Getting to Riviera Maya usually starts with a flight into Cancun International Airport (CUN). This is a major airport servicing over 10 million passengers a year in and out of the Yucatan Peninsula. The airport is only 20km (12 miles) from Cancun's hotel zone and within an hour or less drive of resorts further south along the Riviera Maya. This is also a great place to fly in if you are on a mission to see the many Mayan ruins on the Peninsula. Some also choose to fly in and out of the small airport on the island of Cozumel. Cozumel International Airport (CZM) is a great option for travelers whose accommodations are on the island. Ferries are available to the nearby Isla Mujeres from Cancun's Puerto Juarez. A regular ferry also departs from the city of Playa del Carmen to the island of Cozumel.
Travel to resort along the Riviera Maya or down as far as Tulum are easy via taxi or rental car for your stay for a very reasonable price. It is great to have your car to explore the less frequented beach town and shore dive locations such as the little gem of Akumal. Another great part about having a car is that you can take day trips to Mayan ruins such as Tulum or amazing Coba found inland.
Some of the dive shops right in the heart of Cancun's hotel zone are Nautilus Diving and Training Center and divePro Cancun Dive. These shops serve the dive sites off Cancun, Cozumel and Isla Mujeres primarily. They offer dive trips and instruction for both advanced and beginners.
The fun town of Playa del Carmen is not only the departure town for the ferries to Cozumel but also a town with many high quality dive shops, beaches, clubs, and restaurants. Try Phantom Divers in Playa el Carmen to arrange a dive trip. These dive shops can set up day trips to the offshore reef, Cozumel, or the amazing freshwater cenotes dotted within the inland of Riviera Maya.
For dive shops on Cozumel, there are the dives shops Deep Blue Cozumel and Tres Pelicanos Dive Center is a place to check out. These two shops are among a dozen or so dive shops located very close to where the ferry arrives and departs into San Miguel, Cozumel, and to and from Playa del Carmen. These shops can arrange some amazing dives around the island or deeper south along the reef that lines the Riviera Maya.
If you travel away from the tourism of Cancun and past the many resorts of the Riviera Maya, you may be lucky enough to get to the outer skirts of the touristic frenzy areas and find Tulum. This little rustic town was once very small and obscure but has grown in popularity over the decades and now has resorts of its own. The Mayan ruins on the beach of Tulum are well worth the trip south from Cancun, and have some great little dive shops that offer some amazing day trips to great dive locations in the area and further south. There is the shop Dream Dive, a scuba school and shop ran by a Belgian couple. Then there is the small but technical dive shop called Cave Heaven specializing in you guessed it, local cave diving! The shop's instructors can teach you how to cave dive in English, Spanish, Italian or French. Exploring the system of cenotes and the freshwater caves of the area make for technical, challenging and life long dive memories.
Read "Part 1: Overview of Scuba Diving in Yucatan Peninsula Cancun and Riviera Maya, (Mexico)
Gabi2020 Tuesday, January 21, 2020
geraldineS Wednesday, January 4, 2017