Discover Playa del Carmen with ScubaCaribe
IAN STALKER
(Photo above: ScubaCaribe is happy to show divers the marine life found off Playa del Carmen’s shores. Photo courtesy/ Scubacaribe)
A Barcelona native diving instructor who’s relocated to Playa del Carmen says those eager to experience an underwater world can make do quite nicely without ocean when vacationing in the Mexican destination.
Javier, who works at ScubaCaribe’s operation at the Riu Palace Riviera Maya, notes that the famed ocean waters found on Playa del Carmen’s shores are only one option for the sub surface exploration set.
One dive option, he notes, are cenotes, the underground water bodies found throughout the Yucatan Peninsula, which provide an unusual way for people to submerge themselves.
Many cenotes in the area were viewed with great importance by the Maya, who among other things would use them to draw water for their daily needs, and also use them for rituals.
“It (diving in the Playa del Carmen area) is so much fun, and, in my personal, opinion, it is one of the best places for diving around the world, because we have very nice local reefs, cenotes in the jungle and trips to dive in Cozumel (the nearby island famed for its diving),” Javier says.
ScubaCaribe has offices elsewhere in Mexico and the Caribbean.
Javier says 90% of the clients who visit the operation he works at are from the Riu Palace Riviera Maya, unsurprising given ScubaCaribe has a dive shop on resort grounds. Free scuba diving demonstrations are offered in one of the Riu’s pools for those considering taking up the sport.
“Here, they will find very good sea conditions (when it comes to water visibility, temperature and marine life), and if they dive with us, they will have professional instructors,” says Javier who adds that ScubaCaribe follows the standards set by PADI, the largest of the regulatory scuba diving bodies.
Most clients are beginners, with ScubaCaribe staff able to offer all levels of instruction, including cave diving.
Javier notes that ScubaCaribe clients can also participate in such projects as cleaning reefs.
Javier, who has also taught diving in Spain and other parts of the world, is confident that those who go diving in Playa del Carmen-area waters will enjoy it, noting the area has built a wide following.
“I don’t like to compare dive sites because every place has something interesting. But here we have almost every type of dive,” he says, adding those who opt for ocean water may spot the likes of angel fish, turtles, dolphins, barracuda and a host of other exotic creatures.
Javier can be reached at [email protected].