Suggested Sites: Mexico, Talum

[IowaCaveDiver]

We are staying in Playa Del Carman and while we are setup to have some guided dives from a local cave operator, we were going to hit a few cenotes and do some basic cave diving prior. I did some snorkeling at a senote called "the skull" (of course however you say that in spanish) and I was able to locate the mainline... $5 to get in, had the whole cenote to ourselves for the whole day.. i'm going back with tanks and gear tomorrow. Any other suggestions?

-Matt

[battles2a5]

I just came back from there. My favorites on the mainland were Carwash upstream and Grand Cenote upstream. We did the jump from Carwash to the Room of Tears and it was pretty impressive. Grand Cenote is huge, but the cave is bright white and there are lots of fragile formations. I really don't think you can go wrong out there :)

[Diverlee]

Be cautious, it is not unusual to have 2 separate lines on one stalagtite (or however they are spelled), or a jump/gap that is so short you don't even notice it.
Not saying you won't be so please don't take the suggestion wrong.
Have fun!

[Aktun]

I did some snorkeling at a senote called "the skull" (of course however you say that in spanish) and I was able to locate the mainline... $5 to get in, had the whole cenote to ourselves for the whole day.. i'm going back with tanks and gear tomorrow. Any other suggestions?

-Matt

maybe you located "cenote esqueleto" (1.8 km from tulum-coba road intersection) is not possible find out the cave main line snorkeling I know two lines and you must dive almost 60' and they are out of sight in the cave, what you saw is the permanent cavern line.
David

[RN]

I really like Grand Cenote, too. Mayan Blue is also a great cave, but expect to earn some deco time there. If you know where to come out, though you can deco in the basin while swimming around slowly looking at the fish.

[Line Squirrel]

Just so you're aware, some of these places have had problems in the past with bandits. Mostly it's the out of the way, more secluded spots (Mayan Blue, Cenote of the Sun, etc.) when you leave the vehicle alone. Leave as much money, credit cards, etc. as you can back at the hotel. Just bring enough cash for lunch.

Generally these thieves are opportunists and don't want any confrontation. If there is someone with the vehicle they will just move on. That said, I wouldn't leave a woman alone with the vehicle.

The caves :) I could spend a couple days in Mayan Blue.

I also really like Vaca Ha and Tortuga. They are on the same piece of property so pay the land owner and do them both on the same day.

Hard to beat Aktun Koh, Grand Cenote and Kalimba.

Have fun.

[Me]

Just so you're aware, some of these places have had problems in the past with bandits. Mostly it's the out of the way, more secluded spots (Mayan Blue, Cenote of the Sun, etc.) when you leave the vehicle alone. Leave as much money, credit cards, etc. as you can back at the hotel. Just bring enough cash for lunch.

Generally these thieves are opportunists and don't want any confrontation. If there is someone with the vehicle they will just move on. That said, I wouldn't leave a woman alone with the vehicle.

The caves :) I could spend a couple days in Mayan Blue.

I also really like Vaca Ha and Tortuga. They are on the same piece of property so pay the land owner and do them both on the same day.

Hard to beat Aktun Koh, Grand Cenote and Kalimba

Have fun.

That's why I tip Roberto very well!!

Unfortunately Aktun Koh is closed to diving.....landowner issues. They've been closed the last 2-3 years. If they've opened up, I'm not aware. I wish they would....one of my favorites.

[Luxrok]

On days I want to stay close to Playa, say for an afternoon or evening dive, I go to Taj Maha, Cristolino, Minotauro or Chac Mool.

For an in between drive we go to Dos Palmas, Dos Ojos, Nohoch Na Chich, or Casa Cenote.

On days when I want to travel, I drive down to Tulum. We dive at Car Wash and Grand Cenote fairly regularly. If I want to go even further, then I go out to Naharon (Cenote Cristal) or some other sites on the south side of town. The nice thing about Cenote Cristal is there is almost always a land owner there and security isn't a problem. However, it is a little deeper. I would recommend taking 32% with you.

Of course we dive in a lot of other places, but this is a pretty good starting list. If you have specific questions, let me know.

Hans

[DeepSea]

We are staying in Playa Del Carman and while we are setup to have some guided dives from a local cave operator, we were going to hit a few cenotes and do some basic cave diving prior. I did some snorkeling at a senote called "the skull" (of course however you say that in spanish) and I was able to locate the mainline... $5 to get in, had the whole cenote to ourselves for the whole day.. i'm going back with tanks and gear tomorrow. Any other suggestions?

-Matt

I would highly recommend Labna Ha (http://www.labnaha.com). Sergio, Pep and Don Polo are great hosts and run a great operation. They have a great eco-park (zip line (http://mx.youtube.com/watch?v=3NNwKAWAesg), dry caves, Mayan BBQ, etc) as well as Caracol (http://www.tampadiving.com/sections/diving/cave_systems/system.asp?ID=194&region=MX). Caracol is simply amazing...So close to Nahoch (http://www.tampadiving.com/sections/diving/cave_systems/system.asp?ID=226&region=MX) but not yet connected.

[Line Squirrel]

I would highly recommend Labna Ha (http://www.labnaha.com). Sergio, Pep and Don Polo are great hosts and run a great operation. They have a great eco-park (zip line, dry caves, Mayan BBQ, etc)

OH! I forgot about Labna Ha. I really liked this cave but they didn't have the B-B-Q going when I was there :(

[Me]

OH! I forgot about Labna Ha. I really liked this cave but they didn't have the B-B-Q going when I was there :(

Yes, the achiote-orange chicken is to die for!

[Line Squirrel]

Yes, the achier-orange chicken is to die for!

Ohh sure, rub it in. Well, the dive was great...lunch, I don't remember what we had but it wasn't B-B-Q at Labna-Ha

[Luxrok]

Yes, the achiote-orange chicken is to die for!

On the note of chicken, I just can't live without Pollo Bronco in Tulum. I just love eating the skin and half a chicken for like $3.00 is awesome. The beverage bill is always more then the chicken bill.

TASTY! TASTY! TASTY!

Hans

[FW]

You guys are a lot braver than me. I am afraid to try anything new or spicy while on a week long dive trip. I can't afford the consequences if my stomach won't take it :(

[Slüdge]

Yeah, and in Mexico, orange chicken means it's been sitting out too long.

[DeepSea]

Yeah, and in Mexico, orange chicken means it's been sitting out too long.

You need to look up achiote...I would never pass up that orange chicken!

[Finaddict]

How does everyone get around with their equipment? Has anyone ever driven there
in order to have a vehicle available? I ask because I keep hearing that the rental car insurance is expensive and I'm considering staying for a month.

[FW]

Last I heard, a rental car was $100/day.

If you stay at one of the resorts that specializes in cavediving, transportation is included.

[Luxrok]

How does everyone get around with their equipment? Has anyone ever driven there
in order to have a vehicle available? I ask because I keep hearing that the rental car insurance is expensive and I'm considering staying for a month.


We drove my Toyota 4Runner to Playa from New Jersey. We packed our dog, my wife, myself, the Megaldon, some assorted clothes, lots of books and some tanks in the truck. It was 1700 miles to the border and another 1700 to Playa. So at today's fuel prices that is about $650 in fuel alone. Plus there are tolls and hotels a long the way. It took me about 7 days, if I remove the rest days in Texas. I have heard of it being done in 4 days. But I am not that brave.

We drove down the east coast on Highway 180. It was a spectacular drive. Tampico and Villa Hermosa were a little gnarly, they are oil cities. The places between were beautiful.

Driving was a wonderful adventure and I am very glad I did it. Some of my friends here in Playa do it twice a year. I think the next time I drive, I am going to go the west coast route. It will add some time to the trip, however I imagine it will be worth it.

I have rented cars here in Playa. When I rent, I get a sub-compact and it is $40-70 a day. I don't remember the number exactly. The sub-compact was enough for two divers, but it really beats the car pretty bad. You might be able to find a long term rental here, but I have no real information on that.

When I was here for two weeks in December before I moved, I rented a car from the Airport for the full two weeks. When I got to Playa, I realized I wouldn't need it every day. So I decided to take it back to the airport and cut the rental short. From then on out, I walked down to the 5th ave and rented the car only on the days I actually needed it for diving or playing tourist. This tacitic saved me about 50% of the rental fees and I didn't have to worry about the car when I wasn't using it.

Another trick is to take the ADO bus from the Airport to Playa Del Carmen. The ADO take less then an hour in both directions, it is direct, clean and air conditioned. It will cost you 80 Pesos in each direction. Far less then the van or cab. Once you reach the terminal in Playa, you can walk or take a cab to your hotel. The cab should be less then 50 Peso, usually I pay 20Peso and I am a gringo.

If you haven't been here before, I HIGHLY recommend you get a guide for at least a handful of days at the beginning of your trip. It will make things go much smoother and will help you learn the lay of the land. Somethings are not obvious and you don't want to waste your limited time trying to figure the game.

If you want to know about guides, I know a handful of very good guides. They will provide transportation and logistics for your dive days. Let me know.

Hans

[Me]

For your very first foray, I highly recommend Connie LoRe. She has sufficiently sweet talked the landowners and they love her.....she has major access to the sites.

www.cavedivemexico.com

[Finaddict]

Thanks, I've heard good things about Connie. Unfortunately, she
is not planning trips for August or September which is when I have
time off to go.

[Chunky]

You can also talk with Steve Gerrard or Dennis Weeks. I highly recommend both and you'll save money on a rental car since they'll provide transportation to and from the dive sites. Steve can also set you up in the condo as well. Both are located in Puerto Adventuras. Although I have never dove with him, Bil Phillips is also a good choice from what I hear.

Martin.

[RN]

How does everyone get around with their equipment? Has anyone ever driven there
in order to have a vehicle available? I ask because I keep hearing that the rental car insurance is expensive and I'm considering staying for a month.

I paid $250 for a week there, unlimited miles, for a midsize. But most of my diving down there is without a guide in systems I've already been in and know the procedures. For a month stay, I'd probably do like Hans and do sporadic rentals in town.

[LCF]

I just paid $222 for a week of a Hyundai that was plenty big enough for two divers and four sets of doubles. It's awfully nice to have your own transportation, unless you are willing to shell out for a guide every day (it adds up!)

I think my favorite systems so far (Cave 1, no jumps yet) are Naharon and Dos Palmas. Dos Palmas is a good one to do without a guide, because the mainline comes out to open water, so you don't have to spend any time and gas searching for it. In Naharon, it can be a little more challenging to find, if you don't have a good briefing (or even if you do).

There is a ton of cave down there . . . You can spend two weeks and hit different systems or different passages on every dive, even with my gas and navigation limits.

[IowaCaveDiver]

We dove with "Cave Heaven" for our couple days there.... Adam and Ela are amazing divers and business people.... what a great experience! www.caveheaven.com We had incredible accomodations, service was awesome, and safety was top priority... 3 divers max on any dive, excellent cave system knowledge and dive execution, and great equipment resources to save weight on traveling. Thanks Adam and Ela! We'll be back soon!

-Matt and Tammy