Shore dives near Tankah Bay/Soliman Bay?

[brshooter]

Will be spending two weeks at a house on Tankah Bay in November. I got my open water certification in July here in the pacific northwest. My dive buddy for the vacation, Mia, just certified a week ago in Munich.

Since this will be the first post certification dive for each of us, I was thinking that we might want to find a simple shore dive to do. This would allow us to get our weighting figured out since we both certified in cold water with 7mm suits. I don't want to just go out on a boat dive and have to waste a bunch of time trying to get weighted properly. Seems like a waste for us and possibly anyone else on the boat.

Any recomendations or suggestions?

 

[docmartin]

it's not very difficult to get a good idea of the appropriate weighting if you know what you need in a 7mm and what suit you will be wearing. when going from 7mm to 3mm full suits you can typically get rid of ca. 8lbs.

 

[jon m]

there is not much shore diving in the area... most of (if not all) the spots are very shallow from shore (2'-10')... don't sweat it, go a little heavy , and reduce weight as you go. or tell the
DM at the end of the 1st dive, you want to hand off weights , he/she will do it.
most dives there (if not all) are drift dives... have fun! (and DO THE CENOTE DIVE!)

 

[ScubaBumlet]

Tan-kah Bay and Soliman Bay for that matter are awfully shallow for diving. Snorkeling is the way to see those Bays, inside the reef. There are a few close in dive sites right outside the reef cut near Freedom Paradise Resort. Some arch formations, etc. Not too exciting.

Again, brshooter, I recommend going to Akumal and diving with the Akumal Dive Center. It's maybe about a 15 - 20 minute drive, North on 307. They can help you get your weighting correct. You might need a 5 mm suit in November. Water temps range from 78 - 82. I tend to get cold after about 15 minutes at 90 feet.

There are spur and groove coral formations off Akumal and Half Moon Bay that are fun diving.

 

[thorndog]

I guess ScubaBumlet hasn't really done a lot of diving in the area. Tankah and Soliman have some great sites and they are not as picked clean as the Akumal sites. Lots of healthy, colorful corals, gorgonians of all sorts, even some black coral (shh, don't tell anyone) can be seen as well as the usual assortment of other more mobile animals. Summer is the best time down there for diving.
You are more likely to drop 4 pounds than eight in my experience diving in both 8mm and 3mm suits in the caribbean.
Go see Maya Diving or Lucky Fish if you want to dive with someone that knows the reefs around Soliman and Tankah.
Happy Diving