Yukatan vs. Cozumel ?

[burnheart]

Hi guys !
Me and two Austrian friends of mine wanna go to mexiko for 3 weeks in may this year. We wanna make a trip by car to visit the maya culture AND of course we wanna go diving. (aprox. 1 week) Would it be better to stay on the halfisland (eg. playa del carmen) or would it be better to go directly to coz ? where are the best dive sites ? Do you have any good experiences with diving schools (with web links, etc) :06:

looking forward to your experiences !!

Dubi Dubi
burnheart

 

[daval]

If you are going for 3 weeks I would stay in Play del Carmen. The ferry leaves from there to Coz and its only a short ride. There is also plenty of reef diving off of Playa but the drifts in Coz are obviously a must do.

Staying in Playa however gives you tons of flexibility to move up and down the coast seeing the various Mayan history and you can also visit the many cenotes in the area which are apparently magnificent diving.

 

[lilycat]

Playa del Carmen would be a great idea.

You could split your trip and stay in both Playa del Carmen (PDC) and Cozumel. If you do this, put more time in PDC and a few days in Cozumel.

For seeing ruins and villages and the like, PDC is more convenient. For diving and eating yummy food, Cozumel was great.

*********
My husband and I stayed at an all-inclusive in PDC for our honeymoon. We had a wonderful and relaxing time. We visited the Mayan ruins and hung out at the beach for a week. It was the inspiration for taking our first diving vacation in Cozumel in Nov. 2005.

Our Cozumel trip, in my opinion, was better b/c we stayed in a hotel and weren't coddled in some fancy all-inclusive. (Although being coddled at an all-inclusive had its benefits.) It is a different kind of vacation and one that I prefer.

But, I would recommend both PDC and Cozumel. I enjoyed both vacations so much I didn't want to come home. I would definetly book some time in PDC if I were seeing ruins and the like.

Have fun wherever you choose. I hope you love Mexico as much as we do.

 

[burnheart]

thanxs for your experiences. i already cant wait until may....

 

[Torcatdog]

I have been to both locations and for a long trip Playa is the place to start. Accomidations are ubiquitous and rates vary from $30 a day to $200. You can feel comfortable showing up and finding a flexible plan in Playa and then Ferry to Coz for $12 and stay there for a few days at one of the many dive clubs. There are cool day trips from Playa to wihtin an hour away. I have not rented a car in the past as cab fare is cheap. The mainland holds more cultural attractions and Coz has the great dive sites.

 

[luft]

I just got back last week from Cancun. The reefs were badly damaged in Cancun, I was told by the staff at Scuba Cancun that it took them 6 weeks to clean up one reef! The biggest damage was caused by draperies that were blown from the hotels and ended up on the reefs, entangling coral and ripping it apart. They found mattresses, TV sets and pretty much anything that could fly. The chaps at Scuba Cancun did take us to Cozumel and the diving there was great but there is substantial damage to the island. Papa Hog's is alive and well and had rooms available! The Cenotes were incredible, not far from Playa Del Carmen. Go to Cozumel, you'll love it.

 

[jmb]

If you've got 3 weeks, why not do both ? The ocean diving off Cozumel is really great & I would definitely recommend diving from there. There is also a lot to see & do along the Riviera Maya Coast as well as inland especially if you're interested in Maya culture -though I would skip Cancun. The ocean diving is good along the coast (not as great as Cozumel, though) but for something really unique, maybe consider diving some of the cenotes. Tank Ha Dive Shop in Playa Del Carmen offer trips to the cenotes that are excellent, and they have a terrific staff - very professional yet fun to dive with. If you fly into Cozumel, it's just a short ferry ride over to Playa from the center of town. If the flights into Cancun are more convenient or less expensive, it's a little less than an hour's drive from the airport to PDC. With that much time, I would spend some time both on Cozumel and in Playa Del Carmen or Akumal or somewhere south along the RM coast if possible.
Whatever you decide, have a great trip !

 

[save-money-diving]

dive Cozumel and Akumal Mexico for reef and cenote diving.
Scuba diving through the Gorgonian Gardens at 60 feet or have a look at the Canyons and Mini Wall at 90 feet. Lucky Fish hotel and dive center are on the breakwater bay of Tankah Tres, just 60 minutes from the Cancun airport.The Palancar reef stretches across the bay of Tankah Tres, just a short five minute boat ride away from the dive center.

diving report for Akumal Mexico BY E Quinn Date: 10/5/03 16:16

Akumal Trip Report 2/3-6 2005 By SteringDiver
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=87362

 

[SterlingDiver]

Hi guys !
Me and two Austrian friends of mine wanna go to mexiko for 3 weeks in may this year. We wanna make a trip by car to visit the maya culture AND of course we wanna go diving. (aprox. 1 week) Would it be better to stay on the halfisland (eg. playa del carmen) or would it be better to go directly to coz ? where are the best dive sites ? Do you have any good experiences with diving schools (with web links, etc) :06:

looking forward to your experiences !!

Dubi Dubi
burnheart

........the Yucatan offers something for everybody. We are off to Isla Mujures (North of Cancun) this coming Weds. for four days.

I can't imagine going to this area of the world and not diving Cozumel for two or three days. The deep diving there can be incredible. Akumal is also very nice area to stay. (it is very close to the Tulum Mayan ruins). It has some great diving in the ocean and in the many cenotes (underground freshwater lakes).

The diving in Isla Mujeres is not as good as either Coz. or Akumal, but not too bad. We are going to get away for the weekend and are hoping to leave most of the tourist elsewhere.

You might want to mix it up a little bit and enjoy everything this area has to offer.

Good Diving,

Dave

 

[tiburon72157]

since this is going to be a big trip for you...do everything you can. here's the real scoop from a diving and tourist perspective. spend some time on cozumel and dive. spend some time in pdc and do the cenotes and party. and take a bus tour to tulum (mayan ruins) from pdc (fairly close). cozumel and pdc have a ferry that runs in between. spend some time in cancun and party. people from all over the world travel just to see cancun. gotta check it out while you're there. and take a bus tour from cancun to the interior to see chichen itza (mayan ruins). it's much closer from cancun (about 2 hour bus trip). don't rent a car, it's a hassle and taxis are all over the place and fairly inexpensive. may is very a very popular time of year for the area, so book early. and try to go the first couple of weeks in may instead of later. the end of may, during the american memorial day weekend, cancun is loaded with rappers and wannabees and it ain't fun. too many frigging people that weekend. lastly, it's hot and humid as hell during that time of year so be prepared to deal with it. temperatures in the triple digits and horrific humidity are the norm. have fun!