Scuba Diver Training, Tulum, Mexico
So, an old dog can learn a new trick. Or at least that is the hypothesis I went to Tulum to test. My girlfriend is a long-time diver and I thought it would be a fun couple’s activity and an excuse to go to exotic places. In looking for a location to learn to dive, I looked for a dive shop where I could get both my Open Water certification as well as my Advanced Open Water certification back-to-back in a relatively short period of time. I was also looking for courses that were reasonably priced and in a warm location. I definitely didn’t want to learn in the Pacific Northwest. Infinity2Diving in Tulum ticked all the appropriate boxes. And they even had accommodations at the dive shop (small suites and dorms – I opted for the suite during my open water course).
The open water certification course consisted of a fair bit of online training prior to attending the course, a long half-day in the pool, and two days with two dives a day. The day in the pool consisted of familiarization with the equipment, learning all the iterations of taking your regulator out/replacing/sharing air/etc., how to drop your weights if needed, how to clear your mask, and how to perform a controlled emergency ascent. The day finished with a required 200-meter swim and a ten-minute float. Both more tiring than I’d like to admit.
The first day of diving started with a dive in Casa Cenote. Max depth was 17 feet and skills practiced included hand signals, buoyancy/weight check, partial mask flooding and clearing, regulator recovery and clearing, and monitoring air supply. The draw for this cenote is that there is a crocodile that hangs out in the cenote. Unfortunately, it was absent on this day. The second dive of the first day was on the reef at a site called Cuevitas. Max depth was 35 feet and similar skills were practiced. We also practiced using an alternate air source during ascent. The reef was okay but not super vibrant. Or teaming with life. We did see a stingray as we were getting ready to ascend though so that was cool
Day two of diving started out back on the reef but at a site called Dreams Tulum. The main purpose of this dive was to go a little deeper (43 feet). This dive site wasn’t far from the previous site and the condition of the reef/wildlife was similar. The second dive of the day, and the last of the open water course, was back at the Cuevitas site. Max depth was again 35 feet and the only new skills practiced were free ascent and decent and underwater navigation.
Kelly joined me in Tulum the evening of my last day of open water certification and we moved into a very chic hotel (Anat Tantric Boutique Hotel). It was a couple of kilometers out of town so not super convenient. But it was really nice – tile floor throughout, a huge copper tub, an open shower, and our own personal pool. Unfortunately, most of our photos from the hotel included inadvertent shots of naked people. The following captures me in the shower and Kelly’s knee in the copper tub. I have to say, I look pretty good from behind for a guy who drinks way too much beer and doesn’t exercise.
The decadence of the Anat Tantric Boutique Hotel.
After a day off, both Kelly and I started the advanced open water course. It was my first time certifying and Kelly was taking it as a refresher (and also to hang out in Mexico!).
Like the open water course, the advanced course also had online work that had to be completed prior to the onsite dives. The onsite portion was composed of two days of diving where we practiced some new skills. The first dive was back in Casa Cenote and was focused on perfecting your buoyancy control. The highlight of the dive was watching the crocodile swim by within about three feet – very cool. We then moved back out to the Cuevitas site and worked on our navigation skills – compass and kick counts to complete triangles, squares, etc.
The second day of the advanced course included three dives – deep, fish ID, and night dive. The deep dive as at Cuevitas Deep and we managed to get to a depth of 89 feet. Fish ID was back at Cuevitas and Kelly rocked it (me less so). The night dive was once again back in Casa Cenote. Crocodile was back on site and hanging out where the divers typically get out of the water. It’s not a huge croc but we decided to exit the water at an alternate location!
After that I was officially certified as an advanced open water diver.
The day after we completed our advanced open water training, we opted to go on a couple of cenote dives in the area – The Pit (95 feet, 41 minutes) and Dos Ojos (33 feet, 54 minutes). Kelly preferred The Pit for the depth and increased freedom of movement (Dos Ojos was slow) and I preferred Dos Ojos for the much nicer stalagmites/stalagtites.
In the ten days in Tulum I managed to complete 11 dives with a total of 504 minutes underwater. Not bad for a novice. A couple of photos of the two of us are below as well as a short video of a small part of Dos Ojos.
