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Dive Review of Maya Palms dive operation in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/A few miles south of Mahahual

Maya Palms dive operation, May, 2010,

by Ronald Bailey, VA, US (Sr. Contributor Sr. Contributor 20 reports with 2 Helpful votes). Report 5569.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 3 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 4 stars
Dive Operation 3 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 3 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 3 stars
Comments The best thing about the diving was the health of the corals. I saw no dead corals and no algae growth. Most of the corals were soft corals as seen many years ago in the Bahamas, a true coral garden scene. Unfortunately there were strong on shore winds which created very large waves, especially considering the size of the dive boat. After the first dive, the second dive was scrubbed by the divers. The next day also had strong winds and no dives. But to the credit to the resort and managers, three dives were done per day, instead of two, for the rest of the week to make up for the missing dives. Tanks were filled at or above 3000 psi. We did see some turtles and large green moray eels. But the fish were sparse except in a few spots. Because of the winds, we did not get to dive some to the further south reefs except for one day. Also because of the winds, we did not get to do any shore diving.
The resort grounds were well kept and had a Mayan look. No complaints about that. The food was good and divers were always asked if they wanted snacks, drinks, etc. While we were there only a total of 5 guests/divers occupied the resort. Three divers for part of the week and two other divers arriving for the remainder of our week after one diver left.
If you go, be aware that the resort only runs air conditioners from about 5 pm to about 4:30 am. So if guests plan on retiring to their rooms for an afternoon nap and cooling off, as their own literature says you can do in their air conditioned rooms, that becomes a problem. The resort runs on generators during those evening/night times and on batteries during the day which will not allow for rooms to be cooled off. Also, the ceiling fans make a loud noise when running on batteries so your sleep is usually interrupted during the switch over. The rooms have a tendency to become warmer and stuffy after, so trying to continue sleeping may be a problem. The resort and people living in that vicinity really need to have the Mexican government extend electricity a few more miles south to the Maya Palms area.
Since there were only two people working during slack guest periods, the manager and assistant manager, not counting grounds crew, the times for dinner were as late as after 10 pm. Their own literature says dinner is served promptly at 7:30 pm. So be prepared to eat late. They did bring in extra help as when some people got off of a cruise boat and come down for the day. They really need a dedicated kitchen staff. While I would go back again, I would be hesitant about bringing guests that would be expecting air conditioned rooms and a firm dinner scheduled time.
Websites Maya Palms dive operation   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving Cozumel, Roatan, Bahamas, Turk and Caicos, Fiji, Hawaii, Palau, St. Croix, Florida Keys, Exumas, Saba, St. Kitts, Belize and Bonaire.
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy, dry Seas choppy
Water Temp 80-84°F / 27-29°C Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility 50-80 Ft/ 15-24 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions [Unspecified]Above 132 feet
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 2 stars
Small Critters 2 stars Large Fish 1 stars
Large Pelagics N/A

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

Subject Matter 3 stars Boat Facilities 1 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 3 stars Shore Facilities 4 stars
UW Photo Comments There was plenty of shelf space in the rooms to easily store camera gear and set it up, etc. As the boat was small, there was no special set up for U/W photographers other than handing you your camera once in the water.
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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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