ScubaTerp
Registered
My wife and myself enjoyed our honeymoon at the Iberostar Grand in the Riviera Maya in late July. As part of the excursion I arranged two days of diving with Ben of Scorpio Divers. I have about 80 dives and my wife just finished her OW.
Iberostar Grand Playa Paraiso
The Iberostar Grand is the crown jewel of the Iberostar Riviera Maya complex. It's a 5 star all inclusive resort that includes beachfront rooms. Everything about the Grand was amazing, from the food to the room to the service. If you're looking for an incredibly relaxed experience where everything is taken care of then I definitely recommend it. The reviews at Trip Advisor do a better job of explaining it than I ever could. Although they have an on-site dive operation, I wanted something a bit more personal. I had heard tons of recommendations for Scorpio Divers on this website, and so I e-mailed Ben.
Scorpio Divers
Ben is amazing. The only thing better than the diving was the level of customer service he gave us. He was quick to respond to questions before we arrived, was always on time and friendly when he picked us up, and not once did I feel like I was working with anything but an absolute professional. You can tell he loves his job and what he does.
Our arrangement was for two days of 3 tank diving. Ben would pick us up from the highway entrance to the gate, and from there we were in his hands. At Ben's recommendation our first day of diving was in Puerto Morelos. We dove 3 sites; C-56, The Bridge, and The Gardens. C-56 was a wreck dive at 90', and was a great way to begin our dive. The Bridge was a fantastic reef dive at 45' with an amazing amount of wildlife. The Gardens was a great way to end the day; a relaxing reef dive at 30' with vibrant coral and interesting creatures. One of the nice things about Puerto Morelos is its proximity; we were at our first dive less than an hour after we got picked up from the hotel.
The second day of diving was Cozumel. As before Ben picked us up from the hotel, and then we drove to Playa del Carmen to reach the ferry. After taking the ferry across we went to Scuba Mau where we met Raymond, who would be our guide in Cozumel. Again we did 3 dive sites; Santa Rosa, C-53/Chankanaab, and Via Blanca. Santa Rosa was a fantastic introduction to Cozumel; it was a wall dive at 80' with amazing coral. Raymond was able to show us a seahorse, and the dive ended with the rare sighting of an octopus in the daytime. Our second dive was a combination wreck and reef dive at 65'. We did half the dive at C-53, and then drifted over Chankanaab. Our third dive was a drift dive at Via Blanca. Via Blanca is located right next to Scuba Mau; it's a 60' maximum depth dive with a lot of coral and wildlife. We saw 3 sea turtles, including one that had to be 4 feet long. After the dive we rushed back to the ferry and made it home just in time.
Behind Ben and the diving, the third best part about Scorpio Divers is what happens afterwards. On both days Ben took us to get fish tacos from local places he knew. It was a great way to experience local cuisine with someone who knows what to get. In between bites of some of the best fish tacos we've ever had we got to enjoy great sauces and some Mexican drinks. If you've never tried hortacha, jamaica, or tamarindo you owe it to yourself to try it out.
I couldn't be happier with Ben. The pricing was very reasonable, the experience was fantastic, and you get to see parts of Mexico most tourists never enjoy. Plus you don't have a huge group to deal with. The first day of diving was just Ben, myself, and my wife. The second day we had Jeff from Quebec join us; he was great to dive with as well.
Thanks Ben! And good luck with the wedding!
Iberostar Grand Playa Paraiso
The Iberostar Grand is the crown jewel of the Iberostar Riviera Maya complex. It's a 5 star all inclusive resort that includes beachfront rooms. Everything about the Grand was amazing, from the food to the room to the service. If you're looking for an incredibly relaxed experience where everything is taken care of then I definitely recommend it. The reviews at Trip Advisor do a better job of explaining it than I ever could. Although they have an on-site dive operation, I wanted something a bit more personal. I had heard tons of recommendations for Scorpio Divers on this website, and so I e-mailed Ben.
Scorpio Divers
Ben is amazing. The only thing better than the diving was the level of customer service he gave us. He was quick to respond to questions before we arrived, was always on time and friendly when he picked us up, and not once did I feel like I was working with anything but an absolute professional. You can tell he loves his job and what he does.
Our arrangement was for two days of 3 tank diving. Ben would pick us up from the highway entrance to the gate, and from there we were in his hands. At Ben's recommendation our first day of diving was in Puerto Morelos. We dove 3 sites; C-56, The Bridge, and The Gardens. C-56 was a wreck dive at 90', and was a great way to begin our dive. The Bridge was a fantastic reef dive at 45' with an amazing amount of wildlife. The Gardens was a great way to end the day; a relaxing reef dive at 30' with vibrant coral and interesting creatures. One of the nice things about Puerto Morelos is its proximity; we were at our first dive less than an hour after we got picked up from the hotel.
The second day of diving was Cozumel. As before Ben picked us up from the hotel, and then we drove to Playa del Carmen to reach the ferry. After taking the ferry across we went to Scuba Mau where we met Raymond, who would be our guide in Cozumel. Again we did 3 dive sites; Santa Rosa, C-53/Chankanaab, and Via Blanca. Santa Rosa was a fantastic introduction to Cozumel; it was a wall dive at 80' with amazing coral. Raymond was able to show us a seahorse, and the dive ended with the rare sighting of an octopus in the daytime. Our second dive was a combination wreck and reef dive at 65'. We did half the dive at C-53, and then drifted over Chankanaab. Our third dive was a drift dive at Via Blanca. Via Blanca is located right next to Scuba Mau; it's a 60' maximum depth dive with a lot of coral and wildlife. We saw 3 sea turtles, including one that had to be 4 feet long. After the dive we rushed back to the ferry and made it home just in time.
Behind Ben and the diving, the third best part about Scorpio Divers is what happens afterwards. On both days Ben took us to get fish tacos from local places he knew. It was a great way to experience local cuisine with someone who knows what to get. In between bites of some of the best fish tacos we've ever had we got to enjoy great sauces and some Mexican drinks. If you've never tried hortacha, jamaica, or tamarindo you owe it to yourself to try it out.
I couldn't be happier with Ben. The pricing was very reasonable, the experience was fantastic, and you get to see parts of Mexico most tourists never enjoy. Plus you don't have a huge group to deal with. The first day of diving was just Ben, myself, and my wife. The second day we had Jeff from Quebec join us; he was great to dive with as well.
Thanks Ben! And good luck with the wedding!
