This feature makes cenotes a great diving environment, not to mention the underground cave systems and features that can be explored as well. About 500 sculptures have been sunk here to create an underwater exhibition. From December to April is the best time to visit Mexico in general. Often youll get already a certain feeling for the dive shop through the reviews. Visit Chichn Itz, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Ek Balam ad swim in a cenote in one day. Hotel pickup and drop-off included. In the winter months, there is often the opportunity to encounter sailfish or even dolphins in the deeper waters. Due to the depth, the Pit is recommended for experienced divers. The one-day long Discover Scuba Diving Course consists of 3 parts: A short theory session, a practice session in a pool and then two dives in the actual sea. Because of its size, there are two routes through the caverns. While it is cold and wet in the northern hemisphere, the weather in Playa is warm and sunny. Also, the dive sites (and everywhere else) are a lot less crowded than in winter. Covered with coral and colonized by schools of barracuda, this wreck can be explored, but because of the strong current, this dive is for experienced divers. Dive shops and dive resorts are aplenty in Playa del Carmen; some specialize in trips to cenotes, while others like to focus on the marine sites. Then, when youve chosen, you should visit the dive centre and get a feeling for the staff and the gear they are using. You also have the chance to find large lobsters and octopus on a night dive. Our instructors will take excelent care you you and we dive in small groups (maximum 5 people) to ensure that can get the maximum enjoyment from the dive. The Tortuga Reef is one of Playa del Carmens most popular dive sites. Copyright 2022 Scubago. The Mama Via is an old shrimp boat that was sunk intentionally in 1995 and is now an artificial reef that is home to many a moray eel, turtle, and barracuda. Diving here is absolutely spectacular and you can see a variety of beautiful sponges, corals, and caves. This shallow reef (maximum Depth 12 metres / 39 feet) is called Jardines (garden) because of its abundance of life. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. A scuba dive down to the coral reefs of Playa del Carmen will reward you with a huge variety of colourful fish, corals, and other lifeforms, like turtles and rays, which swim graciously in the warm water of the Caribbean sea. After completing the course, you are qualified to dive anywhere in the world up to 60 feet. Towards the end of your dive, you can find a small cavern for exploration. Its depth is about 15 metres (49 feet). In this part of the underwater landscape we glide along sections of the barrier reef, some of which are up to 10 meters high. Playa del Carmen arguably has some of the most diverse diving of anywhere in the world. With the Discover Scuba Diving, this changed. You dont need time-consuming training or expensive certification to experience the vivid colors and magical weightlessness of the underwater world in safety. If cenote diving is not your cup of tea, there are also shore dives and daily boat trips out to wreck- and drift-dive sites. Why is Scuba Diving in Playa del Carmen so great? 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The one-day long Discover Scuba Diving Course consists of 3 parts: A short theory session, a practice session in a pool and then two dives in the actual sea. 15 Best Things to do in Switzerland in Switzerland Winter Holidays: Top 10 Exciting Destinations, 7 Unique Koh Samui Activities and Adventures, Hanoi Train Street Experiencing an urban phenomenon. Safety first. Often youll get already a certain feeling for the dive shop through the reviews. This dive site is located 25 minutes by boat from the Marina and consists of a wall between 20 and 30 meters deep. There are other dive spots like sunken wrecks, the Cenotes, (which are primarily found in the Yucatan Peninsula) and the spectacular underwater museum MUSA waiting to be discovered by you. The site has a pretty strong current, and with a depth of 26m, it makes for a great drift dive. These Playa del Carmen experiences are providing additional COVID-19 safety measures: What Scuba Diving in Playa del Carmen are good for avoiding crowds? We personally did this course in Playa del Carmen. We booked exactly this course and were blown away by how awesome it was! We trust every employee of Dune with our lives. The three-day program includes classroom training, two pool dives, two cenote dives, and two open water dives in the Caribbean Sea. If you are particularly keen on diving in cenotes, it is best to visit between May and September. Its the perfect dive site if you want to test your, Some years ago, there was only one way to go scuba diving: With a PADI Open Water certificate. Starting north of Cancun, the reef heads south along the Mexican coast, continuing through Belize and Guatemala to the Caribbean islands of Honduras. Playa del Carmen boasts world-class cenote-diving opportunities, what with its 30 plus dive-able cenotes. Divers can expect to swim with sea turtles, barracudas, and in the winter, sharks. Playa del Camen also has dive shops and resorts that operate daily tours to visit these cenotes. Make sure that you dont forget your underwater camera. Just minutes by boat from the dive center, many sights of Playa del Carmen can be explored from the coral reef in the Riviera Maya. It is our mission to bring you fantastic travel-related content featuring food, culture and adventure. Follow a certified archeological guide on an ancient adventure to sacred cenotes, colossal pyramids and a vast ball court. Located 15 minutes by boat from the Marina, this dive site consists of a plate extending between 18m and 40m deep and is ideal for a first deep dive (30m) or a second shallower (18m). The reef itself is covered by sponges and corals and sights of nurse sharks, king crabs and angelfish are not rare. Playa del Carmen draws divers from around the world to explore its colorful reefs and crystal clear seasights that are often inaccessible if you're not a certified diver. You can comfortably book the, One of the most popular courses to learn scuba diving is the. My aim was to face my fears and not be afraid of diving anymore. One of the most awesome things about scuba diving in Playa del Carmen Mexico is that you can do it year round. On a good day, you can actually see some barracudas, which give the reef its name. The Dos Ojos (Two Eyes) Cenote has a documented underwater extent of 61 km, making it one of the ten longest underwater cave systems in the world. Trainings take place in the mornings, leaving plenty of time to explore more of the area in the afternoon and evenings. Hop on your own ATV (or ride along with a driver) and head to a cenote, an underwater pool, where you can take a refreshing dip. The rich aquatic plant life and the variety of freshwater inhabitants make sure that this cenote is not called Garden Eden for nothing. Click here. There is also the chance to see barracudas and big snappers. Youll find a lot of underwater vegetation and if youre lucky, you can even see a shy crocodile. Sitting at a depth of 30m in an area with a moderately strong current, this dive is geared towards more experienced divers who hold at least their Advanced Open Water certification. In addition to the famous underground rivers and their caves where the cenotes are found, the Riviera Maya also offers a rich diversity of reef dives for those who are interested in the flora and fauna of the sea. Learn scuba diving theory, complete a pool session, and do your first dives in the company of an experienced instructor. Cenote Dos Ojos or Two Eyes are a pair of two adjacent cenotes that, if seen from above, look like two eyes staring into the earth. factors which can give you a hint that the dive centre is not good: The staff is unenthusiastic about the local Playa del Carmen dive sites, You just have a bad feeling about the place (listen to your guts), The staff is very friendly and it feels like the whole team is one big family. Small groups (maximum four people) mean youll learn plenty about the ocean and its wildlife too. Other marine fauna that can be spotted here are moray eels and toadfish. Did You Like This Post? The prices normally go up and its more difficult to find accommodation. We just like this dive centre and the people who work there. Feeding the sharks could compromise the dive safety and alter the feeding patterns of the sharks. Because of the rich underwater vegetation, this cenote is also great for underwater photography. The water temperatures in Playa del Carmen vary throughout the whole year between 25 and 28C (77 and 82F). Common sea creatures you can spot here are stingrays, moray eels, turtles and colourful fishes. One of the reasons for this is a large number of sea turtles who live in this area. Then fly above the treetops on a ziplining course. Snorkel their cavern waters. With a mostly moderate current and a maximum diving depth of 30 meters, these dives are more suitable for more experienced divers or for those who want to have their first experience in deep and drift diving. The reef is very rich in marine life like eels, angelfish, and boxfish. Sometimes I also write some articles for our blog. My world was completely changed after my first day of diving. We may also include affiliate links to other products and services that we believe will add value to our readers, and for which we may earn a commission, at no additional cost to the purchaser. We went for one dive with another company and their gear was more poorly maintained. Encounters with pelagic species can be expected at these sites; the best-known for this area is the bull shark, which migrates to Playa del Carmen in the wintertime. With a total length of almost 1000 kilometers, the reef offers an almost countless number of dive sites. Make sure to book early enough if you want to stay in a good hotel or resort, especially if you plan to spend, Many pelagic species are drawn toward this area b, The Jardines reef is one of my personal favourite dive sites in Playa del Carmen. There are so many dive centres in Playa del Carmen that it can be difficult to choose one. The wreck can be entered through the engine room and the staterooms. The wintertime, or December to April, is considered the best time to visit this area of Mexico, so coastal dive sites will be more crowded. This old boat, used for shrimp fishing in 1995, was sunk to create an artificial reef.