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Dive Review of Scuba Cancun/Occidental Grand Flamenco Xcaret in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Xcaret/Cancun

Scuba Cancun/Occidental Grand Flamenco Xcaret, Dec, 2004,

by William B. Heyn, NY, USA . Report 1536.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 3 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 3 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 3 stars Shore Diving 3 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 3 stars
Comments Warning for any divers looking to book with Scuba Cancun. What a disaster our trip was because of them. As an Instructor with a group of six friends/students, I booked a two-day package with them to dive Cozumel and the Cenotes while in Xcaret over the New Year.

Day 1: The group gathered in the hotel for our ride to Playa del Carmen to get the ferry to Cozumel. We waited for an hour before contacting Scuba Cancun who informed us that they had "forgotten" to pick us up and that they were sorry but we would not be diving that day. Despite obvious distrust and disappointment, we rebooked for the following two days but told them we would meet them in Playa del Carmen.

Day 2: Scuba Cancun representative showed up at 9:05 for the 9:00 ferry to Cozumel, fortunately for him it was running late. On arriving in Cozumel, we realized that Scuba Cancun had no boat, but is just planning to hire a random operator at the docks in San Miguel, scary. The dive was scarier. The hired local divemaster briefed us for a reef dive to 70 feet. After swimming behind him for 15 minutes of open sand, we were approaching 105 feet and running out of no decompression time when I let him know I was turning back with my group to complete a safe ascent from our unscheduled depth. He and one other diver not from our group continued off into the blue as I brought my group safely to the surface and alerted the boat with our safety sausages. Obviously, Scuba Cancun has no desire to make sure their customers have safe dives in Cozumel.

Day 3: 9:00 AM in the hotel lobby for a trip to the Cenotes, the time designated by Scuba Cancun. At 10:00, there was still no sign of anyone from Scuba Cancun so we packed up and headed off at about 10:30. At 11:15, the SC representative called from the lobby to find out where we were. It was too late, the group had already scattered and washed gear for our flights home the next day, one more day of scuba ruined by Scuba Cancun.

Overall, do not book anything with Scuba Cancun. They are unreliable, untrustworthy and then apparently condone dangerous diving when they do actually decide to meet their scheduled obligations. By far the most disappointing experience I have ever had with a scuba operator.

As for the Occidental Grand Flamenco Xcaret, it is beautiful hotel. Food and service were top notch, compared to other all-inclusives. Do not go there for a serious diving trip. Their “on-site” scuba operation is actually at the far end of the next-door water park and is a 30-45 minute walk, bad with dry gear before the dives, really bad with wet gear after the dives. Everything else about the hotel was great, go with your family, just don’t expect to dive every day.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving [Unspecified]
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather Seas
Water Temp 0-0°F / -18--18°C Wetsuit Thickness 0
Water Visibility 0-0 Ft/ 0-0 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile ?
Enforced diving restrictions [Unspecified]
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles None Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 3 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 3 stars

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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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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