Tulum or San Pedro ? Help me plan a trip in Mexico & Belize

[diverchet]

I stayed in San Pedro in March of 08 and really loved it. On that trip I did the Elbow and it was a long bumpy boat ride. I also did the Blue Hole/Half Moon Caye trip an even longer boat ride from San Pedro these two dive days were the best so I think the better diving is South of San Pedro(Caye Caulker). Half Moon Caye was best of all.

 

[Carlos Danger]

Sweet!

Caye Caulker is basically a smaller/slower version of San Pedro, but equally cool in its own way. Amigos Del Mar is a good dive-op based in San Pedro. Diving in the Ambergris area is very good; diving in Turneffe is better. The diving in the area is pretty easy, with no current. However, these areas of Belize are spread-out over a much larger area than the Cozumel/Playa/Tulum triangle. A trip to Turneffe from San Pedro by boat, via Caye Caulker, is about 2-1/2 hours one-way. At the time, I believe a two-tank out to there cost a couple-hundred bucks per-person.

Diving between Playa and Tulum can be pretty good -to- just okay. The reef systems are not anywhere near as cool as Cozumel, yet there seems to be bigger animal life. Most of the diving is of the drift variety, but generally not in as strong a current as over in Cozumel. Surface intervals spent on the boat can get pretty choppy sometimes. Tulum is cool, and the beach there is spectacular, but there isn't much else going on. Tank-Ha is a good op in Playa for ocean diving. Diablo/Aquanauts, in Puerto Aventuras, is good for the cenotes and anything based further south.

Overall, Ambergris has better ocean diving than the area around Tulum, but the Yucatan has the cenotes (awesome experience, but you need good buoyancy control skills and know how to frog). Your trip already sounds like a win/win. So, either way, I doubt you'll be disappointed no matter what you choose.

Hope this helps, and have a great trip!

 

[DandyDon]

Caye Caulker is basically a smaller/slower version of San Pedro

Has San Pedro livened up much in recent year? I think it was 2004 when I was there and they were thinking about paving front street with bricks I think. Got to love a town that delivers bottled water and beer on a trailer pulled by a John Deere.

 

[Carlos Danger]

Has San Pedro livened up much in recent year? I think it was 2004 when I was there and they were thinking about paving front street with bricks I think. Got to love a town that delivers bottled water and beer on a trailer pulled by a John Deere.

I was there in 2007, and it was still mostly dirt roads (and golf carts). The northern road going up to the roundabout (south of the split) was brick. I believe parts of Front Street may have been paved, in spots.

There has undoubtedly been a lot of development in the area since. Hopefully, they won't let progress erase the fishing village vibe that makes San Pedro a great place to getaway.

 

[tedgarner]

No you don't have to have a transfer from the boarder it was just easy and took a little stress off.

Any info I can give you about cozumel please feel free to ask I will tell you what I know. PM me if you would like.

 

[DandyDon]

There has undoubtedly been a lot of development in the area since. Hopefully, they won't let progress erase the fishing village vibe that makes San Pedro a great place to getaway.

I know. As a place becomes more popular with tourists - who want air conditioning, hot water, TV (ugg), and such, "improvements" can spoil the atmosphere. I visited Holbox a year ago, and while I did enjoy the AC & hot water along with changes in the town to accommodate tourists who want to eat and shop, it was still an enjoyably quaint village to visit. Had a difficult time finding T-shirts in ExLg; I guess they can't get used to Americans being so big - but then souvenir Ts certainly aren't tradition. Still, everyone in the family loved them. My grandson wore his to school the next day so people would ask him what...?

Please never build a cruise dock at either...!

 

[Hank49]

Turneffe Elbow is the day trip(s) I want to do. I've read it was a shorter ride from Caye Caulker than from Ambergris. Do you confirm ?
What about the diving conditions there ? Like mentionned, I'm a vacation diver, I'm comfy in clear, shallow, quiet waters. I will get experience in Cozumel about currents and drift diving. Will that be enough to go to Turneffe in safe conditions ?

Thank you all for taking the time to give me your feedback, keep it comin' !

The trip to Turneffe from Ambergris will be from 8, (in town) to more than 15 miles longer (one way) than from Caulker, depending on where you stay. The farther north you stay, the farther the trip. The boats from Ambergris pass right by Caulker on the way to the Elbow.
The conditions at the Elbow can be a little choppy if the trades are blowing pretty stiff. But, if they're NE trades, you're in the lee of Lighthouse Reef so it's not like open ocean swells. There can be a little current but it's not that strong. I've not been to Cozumel but I have dived a lot in the Philippines and the currents here are nothing compared to there.
You enter the water from the boat tied to moorings on the top of the wall in about 40 feet or so of water. The wall is just nearby. It's not a hard dive at all and when it's on, there are as many game fish there as any single spot I've ever seen.

 

[annlaur]

Thank you all for the great answers. Very helpful.

So far, I'm leaning towards skipping Tulum and the cenotes (I've read the thread Don posted, they DO sound awesome, but I'm afraid I'm not ready for those yet) and spending more time (and money&#8230 in Belize.

What I'm reading here and on other threads on SB really makes me want to dive as much as possible off Turneffe and Lighthouse. So I'm actually considering staying at a resort on Turneffe for a few days. It would be more expensive than staying on Caulker and taking day trips, but it would save me more than 4 hours of boat travel/day, plus I've never stayed on an atoll before and would really love to experience that.

So now I'm searching info about the cheapest lodging options there and seeing how I could fit a 4 to 7 night stay on the atoll into my schedule.

I'll let you know what I find.
Thanks again.

 

[Turbosaurus]

I just got back from a week in playa Del Carmen (came home last night). We dove with Darik and Marco of CX divers (who I found here on this forum). They were great.

IME the diving in PDC was just as good as Cozumel if not better- the reefs were crawling with life, the currents were mild. I was blown away. I wasn't expecting it to be that great. From an architectural standpoint the reefs weren't quite an interesting as Cozumel- they were a little flatter and didn't have the same swim throughs- but they were crawling with sea life. I thought it was actually a plus since you didn't have to worry about your dive profile- at the bottom of the reef you were at 60 feet and the top you were at 55-they were pretty flat so you don't have to be as careful watching your depth. In Cozumel I have had some dive profiles that look like roller coasters- up down up down up down. When the edge of the reef is 20 feet from the sand to the top you have to pay attention.

As for cenote diving- if it appeals to you there are so many. I dove Kin-Ha which was a huge open cavern with lots of light, we didn't really NEED our flashlights. My second dive that day was Hol Box (pronounced hole bosh) which was 40 minutes in pitch dark. The water was cool too.

I dove with CX divers while I was in Playa Del Carmen. I can't recommend them highly enough. They really customized the dives according to what we like and what we wanted to see.