riviera maya diving

[saltybubbles]

we will be in Mexico in May. Due to taking two non divers, we will be staying at Iberostar Quetzal. We do not want to use Dressel Divers from the resort, bad experience in the past. I am wondering if there are any operators who dive the cozumel sites that would pick us up in Playa Car or do we need to go to Cozumel on the ferry?

Any advice from people who have done this prior? How is the diving off Riveria Maya? The few sites we did there before were not so great but we were brand new and doubt they would have taken us to any other than beginner sites.

 

[Byte Me]

There are a bunch of nice dive sites right in Playa. Jardines, Cerebros, Tortuga, Los Arcos, to name a few. When you ask about ops picking you up and diving Coz do you mean running over there in a dive boat? I think most work where they take you over on the ferry and sub out to a shop in Coz.

When I go to Playa I dive with Jason, Playacountryboy on Scubaboard, at fantaseadive.com. I've been to Coz with him twice (hop the ferry with him, get picked up by the dive boat at the ferry pier, pick up the rest of the divers, two tank dives, lunch, back on the ferry, never touch land in Coz except on the ferry pier and for lunch - VERY smooth!), done a bunch of Playa reefs and he can also coordinate cenote dives.

Not sure exactly where the iberostar is in playacar but it should be a $5 cab ride or 15-20 minute walk to Playa and the ferry pier.

By the way, why the angry face?

 

[saltybubbles]

angry face was thanks to my granddaughter playing with the keyboard.

thanks for the advice. we are looking to get hooked up with some good diving while there. Iberostar is maybe a five minute cab ride from Playacar. We loved the sites in Coz and wondered about the sites on the other side.

 

[Byte Me]

Ah! I thought maybe it was because of going with non-divers!

We're going down again in about a month, staying at Riu Palace Riviera Maya which looks to be in the same vicinity as the Iberostar. I generally grab a cab to Calle 2 and 10th ave and walk down to the beach on Calle 2 to Jason's shop.

Here's a map of Playa dive sites:

Playa del Carmen Dive Sites

I've done Cerebros, Los Arcos, Jardines, Sabalos, Tortuga, Barracuda, Mama Vina, Isolote, Punta Venados and in Coz Paradise reef a couple times, Palancar Gardens and Santa Rosa Wall. Coz is very nice but the Playa reefs are quite nice as well. Plus when you're with non-divers (as I am always since my wife doesn't dive) you're not gone the whole day like you would be on a Coz trip.

I've got a bunch of pictures of my Playa dives here:

2007 trip where I did my AOW w/ Jason: diving pictures by byteme45 - Photobucket

2008 trip - Coz, cenotes and Playa reefs - Diving pictures by byteme45 - Photobucket

2009 1st trip Coz and Playa Reefs (punta venados and barracuda) - Diving pictures by byteme45 - Photobucket


Also - search for playacountryboy and check out his videos - there is some nice diving in Playa!

In December I'm talking my parents for their first ocean dives so we'll do some pretty benign but still fun dives for them, with Jason of course!

 

[saltybubbles]

we recently returned from a week at Roatan and had fabulous 4 boat dives a day. Started planning this trip as soon as we got back. We have been to Coz before and stayed at SCUBA club. We were pretty new to diving and got a lot of good experience, I do look forward to seeing new stuff. I enjoyed your pictures.

As we do not have a camera, does Jason offer shooting video?

 

[Byte Me]

we recently returned from a week at Roatan and had fabulous 4 boat dives a day. Started planning this trip as soon as we got back. We have been to Coz before and stayed at SCUBA club. We were pretty new to diving and got a lot of good experience, I do look forward to seeing new stuff. I enjoyed your pictures.

As we do not have a camera, does Jason offer shooting video?

Yes, he does. If you do a search here for posts by playacountryboy you'll find a ton of his videos, I think three of them are clips from DVDs he did for me. Really well done and great for memories and showing others why you love diving!

Here is the search link: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/search.php?searchid=10035387

 

[robint]

we recently returned from a week at Roatan and had fabulous 4 boat dives a day. Started planning this trip as soon as we got back. We have been to Coz before and stayed at SCUBA club. We were pretty new to diving and got a lot of good experience, I do look forward to seeing new stuff. I enjoyed your pictures.

As we do not have a camera, does Jason offer shooting video?

Wow, comparing Roatan 4dives a day to PDC and Coz where you are lucky to get in 2 dives a day... Not at all the same kind of diving!
You aren't going to find the lush reefs and dramatic walls at PDC that you saw at Roatan. Also, PDC as well as Coz are drift diving. IMHO, the best thing PDC has going for it are the cenotes and the Mayan ruins. Be sure to spend at least a full day doing each.

 

[Ed Hatfield]

Robint is dead on, you can't compare Playa del Carmen to Roatan. If you try you will only set yourself up to be disappointed. The diving is better in Cozumel with the vast walls and coral formations. What PDC does have to offer is thriving sea life with spottings of marlins, sailfish, tarpons, sharks and barracuda. Schools of jacks abound. The reefs pale in comparison to Cozumel and the Bay Islands but it is good diving none the less. To make the trip special is to include the cenotes with the reef diving and when the two are combined then the dive trip as a whole is every bit as good as Coz or Roatan.

 

[saltybubbles]

we had been to Coz before we went to Roatan so I know the difference in the two. Both are awsome in their own right. I was just wondering about the diving at PDC vs Coz. We will most likely make the trek to Coz.

I have been looking into Cenotes. We are not Cave experienced and would need a really patient and experienced guide.

 

[islanddream]

You don't need cave experience to dive the cenotes. We did the cenotes a few years ago and had never been in a cave. One of the people in our group had a bit of trouble with bouyancy control...that can be a problem in a cenote. But once she got it figured out, she was fine. Our guide was great and was very kind and patient. We used Sea Life Dive Shop in Playa del Carmen they were great. The cenotes were an awesome experience that should be done at least once. Be prepared for much cooler water than the ocean. Not any fish....lots of stalagmites and stalagtites...very nice! If a person is claustrophobic, cenotes wouldn't be a good dive! Enjoy!