SCUBA!!
 

We're booking our honeymoon in the next couple of day, and want to go somewhere that we can do some really nice reef scuba... any suggestions? We're thinking the Mayan Riviera...

Diving isn't that good in the Mayan except for maybe Cosmel, I would consider Cuba, Jamaica or La Romana in Dominican for similar priced Caribbean vacations. Cuba was really good as you see some stuff there you won't see other places in the Caribbean and you'll have a lot of freedom with where you want to go and whatnot but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're pretty experienced as the dive masters will not look after you like they do other places and the equipment isn't ideal, I remember having a few leaks and running out of air but that never bothered me that much. Make sure you go somewhere with a dive shop on site, my best diving experience in the Caribbean so far was at the Dreams in La Romana.

Thanks for the reply. I should also mention that we are both first time divers. We need somewhere that we can learn to dive, and hopefully get certified. Also, we are shooting for early april if that makes a difference.

Avoid Cuba then as they don't have PADI dive shops. Anywhere with a PADI dive shop on site will be a good choice. The Gran Bahia Principe in Runaway Bay, Jamaica had probably the best and most professional dive shop I've ever been too. The resort is absolutely stunning as well and beach snorkeling is good too and they have good dive sites.

You could also consider taking the classes here and doing the certification dives at the resort. You can even do the classes online now (I think). This way you won't waist too much vacation in a class room.

Cozumel is great, people sometimes liek to say you can plunge your face into a puddle on the street and see maine fish. I saw my first wild seahorses here. A little further south there are some great sites in Belize. We swam with a turtle longer than six feet for a good ten minutes (unbelizable). There is also the natural occuring Blue Hole, which isn't much for coral or fish even, but really deep open water in the middle of the reef. But by far my favorite is East Africa off the coast of Zanzibar. I have never seen more diverse coral reefs anywhere. All three of these p laces had some PADI certified shops and all we dove with were fantastic people. Also Thailand and the Andaman sea was great.

The way I see it your worst day under water is better then any day at work. Go, dive, have fun and don't worry too much about finding the best dive site. Once you go once you'll most likely o again.

For a good place to go and get certified I'd recommend Koh Tao, Thailand (provided a storm isn't muckin' up the water). The nice thing about being in that area is that it is a) cheap and b) there's a lot of islands you can go to. In about a day, you can travel from Koh Tao to the penninsula and over to the Adaman Sea, which is killer diving. I spent over a month diving there on my last trip, so I can give you some tips on good areas.

I've never been but I have a friend who swears Indo has the best diving in the world. You can PM him (BlazingArrow) for some tips.

The place I really like in the Caribbean is Monserrat. It is the perfect place for a honeymoon (I'd call it Honeymoon Island if I could) and has some killer diving. It's a nice place because it's off the beaten path with few tourists.

I did some dives with Stuart Cove's in Nassau, Bahamas last summer. Top notch operation and there were several classes going on while we were there. But I agree to definately get your certification done at home before you go if you can.

Just did some diving in the Mayan Rivera. Wasn't bad, still alot to see. Cozumel is a short boat ride over but it takes a whole day to go there, dive twice and than come back. Cozumel is for sure a great diving site, maybe even consider going there.

Now if your planning on getting certified down there it takes about 5 days to complete the course (with very little time to do anything else may I add) so be prepared. Another alternative is to take this course that allows you to get a couple of dives in (including the pool session) and just dive twice. This is a short course called "discovering scuba diving" but it is not a certification and you are only allowed to go 40 feet MAX.

I have done diving in mexico twice, costa rica (pacific side) and cuba. All locations were great but for sure consider thailand. Thats my next stop and from my research it should be the best so far

Most dive shops that run classes also book trips so you can do your open waters right at the beginning of your trip (with the folks that taught you and you already trust)then your good to go. You also have the benefit of a full and proper training/education.

without a doubt the best spot we have dove is Roatan, check out Fantasy Island Resort, an amazing bargain compared to many more touristy destinations. Fantasy Island though is ALL about the diving, there is an amazing dive shop on site with the best maintained equipment I have seen in the tropics, fully trained amazing guides, their own fleet of boats, medical staff and a chamber on site....seriously.

But I mean it when I say it's all about the diving, there isn't much to do for tours and other tourist stuff on the island..... 3 boat dives and unlimited shore (gazebo that you jump into about 30' from) per day in your package.....every person there is there for the diving.....not extensive night life as it's "all about the diving"...hehe

+1 for Cozumel me and my wife did 2 weeks there and got our open water down there. We stayed at the Iberostar but dove with Martin not the Dressels cattle boats!!! smaller boats and great staff. Cozumel is great for 1st time divers because it is drift diving and lots to see. I would get your certification at home it will be cheaper. Have fun you will love diving.

+1 Runaway bay jamaica...AWESOME facility and location for it. Dive Master at the Gran Principe is top notch

Came back a little while ago from the Philippines. Holiday was for more than diving but getting the OW certificate there, then going out was a big part of the planning. On advice partly from Canreef, did the course and pool here, then just the open water over there, from doing it would recommand the same.

Started at Nogas Island and though accommodations was only a Nipa Hut was as a concept one of the best stays during the whole trip.

Traveled up to El Nido for island hopping (and diving) after passing through Sabang Beach and the Underground River, whole area amazing.

To Boracay Island to liven things up, another dive this time with the kid then Panglao Island. Just one dive at Panglao but fantastic, started as a wall then gradually got shallow and finished in front of the dive shop.

Wow... lots of options. As much as I'm sure we'd love Thailand, it's not in the cards... neither is anywhere far east. We've just sold or house, and will be moving shortly after the (way too short) 1 week vacation.

From what I've heard so far, I'm leaning towards Cozumel, or Runaway Bay. Are they set up for newbs? Would we need to be certified, or can they give us enough training there to get us by for a day or maybe two of dives? We definetly don't have the time to spend the whole trip diving... I wouldn't mind, but the wife has stated that it's not a huge priority for her... damnit.

Iberostar does discover diving every day at 11:00am(FREE) in the pool and you can findout if you will even like diving. We talked to some people who got in the pool and panic, they thought it was somthing that they could do and could not. You might get enough training to go down to 20' but without being certified likely not but who knows, somthing might come up when you ask these questions. Great place and nice quiet trip for us. Beaches are not for walking in very rocky but you have great snorkeling right off the dock.

If you are not yet certified, save yourselves some valuable vacation time and take your classroom and pool training before you go. Go to a destination with a PADI shop and do your open water dives there. For PADI, you need 4 open water dives which you can easily do in two days. For NAUI you need 6 open water dives.

I have to disagree with the comments about diving on the Mayan Riviera. The Mayan Riviera is a very long coastline with lots of great dive sites. I have dived twice in Akumal and the coral and variety of fish species was amazing! And for beginners Akumal is much better than Cozumel because the currents can be quite strong around the island. Cozumel is also more prone to winds. We were there for 6 days in 2009 and only got in 2 dives because the harbor master closed the port due to high seas from norte. We are hoping for better weather when we go back in August.

I did my advance open water in Akumal in January with Akumal Dive Adventures. We stayed in a condo 100 meters down the beach from the dive shop. The dive instructor was great as were the dive masters.
For affordability, the Mayan Riviera also wins hands down.

Check out LocoGringo for lots of good information on the Mayan Riviera.

If you are not certain if you want to pursue diving, I don't think I would recommend Cozumel. You only have one weeks vacation and the extra time spent getting to the island is a waste. You may be better off hitting one of the resorts in Playa del Carmen or Akumal. Depends if you want all inclusive or if you are like the the wife and I, go for a condo for less dinero and take care of yourself. When are you thinking of going?

One other thing about Cozumel as opposed to the mainland Riviera, there really are not any good snorkelling sites on the Cozumel beaches. On the other hand, Akumal is excellent. We prefer Half Moon Bay where Akumal Dive Adventures is located.

I have to agree with the current comment with cozumel, it can be VERY strong. One of the dives we did was a drift dive

Also as said before, the pool tells all. You need to be able to retrieve your regulator and clear your mask (and after full removal) without panicking. This is a problem for alot of people.

And for a week, Mayan is a great location. Sounds like the discovering scuba course best fits your situation with 2 dives. First day is a quick video, than the pool (only takes 2 hours) than the next day you can do a morning and afternoon dive.

Thanks again for the tips guys. Anyone know anything about Akumel? That's where my wife is wanting to go. I did a little research on it, and it sounds pretty good... any experience?

We stayed at Gran Bahia Prinipe just south of Akumal. About 5 min Collectivo ride to Akumal. The resort is very nice, and the snorkling at Akumal is great. Turtles, rays and lots of different types of fish and corals to be seen.

I have been to Akumal three times. The first time we stayed in the all inclusive Akumal Beach Resort on Akumal Bay. The room was ok, and the food and drinks were also good. The best snorkeling on Akumal Bay is about a 3 minute stroll down the beach in front of the Lo Ha restaurant and beach bar.

The second time we stayed at the Hotel Club Akumal Caribe, also on Akumal Bay. This is non AI resort located next to the Lo Ha and the Akumal Dive Center.

The third time in January we stayed at the La Joya condos on Half Moon Bay, which is just north of Akumal Bay. We prefer Half Moon Bay to Akumal Bay because it is less crowded. However, snorkeling in Akumal Bay is easier because it is more sheltered from the surf by the reef, but of course that means there are more snorkelers. The entry to Half Moon Bay is also rockier, but it is not a problem with us because we wear dive booties inside our fins. Both bays have plenty of fish and coral, but I think there are more turtles in Akumal Bay. Half Moon Bay has more condos and their are no large hotels. Akumal Bay is frequented by boats from other hotels outside of Akumal who bring in groups of snorkelers making it more crowded. My wife and I prefer the peacefulness of Half Moon Bay. And although the AI food is good, we can pay less per night for a condo, and eat and drink where ever we want instead of eating at the same restaurants in the AI. We also have our own kitchen, so if we prefer we can cook for ourselves.

No matter which bay you decide on, you can easily walk or rent golf carts or bikes to get around between them.

If you want all inclusive, go for Akumal Beach Resort. But like axe-man says, there are other resorts in the vicinity.

Spend some time researching on locogringo.com. They also have some great forums where you can ask the experts who go to Akumal frequently.

If you decide to an introductory scuba course, I highly recommend Adventures in Scuba. Shaleh is a great instructor.

Have a look at the webcam on Akumal Beach. This camera is mounted on the front of the Lo Ha restaurant and updates every 10 seconds. You can see the reef which protects the bay in the distance. It is bit of a swim to get out there but if you are a good swimmer it is not so hard. You can also rent snorkeling vests. But you don't have to swim all the way out to the reef. Lots of fish, coral and turtles can be seen a short swim from the beach.