Akumal Dive Op Recommendation Needed

[bluechub]

I will be going to Akumal this summer and I am looking for recommendations on dive ops there. On browsing I found mentioned everywhere the Akumal Dive Shop and the Akumal Dive Center.
Besides the two above, is there any other op in the area that you would recommend?
We are four divers and will be doing only ocean dives (no cenote dives), mostly shallow as my little one is a JOW.
Any other detail you can share (boats, safety of the operations etc) is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[driftwood]

There is Akumal Dive Adventures on Half Moon Bay. There are also other shops (mostly associated with the AI's) further south on Akumal Bay.

Between the Akumal Dive Shop and Akumal Dive Center, go with Akumal Dive Center. I have seen things done by the ADS that are within the rules which I consider unsafe (two discover students on a scheduled OW dive with only one DM riding herd on 10 divers). In addition, the ADS was the op that lost two divers and the DM in one of the Cenotes a couple years ago (they left the cavern zone and penetrated the cave much deeper than allowed).

One thing to consider is that Akumal proper is very small. A lot of resorts list themselves as being in Akumal but might well be closer to either Tulum or Puerto Adventuras. Point being that you need to get a real location for exactly where you will be staying. Probably the best place for you to find out is Riviera Maya Hotels, Resorts, Rentals: Mexican Caribbean Vacation You also might try the Hotel Locator at cancunmap.com-Maps and travel guides.Your
information source to Cancun,Cozumel,Isla Mujeres & Riviera Maya

Boats are all going the be about the same. A single engine panga with or without overhead cover holding up to 12 divers. Generally the first dive in the morning will be a deep dive, call it 90'. Shore interval back on the beach and the second dive to around 60'. None of the boats will pass a Mexican Coast Guard inspection (generally no first aid kit, certainly no radio and probably not enough water).

Hope this helps and stock up on what you need on the way down in Playa del Carmen (you will need to take out a second on your house to shop at the Super Chomax).

 

[TSandM]

We got a recommendation for Dive with Natalie and Ivan from a friend who works down there. A couple of our newly minted OW divers dove with them, and were very pleased.

 

[lthomas132]

I used Bahia Divers Home when we stayed at Akumal. Great people and divers!

 

[bluechub]

Thanks all for the replies. We will be in Akumal at the only resort there, the kids need other amenities in addition to the diving. It's disturbing to hear that feedback about the ADS, as there are several things I liked from their website (four trips/day, alu100 tanks ...), in any event safety first.
My son's young age will limit our maximum depth, at least for the dives when we will be together, and I will be looking for an op that will let us do a couple of shallow dives/day, if possible.

 

[wknight0691]

Hi bluechub,

Have a look at Blue Experience Diving,, they dive from Akumal and will collect you from several local resorts free of charge and they also have a great set of reviews on Trip Advisor.
They keep their groups small and match them with their level of experience and requests for deep/ shallow , whatever they want.

Blue Experience Diving, Akumal

Enjoy your dives

 

[bluechub]

wknight0691, thanks for the information, they seem to be next door from the Akumal Beach Resort, and I sent them an email.

 

[flofish94]

How much is the taxi fares from Playa Del Carmen to Akumal Beach, does anyone has any ideas?

 

[Reidkon]

It is 300 pesos are about $23.00 according to the board at Akumal Beach Resort.
Taxi rates

We have been to Akumal many times and have used the Akumal Dive Shop once, but now we dive exclusively with Akumal Dive Adventures. But we also stay in a condo on Half Moon Bay which is within crawling distance from Akumal Dive Adventures and La Buena Vida! Akumal Dive Adventures is a small shop and we know the staff like family so even if we stayed on Akumal Bay we would probably still walk over to Half Moon Bay use the same shop.

For all the information you could possibly want regarding Akumal, and the rest of the RM check out LocoGringo.
Also feel free to join and ask-away on their forums.

 

[nimoh]

We got a recommendation for Dive with Natalie and Ivan from a friend who works down there. A couple of our newly minted OW divers dove with them, and were very pleased.

I believe Natalie and Ivan dive on Akumal Dive Center boats (as of 3 months ago they didn't have their own boat). They may dive on other boats, but the two times I dove with Natalie, was with ADC.

I will second the recommendation for diving with Natalie and Ivan (even though I have only met Ivan, and have not been diving with him), for the OP's situation, they will tailor a dive plan to meet the needs of the JOW diver keeping it both safe and fun.