Is south/east Mexico worth diving?

[Asanoth]

Hello,
as a (final) part of our longer backpacking trip we go to Mesoamerica. We fly to GUA begnning of August and 95+% flying out of CUN, having allocated 7-10 weeks for the trip. It is still open, but the money starts to dry out already now .
First we visit Guatemala, going throughout the country and than Mexico with time we have left. I do not think we will go more west than Oaxaca.

On the stretch Oaxaca - Yucatan, are there any good (budget friendly) dive sites? We will have 40ish and 50ish dives by than, AOW, having dived Phillipines, Thai Andaman and Indonesia.
I know southern/eastern Mexico is probably inferior to these, but I am also keen on seeing some Atlantic species. But it still needs to be a good/great diving.

Not sure I am tempted by diving cenotes, we travel mostly after wildlife, but still need to do some reading.

I watched some videos of Conzumel and was hardly impressed, seemed more like what I would imagine in, say, Cambodia. Might be a wrong video.

Bull sharks would be amazing,but no season :/ .
Whale sharks we hope to see in Indonesia and not sure if we get to Yucatan at time: probably not.

Baja California is probably much better, but it is simply too far.

Do you have ani tips, please? "Do not dive in Mexico" can also be considered a valid tip .
Thank you

edit: corrected the east/west mess.

 

[agilis]

South west Mexico is the Pacific, not the Atlantic. It's colder than the eastern side, with much rougher water in most areas, more suitable for surfing. Big game fishing is also popular there.

 

[grassgreen]

The cenotes are amazing and there is wildlife to been seen not as prominent as the ocean but its there. Mainly in the openings where there is light. Also important is what company you go with. A big company with a tight time schedule to stick to isnt the best idea. You'll want a relaxed guide and schedule ...

 

[Lorenzoid]

Cozumel was the final diving stop on my own backpacking tour of Central America. Did you dive the Bay Islands of Honduras on this trip? From there I hitched a ride on a sailboat to Guatemala, and after Guatemala a bus to Belize, then buses on to Playa del Carmen and then the ferry to Cozumel. The diving in Cozumel is not as good as the Indo-Pacific, but it is still VERY good by Caribbean standards. Have fun! I am envious.

 

[CarstenS]

If you’re coming up through Chetumal, check out a detour to Mahahual to dive Chinchorro Reef. I was there this February and did some of my best Caribbean dives there - nurse sharks, various reef sharks, biggest lobsters I’ve ever seen, big sponge landscapes. Coral in good shape, too. Plus, Mahahual is far more easygoing than the Riviera Maya resort towns. Beaches in all of the Yucatan peninsula had a serious sargassum issue when I was there, but it‘s not a problem on the reef itself. Recommended. Wherever you go, enjoy!

 

[carloslzn]

Hello,

If you are comming by any chance to Baja California Sur. I can help you. Mainly Cabo Pulmo National Park.

 

[Asanoth]

Thank you, we do not plan to go to Belize, unless we really run out of money and decide to skip most of Mexico: In that case, though, we would hardly dive.

We might also consider going to Honduras, but I am quite wary to visit that country given safety issues... I hear it is very cheap and quite good... Better than Conzumel? If we dove there, we would not dive in Mexico.

 

[chillyinCanada]

The diving in Honduras is done from the Bay Islands (Roatan and Utila). These islands are much safer than the mainland.

 

[Still Kicking]

"Worth diving" is such a subjective term that it deserves some consideration.

If you are keeping score of exotic species, big animals, maximum visibility, etc. that's one thing ... maybe you are better off diving elsewhere. If you are casual divers who really only want to get wet when the conditions are optimal, you might spend your time and money on more rewarding top-side experiences.

But if you really enjoy spending time underwater for the sake of being underwater (as most of us do), then you should take the opportunity to dive whenever it presents itself and you can afford it. Firstly, more dive time make you better, more comfortable divers. And while it may not be epic conditions, diving is often unpredictable .... sometimes the exceptional encounters happen when we least expect them. Generally speaking, the more time you spend in the water, the more chances you have of experiencing something that will last in your memory forever.

In the end, only you can be the judge of whether it's "worth diving."

 

[dirtfarmer]

Since your budget minded it might be best to dive off Cozumel or Chinchorro, as it's on your Yucatan route. Getting to the Bay Islands unless your travelling thru Honduras would take time and $

@Lorenzoid 20 years ago I did a backpacking trip down thru the Yucatan then into Belize out to Caye Caulker then a trip to Tikal. I still had time left and decided to go to Utilla and get certified, it was difficult to get from Belize to Honduras by land so I bit the bullet and got out the credit card and booked a flight to Honduras, starting out my diving travels to many wonderful destinations.

@Asanoth Cozumel has excellent diving, I hadn't been diving in the Caribbean ( unless you count Tiger Beach) for 10 years as I prefer the diving in the Coral Triangle, last November I dove Cozumel and really enjoyed it, I was pleased with the reefs and fish life. I was wary I might not like it, and be doomed to have to keep travelling to Indonesia but I'm now probably going to do a trip to Belize in January.