Diving in Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas

[SCUBA Mark]

I am going on a cruise in October to the Mexican Riviera.

 

Does anybody have experience diving in Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas?

 

I have heard visibility in the Sea of Cortez sometimes is not very good. I want to know how the viz is in these two places.

 

Also water temps in October?

 

Carnival prices for a 2-tank dive are $89 and $109 respectively.

 

Can anyone recommend local dive ops in either of these two places?

 

Mark

[RedHeadTexan]

I was in Cabo in April and used Tio Water Sports in Cabo San Lucas for diving (no website). They are located out of the Melia San Lucas Hotel.

 

Water entry is done by rolling off the boat (that was fun). My DH and I did a two tank dive. The first dive was at Pelican's Rock where the water temp was 70 degrees. At one point we were under a canopy of fish that blocked out the sun. It was amazing.

 

The second dive was at Land's End. We dove with the sea lions, and went through the canyon to the Pacific side. The sea lions were incredible! They come off the rocks above and zoom by you. They are so graceful and beautiful underwater. The canyon was interesting as well, since the current moves back and forth between the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific. It takes some effort to kick against the Pacific current, but the dive is worth it. When you get to the Pacific side, the water temperature drops about 5 degrees.

 

Another dive operator to consider is Manta in Cabo San Lucas. We went with Tio's because their departure time and hotel shuttle worked better for us. We visited Manta's shop while we were there, and they appeared to be a good group. http://www.caboscuba.com/index.html

 

My recommendation is to bring your own wet suit. At both Tio's and Manta, their wet suits were rather ragged. Some of our fellow divers rented wetsuits with holes in them. I was happy I packed my WaterProof wet suit, but I did wish I had brought my hood or beanie with me to wear on the Pacific side.

 

Here's a link for water temps in Cabo:

http://www.caboscuba.com/diving_cond.htm