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Dive Review of Akumal Dive Center/Lol Ka'naab Condos in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Akumal

Akumal Dive Center/Lol Ka'naab Condos, Nov, 2003,

by M. Harter, VT, USA . Report 867.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 4 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments Akumal is a great, laid back area of the Riviera Maya, arguably the best dive on the Northern Yucatan. It is out of the hustle and bustle of Playa del Carmen but near enough to drive there for day trips. Hard and soft coral and sponges were abundant. We saw numerous green and hawksbill turtles on every dive - they were unafraid of divers and offered great photo-ops. Eels, nurse sharks and many species of tropical fish were present everywhere. Diving was very easy with Akumal Dive Center. They are very knowledgable and professional. You set up your equipment in the dive shop and employees bring it to the panga for you. Dive sites are 5-15 minutes from the dive center, a back roll into the water and you're on your way. The panga captain follows your bubbles and each person can surface as air consumption and bottom time require. The panga will be right there. Take off your equipment in the water, hand it up to the captain, up the ladder and back on the boat. The boat returns to the shop after each dive. If you're going out again, tanks are changed on the boat for you. If not, your equipment is returned to the shop for you to disassemble. Akumal Dive Center has lockers available for no charge. You can leave your wetsuit drying in the shade and they will pack it up later in the afternoon so it is ready for the next day. Tanks are filled to 3000+ PSI, dives are guided but you can dive your own profile. Rental equipment is well-maintained and plentiful. The shop does 3 dives per day at 0900, 1100 and 1300 and will do night dives any day as long as there are 4 people interested. They also do cenote dives in the afternoon on a flexible schedule - these are not to be missed and anyone can exploer the caverns with a guide, but excellent buoyancy control is a must. Multiple dives are rewarded with a discounted rate as is payment in cash. Akumal Dive Center will run a tab for you to settle at the end of your stay. Lol Ka'naab Condos were beautiful, great ocean front spot on Half Moon Bay with a freshwater pool. Very well managed. Very tasty local restaurants and more non-diving activities than you could experience on 10 trips to the area.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 51-100 dives
Where else diving Turks & Caicos, Cozumel, Sea of Cortez, Caymans
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas choppy
Water Temp 82-84°F / 28-29°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 60-100 Ft/ 18-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Surface with minimum 500 PSI otherwise divers could use their computers to monitor bottom time & depth.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish 2 stars
Large Pelagics 2 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 1 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities 4 stars
UW Photo Comments Pangas were used for dive, no camera facilties on board but once back in dive shop there were rinse tanks, tables and eletrical outlets UWP's could freely use. We dove with digital video camera the entire time and everything worked out nicely.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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