Playa del Carmen

Going to the new Rosewood resort at Mayakoba in early June with my wife for our 10th anniversary ... but of course I'll be doing some diving.

The cenote diving sounds very interesting, but I'm curious if people have any great suggestions about the ocean diving in the vicinity ... I don't know the area at all.

Any tips?

It depends on what time of year you're going but in June, the Whale Sharks will be travelling through about 2 hours North of there. A 45 minute ferry will take you to San Miguel Cozumel and you should make a point to go and dive the reefs in the Marine Park. If you have young kids, Chaankanab (sp?) Park in Cozumel offers a nice "tourist" attraction with a rather large roped off snorkelling area. The kids can get in the water and snorkel away. You can rent tanks and photograph them. The Cenotes you're aware of.

Going to the new Rosewood resort at Mayakoba in early June with my wife for our 10th anniversary ... but of course I'll be doing some diving.

 

The cenote diving sounds very interesting, but I'm curious if people have any great suggestions about the ocean diving in the vicinity ... I don't know the area at all.

 

Any tips?

FWIW Mayakoba is a bit North of Playa I think.

Anyway the Cenotes are fun to try, you can go with Hidden Worlds or other general operators or can hire a private guide, I have done both.

Across the way from Playa is Cozumel and there are many great sites there if you want to go across early one day.

There are some areas between Cancun and Tulum on the Playa side which has diving, some areas better than others depending on how well they are protected. Some sections are dying out, I have seen it gone down hill alot unfortunately as the "Riviera Maya" has grown.

Off Playa there is one site called Tortugas which is sort of like a retirement home for turtles, huge big old ones just lying there. Many people like that site, though I did not care for it much, though there was alot of surge and circular currents the day I went. Very strange.

Isla Muejeres (from other ports in the area about 40 minutes drive) and 15 minute ferry ride has some nice sites and home of the sleeping shark cave, though I heard that they are not as many as there used to be.

FWIW Mayakoba is a bit North of Playa I think.

They run a day trip out of Cozumel which is usually an all day affair. From Playa its a 2.5 hour car ride, followed by a 3 hour boat ride, then opposite on the return but the whale sharks usually don't disappoint anyone.

They run a day trip out of Cozumel which is usually an all day affair. From Playa its a 2.5 hour car ride, followed by a 3 hour boat ride, then opposite on the return but the whale sharks usually don't disappoint anyone.

Whale Sharks never dissapoint Is that a trip to Holbox?

That sounds right. I have wanted to go the last couple of years but didn't have the funds. It was like $250 for the day

That sounds right. I have wanted to go the last couple of years but didn't have the funds. It was like $250 for the day

FYI it is snorkel only there, no scuba, though with whale sharks not a big problem

FYI it is snorkel only there, no scuba, though with whale sharks not a big problem

Oh wow ... whale sharks! That's intense. I saw a basking shark on the surface when I was about 5 and convinced myself it was a whale shark ... until I was about 7 when I realized that it wasn't really possible. Since then I have always wanted to see the real deal.

I may end up having to choose between whale sharks and cenote diving ... but that is one high class problem.

In either case, I am going to wish I had the Ikelite case with a wide adapter ... I may have to buy one for the trip ...

Going to the new Rosewood resort at Mayakoba in early June with my wife for our 10th anniversary ... but of course I'll be doing some diving.

 

The cenote diving sounds very interesting, but I'm curious if people have any great suggestions about the ocean diving in the vicinity ... I don't know the area at all.

 

Any tips?

The Mayakoba is just 5 mins north Of Playa del Carmen proper. Diving in Playa is nice but reefs are generally flat with little topography and occasionally some strong currents. Just 15min south of Playa in Puerto Aventuras the reef has more profile and little to no current due to a slightly more protected coastline. Ocean diving is very good and easy since boats are loaded from the marina versus dragging gear across the sand and through the water to load the boat and divers which is the procedure in Playa. Most dive sites are just a 7 minute boat ride out of the marina.

Cenotes are incredible and there are some excellent ones right in the Puerto Aventuras area which means less time traveling and more time diving!

Whale Shark season starts in Isla Holbox the first week in June. It's practically a "sure thing" but later in June is better and July and August are definatly best. It's a really long day no matter where you begin the trip but well worth it! Most all dive operators offer this excursion during the summer but be sure to check around for a reputable shop.

The Mayakoba is just 5 mins north Of Playa del Carmen proper. Diving in Playa is nice but reefs are generally flat with little topography and occasionally some strong currents. Just 15min south of Playa in Puerto Aventuras the reef has more profile and little to no current due to a slightly more protected coastline. Ocean diving is very good and easy since boats are loaded from the marina versus dragging gear across the sand and through the water to load the boat and divers which is the procedure in Playa. Most dive sites are just a 7 minute boat ride out of the marina.

 

Cenotes are incredible and there are some excellent ones right in the Puerto Aventuras area which means less time traveling and more time diving!

 

Whale Shark season starts in Isla Holbox the first week in June. It's practically a "sure thing" but later in June is better and July and August are definatly best. It's a really long day no matter where you begin the trip but well worth it! Most all dive operators offer this excursion during the summer but be sure to check around for a reputable shop.

Any favorite operators in the Puerto Aventuras area? Sounds like a cool spot with some nice shallow dive spots. What's the water temperature usually like in early June?

Any favorite operators in the Puerto Aventuras area? Sounds like a cool spot with some nice shallow dive spots. What's the water temperature usually like in early June?

Diablo Divers/Aquanuts. I have not done open water with them (but heard good things), but I went to the Cenotes with Dennis and I highly, very, very, highly, recommend him if you are thinking of Cenotes.

Diablo Divers/Aquanuts. I have not done open water with them (but heard good things), but I went to the Cenotes with Dennis and I highly, very, very, highly, recommend him if you are thinking of Cenotes.

Ok cool - I saw their website. Thanks!

They were the only operator that even mentioned "photography" on their site.

Did you shoot ambient light or strobes in the cenotes? I was thinking of leaving my strobes behind and using magic filters.

Do you think I will be constrained by only having a 35mm equivalent lens? I have been debating whether or not to upgrade to the ikelite case and a .56x w/a adapter ... the alternative upgrade was to bury the YS-15 and get a YS-110 and demote the YS-27 from the main strobe to the fill.

Ok cool - I saw their website. Thanks!

 

They were the only operator that even mentioned "photography" on their site.

 

Did you shoot ambient light or strobes in the cenotes? I was thinking of leaving my strobes behind and using magic filters.

 

Do you think I will be constrained by only having a 35mm equivalent lens? I have been debating whether or not to upgrade to the ikelite case and a .56x w/a adapter ... the alternative upgrade was to bury the YS-15 and get a YS-110 and demote the YS-27 from the main strobe to the fill.

I have shot both stills and video in the Cenotes (more recently video). You will need light, it is very dark in there. Strobes without a doubt. Wider angle will be your best bet. What case do you have now (what are you shooting?) I think you would want the strobe more than the WA in the Centoes if it is an either/or situation.

Something else I do is attach a focus light on the housing, depending on the time I can get a couple of dives in (though I may switch them out between dives or drop the power down.) Doubles as my dive light(s) (though I do carry extras anyway) and keeps your hands free for shooting.

I have shot both stills and video in the Cenotes (more recently video). You will need light, it is very dark in there. Strobes without a doubt. Wider angle will be your best bet. What case do you have now (what are you shooting?) I think you would want the strobe more than the WA in the Centoes if it is an either/or situation.

 

Something else I do is attach a focus light on the housing, depending on the time I can get a couple of dives in (though I may switch them out between dives or drop the power down.) Doubles as my dive light(s) (though I do carry extras anyway) and keeps your hands free for shooting.

I have the Canon G9 in the OEM case. It doesn't accomdate any w/a adapters and the widest the camera goes is 35mm (film equiv).

I have two strobes: S&S YS-27dx & YS-15 Auto ... and I have a Fantaseas Nano LED focus light - which ROCKS. I have it jerry-rigged to the top of my case and it seems to last FOREVER on 3 rechargeable AAAs. I bought it as a focus light, but found it makes a perfectly acceptable primary light on a night dive. It also senses the strobes and turns off when they fire for 2 seconds.

Ideally, I would make two upgrades to "go wide angle":

1) Buy the Ikelite case with short port and Epoque .56x wide angle adapter

2) Ebay the YS-15 auto and get a YS-110 or Ikelite 125 or similar

Jeremy,

Two questions. Did you just epoxy the mount on the housing? The cheap focus light intrigues me. Does it light up macro stuff well with the camera on its smallest aperture?

>>> Did you just epoxy the mount on the housing?

Yes - I used quick-drying, steel-reinforced epoxy. It worked great in normal diving temperatures. When I took the camera out in the case on an extremely cold day this winter, not surprisingly, it fell right off. I'll redo it for the upcoming trip and will use longer-drying epoxy that I will reinforce with some sort of fiber like twine or something.

>>> The cheap focus light intrigues me.

$45 ... can't beat that. I have heard complaints that it floods, but I dove with mine every day for a week with no problems.

>>> Does it light up macro stuff well with the camera on its smallest aperture?

I'm not sure how aperture comes into play ... can you explain?

It certainly lights up macro stuff well and allowed me to have perfect focus on my night dives. The mount allowed me to shine it directly down on stuff right at the front of the port. During the day, it helped a lot at depths over 50 feet when the camera was hunting a bit without it and obviously under ledges and whatnot.

What's really cool is the automatic strobe sensor ... when they fire, the Nano light shuts off so as not to leave a hot spot on the captured image.

I have the Canon G9 in the OEM case. It doesn't accomdate any w/a adapters and the widest the camera goes is 35mm (film equiv).

 

I have two strobes: S&S YS-27dx & YS-15 Auto ... and I have a Fantaseas Nano LED focus light - which ROCKS. I have it jerry-rigged to the top of my case and it seems to last FOREVER on 3 rechargeable AAAs. I bought it as a focus light, but found it makes a perfectly acceptable primary light on a night dive. It also senses the strobes and turns off when they fire for 2 seconds.

Nicely done

Ideally, I would make two upgrades to "go wide angle":

 

1) Buy the Ikelite case with short port and Epoque .56x wide angle adapter

 

2) Ebay the YS-15 auto and get a YS-110 or Ikelite 125 or similar

On the first part going for the Ikelite Case, and more just throwing this out there as food for thought, not sure how often you dive or what your future plans are, but the Ikelite housing runs about $550 - $600. If you plan on sticking with the G9 for awhile the WA and TTL (with Ikelite Stobes) may be worth it, but if you think you are going to get something else in the relatively near future it may be better to pocket the money even if a trip or two does not have the WA. I only mention it because I went through many of the same debates myself

For instance a Fantasea housing for the Nikon D40 runs about $1,000 and you can pick up a D40 for under $500. (I had a bad D40 and returned it, went Canon then, but many people love it.) You can then put a D60 in the same housing down the road (about $800 or you can go for it now.) So for about $1,000 or so more you have bumped up the set-up. You can also probably find deals on some of the older housings (XT, XTI, etc.) and those an inexpensive. I am not trying to be cavalier about the difference in price, but it is something to think about. Anyway who rigs their P&S like you did seems to have "the bug" for U/W photos

As to the strobe, I saw eBay has on Buy It Now for $220 (YS-15) current bid $80, so it may be something to hold onto as a back-up, but not that critical, you can always shoot with one strobe. In the event you go with the Ikelite housing, the Ikelite stobe may be better so you can use TTL if you want it.

Boy did you give me a lot to think about ... but I was already going around and around those same circles.

I only dive once or twice a year ... usually one week of 2 tank dives every morning somewhere around the Caribbean. In 2009, I'm gonna do something big because I'll be turning 40 and I effin' deserve it. Probably somewhere in the south pacific or indian ocean.

I had been planning on keeping the G9 as the center of my underwater rig and getting a DSLR this year for a lot of the land stuff ...

Boy did you give me a lot to think about ... but I was already going around and around those same circles.

Sorry about that, I guess

I only dive once or twice a year ... usually one week of 2 tank dives every morning somewhere around the Caribbean. In 2009, I'm gonna do something big because I'll be turning 40 and I effin' deserve it. Probably somewhere in the south pacific or indian ocean.

Yeah I hear you on that, I tend to go to the Carribean also since I am from your neck of the woods, though I usually run away a bit more often. But I got hooked with the bug. Also, since you are turning 40 next year, it means you are actually already in your 40th year (depending on when your birthday falls) so you can start the celebration early. Joking aisde, the one thing to keep in mind is if you are doing a trip like that you will want a back up of some sort. To go all the way there and have something fail is my idea of a nightmare. So if the rig you are about to do turns out to be a back-up, it is not a bad thing. And in the grand scheme of things it is relatively small hit for the Ikelite housing and the lens because the strobe will work on another rig.

I had been planning on keeping the G9 as the center of my underwater rig and getting a DSLR this year for a lot of the land stuff ...

That probably works fine. dSLRs entry levels are so inexpensive in the grand scheme of things and you can house it later. If you are looking for the smaller ones the D60 and Xsi (Canon) are something to consider, though not many reviews out yet that I can find. Some housings are out for the D60 and the Xsi I would guess will follow. So you can hold on a bit for the dSLR to see which way to go if you are looking towards smaller set-ups.

Ha ... the "bug" totally has me.

We'll see where it all goes ... I had convinced myself I could survive without an SLR underwater or on land, but that resolve is cracking. The G9 is a terrific little camera, but if only to shoot at ISO 400-1600 with confidence, I'd love an SLR.

Part of me thinks the perfect complement to the G9 would be a 5D.

On the SLR, I bounce between the D300, D40, D60, the XSi, 40D, 5D ... I'm all over the road and nowhere near making a decision. I have no investment in lenses (actually not true ... I have several old OLY OM-mount lenses from my OM-2S days) so I'm totally an open book.