Sue
Guest
Our diving trip didnt start in the better way: three flights and 25 hours after leaving Lisbon we get to crowded Cancun at midnight and we spent 2 hours searching for a hotel, since our rental car was booked to the next morning.
Driving in 307 to Playa del Carmen wasnt that difficult (we were not stopped by the police as we were told) but we were disappointed because we still couldnt see the Caribbean Sea and once there, we found a very tourist place. Hopefully, as soon as we saw the several blue coloured water we forgot everything else. We immediately headed to a Dive Shop and we were told alright come at 2 p.m., if we have enough people we dive! We were really willing to make our first dive in that sea, and we didnt want to waste any more time hanging around, so we have decided to leave to Akumal.
Akumal was great much more quiet and nicer than Playa del Carmen, and the staff at The Akumal Dive Shop staff received us in a very friendly way I was informed about the Nitrox training I wanted to take and we were advised on accommodation.
Our first dive was a thrill: the water temperature, the excellent visibility and the huge amount of marine life showed us a complete different way of diving, so far from the ones we were used in the cold Atlantic waters.
We have stayed in Akumal for five days enough to take the Nitrox certification and make a few dives both in the Sea and the great cenotes. These were also a new experience for us: unbelievable visibility and an astonish environment made us found of this particular kind of diving. We did the Carwash and Dos Ojos Cenotes. This last one was probably one of my top five dives the water is so clear and transparent that seems youre flying through the cavern. We did some tunnels and ways through that gave us the feeling of diving in a cave which will certainly be my next course!
Leaving back Akumal we drove four hours to get to Xcalak near to the Belize border. As soon as we got there we went to the Dive Centre, where the owner was about to leave for testing a brand new boat. We arrange the trip to Chinchorro Bank to the next day (weather permitting, once it was cloudy and windy) at 7:00 am.
We slept at friendly Tierra Maya and in the next morning we left to Chinchorro. After a 2,5 hours trip in a very rough sea, we got to the Bank, and we had the privilege to make three great dives in an almost unexplored place due the distance, very few divers get to Xcalak, so it is (still) an untouched and well preserved paradise.
Im wondering for how long it will stay that way
Already missing Xcalak, and after a three days cultural visit to Merida and Chechinitza we returned our rental car and we took the ferry to Cozumel.
From our (short) experience in the Yucatan, we decided to look for a package of accommodation plus diving and we have found a good deal at Scuba Staff (5 nights and 3 days 2-tank diving for a reasonable price).
We were lucky because we have made all the dives with just another couple, so we were 4 divers and two dive masters. From what we have seen around, this was an exception most boats were caring around 10 to 12 divers, making the underwater world of Cozumel look like the crowded Cancun or Playa. Apart from that fact, I was really thrilled to dive there, and despite all the bad advertising about Cozumel (how it was crowded, and consequently ruined uw) we had the chance to dive in the best places Palancar Wall, Tormentos Reef, Santa Rosa Wall and others, avoiding people due the early diving hours and getting in touch with a great and not that spoiled environment.
A night dive to the Aeroplane Wreck made our diving trip complete.
Back to the office I often recall all the coloured fish and corals living in that blue Caribbean Sea and I dream with my next diving vacation.
Driving in 307 to Playa del Carmen wasnt that difficult (we were not stopped by the police as we were told) but we were disappointed because we still couldnt see the Caribbean Sea and once there, we found a very tourist place. Hopefully, as soon as we saw the several blue coloured water we forgot everything else. We immediately headed to a Dive Shop and we were told alright come at 2 p.m., if we have enough people we dive! We were really willing to make our first dive in that sea, and we didnt want to waste any more time hanging around, so we have decided to leave to Akumal.
Akumal was great much more quiet and nicer than Playa del Carmen, and the staff at The Akumal Dive Shop staff received us in a very friendly way I was informed about the Nitrox training I wanted to take and we were advised on accommodation.
Our first dive was a thrill: the water temperature, the excellent visibility and the huge amount of marine life showed us a complete different way of diving, so far from the ones we were used in the cold Atlantic waters.
We have stayed in Akumal for five days enough to take the Nitrox certification and make a few dives both in the Sea and the great cenotes. These were also a new experience for us: unbelievable visibility and an astonish environment made us found of this particular kind of diving. We did the Carwash and Dos Ojos Cenotes. This last one was probably one of my top five dives the water is so clear and transparent that seems youre flying through the cavern. We did some tunnels and ways through that gave us the feeling of diving in a cave which will certainly be my next course!
Leaving back Akumal we drove four hours to get to Xcalak near to the Belize border. As soon as we got there we went to the Dive Centre, where the owner was about to leave for testing a brand new boat. We arrange the trip to Chinchorro Bank to the next day (weather permitting, once it was cloudy and windy) at 7:00 am.
We slept at friendly Tierra Maya and in the next morning we left to Chinchorro. After a 2,5 hours trip in a very rough sea, we got to the Bank, and we had the privilege to make three great dives in an almost unexplored place due the distance, very few divers get to Xcalak, so it is (still) an untouched and well preserved paradise.
Im wondering for how long it will stay that way
Already missing Xcalak, and after a three days cultural visit to Merida and Chechinitza we returned our rental car and we took the ferry to Cozumel.
From our (short) experience in the Yucatan, we decided to look for a package of accommodation plus diving and we have found a good deal at Scuba Staff (5 nights and 3 days 2-tank diving for a reasonable price).
We were lucky because we have made all the dives with just another couple, so we were 4 divers and two dive masters. From what we have seen around, this was an exception most boats were caring around 10 to 12 divers, making the underwater world of Cozumel look like the crowded Cancun or Playa. Apart from that fact, I was really thrilled to dive there, and despite all the bad advertising about Cozumel (how it was crowded, and consequently ruined uw) we had the chance to dive in the best places Palancar Wall, Tormentos Reef, Santa Rosa Wall and others, avoiding people due the early diving hours and getting in touch with a great and not that spoiled environment.
A night dive to the Aeroplane Wreck made our diving trip complete.
Back to the office I often recall all the coloured fish and corals living in that blue Caribbean Sea and I dream with my next diving vacation.
