First time Cenote Dive

[Cmaustin]

Another plug for Dennis, Last time we were in Mexico we did a whole week of diving with him. He always goes the extra mile to make sure your dives are awesome.

He would regularly bring his camera on dives and at the end of the trip sent us a CD of the pictures for free.

 

[TSandM]

I think one of the best things about Dennis is what a nice person he is. He's fun to hang out with, and fun to dive with, and he is an extraordinarily gentle man. I'm sure there are lots of competent guides in the Yucatan (and in fact, I didn't do my cavern tours with Dennis -- but the person I DID do them with isn't available to the general diving public) but there can't be a lot of people who are more pleasant to spend a day with.

 

[esitzes]

I appreciate all of the help. I am going to research all of them and I will report back after my trip. I contacted Reef Quest Diving and was told Dos Ojos should be my first cenote dive!?!? Thoughts?

 

[skyward]

If you are doing Dos Ojos there is a Dive Op right at the site that is good and very reasonably priced. The only issue is you need transportation to get there. They are just north of the Hidden Worlds entrance.

 

[TSandM]

Dos Ojos was my favorite of the cenote tours I did, but Grand Cenote is also very beautiful. Taj Maha has the "points of light" when the sun is out. Chac Mool has some extremely beautiful views from the cavern out toward the open water pool.

Each is beautiful in its own way.

 

[thorndog]

What is this, the Dennis Weeks fan club?
There are hundreds of cavern guides in the area some of whom are sloppy but most of whom are professional individuals whether they work for your favorite dive shop or not. As a local cave diver and former local dive professional I could recommend at least a dozen excellent guides from Cancun to Tulum, but really as Ed Hatfield points out, the convenience of your dive shop is likely more important than the "reputation" of someone with a lot of online friends.

 

[TSandM]

Thorndog, did it occur to you that maybe the reason why Dennis gets a lot of recommendations is that a lot of SBers have dived with him and had a really good time?

There are other good guides. I like German Yanez a lot. I did my first tours with Danny Riordan, who is an AMAZING guide, but he only guides for people who have done Fundies (and they really don't like to do cavern tours at ZG). I like Bil Phillips, and the people who dive with him give him good reports as well. I'm sure there are lots of good folks down there. My first pick is Dennis, for the reasons I've given.

 

[Odys]

Gonzalo from Scorpio Divers is another great alternative.

I have done several. My fiance's first cenote was "The Pit." Probably one of the top 3 dives I've ever done.

I also enjoyed "The Carwash" but I heard it's polluted?

 

[TSandM]

Carwash tends to have a lot of organic stuff in the water, and a lot of people seem to get ear infections after diving there. I haven't had that problem. I like diving Carwash.

 

[thorndog]

TSandM,
Of course I assume that the people praising Dennis are not fictional characters and that they no doubt have had a good time diving with him.
I see that you are an SB staff member. These boards and others around the world provide a good service for many divers looking for impartial advice when planning a trip. No offence but perhaps you might consider that posting so frequently with recommendations for the same person appears a bit biased.