Where to dive in Mexico in late Feb?

[anchochile]

Work is bringing me to Guadalajara in late February and I'm hoping to tack on 3-4 days of diving to the trip. Sea of Cortez and Cozumel are the obvious options - in February, I'm thinking Cozumel is a better bet since I know Feb is outside of the usual Sea of Cortez dive season - although maybe it's a good time for mobulas?

Anywhere else I should consider within easy reach of Guadalajara? Belize? Puerto Vallarta?

 

[CanadaDan]

Dive cenotes and stay in Tulum... some bucket list stuff there.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Sea of Cortez makes sense. And how about Puerto Vallarta--not normally a dive destination, but I have seen a few reports saying it wasn't so bad.

But Cozumel and Belize are a longer flight from Guadalajara than they are for me flying from Atlanta. Hardly a side trip from Guadalajara unless the thinking is that internal flights on a Mexican airline are a bargain--I have no idea, though I do recall when I lived in San Diego driving to Tijuana to take advantage of cheaper flights within Mexico, so maybe it makes sense.

 

[anchochile]

But Cozumel and Belize are a longer flight from Guadalajara than they are for me flying from Atlanta. Hardly a side trip from Guadalajara unless the thinking is that internal flights on a Mexican airline are a bargain--I have no idea, though I do recall when I lived in San Diego driving to Tijuana to take advantage of cheaper flights within Mexico, so maybe it makes sense.

Coming from the SF Bay Area, it's much closer...GDL-Cancun is a 2.5hr flight for $80 or less. From San Francisco, it's 6 hours to Cancun, or 2 flights including a redeye to fly into Coz. Appealing, since I've never been to Coz and since my family doesn't dive, I'm not going to find many opportunities to get there.

Dive cenotes and stay in Tulum... some bucket list stuff there.

I'm not really comfortable with overhead environments beyond easy "cavern" situations (daylight in sight and the surface easily and directly accessible). Would cenote diving be worthwile for me?

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

Dive cenotes and stay in Tulum... some bucket list stuff there.

I second that sentiment.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Coming from the SF Bay Area, it's much closer...GDL-Cancun is a 2.5hr flight for $80 or less. From San Francisco, it's 6 hours to Cancun, or 2 flights including a redeye to fly into Coz. Appealing, since I've never been to Coz and since my family doesn't dive, I'm not going to find many opportunities to get there.

I guess. To me, the logic is like "I'll be flying across the country to San Francisco for business, so I'll hop down to San Diego for 3-4 days." I suppose it makes sense to some--just not me. But I do see the second part of your logic--if your family doesn't dive, this may be your chance.

I'm not really comfortable with overhead environments beyond easy "cavern" situations (daylight in sight and the surface easily and directly accessible). Would cenote diving be worthwile for me?

The cenote tours are considered caverns, as you are never far from daylight. Some of the cavern lines have multiple places along them where you can pop up into daylight or similar open water, so you can swim a long distance and yet never be far from open water. The cenotes are sort of unique in this respect--they don't in every instance fit the definition of "cavern" taught by the training agencies. Yet they have an excellent safety record. Read some of the threads in the Mexico forum if you're curious. However, for a sobering counterpoint to all the enthusiastic recommendations to ignore your gut and charge ahead, read this sticky: A word to the wise on cenote diving

 

[CanadaDan]

I'm not really comfortable with overhead environments beyond easy "cavern" situations (daylight in sight and the surface easily and directly accessible). Would cenote diving be worthwile for me?

There certainly are some that offer minimal overhead. Angelita for one is basically all open overhead but is one of the most iconic cenotes. I'm not an overhead environment fan either but Angelita (she was my first lol) got me hooked. I've worked on my uneasiness with overheads to do more intimidating full cavern dives.

All cavern dives (as opposed to cave dives) stick to rules where you never are too far away from visible daylight and a straight overhead shot to the surface. Cavern dives are typically led by instructors who are also certified cave divers. They will not take you past the safety limits and will make sure you have an experience within your comfort level.

If you choose to head down to Tulum to dive cenotes let the dive operator you choose know your concerns and they will help you select cenotes that you will be comfortable with.

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

There certainly are some that offer minimal overhead. Angelita for one is basically all open overhead but is one of the most iconic cenotes. I'm not an overhead environment fan either but Angelita (she was my first lol) got me hooked. I've worked on my uneasiness with overheads to do more intimidating full cavern dives.

All cavern dives (as opposed to cave dives) stick to rules where you never are too far away from visible daylight and a straight overhead shot to the surface. Cavern dives are typically led by instructors who are also certified cave divers. They will not take you past the safety limits and will make sure you have an experience within your comfort level.

If you choose to head down to Tulum to dive cenotes let the dive operator you choose know your concerns and they will help you select cenotes that you will be comfortable with.

View attachment 561598

Thank you. I was looking for something that explained the difference between cavern and cave diving. Angelita and The Pit are other-worldly and should be on everyone's bucket list.

 

[CanadaDan]

Here's a nice map of Angelita showing just how easy a dive it is....

 

[Lorenzoid]

. . .

All cavern dives (as opposed to cave dives) stick to rules where you never are too far away from visible daylight and a straight overhead shot to the surface. Cavern dives are typically led by instructors who are also certified cave divers. They will not take you past the safety limits and will make sure you have an experience within your comfort level. . . .

"All cavern dives" are supposed to stick to those rules, including the major characteristic that separates "cavern" from cave: remaining within sight of some daylight. The problem is that, at least in the past, some have not stuck to all the rules. Not sure if you saw the sticky I linked to above. It's apparently the few that did not stick to the rules that have kept the guided cenote dives from having a perfect record.