I will be in Playa in mid March and I hope to take a IANTD Cavern or Intro class. Can anyone make some recommendations on a operator. I will be staying at Occidental Grand Xcaret and was looking to be picked up and dropped off. I also hope to do several other days of diving. Should I do some open water dives or stick with the Cenotes?
Playa and Cavern or Intro Recommendations
- Thread starter smorneau
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My friend Jason Renoux (essentialscubatraining.com) is an IANTD instructor. He's a delightful person and an absolutely beautiful diver. People I know who have taken classes from him have praised him highly. I don't know whether he will pick up in Playa, but you can write to him and ask.
Whether to do open water diving or stick to the cenotes depends a bit on how much you enjoy them. For me, there is better reef diving elsewhere, but the caves are unique and I love them, so I spend my time there cave diving. For someone with less warm water reef diving experience, or for whom the cenotes do not hold the magic they do for me, a mixture of the two might be more enjoyable.
Of course, it's hard for me even to conceive of someone who would pick reef diving over cave diving, where both were available
Whether to do open water diving or stick to the cenotes depends a bit on how much you enjoy them. For me, there is better reef diving elsewhere, but the caves are unique and I love them, so I spend my time there cave diving. For someone with less warm water reef diving experience, or for whom the cenotes do not hold the magic they do for me, a mixture of the two might be more enjoyable.
Of course, it's hard for me even to conceive of someone who would pick reef diving over cave diving, where both were available
Ontwreckdiver
Contributor
I highly recommend Nicolas Casella from www.cenotexperience.com.mx He gets excellent reviews here on Scubaboard and Tripadvisor. He will pick up and drop off. He is on Scubaboard as CenoteXperience, so you can pm him with any questions you have.
Agree with Lynne's recommendation for Jason--he's a good guy. Also consider the guys at Protec.
bigbluemarble
Registered
I'd also consider Protec. Their instructors are some of the most experienced in the area and offer high quality courses with a strict adherence to teaching standards. They're also a fun group of guys who really enjoy sharing their love of the caverns/caves.
email frank@bluelife.com
they have one of the best outfits in the area. i am sure they can make arrangements for pick up. i have used them and a few people from here have used them recently. all good feedback. hard to find anyone more experienced than frank. check them out on trip advisor as well if you like.
they have one of the best outfits in the area. i am sure they can make arrangements for pick up. i have used them and a few people from here have used them recently. all good feedback. hard to find anyone more experienced than frank. check them out on trip advisor as well if you like.
Sasha_RI
Registered
Second for Nicolas from Cenote Experience. He was picking us right from the hotel and all trips were perfectly organized.
Have heard good things about Jason who Lynne recommended and also Protec. However based on prior personal experience I did my Cavern last November with Nico from Cenotexperience. Picked me up and dropped me off each day at my hotel in downtown Playa. Full review of the time I spent with him is here - http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/mexico/438519-cavern-cert-playa-just-got-back-trip-report.html
We'll be back for our annual trip this fall and I'm hoping to complete full cave at that time! PM me if you have any other questions.
Brian.
We'll be back for our annual trip this fall and I'm hoping to complete full cave at that time! PM me if you have any other questions.
Brian.
dive pro
Contributor
Check out Erik at Scuba dive in Playa del Carmen, Cenotes and Cozumel with Beyond Diving safe and fun operation run by one of the best cave/tech divers around, I use them to go leisure diving.
A-Rod
Registered
Scuba Playa is a great shop in PDC. They offer full cave courses, etc. Great staff, really accommodating and professional. Erick was my OW and AOW instructor and he is absolutely fantastic.
I dove a handful of the cenotes around Tulum without having done a cavern course, just having my AOW cert and demonstrating good buoyancy control. Some of those cenotes near Tulum are not to be missed -- Angelita, Carwash and Calavera were all completely out-of-this-world stunning. It's a hike from PDC but they are hands-down some of the most incredible dives I've done. For that -- and if you want to get a cavern cert with easily the best tech and cave diver I've ever encountered, go see Nihls at Dream Diving in Tulum. They're on the main drag downtown, a small shop he owns with his wife. He is PHENOMENAL, and extremely reasonably priced as well.
I dove a handful of the cenotes around Tulum without having done a cavern course, just having my AOW cert and demonstrating good buoyancy control. Some of those cenotes near Tulum are not to be missed -- Angelita, Carwash and Calavera were all completely out-of-this-world stunning. It's a hike from PDC but they are hands-down some of the most incredible dives I've done. For that -- and if you want to get a cavern cert with easily the best tech and cave diver I've ever encountered, go see Nihls at Dream Diving in Tulum. They're on the main drag downtown, a small shop he owns with his wife. He is PHENOMENAL, and extremely reasonably priced as well.
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