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    Southern Sennets, Playa del Carmen

    Great photo opp if you are diving in Playa. Keep an eye out for the wandering school of sennets that are hanging out on the shallow northern reefs. When there's little or no current, amazing to hang out & watch them as they form a "tornado" around you. :)
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    Headed back to Playa Del Carmen April 5th - 12th!!!! Recommendations????

    Can also check out the Abyss Dive Center or Cyan-Ha Dive Center. Both are reputable & two of the oldest dive shops in Playa; SSI dive centers as well. The instructors at both shops have years of experience diving in the área, really good at finding the unusual critters hiding on the reef. Also...
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    Headed to Playa del Carmen for some diving...

    For tours, prefer YucaTreks as you go out with the owner who has a wealth of information about the Yucatán área as well as the Maya archeological sites. For diving, figure it out after you've experienced the cenotes for the first time. They are truly amazing and one of the very unique features...
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    Cavern (Cenotes) diving in the Mayan Rivera

    Sytech, not clear in your text, but I wonder if you are planning on diving with a certified cavern guide or on your own with a buddy. If you are planning the latter, be aware that the general rule is one must be a cave diver in order to dive without a guide in the cenotes.
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    Vacation in Playa del Carmen booked

    Ditto for Dave & the Abyss. He's been teaching/diving in Playa for over 15 years and is an excellent & professional guide. He takes small groups so dives are relaxed & you never feel like he's rushing you through the dive. You can tell that he really enjoys diving himself.
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    Single traveller in Mexiko (Cancun, Playa, Cozumel, Tulum)

    Might want to consider making Playa del Carmen your base...nice beaches, a wide variety of hotels, and it's very easy to go out and socialize if you want. Most dive shops in Playa offer diving in Playa, Cozumel & the cenotes so have access to a wide variety of dive experiences. Lots of marine...
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    Bull Shark Dives in Playa

    We're seeing 5-6 bull sharks on shallow dives at Jardines Reef. No chumming or feeding, just a regular dive and you can see them. Also they've been spotted on deep and shallow dives north of Jardines - Moc-che Deep & Chun-Zumbul, for example. It is truly an awe-inspiring experience to see them!
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    Poor briefing and going off line in Cenotes...

    Also, when cavern or cave diving, every diver has the right to call the dive no matter what the reason. This information is part of the standard cavern dive briefing given by cavern guides. Thanks for speaking up about your experience, CatBalou. Perhaps your story will help divers visiting...
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    help choosing a Playa Dive OP

    GREAT shot of the original Tank-Ha shop. :-)
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    help choosing a Playa Dive OP

    I'd go with the Abyss. You'd probably dive with the owner, Dave, who's been teaching & diving in Playa for years. He is VERY safety conscious, professional & knows the reefs (& cenotes) very well. Like the fact that he really enjoys diving and sharing his enthusiasm with fellow divers. You...
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    Cozumel dive or or Tank-Ha for Cozumel dive?

    Dive Balam (10 minutes outside of Playa at the Royal Hacienda hotel) makes direct trips to Cozumel with their own boat. The captain (or one of the captains) is a former Tank-Ha employee who made the trips to Cozumel with T-H's boat so he has years of experience crossing the channel. It is...
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    Underwater Critters in Playa del Carmen

    Just an FYI for those diving in Playa in the near future...keep an eye out for the small stuff on your shallow dives. We're seeing lots of seahorses, pipe horses & pipefish on the sand as well as the reefs. On a dive last week, got to see all three - it made for an amazing & memorable dive day...
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    wetsuit v dive skin

    In the last month, the water temperature in Playa del Carmen has been around 83F/29C. Most visitors are fine diving with a 3mm, some are diving with just a skin/rashguard. Those of us who do have a tendency to get cold or who dive daily are using thicker suits and some are using hoods. As...
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    Now on the reefs in Playa del Carmen

    We're seeing some cool sights on the reefs so if you are coming down to Playa in the near future, keep an eye out for the following: schools of squid (saw one with over 30!) on the shallow northern dive sites(north of the pier by Jardines Reef); current permitting just hang out with them and...
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    General info needed on Playa Del Carmen diving

    The taxi syndicate generally prohibits dive shops from entering AI properties to pick up divers. Some dive shops will pick you right outside the AI, but that is usually for divers going on a cenote dive tour. Ditto for the Abyss...Dave runs a great operation and is really knowledgeable re...
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    Bull Shark dive in Cancun?

    The season for "bull shark dives" is over, but sometimes we still see a few on deeper dives here in Playa del Carmen. Always nice to see the unexpected on our dives!
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    Playa Del Carmen dive shop recommendations

    +1 more for Abyss!
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    Sharks!

    Love that right now you often see sharks while diving the southern reefs of Playa at depths from 15-30 meters. So cool to see them just gliding across the sand or over the reefs while you are cruising along with the current!
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    Playa Del Carmen Operators

    Ditto re. the Abyss, Dave & crew for all the reasons listed by markmantei. Dave has been in Playa for years & his level of experience & knowledge distinguishes him from other instructors/DMs. Yes, his boats are smaller, but you get more personalized attention & care. If you do dive in Playa...
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    Whale Sharks, Cenotes and Cozumel advice please!

    Ecocolors is one of the original tour operators for whale shark trips and they offer the one-day trip. I believe it is cheaper if you book directly with them. Pick-up for the trip is about 6/6:30AM and you get back around 3:30 or so. It's a long day, but worth it if you don't want to...
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