I had been to Cozumel several years ago strictly for diving, and loved it. Recently, my girlfriend, a friend and I decided to head to Playa del Carmen because in addition to diving we could check out the sites, and enjoy the nightlife. Neither my girlfriend nor my friend had their Open Water Certifications. In fact, my girlfriend lacked confidence in her swimming abilities, so even snorkeling was a stretch.
We were lucky to bump into Luis from Playa Scuba Dive Center * Centro de Buceo * Tauchbase - Playa del Carmen, Mexico right at the beginning of our trip. I purchased a $200 package that included 6 dives: 2 reef dives, 2 in Cozumel and 2 in the Cenotes. Because the price was very attractive, I thought that we'd be diving in a large group (like my dives in Cozumel), and the whole experience would be akin to a production line. However, nothing could have been farther from the truth. The groups were 4 or less, and it seemed that Luis' goal was not to make money, but to make sure that we had a safe and pleasant experience. I had never been in the cenotes, and Luis took the time to explain everything very carefully. He was able to gauge our abilities to create challenges to push our comfort zone, yet keep the dives pleasant and safe. There was no question in my mind that he was the perfect person to certify my friend, and perhaps even spark an interest in my girlfriend to do a Discovery Dive.
In the end, I did 14 dives with Luis, and my friend did her open water dives among several others. By accompanying us to the cenotes (Luis didn't charge us to have her come along to snorkel), my girlfriend not only became interested in diving, but she ended up doing her Open Water course in 2 days! And she did it in the natural setting of the cenotes, rather than a swimming pool.
Another bonus: the Open Water course only cost $265 (+ textbook.)
We were lucky to bump into Luis from Playa Scuba Dive Center * Centro de Buceo * Tauchbase - Playa del Carmen, Mexico right at the beginning of our trip. I purchased a $200 package that included 6 dives: 2 reef dives, 2 in Cozumel and 2 in the Cenotes. Because the price was very attractive, I thought that we'd be diving in a large group (like my dives in Cozumel), and the whole experience would be akin to a production line. However, nothing could have been farther from the truth. The groups were 4 or less, and it seemed that Luis' goal was not to make money, but to make sure that we had a safe and pleasant experience. I had never been in the cenotes, and Luis took the time to explain everything very carefully. He was able to gauge our abilities to create challenges to push our comfort zone, yet keep the dives pleasant and safe. There was no question in my mind that he was the perfect person to certify my friend, and perhaps even spark an interest in my girlfriend to do a Discovery Dive.
In the end, I did 14 dives with Luis, and my friend did her open water dives among several others. By accompanying us to the cenotes (Luis didn't charge us to have her come along to snorkel), my girlfriend not only became interested in diving, but she ended up doing her Open Water course in 2 days! And she did it in the natural setting of the cenotes, rather than a swimming pool.
Another bonus: the Open Water course only cost $265 (+ textbook.)
