and does instruction as well. But I don't think his rates will be much cheaper. You could also check Hidden Worlds www.hiddenworlds.com They are the most commercial operation in the area and I think they run courses.

 

[Diver Lori]

Scubawife is dead on. You aren't going to get it on the cheap anymore. And if you are considering GUE, you better get use to ponying up the bucks....they'll run you way more than CDS or NACD classes.

And, at Aquatech, you can upgrade to Nitrox for the week for an additional $100 total to the package.

 

[Pez de Diablo]

The average guided 2 tank cenote/cavern day will run you around $100 pp. The average 1 tank ocean dive is around $30 ($25 if you buy a multi-dive package), and in Cozumel, the best shops are $65-90 for a 2 tank trip (upper end of the pricing is for shops that offer steel 95s & 120s, give you longer bottom times and go to the more advanced sites). If you want a quality instructor for tech and/or cavern, you won't get it at budget prices. Cozumel and the Riviera Maya have become popular tourist destination and prices have gone up for everything in recent years. I find it to still be a good value for the diving and vacation experience I get there. There are lots of places you can stay in Playa del Carmen for under $75/nt, and you can find cheap places to eat. There are ways you can make the trip cheaper I just wouldn't recommend trying to go budget on the diving. You will get what you pay for.

My favorite private cenote guide so far is Dennis Weeks www.diablodivers.com I believe he's currently working with Aquanuts in Puerto Aventuras and does instruction as well. But I don't think his rates will be much cheaper. You could also check Hidden Worlds www.hiddenworlds.com They are the most commercial operation in the area and I think they run courses.

Thanks for the nice words.

In addition to running Diablo Divers, I am an owner/partner in Aquanauts Dive Rite Tek Center located in Puerto Aventuras. The problem with shore diving is the current. Most days it is strong to medium and other days non existent, but this is difficult to tell until you get into the water. Next concern is distance to the reef from shore, you may spend 15 minutes getting out and then would need the 15 minutes to get back in, underwater. Next is the lack of access points to and from the water. Now this being said, I do know that some of the locals have tried shore dives and I am planning on spending some time in July (my first time off ) investigating the possibilities of shore diving in the PA area. Since I am also a frugal diver, I think it would be great to be able to offer divers an economical alternative to boat diving.

I also offer openwater tec diving and have everything from alum 80's to E8-130's. Let's just keep the run times under 100 minutes or else we'll have to scooter back in

Dennis

PS, I think some of the best Mexican diving outside of Cozumel is out of Puerto Aventuras.