Dive Review of Rafael de la Parra in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Isla Mujeres

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Rafael de la Parra, Aug, 2011, by Pamela, CA, US ( 2 reports). Report 6169.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations	N/A	Food	N/A
Service and Attitude	N/A	Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	We stayed on Isla Mujeres and went out to snorkel with whale sharks with Rafael de la Parra, who was recommended through an Undercurrent article. (contact him at grampusr@hotmail.com). Rafael works with the scientists who tag the sharks at this spot, his English is excellent, and his knowledge of the sharks was impressive. He limits his guests to 6, which is important because every boat can only put 2 divers in the water at once (plus guide), so the fewer people on your boat the more time with the whale sharks. Nobody else was on the boat the two days we went out, so we spent hours in the water with the whale sharks. On the first day the sharks were concentrated in a relatively small area. Rafael counted over 100 sharks from his perch at the top of the boat! We saw as many as 5 whales sharks at a time underwater, in sizes ranging from about 4 to 8 meters. It was actually necessary to pay attention in order to stay out of their way. On the second day the visibility was better but the sharks were more spread out, so more swimming was required; on the other hand, the snorkeling boats were more spread out, too, so we had plenty of whale sharks all to ourselves. Rafael and his sons serve as guides but also bring an UW camera to photo-identify the sharks for the research project. When a boat arrived on the scene and tried to put a big group of people in the water, Rafael motored over and firmly told them they needed to follow the rules. Please support people like Rafael with your business so this experience will continue to be spectacular! No scuba is allowed, but there were UW photographers free diving with weights, and the sharks were usually at the surface. If you are a photographer I am sure Rafael could bring a rinse bucket for equipment by request. The water is warm, but bring a light wetsuit because if you don't wear one you are required to wear a life vest.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Australia, Fiji, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Belize, New Guinea, Fiji, Thailand, Palau, California, Yap, Malaysia, Cayman Islands, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	85-87°F / 29-31°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	30-50 Ft/ 9-15 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals	N/A	Tropical Fish	N/A
Small Critters	N/A	Large Fish	N/A
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Rafael de la Parra in Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Isla Mujeres

Rafael de la Parra, Aug, 2011,

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

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

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

Dive Review of Rafael de la Parra in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Isla Mujeres