New diver going to Mexico

[mcdehli]

Hi I am a brand new diver. The only dive I have done since my OW was in the Living Seas tank at Epoct (WDW). This was in September. I am heading to to Xcaret Mexico. Will be there from 3/5-3/12/08. I believe it is considered part of Playa del Carmen. I also will be diving by myself , no dive buddy. I'm looking to do some reef diving, just to get my feet wet. I think for a beginner I have very good buoyancy control. Could I expect to be able to do a cenote dive while there? Could any one recommend a dive shop or dive master to go to. I don't have any gear except my mask, fins ect. Should I rent them at home and drag them down, or rent them down there.
Thanks a bunch

 

[driftwood]

Hi I am a brand new diver. The only dive I have done since my OW was in the Living Seas tank at Epoct (WDW). This was in September. I am heading to to Xcaret Mexico. Will be there from 3/5-3/12/08. I believe it is considered part of Playa del Carmen. I also will be diving by myself , no dive buddy. I'm looking to do some reef diving, just to get my feet wet. I think for a beginner I have very good buoyancy control. Could I expect to be able to do a cenote dive while there? Could any one recommend a dive shop or dive master to go to. I don't have any gear except my mask, fins ect. Should I rent them at home and drag them down, or rent them down there.
Thanks a bunch

First, welcome to Scubaboard. Xcaret is about 5-10 minutes south of Playa. Personally, I would rent the gear there rather than packing it down with me. On our next trip we are only taking our masks and snorkels since we only plan on a couple of dives.

Here are a couple of links that may help you,

Playa del Carmen, Mexico's Virtual Guide Book : Playa.Info
Hidden Worlds Cenotes Park Yucatan Mexico Riviera Maya
Can-Do Maps and travel guides
Cancun Rent a Car | Cancun Airport Rent A Car | Rent a Car In Cancun

Cenotes, you will at least need a full 3mm suit, expect to move very slowly for about 45 minutes to an hour. I am sure that the hotel you are staying with in Xcaret will have its own dive operation. That will be the most convenient for you. One guy I like in Playa is Paulo at Geofish Dive in Playa del Carmen - Scuba Diving, Snorkeling, PADI Dive Instruction and Kiteboarding. Do a couple of dive with him and ask if your skills are good enough.

 

[Scott M]

Hi I am a brand new diver. The only dive I have done since my OW was in the Living Seas tank at Epoct (WDW). This was in September. I am heading to to Xcaret Mexico. Will be there from 3/5-3/12/08. I believe it is considered part of Playa del Carmen. I also will be diving by myself , no dive buddy. I'm looking to do some reef diving, just to get my feet wet. I think for a beginner I have very good buoyancy control. Could I expect to be able to do a cenote dive while there? Could any one recommend a dive shop or dive master to go to. I don't have any gear except my mask, fins ect. Should I rent them at home and drag them down, or rent them down there.
Thanks a bunch

Like you my first dives were in PDC. I dove with Tank Ha (I have also used them every trip since and will be there this coming week.). I did my first three days with them then headed over to Coz for a day then back to Tank Ha for theCenote dive. Which I saved for the last dive of the week for a few reasons. First I wanted to work on my bouyancy through out the week before attempting the Cenote's. Which was lucky I did because I had an inflator faliure on my first Cenote dive and had to keep dumping air (slow leak) into the wing but because I was comfortable enough with the weeks worth of diving it was really no problem. I don't think I could have done as well if that had been one of my first dives. Second, the clear fresh water is a good way to get the gear good and flushed out after a week of salt water.

There is always a bunch of single divers hanging around looking for a buddy so you shouldn't have a problem with that. You will have a great time there the diving is really geared towards what your looking to do.

Regards

 

[alwaysdiving]

Welcome to the team my friend, don´t worry about your dive buddy, we never take more than 4 divers at the time in the cenotes, and for the ocean, there is going to be a dive instructor with you all the time, try my web site,
alwaysdiving.com // BUCEO PROFESIONAL - PROFESSIONAL SCUBA DIVING // BIENVENIDO - WELCOME
or contact me at
alvaro@alwaysdiving.com

 

[TSandM]

Although I know people do it, and I highly recommend the cenotes for divers with the experience and composure to be safe there, I would NOT recommend diving in any overhead environment for somebody just out of OW. But go have tons of fun on the reefs -- The water is warm and clear and there's a lot of life in it that you've never seen. Save the cenotes for a trip a year or two from now, when you have a much better sense of who you are underwater.

 

[Mr Serious]

For cenote diving I recomend Aquanauts in Puerto Aventuras, just South of Playa. Aquanauts Dive Rite Tek Center- scuba, cavern diving, dive instruction, retail on the Mexican Caribbean Dress a little warmer for the cenote dives, as the water is cooler there than in the Caribbean. You can rent gear there.

 

[scorpenesub]

Welcome to the board, mcdehli. With your 8-month stint in Mexico, you will have plenty of chance to dive.... One dive-buddy will surface for sure...

 

[billeelou]

give alvaro a shot at always diving- best da*n cave diver there.... door to door service!