Puerto Vallarta early Nov

[aquaagua]

I will be diving in Puerto Vallarta first part of November. I will most likely dive with Pacific Scuba, I was just wondering where the best dive sites are. I dove Los Arcos and El Morro last year. Two non-divers are going with me and I was hoping they could snorkel and actually see something... so where would be the best dive sites?

 

[pitah]

Hola.

Try "las marietas" and majahuitas, or chimo. but im sure that the pacific scuba crew will take you where the best conditions for both divers and snorkelers are.

 

[geraldp]

I will be diving in Puerto Vallarta first part of November. I will most likely dive with Pacific Scuba, I was just wondering where the best dive sites are. I dove Los Arcos and El Morro last year. Two non-divers are going with me and I was hoping they could snorkel and actually see something... so where would be the best dive sites?

I dove Los Arcos, Majahuitas, and Mariettas earlier this month with Pacific Scuba (see my trip report). All three are excellent places to go with snorkelers on the boat. However I was really unimpressed with Majahuitas as a dive site. The visibility was horrible. Of course conditions change, and I have no idea if it would be better in November. The fish life at Los Arcos was the best I saw, and the swim-throughs at Mariettas Islands were a lot of fun.

Jerry

 

[jazappi]

I did a night dive at Los Arcos that was great. We shut our lights off at the bottom and started waving our hands, which made the planktin glow a neon green and it would bubble up towards the surface. Great dive.

I used Vallarta Adventures, the were ok, had a lot of non divers, which is good for you with your snorklers. I went in Feb, and the whales were on the bay at the time, and the way out to dive sites, they would stop and let us whale watch also.

 

[Rogaine]

I'll be there with Pacific Scuba on Thursday....yes this Thursday

Diving Mariettas. I'll drop a trip report when I get back the 2nd week of August. Can't wait.

 

[Shortypots]

Hey rogaine, can you check what kind of equipt they provide? Apparently their prices include equipt, but I cannot get them to answer whether or not they provide a dive computer or not. Please let us know how your trip goes! We might dive with them in Nov as well, and wondering which site is the best for beginners (no ocean dives yet, only lake).

 

[Rogaine]

Well, I'm back now unfortunately.

All equipment is included so if you don't want to bring anything you don't have to. No dive computers though, just the basics. For rental equipment it wasn't that bad from what my friends told me. I only used a BC and brought the rest of my own gear down.

Marietas island dives were great. Swim throughs and vis was wonderful. The only downside is that the trip out is LONG. About 1.5 hours.
Friends dove the Majahuitas and said it was very similar as far as vis and aquatice life but so much shorter of a boat ride that it made it better
We also dove chimo which to me was by far the best diving. Great viz...for the pacific at least.....we had 75'+. Clear blue water. Puffer fish EVERYWHERE.....octopus everywhere.....wonderful sea life....only regret is that we didnt get to see a manta while we were diving. we did see one feeding that was about 50' from the boat during a surface interval.

As far as dives themselves go my best friend was newly cert. with only lake dives and his cert dives under his belt and he did marietas and chimo with no problems whatsoever. He preferred chimo as well as there was less current but loved diving nonetheless....

I will warn you though that the dive shop itself is in this building that looks like it should be demolished....but don't let that deter you as the captains and dive masters were great. Nacho and Alex were wonderful at pointing out the sealife and made the dives great.

 

[Shortypots]

So I assume you at least have a depth and air gauge, right, if not a computer? sorry, really new to this, and not sure if we could have gear purchased by then?

 

[Rogaine]

Exactly. Just the standard depth and air gauges.

Realistically you don't NEED to purchase any gear. Personally I prefer my own mask at the least as a poor fitting mask can ruin a dive.

 

[Shortypots]

Yeah, we have our own masks, snorkels, fins and boots, but not computers. Not sure if we could buy the rest of our gear (regs, bcd's, gauges) by then though.

Appreciate the info.