I've heard back from CDC and Maya Diving and must say that from my first e-mail impressions I'm getting a good feeling from Tim at MD.
Here's some info he sent me, which should be helpful for anyone planning a dive trip out there:
"Hello Tiffany,
Thank you for your enquiry regarding diving with Maya Diving during your upcoming stay at Cabañas Copal. That's a pretty nice resort, I'm sure you will love it.
Maya Diving is a PADI 5 Star Gold Palm Resort Dive Center offering a full range of diving activities and courses with our main shop and operations center located on the beach at Dreams Tulum Resort and Spa. Cabañas Copal is only about 8-10 minutes away from our shop.
We have a wide variety of ocean dive sites that we visit, all within a fifteen minute boat ride from the shop. The local reefs are pretty healthy with lots of soft and hard corals as well as a variety of marine life.
Something special that we have to offer, as you mentioned, is diving in the freshwater caverns or Cenotes of the area. With visibility usually in excess of 100 M, beautiful light effects and geological formations such as stalactites and stalagmites, these are some of the best caverns for diving in the world and truly an experience not to be missed. We have a number of these within a fifteen minute drive from the shop.
for those in your group who are considering taking any dive courses while you are here, we have an excellent team of experienced PADI dive Instructors who would be happy to help you.
Dive trips for both reef and cenotes leave the shop at 9:15 am and 2:15 pm daily.
Our diving prices are as follows:
1 Tank ocean dive $50
2 Tank ocean dive $85
1 Tank Cenote dive $85
2 Tank Cenote dive $130
Equipment rental- $15/day full set or $5/day per piece.
We apply a 10% discount once you reach a $250 total and 15% for $400 or more per diver.
Payment by credit card is accepted, however we do apply a 5% service charge to offset our bank charges. If possible, it is preferred if you can pay in cash or with American Express travelers cheques.
Lunches are not included but we can usually help you get some or even better, if you do your dives in the morning, our boat or cenotes trips finish up about 1 pm so if anything, all you really need is a snack then you can have lunch back at your hotel or we can drop you in town for a change if you like. Now you are thinking perhaps, what about lugging around equipment? Well you just leave that at the shop and we set it up for you for the next day, couldn't be simpler or more carefree.
We also have some excellent snorkeling trips available for any members of your party who may not wish to dive.
You are pretty thorough I must say, just a few questions, whew...... :-}
OK, a refresher for those who have not been diving for a couple of years or more is a pretty good idea. We charge $100 for this including theory review as desired and equipment setup. Pool review of all nineteen 'skills' as defined by PADI and a dive with equipment. A pretty good deal really considering the time it takes with the instructor and the fact that a single dive with equipment would cost $65.
Discover Scuba Diving courses also cost $100 and include theory, pool and a dive to 40ft or less. We have several sites which are really perfect for this.
Our boats come back to the beach after every dive unless we have a small group and they want to stay out and go a little farther afield, so basically you can pick and choose between one and two tank dives, a two tank dive being defined as two dives on the same day.
No matter what you do, equipment charges are for the day the logic being that we just set it up once and change tanks. A shorty is usually adequate for the ocean but any one who tends to get cold definitely needs a full suit, preferably 5 mil for the cenotes since the water is 76 deg. Also at that time of year the air can be pretty cool and you won't get too warm so I would go for the full suit. We rent them out, usually in 3mm or 5 mm depending one the size so don't worry if you don't have the perfect suit for the occasion.
We have a nice comfortable air conditioned 15 seater Toyota van and can offer you complementary transportation daily to and from your hotel. This is a normal part of our service.
Regarding group rates. First of all, I need to know the size of the group and how much diving you will want to do. The normal discount schedule as outlined above works out to be pretty reasonable for most situations. Also we need to consider that you will be diving at our highest peak season of the year and space may be at a premium. I know that our prices are definitely not the cheapest that you will find, but in case you couldn't tell, we are all about quality service. Within reason, we don't limit dive times, so experienced divers can have a 70 minute dive if they want on a shallow reef or a 50 minute multi level to 100 ft is also normal. You won't get that elsewhere. In order to maintain this level of service we have to keep our charges to a certain level. I am quite aware that our rates are definitely not the cheapest you will find but the quality of what we offer to the divers is more important for us and the customer and we are quite successful following this business model so compromise is really not part of the equation. Oh yes, we have a perfect safety record but are affiliated with the local hyperbaric chamber just in case. We are equipped with emergency oxygen and have highly experienced staff.
Groups of 8 or more get 10% discount automatically or group leader free or some such, again I would need to know the details. Also if you have 6 or more, you will get your own boat and dive master, this works well for groups. You can dive with any refreshers and or students for the second (shallow) dive so that also enhances the experience for everybody, you can share that special first dive with your friends/family.
That ought to cover it, have I missed something? Oh, did I mention that we love our jobs and have a lot of fun?
I hope this information is of some help to you and if you have any further questions please don't hesitate to ask.
Best regards,
Tim Day
Maya Diving
info@mayadiving.com
www.mayadiving.com"
The transportation issue is key, since we'll be cabana-camping and I'm not planning on renting a car while I'm out there. Cenote Dive Center was not able to arrange transportation for our group.
Jack, thanks for the H20 Pro Diving recommendation. I've checked out their site and will contact them for additional information.
Now, can anyone give me some suggestions for the top 3 dive sites near Tulum? Maybe one open water/reef dive (so the less experienced members of our group can get their sea legs under them), and two not-to-be-missed cenoted dives. I'd like to do 2-3 days (group schedule permitting) of 2 tank dives. Any suggestions for a great New Year's Day dive?
Are the cenote dive trips appropriate for bringing snorkellers along? SCUBA "Discoverers?" OW-only certified?
Thanks for all your comments, and please keep 'em coming!
T.
