Playa del Carmen in September

[ibanezgfx]

Hey all,
I will be taking my honeymoon to Playa del Carmen (or the Puerto Morelos area) this coming labor day (September 6-13). I have told the little lady that I am going diving once or twice, as she has no desire to scuba dive whatsoever.

Anyway, there are a few resorts I have in mind to stay at, but that is another conversation (if you have stayed here before, I would love to talk about where you went and how it was) but where would a good place to go diving be? I like the idea of cenotes, but I think this trip I will keep it to reef/ocean diving. I would like to see some sharks and some pretty reefs, possibly a wreck. Suggestions?

Also, how is the snorkeling from the shore around here? My fiance will snorkel as long as I am with her, so I get some more ocean time

Thanks for any replies

-Adam

 

[driftwood]

Hi Adam,

If I get to choose we stay in PDC. If my wife chooses, we stay in Akumal. Don't get to stay in PDC that much anymore.

The snorkeling in Puerto Morelos used to be pretty good, but PM took a direct hit from Wilma in '05. How much the shallow reefs have come back since then, I don't know. PM does have the best wreck dive along the coast. We stayed there for one week and the town just had a weird vibe about it. We are not making any plans to return.

Playa del Carmen has it all over PM or Akumal for shopping, restaurants and nightlife. The reef diving is good but not world class. It is where the ferry to Cozumel docks.

Akumal has the best beaches and is located much closer to the cenotes, the area's claim to diving fame. Problem is that most of the reefs there are in pretty bad shape. The shallow reefs are excellent for snorkeling from shore and you are virtually guaranteed to see a turtle in Akumal Bay. The middle and deep reefs are virtually dead.

 

[SCUBA 10]

Hi Adam,

Playa del Carmen is a great place to dive. There is always a lot of fish to see at ecery dive site. The dive shop that I work at, Scuba 10, offers 2 tank dives in Playa for $70US. One of the dive sites in Playa is Mama Vina, which is a shipwreck, and included in that price. Another great shipwreck is the one in Puerto Morelos, as driftwood already said. It really is the best along the coast. We also offer 2 dives there for $80US which includes the transportation to and from PM.
For your wife, we offer a snorkeling trip to Akumal as well as right here in PDC. You will also be here towards the end of whale shark season, so we will aslo have a whale shark snorkeling tour, which is an amazing experience!
If you want to know more about any of our dive packages, please feel free to send me a message! Best of luck, and have a fantastic honeymoon!:goingdown:

 

[Scuba_Nessie]

Hello!! I travel to Playa quite frequently and have never stayed in the same place twice!! If you are looking for recommendations of hotels or a condos, I can give you some advice! The only wreck dive I know of in Playa is the Mama Vina.

I have trip #11 coming up soon and will finally do a cenote dive! :cool2:

 

[PlayaCountryBoy]

Hello!! I travel to Playa quite frequently and have never stayed in the same place twice!! If you are looking for recommendations of hotels or a condos, I can give you some advice! The only wreck dive I know of in Playa is the Mama Vina.

I have trip #11 coming up soon and will finally do a cenote dive! :cool2:

Hiya Vanessa! Good to see you on SB! Your knowledge will be greatly welcomed here. Hope we get a chance to finally dive together while you're down.

 

[Scuba_Nessie]

Hiya Vanessa! Good to see you on SB! Your knowledge will be greatly welcomed here. Hope we get a chance to finally dive together while you're down.

Hiya Jase!! I hear you are THE MAN to dive with! You get a lot of great compliments...especially from our buddy, Greg!

I'm looking to do my Rescue Diver Course...maybe not this next trip...but possibly in the summer! I'll be in touch!

 

[ibanezgfx]

Well the resorts that both of us seem to like best are mostly in Puerto Morelos.
Now Riviera Cancun
Now Riviera Cancun Resort and Spa (formely NH Riviera Cancun) - All-Inclusive - Puerto Morelos
H10 Ocean Turquesa
Ocean Coral and Turquesa by H10 - All Inclusive Resort - Puerto Morelos Riviera Maya
Dreams
Dreams Riviera Cancun Resort and Spa - All Inclusive - Puerto Morelos

Or the Dreams in Puerto Aventuras
Dreams Puerto Aventuras Resort and Spa, Riviera Maya - All-Inclusive - Cancun

If you have any experiences with any of these resorts, I would be happy to hear about them. Good, and especially bad. How is snorkeling off resort, etc... Prices are all similar (although a couple have increased by a lot last week...)

Thanks

 

[warmwaterturner]

My wife and I drove down to Akumal. There is a great beach there where the turtles feed and a very good snorkeling area is. Search Akumal Scuba Diving for their shop. Taxi from Playa is about $20.00 one way.

 

[Ed Hatfield]

I just got back from Playa. I am a little biased because I have a place there. If you are looking to do an 'All Inclusive' then I suggest you consider The Royal. It is the best of the three AI's in Playa. There is also the Porto Real across the street from the Royal (both owned by the same company) and the Grand Coco Bay at the north end of town (at least the tourist part). There are several AI's in Playacar but I prefer Playa because it has more atmosphere. Playacar is a gated community and there isn't much point in going to Mexico to stay in a gated community (in my opinion). My preference is to stay in one of the smaller 'Boutique' hotels or go the condo route. For snorkelling the beach at Akumal is the ONLY choice. Bus, cab or car rental will get you there. Equipment rental is 12$ and available on the beach if you don't want to bring your own. We had friends visiting us and they went to Akumal with a rented car. They enjoyed the snorkelling so much they returned the next two days with a cab to do it a second and third time. DO NOT take a snorkel trip with a resort or dive shop...you will regret it. Who you dive with will depend on where you choose to stay. Once you decide that you should post again and ask for suggestions.

 

[Ed Hatfield]

Quick FYI - I stayed at the H10 two years ago and the resort was just 'OK'. My concern is that the on-site dive op was a mess. I had real safety concerns at that time and unless there has been a great improvement then I would avoid them.