Main Menu
Join Undercurrent on Facebook

The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975 | |
For Divers since 1975
The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975
"Best of the Web: scuba tips no other
source dares to publish" -- Forbes
X
 

Dive Review of Dive Mexico/gran porto real in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/cozumel and the mexican yucata

Dive Mexico/gran porto real, Nov, 2010,

by W Glen Kitchens, NM, US (Contributor Contributor 18 reports with 4 Helpful votes). Report 5802.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 5 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments Recently spent several days on the Yucatan Peninsula & worked in a few cenote dives along w/ the usual tourist fare. Flew to Cancun from Houston on a Continental Vacations package & found the 'red shirts' outside the airport for the one-hour transfer to Playa del Carmen & the Gran Porto Real for their all-inclusive luxury. Woke late for a down-day the next morning, but managed the block & a half walk over to Dive Mexico Dive Shop to check in for the next day's cenote dives. I had previously set this up online w/ Sybil & when my buddy & I arrived to sign up, our names were already on the board for next day. The shop is very well organized, plus both Sybil & her brother, Manuel Jankoff, speak very good English.

Next morning, we arrived at the shop at 8:30, got fitted for rental gear & met our divemaster for the day - Andrea Cantos. Dive Mexico allows only four divers per DM on cenote dives. All the gear was loaded into the back of an extended cab truck & we headed south about 40 minutes from Playa for the days' dives at cenotes Chac-Mool & Kukulkan.

Cenote, or cavern diving, varies from cave diving & it's more restrictive certification requirements in that even though divers are in an 'overhead environment', they should always be able to see daylight. We did 'surface' at one point in an air pocket complete w/ stalactites & breathable air in cenote Chac-mool. There was no visible light at this location except our flashlights, which made for a rare experience! Elsewhere, thanks to bright sunrays through the gin-clear fresh water, the dives were very photogenic & unlike anything most people (divers included) will ever get to see. Another interesting phenomenon is the halocline, which forms due to ocean salt water mixing w/ the cenote's fresh water. These areas can be a bit disconcerting as everything in the mix zone becomes blurred. Andrea was very professional, helpful & made the dives very enjoyable.

Dive Mexico offers all sorts of salt & fresh water dive excursions & their packages are very reasonable. Rental gear was fine. Being close to several major hotels, they're perfect for walk-ins looking for a day of diving while the wife enjoys the spa at the hotel. I am already planning a return visit & will use them again.

While I refuse to trumpet airlines, Continental Vacations is a separate entity & this is two years in a row they've done an excellent job for my group. Complete w/ the 'red shirts' at the airports & hotels to help you get the best out of your trip & time spent.
Websites Dive Mexico   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 501-1000 dives
Where else diving all over carribean; aus; png; fiji; truk; yap; palau; bahamas;
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather rainy, cloudy Seas calm
Water Temp 76-76°F / 24-24°C Wetsuit Thickness 2
Water Visibility 0-0 Ft/ 0-0 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions [Unspecified]
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles None Whales None
Corals N/A Tropical Fish N/A
Small Critters N/A Large Fish N/A
Large Pelagics N/A

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's 5 stars Shore Facilities 3 stars
UW Photo Comments [None]
Was this report helpful to you?
Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here
 

Subscribe Now
Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 1077 dive reviews of Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

 

Want to assemble your own collection of Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan reports in one place?
Use the Mini Chapbook Facility to create your personalized collection.

Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

Undercurrent Home


Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email.
And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent

Free Undercurrent Issue
Get a free
monthly email and
a sample issue!


Find in  

| Home | Online Members Area | My Account | Login | Join |
| Travel Index | Dive Resort & Liveaboard Reviews | Featured Reports | Recent Issues | Back Issues |
| Dive Gear Index | Health/Safety Index | Environment & Misc. Index | Seasonal Planner | Blogs | Free Articles | Book Picks | News |
| Special Offers | RSS | FAQ | About Us | Contact Us | Links |

Copyright © 1996-2024 Undercurrent (www.undercurrent.org)
3020 Bridgeway, Ste 102, Sausalito, Ca 94965
All rights reserved.

Page computed and displayed in 0.1 seconds