Agree with Eric... Akumal area is much more laid back than Cozumel... but on the mainland. Reefs are not as extensive. ALSO, cinote diving (caverns) is a big attraction in that part of the coast. Caverns... and then caves... are a whole other kind of certification than open water. It's an overhead environment... so have to be comfortable going OUT if there's a problem, not UP. Caverns still have view of light from above... so not quite as enclosing as full caves, from which you can only go back the way you came. (Caves are considered "technical diving, requiring double tanks and lots of training.) Many dive shops in the area will do cavern tours for those not certified for that environment. It's a different experience... crystal clear fresh water, limestone formations, no fish life. Very interesting. PROTEC in Playa del Carmen is the foremost experts, and really great folks. We stayed at the Akumal Beach Club, and dove open water with Akumal Dive Center (
AKUMAL DIVE CENTER - Scuba and cave diving courses/trips, south of Cancun). They can also arrange for a trip over to Cozumel via the ferry from Playa. I did this with Blue Angel diving, and they picked us up right at the ferry dock to do a day of drift-diving on the Cozumel side. Hey... anytime you get wet and breathe nitrogen it's good!
By the way, we were there last August, and turtles were nesting on the beach right under the windows of the resorts. Night before we got there, a nest hatched... and the folks got a good show.
Enjoy.
