Dive Review of ScubaQuatic/Bahia Principe Grand Tulum in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Akumal

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ScubaQuatic/Bahia Principe Grand Tulum: "Basic diving in Akumal", May, 2024, by Don Folsom, CO, US ( 1 report). Report 12976.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	The diving is done from a large, covered panga with dual outboards. The shade seamed sufficient. The entries are backwards roll from both sides so make sure you are near your partner because the current and drift can be strong. We had higher than normal winds of 15+ with gusts over 20. It created waves of 3 to 6 ft swell so we were limited in how far up the beach we could go (approximately 3 miles). We did drift dives in a 2+ knot current. We did just two days of diving with two morning dives for a total of four dives each. With conditions as they were, we would not have wanted to do more. Each dive was with two dive masters. One would keep an close eye on the lesser experienced divers and one would stay with us. We dove the exact same profile each time of 45 to 55 maximum depth over a mixed bottom of coral ridges surrounded by sand patches. We would cover two to three regular dive sites with the speed of the drift. Dive masters would not give much in the way of a site briefing and there were no safety briefings other than a "getting separated and surface after a minute". No safety instruction on first aid or oxygen or defib if on board. No nitrox was available. We would surface with between 800 to 1000 psi left at 50 minutes or so. Drifting at this speed did not allow for much in the way of macro but you could slow between ridges and see banded shrimp, gobies, blennies, tube worms and small clouds of juvenile fish. The dive masters would point out larger items like southern sting rays hunting with bar jacks or large barracuda. Only on one dive, did a dive master figure out that we liked macro as well and he started hunting macro alongside us. A highlight was the beginning of turtle nesting season so we were able to spot large females both greens and loggerheads resting during the day and waiting around for the nearby beach at night. Because we dove the drifts of two or three dive sights, the dives were very similar. The visibility was still around 65 to 75 feet in spite of the waves and currents. The dive shop offers excursions for cenote diving and trips over to Cozumel. The hotel does not cater to divers with gear. We brought our dive bags and our room was 400 yards from the dive shop. We rolled our gear down in the 95-degree heat over the black concrete. The dive shop golf cart was broken. The hotel did not want to transport our gear in their golf carts.
Websites	ScubaQuatic Bahia Principe Grand Tulum
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Mexico Pacific, Baja and Yucatan, California, Hawaii, Curacao, Bonaire, Cayman Brac, Colorado, New Mexico
Closest Airport	Tulum	Getting There	Flights into the beautiful new Tulum Airport are great. Getting out of the airport inexpensively is the trick. Van shuttles are $80 per person, taxi is $120. No Uber or Lyft. Train not running yet.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, dry	Seas	currents
Water Temp	80-82°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	65-75 Ft/ 20-23 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Notify divemaster at 1000 psi and surface at 700 or 45 min.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	no
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	The pangas are not set up for camera gear. There is no table or separate rinse station. One bucket for masks and cameras. In the larger wave conditions that we encountered, I would have hated to try using anything larger than my gopro.

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Dive Review of ScubaQuatic/Bahia Principe Grand Tulum in Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Akumal

ScubaQuatic/Bahia Principe Grand Tulum: "Basic diving in Akumal", May, 2024,

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

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

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

Dive Review of ScubaQuatic/Bahia Principe Grand Tulum in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Akumal