GotNoOcean
Contributor
I just got back from a week (Feb 28 - Mar 05) in the Puerto Morelos area -- emphasis for this trip was not on diving, but I did sneak in a few dives! We did get out to see Chichen Itza, but mostly soaked up some sun & tequila. 
We timed our stay to avoid Spring Break crowds and the increasing spring temperatures afterwards. Seems like we arrived at the same time as the entire state of Minnesota, plus half of Canada!
My wife (a non-diver) and I stayed at Hotel Marina El Cid, a smaller (350 rooms) family-friendly all-inclusive resort about a mile south of Puerto Morelos proper. We're not big on noisy nightlife, and this place was perfect -- enough to do day & night, but quiet and relaxing. The price was reasonable, (Really Good) food & drink flowed freely, and every single member of the staff was friendly, helpful, and fun to be around, and the rooms were clean and well-maintained.
The weather was unusually tough around our time there, with a 20-knot onshore wind that started a few days before we got there, ending, of course, as we packed to leave. As a result, the reef was churned up with a lot of surge and current. I went with Marina El Cid Scuba, right next door to the resort. Peter, Jose, and Jose were all great, friendly, and professional. The reef is right there with sites 5-15 minutes out from the marina, so they do multiple short single-tank dives out of pangas.
My only reef dive was at a site 5 min offshore at Las Cabezas, "the heads", named for the many coral heads that dot the flat sand bottom at 20-40' here. With the winds as they were, surface conditions were tough -- Kick like hell for the anchor line & get down! The shop staff said diving the late winter here is usually kind of iffy, the seas tend to turn to glass in May & June, more in the off-season tourist-wise. On this dive, there was a lot to see, at least one turtle, stingrays, grouper, and numerous other various tropical fish. Coral growth looked reasonably healthy and varied as well. The only downside was the churned-up visibility, around 30 ft or so, and heavy surge.
I also did a two-tank trip with them to Cenote Kukulkan and Cenote Chaac-Mool -- It was just me, so I had my own personal guide! Open Water-certified divers can go if escorted by fully cave-certified & equipped guides. None of the groups I saw were more than 4 people per guide, and the skill & level of attention the guides put in was reassuring. My hat's way off to the guides, perhaps the most skilled divers I've ever seen -- absolutely perfect bouyancy control and economy of movement. I'll be working hard to emulate them in my future dives.
The cenotes themselves were completely other-worldly. Vis was easily 150 to 200' in the fresh water. Both of these cenotes are low-lying and have sea water filtering into their deeper reaches, so there are haloclines in multiple places -- where fresh & salt water meet, a profound mirage-like visual effect overwhelms you. It was REALLY spooky! You can spark up as many lights as you want, you still can't see anything -- like having a mask made out of shower door glass!
The courses through each of these cenotes was well-marked with lines, winding through various chambers and corridors. You're never out of sight from the many open shafts & collapsed domes that open to the surface.
If you're considering trying the cenotes, just make sure your bouyancy control is up to snuff and you're not easily freaked by enclosed environments or temporarily reduced vis. It's beyond cool, definitely worth the extra time & effort.
My few worthwhile pictures are in my gallery (Puerto Morelos, March 2008)-- I'm just beginning UW photography, still have a great deal to learn and gear to buy!
Cheers!
We timed our stay to avoid Spring Break crowds and the increasing spring temperatures afterwards. Seems like we arrived at the same time as the entire state of Minnesota, plus half of Canada!My wife (a non-diver) and I stayed at Hotel Marina El Cid, a smaller (350 rooms) family-friendly all-inclusive resort about a mile south of Puerto Morelos proper. We're not big on noisy nightlife, and this place was perfect -- enough to do day & night, but quiet and relaxing. The price was reasonable, (Really Good) food & drink flowed freely, and every single member of the staff was friendly, helpful, and fun to be around, and the rooms were clean and well-maintained.
The weather was unusually tough around our time there, with a 20-knot onshore wind that started a few days before we got there, ending, of course, as we packed to leave. As a result, the reef was churned up with a lot of surge and current. I went with Marina El Cid Scuba, right next door to the resort. Peter, Jose, and Jose were all great, friendly, and professional. The reef is right there with sites 5-15 minutes out from the marina, so they do multiple short single-tank dives out of pangas.
My only reef dive was at a site 5 min offshore at Las Cabezas, "the heads", named for the many coral heads that dot the flat sand bottom at 20-40' here. With the winds as they were, surface conditions were tough -- Kick like hell for the anchor line & get down! The shop staff said diving the late winter here is usually kind of iffy, the seas tend to turn to glass in May & June, more in the off-season tourist-wise. On this dive, there was a lot to see, at least one turtle, stingrays, grouper, and numerous other various tropical fish. Coral growth looked reasonably healthy and varied as well. The only downside was the churned-up visibility, around 30 ft or so, and heavy surge.
I also did a two-tank trip with them to Cenote Kukulkan and Cenote Chaac-Mool -- It was just me, so I had my own personal guide! Open Water-certified divers can go if escorted by fully cave-certified & equipped guides. None of the groups I saw were more than 4 people per guide, and the skill & level of attention the guides put in was reassuring. My hat's way off to the guides, perhaps the most skilled divers I've ever seen -- absolutely perfect bouyancy control and economy of movement. I'll be working hard to emulate them in my future dives.
The cenotes themselves were completely other-worldly. Vis was easily 150 to 200' in the fresh water. Both of these cenotes are low-lying and have sea water filtering into their deeper reaches, so there are haloclines in multiple places -- where fresh & salt water meet, a profound mirage-like visual effect overwhelms you. It was REALLY spooky! You can spark up as many lights as you want, you still can't see anything -- like having a mask made out of shower door glass!
The courses through each of these cenotes was well-marked with lines, winding through various chambers and corridors. You're never out of sight from the many open shafts & collapsed domes that open to the surface.
If you're considering trying the cenotes, just make sure your bouyancy control is up to snuff and you're not easily freaked by enclosed environments or temporarily reduced vis. It's beyond cool, definitely worth the extra time & effort.
My few worthwhile pictures are in my gallery (Puerto Morelos, March 2008)-- I'm just beginning UW photography, still have a great deal to learn and gear to buy!
Cheers!
