About two weeks ago I visited the Mayan Riviera for the first time. I was travelling with non-divers, so we ended up staying on the mainland at the Grand Xcaret just south of Playa Del Carmen.
After doing a lot of research here and on other boards and sites around the Net I selected and reserved with Diablo for a day of Cenote diving and two days of wall / reef diving with Eagle Ray before I left. Both were great experiences.
The Cenote diving was very cool. I had never done anything like it before, but Dennis made it easy on me. I ended up being the only one booked on the day I dove. Most companies would have tried to move me a day ahead or a day back to get me into a larger group, but Dennis still took me out - and was my private guide for the day. Dennis picked me up at the hotel and we did two of the easier Cenotes (Ponderosa & Taj Mahal). When I dive I've always been about aquatic life, but the Cenote was a really interesting and different - in a good way. There wasn't much life once you got into the Cenote, but with the rock formations there was a lot more to see than I expected.
Dennis provided a good briefing to get me comfortable with the overhead environment and was fully geared out - providing lights, carrying redundant breathing gear, etc. If you're in the neighbourhood and interested in trying a Cenote dive I highly recommend Diablo Divers.
I had a great experience with Eagle Ray as well. Chellie @ Eagle Ray did a great job communicating with me before I went. From Xcaret getting to Cozumel is a bit of an adventure. I had to take a cab from the hotel to Playa del Carmen (about 10 minutes and $8 or 80 pesos depending how you are paying each way) and take the Ferry over to Cozumel (about 40 minutes and $9 each way). From the Ferry terminal I took a cab to La Caleta marina where their boats depart from (around 10 min and $6 each way). It actually wasn't as complicated as it all sounds - I found most of it through independent research before hand, but then Chellie included it all during our email exchanges, so she made it easy on me.
The first day I was out with a group of about 7 other divers on one of their larger boats with Bernardo as dive master. The second there were 5 of us with Bernardo again on one of the smaller, faster boats. I was meeting friends back on the mainland for dinner, so I only did two tanks both days (although they offered a third tank) - all four dives were drift dives with a wall in the morning and a wall crest or reef for the afternoon. Both days we dove fairly out of the way sites - though we passed a lot of the cattle boat operations on our way back in.
Both the Cenote and Ocean dives were great. There are a couple of other places I want to dive before I come back, but I'll definitely be back and when I do I'll stick with the same operations.
D
After doing a lot of research here and on other boards and sites around the Net I selected and reserved with Diablo for a day of Cenote diving and two days of wall / reef diving with Eagle Ray before I left. Both were great experiences.
The Cenote diving was very cool. I had never done anything like it before, but Dennis made it easy on me. I ended up being the only one booked on the day I dove. Most companies would have tried to move me a day ahead or a day back to get me into a larger group, but Dennis still took me out - and was my private guide for the day. Dennis picked me up at the hotel and we did two of the easier Cenotes (Ponderosa & Taj Mahal). When I dive I've always been about aquatic life, but the Cenote was a really interesting and different - in a good way. There wasn't much life once you got into the Cenote, but with the rock formations there was a lot more to see than I expected.
Dennis provided a good briefing to get me comfortable with the overhead environment and was fully geared out - providing lights, carrying redundant breathing gear, etc. If you're in the neighbourhood and interested in trying a Cenote dive I highly recommend Diablo Divers.
I had a great experience with Eagle Ray as well. Chellie @ Eagle Ray did a great job communicating with me before I went. From Xcaret getting to Cozumel is a bit of an adventure. I had to take a cab from the hotel to Playa del Carmen (about 10 minutes and $8 or 80 pesos depending how you are paying each way) and take the Ferry over to Cozumel (about 40 minutes and $9 each way). From the Ferry terminal I took a cab to La Caleta marina where their boats depart from (around 10 min and $6 each way). It actually wasn't as complicated as it all sounds - I found most of it through independent research before hand, but then Chellie included it all during our email exchanges, so she made it easy on me.
The first day I was out with a group of about 7 other divers on one of their larger boats with Bernardo as dive master. The second there were 5 of us with Bernardo again on one of the smaller, faster boats. I was meeting friends back on the mainland for dinner, so I only did two tanks both days (although they offered a third tank) - all four dives were drift dives with a wall in the morning and a wall crest or reef for the afternoon. Both days we dove fairly out of the way sites - though we passed a lot of the cattle boat operations on our way back in.
Both the Cenote and Ocean dives were great. There are a couple of other places I want to dive before I come back, but I'll definitely be back and when I do I'll stick with the same operations.
D