Great cenote guide/shop from PDC area?

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DSR-3

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It's been most of 10 years since I last went diving in the cenote's around the PDC/Tulum area. I used to dive with Diablo/Dennis and always had a great time. I have been to many of the different sites over the years, and with only 1 day available this time, I want to make the best of it. I'll be coming from Coz on the ferry, and I hope to find a "new favorite" for such trips. I'm open to a private guide (even prefer one), and I want to take my camera. Thanks for any suggestions!
 
CenoteXperience is a solid operation, and were very safety- and environmentally-conscious. We communicated easily with Nicolas via Whatsapp, and Carlos was our dive guide for both days that we dove with them in August. There was just the two of us with the guide on Day 1 and one additional diver on Day 2. We dove with our own equipment (backplate & wing), but they provided the thicker wetsuits (5mm if I remember correctly); the dive guide dove with double sidemount, and mentioned that it was required for the guides to have doubles (either back or sidemount) for safety reasons.

They picked us up each morning, stopped by their shop to sign paperwork and get wetsuit and any missing gear, then we stopped by a small shop to get sandwiches (included in the price), additional snacks and water were provided during surface intervals at the cenotes, and at the end of the day we were dropped off at our hotel.

Day 1 - El Pit; Dos Ojos (Barbie line); Dos Ojos (Bat Cave line)
Day 2 - Angelita; Dreamgate

Personally, although the caverns like Dreamgate and Dos Ojos were cool to see, I prefer the landscape and interesting haloclines in deeper cenotes like El Pit and Angelita. If I were to go again, I would probably just stick with these types of cenotes and skip the shallow cavern dives, but that's really just a personal preference.

We paid a small deposit ($60) via Paypal to reserve, and then the rest is paid by cash or card after the dives are completed (there is a small fee to pay by card, but I forget exactly what it was, something like 2-3%).
 
CenoteXperience is a solid operation, and were very safety- and environmentally-conscious. We communicated easily with Nicolas via Whatsapp, and Carlos was our dive guide for both days that we dove with them in August. There was just the two of us with the guide on Day 1 and one additional diver on Day 2. We dove with our own equipment (backplate & wing), but they provided the thicker wetsuits (5mm if I remember correctly); the dive guide dove with double sidemount, and mentioned that it was required for the guides to have doubles (either back or sidemount) for safety reasons.

They picked us up each morning, stopped by their shop to sign paperwork and get wetsuit and any missing gear, then we stopped by a small shop to get sandwiches (included in the price), additional snacks and water were provided during surface intervals at the cenotes, and at the end of the day we were dropped off at our hotel.

Day 1 - El Pit; Dos Ojos (Barbie line); Dos Ojos (Bat Cave line)
Day 2 - Angelita; Dreamgate

Personally, although the caverns like Dreamgate and Dos Ojos were cool to see, I prefer the landscape and interesting haloclines in deeper cenotes like El Pit and Angelita. If I were to go again, I would probably just stick with these types of cenotes and skip the shallow cavern dives, but that's really just a personal preference.

We paid a small deposit ($60) via Paypal to reserve, and then the rest is paid by cash or card after the dives are completed (there is a small fee to pay by card, but I forget exactly what it was, something like 2-3%).


i dove all these spots in 2005 El Pit was almost new. It took a while to get there in the jungle. Actually my first dive with double was in Angelita. How s the sites now are they well preserved ?

Cheers
 
Xibalba dive center go with Robbie.
I did my Full Cave and multiple trips with Robbie, so he's a great suggestion, but right now he is more focused on research and other projects.

Through some other referrals, I found my way to Davide Marchetti @ Learn cave diving in Mexico - Ghost Divers for a single day and liked him so much over multiple trips, I just completed my Technical Cave with him. He's genuinely interested in helping improve your skills (as evidenced by the free videos on his site), but I learned a lot even on our guided trips (which may be helpful as you get back into the cenotes.)

He's right in Playa which would be great if you are taking the ferry, and he can take you to the popular sites like the ones you mentioned, or even more "off the beaten" path sites (most still with easy access). Tell him what type of sites you might want to experience and he'll give you plenty of options to find some new favorites!
 
I also highly recommend Nicolas & Martin from Cenote Xperience, I have been diving with Nico since 2011, great guys and excellent instructors. CenoteXperience - Cavern, Cave and Ocean Diving in Playa del Carmen Yucatan Mexico - Home

I don’t really have other cenote guides to compare them to, but I was also very happy with CenoteXperience. Carlos was our guide - former search and rescue diver and paramedic in Mexico City before he became a cave diver and guide. Super nice, super competent, and inspired confidence in my anxiety-prone wife.

I’ve been on 5 days of cenote dives with them over 2 trips. El Pit, Angelita, Dos Ojos… and a few more I would need to look up.
 
It's been most of 10 years since I last went diving in the cenote's around the PDC/Tulum area. I used to dive with Diablo/Dennis and always had a great time. I have been to many of the different sites over the years, and with only 1 day available this time, I want to make the best of it. I'll be coming from Coz on the ferry, and I hope to find a "new favorite" for such trips. I'm open to a private guide (even prefer one), and I want to take my camera. Thanks for any suggestions!
10 years? You may remember a spitfire guide with Diablo named Natalie? Well she opened Under The Jungle and has some of the best guides I have found.
 
10 years? You may remember a spitfire guide with Diablo named Natalie? Well she opened Under The Jungle and has some of the best guides I have found.
Under the Jungle is the shop I was going to recommend too. I think Nat was with diablo a little more than 10 years ago, maybe 12. Under the Jungle’s been open about 10 years now, I think. Time flies….

Anyhow, Nat has absolutely wonderful guides, the shop is highly recommended. And it’s very convenient, right at the entrance to Tajma Ha.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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