Just back from Cancun...

[javelindan]

and had a GREAT time!  Stayed at the Crown Paradise Club all inclusive on the South side of the hotel zone.  Great family place - good (not outstanding) accommodations, however, they served GREAT food and best of all there were tons of activities for the whole family while I was out diving.

Perhaps coolest of all this week, my 10 yr old son did his open water checkout to become PADI Jr. Open Water certified.  First, Matt took his Open Water class and pool training through Scuba Daddy's on 2/26-27.  Then, with strong recommendations, I scheduled his checkout for 3/2-3 with Scuba Cancun (SC).  I worked out being able to tag along on Matt's checkout dives and he performed like a veteran.  SC did a great job and even made a DVD of his final checkout dives with his old man included... very cool, well done and worth the $45 price.

I bought a dive passport from SC and had 2 more 2-tank trips... the Fri trip was to be on wrecks near Cancun but the current/surf conditions were bad so we hit a couple of nearby reefs sheltered from the open water by Isla Mujeres, the island NE of Cancun.  The reefs were teaming with fish by the thousands... literally fully representing the Caribbean fish book we brought along.  Great dives.

Saturday was my final dive oppty and I had the infamous Yucatan Cenotes in my sights...  SC provided door to door service to dive Chac Mool, a cenote just West of Puerta Aventuras.  If you travel to the Yucatan, I HIGHLY recommend making arrangements to dive the cenotes (limestone caverns/caves accessible via collapsed sinkholes).  Unless you're cave certified, you're limited to cavern diving which means you're limited to diving to where you're always able to see light from the outside.  Anyway, the diving is great:  200+ ft vis, incredible formations (stalagtites/mites, etc.), and some pretty surreal lighting effects from above with mangrove and other jungle roots adding to the unusual scenery...  Here's a link to check out some cenote images: 

I would loved to have hit Cozumel as well but it would have been a full day exercise and with the family in tow, I couldn't justify it...  We'll simply have to plan our next trip to Cozumel.  After our first trip to the Yucatan, the family is anxious to get back!!  And now with my little man certified and soon to have more experience, I'm looking forward to exploring it with him!

[javelindan]

In posting the results of my trip, I neglected to thank freediverND and Al for their input/suggestions...  very helpful!  THANKS!

freediverND, I asked about Dos Ojos and it's certainly a highly recommended cenote but it's an additional 45min south of Chac Mool.  With my family to consider, I opted to stay closer to Cancun...

[dbarlow]

sounds like you had a great trip, what are the limitations on a padi Jr. open water diver.  My 10 yr old is realy excited to dive, I guess my real question is how does the class differ from regular open water.

Thanks

Doug

[javelindan]

Hi, Doug.  The Jr. Open Water Diver certification follows the standard OW course but limits 10-14 year olds to diving with a certified parent/guardian to a limit of 40ft.  Here's a link to the PADI site describing the Jr. OWD cert: