Riviera Maya diving questions...

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My dive buddy & I are trying to plan a little dive excursion in Mexico for the mid-beginning of December.

So far we'd like to do a mix of cenotes + reef, so that's why we're not going to Coz. And we're interested in taking a cavern class to see how we like that... I have read some of the threads in the forum but I still have some questions, so if anybody can be of help, that would be appreciated.

• How are the reefs dived from the coast? Are they worth it or should we move to Coz for a few days to dive from there for the reef part.
• Anybody did their cavern cert there? How does that compare to guided tours of the cenotes in terms of diving experience? (I understand there will be more than just sightseeing, but is it the same kind of dives?)
• Are the reef dives, "follow the DM group dives" or more like "here's the reef see ya in 50 minutes" dives like in Florida? I prefer the later, especially since for once I'll be traveling with my usual dive buddy.
• Anybody got a dive shop / instructor to recommend?
• We're still hesitating between booking an all-included and doing our own thing during the day, and just booking everything independently (which seems a bit more hassle and not necessarily cheaper, since the all included trips seem to have good prices on airfare and hotels). Anybody got something to recommend for a dive oriented trip?
• Any other tip?

 

[Ed Hatfield]

Most of these questions have been answered in various other threads. For more information (and opinions) use the search key and compare the answers.
1. If you are interested only in coral then Coz is the place. What PDC has to offer is more aquatic life and the chance sightings of more pelagics. The only dive site from PDC that is similar to Coz is Los Arcos. The dives are all boat dives - there is no shore diving.
2. I did my Cavern and Cave (Intro) certification in Florida. I intend to some day get my Cave (full) in PDC but have yet to determine who with. If you are on a limited time schedule then you should check with the dive shop you eventually book with what the time constraints and conditions will be for certification. I was in PDC last July with a buddy who explored the Cavern cert course and decided to skip it. You will experience as much if not more with just a cenote dive than with a course.
3. Because all PDC dives are drift dives then you need to be accompanied by the DM. SOME dive shops allow you to continue the dive after some divers have terminated and gone to the surface. This way you can dive your own profile even though you started with a group. Who wants to abort when some newbie sucks a tank of air in 20 minutes? NOT ME!
4. Dive shops are 2 and 3 to the block. I see you are from Quebec. Contact Sofie at Scuba Playa (divinglife on this board) and she may be able to help you. Let her know your concerns about diving your own profile. Others (of many) I recommend are GeoFish, Cyan Ha, Scuba 10 and Dive Mike. Tell them what you want in advance and get quotes. (ie..we had a group of four last July and did 17 dives in 5 days (with a 6th day off in the middle so we could swim with the whale sharks)....5 cenote, 12 reef including a night dive for $540.00US p/p. About $32.00 p/tank..not bad)
5. All inclusives are at bargain basement prices right now. I have my own place there so it's not an issue with me. I would still rent a condo in PDC because I love the town but make your decision based on $$$$. AI's sure take the stress out of it.
6. Tips - party hardy after the diving. Enjoy Playa for what it has to offer. If you want a trip to Coz then make it a separate trip and spent the whole week on Coz.

 

[graywhale]

I can recommend Cyan Ha for PDC Cenotes and open water diving:
Dive Center Cyan Ha, Playa del Carmen's original dive shop, scuba diving, snorkeling and watersports Playa del Carmen Mexico
and Liquid Blue for Coz:
Liquid Blue Divers Welcomes You

From personal experience, I recommend skipping PDC open water altogether. Do the Cenotes from PDC and then go to Coz for reef diving. The Cenotes are amazing.

 

[divinglife]

YAY a fellow Montrealer!!
- I don't have much to add after Ed's very thorough reply. Playa is definitely worth a few dives for the abundance of fishlife and December will also be peak season to dive with the bull sharks! For reef and colour, Cozumel is worth a day but can easily be done as a day trip from Playa.
- As for the Cavern cert. consider it like the Open Water certification in that its FULL days of training where you are learning all the basic theory, skills, and emergency procedures to dive safely; practicing them; and then applying them to actual dives. Ultimately your goal is to learn and not so much to sight-see. A very cool course to take if you intend to pursue cave diving in the future, not necessary if you just want to check out the Cenotes and enjoy them while you are here.
- Yes, the diving here is all drift diving and having a guide will be necessary. However, you can maximize your bottom time very easily by asking the shop what their maximum group size is and if they limit their bottom time. For example we do a maximum ratio of 4 divers per instructor that way I can easily pair people up according to experience level and we do not limit our bottom time so it will depend on air consumption.
- Price is always the issue with accommodations. If you can find an inexpensive flight from Montreal, having food freedom for me is always a better option!! And many dive centers (including us) can get you great rates at smaller hotels. That said, I do know that it can be hard from there and the all-inclusive packages are very competitive. Check out the rates out of secondary airports like Albany, NY. You can find some super deals on airfare there and its only 4 hours from you.
OOPS, I guess I did have a lot to add...hehe. Well PM me if you need any help or more info on anything!! And when you are in town, stop by if you need recommendations on activities or food! For future reference to all you SBers, I do accept tips in the form of REAL maple syrup!!

 

[thorndog]

I see a couple of people answering here that assume that Riviera Maya = Playa Del Carmen and compare only the diving there to Cozumel etc.
Here's my 2 cents
PDC is fine but most dives are drifting on reefs with little topography, of course at this time of year you can dive with the bull sharks and Tarpon and turtles in the summer at Tortuga. There is a whole lot of reef between Playa and Tulum (the Riviera Maya) some of which is in good shape and many places where you don't come up and see various boats (not to mention the noise pollution underwater).
Regarding cavern course vs cavern diving I would recommend that you only take the cavern course if you plan you actually cavern dive with a buddy at some point and/or continue on to get your full cave certification in which case you should be starting out with excellent diving skills and at least 100 dives under your belt. That being said, cavern and cave training, especially for divers not accustomed to diving in doubles, is a real challenge and a lot of fun.
The further south from Playa you go, normally the less current you get until in Tulum there is hardly any. Given that it is a continuous reef system, you see pretty much see the same creatures and corals. the formations change from place to place. Personally for me I find that the currents in Cozumel and Playa don't let you stop and look at the small stuff, especially since the 'group' is usually drifting away pretty quickly every time you stop. A big drawback. On the other hand those ocean currents bring in clear water which helps bring out the colors and get you a better view of whats around you.
I prefer diving further south in Puerto Aventuras, Akumal or Tulum and all points in between mostly because I love to take my sweet time and poke in all the little crevices, look under the ledges for critters etc.
Apart from PDC with it's dozens of dive centres, many of which are very good I might note, I would recommend considering diving in Puerto Aventuras with Aquanauts, Akumal with Akumal Dive adventures or in Tulum with Maya Diving. Any one of these shops will take good care of you.
This way if you find a good all inclusive deal (that's my preferred option, you don't have to always eat in the hotel) somewhere south of Playa, like I know there are always good deals from Montreal for the Barcelo just south of Puerto Aventuras for instance or Dreams Tulum is excellent and no other hotels nearby and a great dive shop to boot. Lots of awesome boutique hotels down on the beach in Tulum too if you like that kind of thing and the beach is I think the best I've seen. Check out playa Mambo, Suenos Tulum, La Zebra etc etc all great little hotels.
I know, I ramble once I get started.
By the way, the best diving I've done in the sea in Mexico was hands down in Xcalak, La Poza there is sooo memorable with hundreds of giant tarpon swirling around you and big snappers schooling and reef pinnacles that go from 100 ft and break the surface. I did that dive three times in two visits it was that good. Happy to do it two days in a row. They have a bunch of other good sites. UNfortunately I couldn't get out to Chinchorro due to weather either time I visited, that's supposed to be the best in the caribbean.... one day I'll make it there.
I definitely agree with Ed to make a separate trip for Coz.

 

[TSandM]

As somebody stated, the all inclusives can be dirt cheap right now -- I just spoke to a friend who told me he got two weeks at the Catalonia in Puerto Aventuras AND airfare from Seattle for $1000!

I can't say much about the reef diving in the area, since I've never done any. But the cenotes are beautiful. Somebody has already said that you don't need a cavern class to do the tours, which is true. But a cavern class is a fantastic way to improve your general diving, as well as to find out if you are interested in and have the temperament for cave diving. I would VERY highly recommend Dennis Weeks (Pez de Diablo here on SB) as an instructor. I just finished my Full Cave with Dennis, and I found him very patient, very thorough and a good teacher. (I already knew he was a nice guy!)