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**freedivernd** · (This post was last modified: 10-20-2002, 09:51 AM by freedivernd.)

Howdy all,
Wife and I are off to Mex. in a couple of weeks. Usually we rough it pretty good when we travel, tents, huts, remote places, on our own - but this time booked an all inclusive (Barcelo Maya, 15min s.of playa del c.) for what I thought was pretty reasonable, never done an a.i. before - with outta Minneapolis. Sounds like Dressel divers (the resort dive shop) can be on the higher end for prices so we'll most likely use a different shop, plus, as you know we're heavy into the snorkeling and it looks like this place will fit that nicely. We actually tented about 5 miles from this resort last year, I wonder if I'm not happy with the Barcelo if Sandy would let us buy a tent and go back to the campground? Smile

Anyone else going to be down that way let us know... drinks will be on us!

Fred

Dano · 10-20-2002, 12:21 PM,

Fred, let us know what you find for snorkeling areas, esp. from shore. We're bringing the kids and their friends to PDC in April. We've been to Xcaret and Xel-Ha (the snorkel parks and more, $$$) and Yal-kul lagoon (no frills, $). Yal-kul was best and plan on another visit this year. I'm also, interested in the dive shop you find. I have gone over to Cozumel in the past and want to find a shop on the PDC side.

Have fun!

Dano

tbrown · 10-20-2002, 01:23 PM,

I have not been impressed with Dressel at PDC. Granted this was a few years ago, so they might have gotten better. Some were minor, ie full court press to by "your video", lack of flexiblity (on schedule), to some saftey concerns. I used my air rather quickly, and was told to go to the surface w/o my buddy, she would stay with the group. Didn't like that at all. Second, they would not let me dive a ceynote, that is until they saw my MasterCard. If I don't have the skills to a certain dive fine (when I went I was a newbie), but a big deposit on a credit card does not make me Sheck Exelly when 15 minutes before I was a meathead. Granted that was several years ago, and it may have just been a bad day for them. I ended up the next day going Akumal Dive center, had a great days of diving, got to do the ceynote, and it made my trip. Have fun on your trip Fred!

Completly green with envy
Tom

***jasondbaker*** · 10-20-2002, 03:12 PM,

I stayed at the Iberostar in PDC this past April -- great all-inclusive. I dove on the mainland and at Cozumel during the week. Stay away from Dressel unless you like to pay too much for your dives. I used a small diveshop called Sealife Divers located just a couple miles north of downtown PDC. I had a fantastic time. Their rates were very good. The DMs let me dive off the computer. I rarely was on a boat with more than four divers. I would recommend buying a "package" deal (2+ days) so you can get the discounted rates.

Whatever you end up doing do not skip the cenotes. I recommend starting with Dos Ojos. IMO, the cenotes are some of the best diving you will find down there. You can dive a cenote during your last day of diving to give your gear a nice freshwater rinse.

**freedivernd** · 10-20-2002, 05:11 PM,

Dano, if you're renting a car down there... last year Sandy and I drove to a small cenote called casa cenote, it was free, with a v.fancy restaurant (not free) across the road on the beach side. It was just south of Xel-ha. We had it to ourselves most of the two hours we were there. We also did some ocean side snorkeling where the cenote bubbled up through the corals. Vis was a little "mirage-ee" in some places because of the diff. temps of the water and the salt/fresh mix. Super quiet place. It's a ways off the main highway so not accessable by bus ride.

Jason, good idea about doing the freshwater dive last to rinse out the equipment.. I believe there is a cenote v.close to the Barcelo. I know where we setup tent last year there was a cenote there, Sandy went to it but I didn't. Free also.

Tom, I think Sandy and drove into Akumal but didn't dive there. We were impressed though. It was very close to P.Aventuras (we were a few miles N. of there - at Pamuul) The Dive shop at Aventuras seemed v. professional too. Maybe we'll check them both out.

And you know another exciting thing about going on a trip... some new equipment had to get ordered!! Fins for Sandy, socks, extra weight belt... ordered a cressi Big Eyes for Sandy, after reading posts about it I think I'll like it too. Cressi Superocchio mask for me. Got our tropic wetsuits too, Sandy's is super nice, wish I would have gotten the superstretch lining in mine instead of the nylon... ah well. At 1.5mm it's stretchy.
Fred

tbrown · 10-25-2002, 10:24 AM,

I agree with Jason that Dressel charges too much as well. I disagree with Jason that ceynotes are the most interesting diving in the area. I and my own veiw, so milage may vary, is that ceynotes in Mexico are the best dives in the world, period. Rodales rated them as one of the "10 places every diver needs to hit in their lifetime" and for good reason. I forgot how they fall on the list, but they are indeed a must. I only did Poderosa, what most enthusists would turn their nose at, and it completely blew me away. If it only gets better than this, I can't wait! When we came out the sun cut a prism about every 2 feet, it looked like the paintings/stainglass rendereings of the "Light of Heaven". I have never seen anything so beautiful in my life. I'm quite green with envy that you are going, but hope you have a wonderful time. Then again how could you not?

***jasondbaker*** · 10-25-2002, 10:13 PM,

Tom, amen to that. It is hard to describe the beauty -- the blue and white shafts of light bouncing off the rock formations beneath the green jungle canopy. I can't wait to go back.