Where to SCUBA in the Mexican Riviera

[mielyse]

My wife and I are going to go on a Mexican Riviera cruise in December. We have not chosen an ittinerary yet and want to know where te best scuba diving is. Any help would be appreciated.

[tootsiescurly]

The best scuba diving is in Puerto Vallarta,Cabo San Lucas and La Paz. We really prefer La Paz but the cruise ships only go there certain times of the year. Cabo has some great dive spots. Avoid using Manta dive shop in Cabo. We have used them twice and both times they tried to overweight me. This is a problem because most dives in Cabo have some surge.

[billeelou]

huatel way south....

[stingraynz]

I agree with the OP on La Paz, Puerto Vallarta & Cabo San Lucas.

 

We did a Princess Mex Riviera cruise and we especially enjoyed the diving in PV. We were not expecting it to be that nice. Lots of good animals. Even Humpback whales singing ( although no sightings) in December.

 

Watch the times in port when booking you intinerary. Often, the ships only call half day in Cabo and it is the afternoon. This was OK but the diving is always better in the morning.

[Sailfish]

If you dive in the Caribbean or in Hawaii or other tropical areas, you will be very disappointed in the diving offered in PV. It's not bad all the time, but the days of poor visibility out number the good, so it can really be an expensive crap shoot.

 

Cabo will be a little better, but far superior are dive sites in the Sea of Cortz around La Paz. The further south along the coast you go, the better the diving - Huatulco is pertty good.

 

If you do a standard Mexicna Riviera cruise - PV, Mazatlan and Cabo - the only place you will have time to dive will be in Puerto Vallarta. There is virtually no recreational diving in Mazatlan (though we have gone spear fishing there). It's doubtful you'll have enough time to dive anywhere decent in Cabo.

 

If you go to PV, head out to the Marietas. The best dive, El Morro, will not be an option for you, as no dive op will take you there without knowing how you dive. But there are some decent dive sites by the island.

 

Most ship sponsored dives take you to Los Arcos - it's okay on a day with good visibility, but more often than not, it's a waste of time. Just have reasonable expectations!

 

Suzi

[mielyse]

Thanks for the info.