West Coast Diving - Puerto Vallarta or Ixtapa

[bennyscuba]

Hey all,

I'm planning an x-mas vacation with my SO. I took her diving last year in PDC/Cozumel and she loved it and now wants to get certified. I figured she'd do a referal class to somewhere...

We wanted to go somewhere new (and live in California anyway) so were thinking of West Coast - either Ixtapa or Puerto Vallarta (I've been to cabo and don't like the scene or diving there)...

I was wondering which would be the best place for someone to do a check out course. Ideally a place that is calm and has lots of pretty things to see so she stays hooked (sadly not everything will be as good as her day in Cozumel!)...

Also which place would be better for landside activities i.e. more then just a bunch bars ala Cabo, but more like the riveria maya (where we were last year)...

Thanks always for the advice,

bg

 

[pvscuba]

Puerto Vallarta has a lot to offer both underwater and above. It's a charming town with a personality of it's own. It's, I would say, somewhere in between Cabo and the Riviera Maya, as far as the town itself, and since we have the Sierra Madre that comes right up to the Bay of Banderas, there are some fantastic views and sceneries.

As for the diving, the water in december can be warm or cool. Each year the cooler water comes in end of fall or beginning of winter, so we'll have to wait and see what it does this year. No worries, we have the appropriate wet suits, should the water cool off by then.

One option for certification is to do the theory online throuhg PADI's eLearning program and then come to PV to do the pool training and the open water training. This can be done in three mornings and you'll have the afternoons to relax.

hope to see you in PV...

Alex from PVScuba

 

[bennyscuba]

Thanks for the reply PVSCUBA...It sounds like people highly recommend you. She intends to do a book course here and the check out dives on vacation - She's not willing to bear California diving!

How are the dive condition in PV. The couple times I've been down to Cabo the water has been fairly cold and rocky - with not much to see...particularly is there good fish life or is it more hanging around waiting for a whale shark to come on by? Something I don't mind but if it don't come a newbie may get disappointed....

I definitely want my SO to have as good as a time as she did in PDC and we'd like to try something new...

As far as topside, I think our main concern with PV is that it is very touristy. PDC we found to be a nice balance of amenities and fun without being over the top (i.e. Cabo or Cancun)...

Thanks for all the tips...

bg

 

[pvscuba]

Diving conditions vary a lot depending of the time of year. Right now conditions are beautiful: warm water, great viz. December could go both ways: either the water will still be reasonably warm, or it may have cooled off to it's winter/spring temps, in which case we'll need to use our wet suits. In either case, there's abundand see life, so no problem there.

In Puerto Vallarta, unlike CanCun, there was a charming town before the turist area was built. (To see Puerto Vallarta before tourism, see the movie "The Night of the Iguana" with Richard Burton and Ava Gardner) Yes, tourism has grown a lot so the small-town feeling is gone, yet the charm is still there. Also, the old-town PV is built at the base of the Sierra Madre Occidental, so the mountains give it a fantastic feeling that CanCun, Cabo, and even Playa del Carmen, can only dream about.

Hope to have you visit us for your december vacation.

Alex from PVScuba

 

[buza831]

We spend months every year in Zihuatanejo (Ixtapa). It's like PV 20 years ago. The town is still unspoiled or you can stay in Ixtapa if you prefer a more resort town. Everyone I speak with prefers it to PV. Stay on La Ropa and there's a swimming beach. The water is clean and the diving good for the Pacific Coast. In June and July the water temp was 86 and 90 on the surface. We dive with ZihuaAqua Divers Zihua Aquadivers: Diving Tours - Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico. They have a nice compressor and new equipment. My family from Europe visited us this summer and took resort courses with ZihuaAqua Divers and were very impressed with the care and knowledge of staff. My daughter did her certification this summer with them and I don't dive with anyone else. The vis was 60 ft and we saw mantas, eagle rays, seahorses, eels, snappers. The Dive Master points out sea life so it is really enjoyable. Water will be colder in December. If you go try to stay on La Ropa for a condo try Welcome to Casa de Zihua or hotel TIDES or Fiesta Mexicana. Zihua Aqua Divers www.dive zihuatanejo.com across from the basketball court in town. See you there in December!