Puerto Vallarta dive report

[ekoast]

Alex,

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately I am not certified on Nitrox, only standard air. I have all the 7mm gear, so that's not an issue, or I can rent it from you if I didn't want to take it. How deep do you typically take divers at Los Arcos?

Also, could I hire a guide from PV for the beach dive, how much would that be and is it worth it? If the beach dive is mostly sand, I'll try to do two boat dives.

Thanks again,
Eric

 

[pvscuba]

Hi,

We have not dived El Banco lately. When we do it is usually during the summer when the weather is more predictable. This time of year itŽ´s a gamble going all the way out there since the wind and the swells can make a dangerous and not-too-enjoyable dive.

Local fishermen usually refer to La Corbete? as "the rock". It can be mistaken for El Morro, since that is a "rock" as well.

Has anyone been to el Banco this cold water season ??


Is there another name for the dive site "the rock"? would that be el Morro ??

 

[pvscuba]

Hi Alex,

Are there any local (good) beach dives from either Puerto Vallarta or in Puerto Nuevo? Something where I can rent the gear I don't bring from you and hire a guide?

Are the water temps higher in April?

Eric

Hi Eric,

THe only place where it´s practical to do a beach dive (like without having to climb down a mountain with all your gear) is at Mismaloya, as mentioned by our fellow scuba boarder, which is about 7 miles south of downtown PV.

If anything, temps are likely to be colder in April than they are now, even though above water will be a lot warmer. It varies from year to year, yet in 2008 the water didn´t start warming till end of may.

cheers

Alex from PVScuba

 

[toodeep]

I would like to thank Alex and the crew for there hospitality and expertise. I did two 2 tank dives with PVScuba the first was El Morro on Jan 29 and then Chimo on the 6th of Feb it was great the crew were awesome Hector the dive master and Sergio DM in training are very competent and fun to dive with I would definitely recommend PVScuba to any one. AT both sites my computer read 67 deg for the min, At El Morro I wore a 2.5mm shorty suit it was OK until we hit the thermocline not sure what depth we hit it but we went down to 118ft. On Alex's advice for the 6th I used one of his 3mm full one piece with my shorty suit over top and I was fine I had thin gloves and no hood, but I am used to cold water diving and cold temps I work out side in -40c and colder most of the winter so take there advice on what to wear they now the area well.
Next year we are renting a condo some where north of PV and I am definitely going to do a lot more dives with PVScuba.
Thanks again Alex for everything and see ya next year.:vintagediver:

 

[pvscuba]

We can always get you nitrox certified, if you wish.

At Los Arcos we can do dives at any depth. There are nice reefs at 30-35 ft and an amazing wall where we can take you down to 1000 ft if you wish (just kidding, of course). We usually go no deeper than 100ft.

I don´t really recommend the beach dive unless you´re a beach-diving fan. With the kind of beach diving that we can do here the options are just too limited.

cheers

Alex from PVScuba

Alex,

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately I am not certified on Nitrox, only standard air. I have all the 7mm gear, so that's not an issue, or I can rent it from you if I didn't want to take it. How deep do you typically take divers at Los Arcos?

Also, could I hire a guide from PV for the beach dive, how much would that be and is it worth it? If the beach dive is mostly sand, I'll try to do two boat dives.

Thanks again,
Eric

 

[MountainM]

I was refering to La Corbete... Do you guys see any of those cow tuna ever when you head out there?

That would be an awesome sight

 

[pvscuba]

We don´t see pelagics too often, save giant mantas. We mostly see reef fish.

 

[Scuba Diver Mexico]

These coming weeks of feb/march 2009, if you are planning to be in Puerto Vallarta, or if you want to go down and bring your macro cameras, Alicia Hermosillo will be diving in the area.


Alicia is happy to share her expertise while guiding in English or Spanish for photographers or small animal fans in some of the popular dive sites of the bay.

The Sea Slug Forum - Eastern Pacific Nudibranchs. A guide to the Opisthobranchs from Alaska to Central America
The Sea Slug Forum - Opistobranquios de Mexico
Alicia Hermosillo Nudibranch Photographer Nudi Pixel
YouTube - El mundo microscópico del Mar de Cortés


She is also a member of SB with the name "Ali" and email alicia_hg@prodigy.net.mx or gueri25@hotmail.com

Get in touch with her if you would like to see the underwater world of the bay in a totally different way

This week we went nudibranch "hunting" with Dr. Alicia Hermosillo, nudibranch specialists and author of books on the subject. We visited Marieta Islands, Los Arcos, and Majahuitas and found 100s of the beautiful little critters. Here are some pictures taken by Dr. Alicia.

Enjoy...

 

[Scuba Diver Mexico]

If anybody is interested, at the end of next week there is a possibility of going wreck diving in the bay of Banderas /Puerto Vallarta (weather permitting)

This is a seldom visited commercial fishing boat wreck with a max depth of 157 feet and a min depth of 130-135.

I personally used to dive it often, but havent been back there for about a year and a half now.

The wreck is interesting and sits upright on a sand/silt bottom. The water viz at the wreck depths can be very good this time of the year but also very cold (separating the bottom water from the plankton bloom on top of it) . On the other hand, some times the viz can be very bad if there are bottom currents or a big swell or if there is no thermocline.

A dry suit or full 7 mm suit is a very good idea. This would be only for normoxic Tmx trained/certified divers wearing proper gear.

 

[mikeyjoe]

Hi All,

Just a quick note to say that my wife and I dove with Alex and his staff the week of Feb 6th-13th, and we had a great time. I am Rescue certified, but my wife was completeing her referral dives for Open Water certification. She was a bit nervous - read threshold of panic - about one or two of the underwater skills required, but Alex and his instructors were patient and calming and she passed.
We enjoyed Alex's personalized and professional service and would highly recommend him as a dive operator.
The next time we are in PV, we will not look anywhere else for a dive operator.

Many thanks Alex!

Michael and Robin Klaver