Diving in the Mayan Riviera

[Treebeard]

If you go back, try snorkeling in Half Moon Bay. It is just a short walk (although we rented bikes) from Akumal Bay. The variety of fish and corals there is amazing! I had a very curious Parrot Fish following be around and brushing against my toes. Wish I would have had a camera.

Originally Posted by Carmen

Ah Man! I can't believe someone has a video of it! That is it exactly! And yes that barracuda (or a few of them) hang out there ALL the time so it's really something to see! QUITE spooky when you suddenly turn around and there's a 6 foot barracuda only 4 feet away from you in 3 feet of water!! WOW how I want to go back!

[sphelps]

Well I'm back and unfortunately I didn't get any diving in. It was wedding with tons of good friends and no one else was certified so finding the time to sober up for diving just didn't happen.

I did get some snorkeling in, but was not overly impressed. I didn't care for Akumal Bay, the brackish water was terrible for visibility and the reef was poor, lots of fish but little coral.

The reefs between Playa Del Carmen and Cozumel obviously took a good hit from the recent hurricane as lots of coral was still buried in sand. This was another reason I didn't bother with the diving, I just didn't expect it to be that good.

Here's some pics, I have to say that I think Jamaica and Cuba offer better reefs than the Mayan.

[sphelps]

[sphelps]

[sphelps]

[Treebeard]

Hmmm...I am not sure how you can say the diving in Jamaica and Cuba is better when you did not dive on your trip to Mexico. The Mayan coast has lots of world class dive sites. Each to his own I guess.

Like I said, when I was there in November the water was silty in Akumal bay, unless you got out there before all the boat traffic. And as I understand, the winds are generally stronger and more frequent in the spring, which would stir up the sand. But a short trip to Half Moon bay would have rewarded you with clear water, and tons of fish and coral.

Glad you had a good trip otherwise!

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by Treebeard

Hmmm...I am not sure how you can say the diving in Jamaica and Cuba is better when you did not dive on your trip to Mexico. The Mayan coast has lots of world class dive sites. Each to his own I guess.

Like I said, when I was there in November the water was silty in Akumal bay, unless you got out there before all the boat traffic. And as I understand, the winds are generally stronger and more frequent in the spring, which would stir up the sand. But a short trip to Half Moon bay would have rewarded you with clear water, and tons of fish and coral.

Glad you had a good trip otherwise!

Well I based it on the reefs I saw snorkeling and the dive master at the dive shop said the reefs diving would be comparable. I was honestly just expecting better but when it comes down to it I simply saw more variation and healthier reefs in other places in the Caribbean. It depends how you look at it. Mexico had tons of the same stuff, but nothing that stands out. In Cuba for example you can dive down and look under a rock and see all kinds of stuff, Mexico there would be nothing. The reefs were 95% sea fans with very little hard coral, keep in mind I only took pictures of the nice stuff!

In Akumal bay it wasn't the sand causing low visibility it was the brackish water, there was a layer of fresh water on top of the salt water which made it impossible to see unless you dove under it which would also mix the layers and cause similar problems. I personally just wouldn't recommend that particular area. Plus not much to see unless a school of fish impresses you which you can see on the beach off the resort with a little bread.

I was a blast for sure though, actually the best snorkeling was in the cenotes

[sphelps]

For comparison these are some snorkeling shots from Cuba

[sphelps]

And there was simply just more of everything

[Delphinus]

Sweet pics!