outlawaggie
Contributor
This is the short version. If anyone wants the details PM me. The pics from the trip can be seen using the following link.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=15zxsqwq.8sh28jn6&x=0&y=-ha8e30
Hotel-
We stayed at the Moon Palace which is about ten minutes south of the airport about 20 minutes south of the main hotel zone of Cancum and about 30 minutes North of Playa Del Carmen. The hotel was Ok but it was not the 4-5 star resort that the travel agent described. Normally I would care about the hotel but this was a family vacation not a just scuba trip. The all-inclusive was convienent with OK food.
Dive Operator(s)-
I dove two dives with Aquaworld which was very nice. This was a small "branch" that was located onsite rather than the huge operation in Cancun. There were only six divers. The rental gear (I rented a bc) was of good quality and well maintained. We dove the C-56 wreck and reef with several "caves" in it. I was concerned in that the both the wreck and the caves were penetrated with little regard to the abilities of the divers. Bear in mind that although it was an overhead environment there was almost always a way out within 20'. This did not bother me but there was one diver in the group that was recently certified and IMO should not have been on this dive. The dives themselves were excellent. The C-56 wreck is an awesome site.
I dove an additional reef dive and one Cenote dive with Dive Puerto Morelos. Cat was very helpful in planning the trip etc. Getting to Puerto Morelos cost $20 each way from Moon Palace which adds quickly to the cost of the dive. It would be around $50 from Cancun. Brett, the DM, with Dive Puerto Morelos was absolutely terrific. Very knowledgable and personable.
The Dives,
C-56 Wreck-This was a fabulous wreck to dive although the coral growth has really just started. It is a very interesting dive although quick as it is at 100'. The pics tell the story better than I can.
Reef-The reef was very nice and included several "caves" really just holes throught he reef. These were the best part of the dive as they were filled with 1000's of baitfish.
Rodman Reef-I dove this dive with my eight year old daughter who is in the SSI scuba rangers program. Brett (DM & Instructor with Dive Puerto Morelos) held her hand throughout the dive. Our max depth was 18'. Suprisingly it was probably my favorite dive. My daughter was absolutely ecstatic after we surfaced as she was able to see lobster, stingrays, starfish, reef fish, eels, etc. Understand that my daughter absolutely loves diving, animals etc.
Cenote-This was an incredible dive. Although a bit scary. The halocline was one of the stangest things I've ever seen. The cave itself was incredible. If you are ever in Cancun of even Coz I would highly recommend a cenote dive. It should be a must do for any diver.
All in all the trip was great. Coz would have been better for pure diving but Cancun offered more for the rest of the family. The zipline tour of the jungle at Selvatura was relly cool. I would advise any adventurous family to give it a try. Even my 5 yr old loved it.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=15zxsqwq.8sh28jn6&x=0&y=-ha8e30
Hotel-
We stayed at the Moon Palace which is about ten minutes south of the airport about 20 minutes south of the main hotel zone of Cancum and about 30 minutes North of Playa Del Carmen. The hotel was Ok but it was not the 4-5 star resort that the travel agent described. Normally I would care about the hotel but this was a family vacation not a just scuba trip. The all-inclusive was convienent with OK food.
Dive Operator(s)-
I dove two dives with Aquaworld which was very nice. This was a small "branch" that was located onsite rather than the huge operation in Cancun. There were only six divers. The rental gear (I rented a bc) was of good quality and well maintained. We dove the C-56 wreck and reef with several "caves" in it. I was concerned in that the both the wreck and the caves were penetrated with little regard to the abilities of the divers. Bear in mind that although it was an overhead environment there was almost always a way out within 20'. This did not bother me but there was one diver in the group that was recently certified and IMO should not have been on this dive. The dives themselves were excellent. The C-56 wreck is an awesome site.
I dove an additional reef dive and one Cenote dive with Dive Puerto Morelos. Cat was very helpful in planning the trip etc. Getting to Puerto Morelos cost $20 each way from Moon Palace which adds quickly to the cost of the dive. It would be around $50 from Cancun. Brett, the DM, with Dive Puerto Morelos was absolutely terrific. Very knowledgable and personable.
The Dives,
C-56 Wreck-This was a fabulous wreck to dive although the coral growth has really just started. It is a very interesting dive although quick as it is at 100'. The pics tell the story better than I can.
Reef-The reef was very nice and included several "caves" really just holes throught he reef. These were the best part of the dive as they were filled with 1000's of baitfish.
Rodman Reef-I dove this dive with my eight year old daughter who is in the SSI scuba rangers program. Brett (DM & Instructor with Dive Puerto Morelos) held her hand throughout the dive. Our max depth was 18'. Suprisingly it was probably my favorite dive. My daughter was absolutely ecstatic after we surfaced as she was able to see lobster, stingrays, starfish, reef fish, eels, etc. Understand that my daughter absolutely loves diving, animals etc.
Cenote-This was an incredible dive. Although a bit scary. The halocline was one of the stangest things I've ever seen. The cave itself was incredible. If you are ever in Cancun of even Coz I would highly recommend a cenote dive. It should be a must do for any diver.
All in all the trip was great. Coz would have been better for pure diving but Cancun offered more for the rest of the family. The zipline tour of the jungle at Selvatura was relly cool. I would advise any adventurous family to give it a try. Even my 5 yr old loved it.
