Puerto Vallarta, Punta Mita & Sayulita Scuba Diving

[DiveToad]

I see some older information on these areas so I am basically asking the same stuff but looking for any updated info. We know the area of PV pretty well but up until this trip have only snorkeled. I am a new diver (July) and my wife has scuba cert 30 years ago but just did her refresher. My wife and I are shooting to have our advanced before we go to PV in October. So here are my questions.

1- Recommendations for dive shops in these areas.

2- What should we look for in a dive shop? We have heard stories about tanks with bad air, not full etc.....

3- Is there a shop where we can just rent our tanks and weights and do a beach dive? We would like to do this in Sayulita but again where can I find info on bottom, currents etc....?

4- Tours seem pretty standard locations with the companies so are there recommendations or other non standard places to ask for?

Thanks for helping a newbie. I have gotten a lot of good info and advice from reading many of these forums.

Todd

 

[Ongrade]

Don't know about tank rental shops but PV Sea Dive is a great little operation. They run out of PV Marina and have a six pack panga. They hit the common dive locations, Los Arcos, Mismaloya and Majahuitas. They will go to some of the more distant dive sites if they have a full boat in agreement. Nice simple operation with great folks that go out of their way to make sure you have good, fun and safe dives. Other than the occasional trip out to Las Murietas with Vallarta Adventures(cattle boat, but a well run op and a fun day on the water meeting new people) my wife and I won't dive with anyone else. You might consider doing your book work online for the advanced cert and do the dives with PV Sea Dive. Cost is only marginally more than the cost of 5 dives and Sue is a great instructor.

 

[LiquidDivingAdventure]

I'm headed to Sayulita in October, staying at the Playa Escondida Resort (just started booking this resort). I contacted 3 dive shops in the area and looks like I'll dive with Sayulita Dive & Surf. The diving is said to be decent in Banderas Bay and the Marietas Island area is a marine park good for divers and snorklers alike. Other dive sites include El Morro, La Corbetena, and Los Anegados and they look interesting.

Check out Scuba diving in sayulita, Surf lessons sayulita

It looks like the local shops do scuba diving, snorkel trips, whale watching and surfing so they cover all the water sports to cater to all the tourists. I'm really looking forward to the resort as it is a small place with non-traditional rooms, outdoor showers, and lots of wildlife.

 

[DiveToad]

I was looking at Playa Escondido too for a future trip. The property looks awesome. Thanks for thin info. I will look up the shop there in Sayulita.

 

[afdgf]

I second the vote for PV Sea Dive. We had a good time with them and we are considering going there again. The best time to go is July-September when the water is warm.
You might also consider Loreto, but only July-September as the temperature changes drastically.
There are major thermoclines in both PV and Loreto so surface temp is deceiving.

 

[DiveToad]

Good info. Thanks. Stuck for October this year as that is when school is in fall break. We will definitely check out PV Sea dive though.

 

[c-fstb]

I've spent a month in Sayulita and at that time there was a company called Sayulita Entourage offering the same packages as this Sayulita Adventure... looks like the same company, different name. During that month they never managed to get it together for even a single dive. Always some excuse. After 3 weeks with only a single day diving out of PV (Los Arcos, Mismaloya) with a Scubaboard member that chartered his boat, I finally booked 4 days diving out of PV.
Did El Chimo with Vallarta Undersea. Diving was good, and captain took us ashore for lunch at a small fishing village on south side of bay, supposedly accessible only by boat.
Los Anegados with Vallarta Adventure. Great diving there. Unfortunately even though it is clearly stated that all divers must have a minimum of 30 logged dives, they had along a couple of newbies with less than 10 that were completely overwhelmed by the heavy surge, so for our second dive we went to the Marriettas, where it is quite dull by comparison.
Next day went to El Morrow with Vallarta Adventures again. Another great dive and this time all divers were competant for the conditions.
These 2 trips with Vallarta Adventures were on a small dive boat and were not the cattleboat/party boat that this company is better known for. It actually was quite well done, other than the 2 rookie divers they allowed to come out to an area they were not ready for. But they may have not been entirely honest about there own experience.
So with Vallarta Adventures you always get a free trip with every 2 purchased but the only one that fit into my schedule was the cattleparty boat to the Marriettas the next day. Wow, what an experience that was. An experience well worth missing to be sure. Even got an indecent propostion from my dive insta-buddy and his wife. Not enough rum on board for that one.
The problem with all these diving companies based in PV is travel time. It makes for a long 10 hour day with driving into PV, then a long boat ride out to where the diving is good out of the bay, then back again.
I'm going to be in Punta Mita for week in November and have contacted the 3 companies that are listed for Punta Mita, but only PuntaMita Adventures responded but it was just Vallarta Adventures again. We are renting a condo there, but I suspect that these 3 companies are located in a couple of the big resorts and just cater to guests there. I'm hoping to get something lined up since our condo is only a minute away from the marina there, which in turn is a short boat ride out to the good diving outside of the bay.
This will be my first time diving there in the fall, when I believe the visibility is supposed to be better in the bay. In late winter, the bay has bad vis, but it clears up and is very good at Los Anegados and El Morrow.
Not sure if this helps you in any way, but just a short report of my experiences in the area. Let us know if you even get a response from Sayulita Adventures.
Oh yeah, almost forgot. I have a relative that lives in Sayulita and has let me in on one of the towns dirty little secrets. The sewage treatment there is basically non-functional so it's raw sewage just gets dumped into the bay. They were building a new treatment plant but.... I can think of much better places that I'd rather snorkel or dive.
If you go down to the Beach of the Dead (cemetery right beside it)(short walk) it is much, much better.

 

[DiveToad]

Great info on your trip. My wife has many dives but I am the newbie so I have to do some of the touristy stuff this trip I'm sure. We are looking at trying a beach dive in Sayulita so knowing about the sewage issue is helpful. Still researching that one though to figure out currents and possible RIP tides. Thanks for the info though. Much appreciated.

 

[Divebooker.com]

Hello Todd!

If it's your first time in Puerto Vallarta, I'd advise you check this link Diving in Puerto Vallarta, it will give you the information on kind of diving and temperatures. In there you can also see the list of dive centers operating in the area and review their detailed profiles and price lists

 

[DiveToad]

Thanks for the link. Not our first time there but first, yes, for looking into scuba trips.