Top 5 Christmas Gift Ideas For Scuba Divers
December 14, 2020
A Scuba Divers Day In Playa Del Carmen, Mexico
So your here to read what its like to be a freelance scuba diving instructor or perhaps you are looking to move to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico but your not sure what to expect.
Firstly Playa Del Carmen or just “Playa” as it is also commonly referred to by locals, (PDC) is nestled within the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. The closest airport is Cancun international airport about 50 mins north. In 2021, Cancún airport handled 22,318,467 passengers, a 82.1% increase compared to 2020. Safe to say even thou covid is still around travelers and other divers are flocking to this area.
Maybe you don’t know but PDC dive sites are located in the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, which is the 2nd biggest reef system after the great barrier reef in Queensland, Australia. Some the most popular reefs for scuba divers are Jardines reef, Barracuda reef, Tortugas reef and a small wreak called the Mama Viña. However, PDC has a lot more to offer because of the cenotes scatted throughout the area. For more information on cenotes visit here.
As for the weather in PDC, all year round it is incredible especially in winter. Winter brings many visitors to PDC who are escaping their cold environments. For example: PDC in winter is around min/max: 20°C / 28°C (68°F to 82°F). As for the water temperature on average it is 24°C / 76°F, allowing you to swim for a long time and enjoy scuba diving without wearing a 7mm wetsuit. However, when diving in the cenotes it is highly recommended to wear a warm wetsuit.
A typical day in the life of a freelance scuba diving instructor in PDC starts with a short drive on a scooter to the dive shop. There are many dive shops in town but the one I freelance for normally is a small shop with great customer service and recently bought equipment. We normally meet the client at the shop around 8:30am for the morning dive. Once the correct equipment is the chosen, its time to make our way to the boat via a golf cart. The boat is spacious with enough room for 15 guests and its run buy the captain and a crew member.
Its a short 15 min boat ride to first dive site. A backwards roll into the clear turquoise Caribbean water is just amazing. A 45 min dive with a little bit of drift where we see colorful reefs, moray ells, school of barracuda and a turtle. During the surface interval the crew member changes our tanks for our 2nd dive while we have a light snack and some fresh water. The captain moves to another dive site and we prepare for our 2nd dive. This dive is a bit shallower then the first dive with was a max depth of 10m.
The 2nd dive in the clear crystal waters you can admire colorful tropical fish, crabs, octopuses, lobsters and moray eels. Once you return back to land the golf cart is waiting for you and you are driven back to the dive shop. You return around 12:30 pm from the morning dives. The afternoon dives are straight away however not all freelances do the mornings and afternoon dives. From there you can walk 100m to the famous 5th av and grab a cold beer and some tacos for lunch. After that walking up and down 5th av is a great afternoon out. If that’s not good enough, relaxing on the Caribbean beach might be for you.
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About The Autor
Anthony Laverty
For the past 12 years I been a scuba diver and traveler. During that time have worked all over the world in countries such as Australia, Vietnam and Mexico.