Akumal 2013

[Treebeard]

We were in Akumal for 7 days and dove two dives a day for 6 of the 7 days. The weather was great! We only had rain for 10 minutes of the 7 days we were there. If you are a diver, you got to go to Half Moon Bay and dive with Akumal Dive Adventures. For some of the dives my wife and I were the only two divers on the boat and we dove wherever we wanted. The most divers we had on the boat was 5.
Anyways, thought I would share some pics and movies.
Having trouble with the Dropbox links...will sort it out.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/DSCN4380.JPG

[Treebeard]

This turtle swam right up to my wife an posed for a picture

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/Tortuga.jpg

[Treebeard]

Barrel sponge

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/Barrel.jpg

[Treebeard]

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/Polyps.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/Tortuga1.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/Coralfish.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/Shrimp.jpg

[Treebeard]

Grouper

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/Grouper.jpg


Peek-a-boo!

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/gobie.jpg

If you can spot this fish you have a good eye.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/Name_me.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/Ray.jpg

[mrhasan]

I see a flounder in that pic :D

Nice shots btw. Need more!!

[rickcasa]

That would be the only reason I can think of why I would leave Canada...to dive in the morning and have a new fish in my tank by noon.

I developed a connection with a juvi Queen Angel last year in a Mayan Riviera resort beach. Every morning I snorkeled I would find it in the same rock cavern....it was the brightest thing in the sight.

Your beautiful photos brings back good memories. Thanks for sharing Treebeard.

And man, don't blue damsels sparkle something awesome.

[Treebeard]

Pair of Lions

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/Lions.jpg

Boxy!

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/Boxy.jpg

My wife and our best buddy, dive master Shaleh! :biggrin:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/DiveChics.jpg

[Treebeard]

Bingo!

I see a flounder in that pic :D

Nice shots btw. Need more!!

[Treebeard]

Grey Angel

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/GreyAngel.jpg

Grunts

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/Grunts.jpg

I got real close to this Barracuda

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/Cuda.jpg

Hmmmm, perhaps a little too close! :biggrin:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/Cuda1.jpg

[Treebeard]

The damsels are definitely beautiful. It is so cool to see schools of fry swimming around the lettuce coral heads. Heaven under the seas!

That would be the only reason I can think of why I would leave Canada...to dive in the morning and have a new fish in my tank by noon.

I developed a connection with a juvi Queen Angel last year in a Mayan Riviera resort beach. Every morning I snorkeled I would find it in the same rock cavern....it was the brightest thing in the sight.

Your beautiful photos brings back good memories. Thanks for sharing Treebeard.

And man, don't blue damsels sparkle something awesome.

[Treebeard]

Resting tortuga

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/restingTortuga.jpg

Lizard fish

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/Lizardfish.jpg

Such a thrill to see this guys! Shaleh spotted them and we approached very slowly to get the pics. They are very shy and hard to get close enough to photograph.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/GardenEels.jpg

Picture of me my wife shot, very cool picture with my bubbles and the sun shining down from the surface!

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/Floating.jpg

[baker_jeff]

Beautiful shots, more please!

[Treebeard]

Goes great with hot melted butter! :lol:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/Lobster.jpg

Boxy blowing sand


https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/Boxy1.jpg

Right brain, Left brain?

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/Brain.jpg

[Treebeard]

Flipping the bird! :biggrin:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/Finger.jpg

Juvenile Spotlight Parrot

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/Parrot.jpg

Some balding guy going through a swim-through :redface:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/Baldy.jpg

[Treebeard]

Trumpet fish

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/Trumpet.jpg

My dive buddy honey! :wink:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/Honey.jpg

Sunrise over Half Moon Bay <Sigh>

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/Sunrise.jpg

[Treebeard]

Turtle video (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/DSCN4363.MOV)

Tangs (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/17526971/Akumal%202013/DSCN4228.MOV)

Thats all for now. Hope you enjoy them!

[Kraken]

Crazy Pics!

What camera did you use? Gopro?

[daplatapus]

Looks like you had some great viz. Greats shots, thanks for sharing.

[neoh]

pretty awesome!

[Treebeard]

The camera is a Nikon S8100 with an Ikelite underwater housing. Hopefully we will get an external strobe for it before the next trip.

Crazy Pics!

What camera did you use? Gopro?

[Treebeard]

Thanks!
The viz was only so-so on a couple of dives. The currents were pushing hard from the north and the viz was only about 40 feet. When the current switched from the south it was around 70 feet.

Looks like you had some great viz. Greats shots, thanks for sharing.

[Treebeard]

There is something wrong with the movies. I will try uploading them to YouTube tonight.

[Reef_Geek]

Just came back from staying at Akumal Beach Resort.

Great snorkeling right off the beach there. Reefs start 30 feet from front of the resort, sea grass bed just a few hundred yards to the north where sea turtles and sting rays graze. I'm guessing that from the beach to about a km out is the reef flat and the fore reef is just beyond the breakers (best reached by boat).

With such great snorkeling that I could do with the wife, I only snuck off for one dive with Akumal Dive Center (about a 4 minute walk down the beach to shop) for a cave dive in the "Taj Mahal Cenote"

Here's a video with my GoPro
http://youtu.be/_HeqGUIgs_c

There's bats at 3:16 in the video. Be sure to click on the wheel at the bottom right of the player to set resolution to 1080p for HD.

http://www.aluxdiver.com/cenotes-riviera-maya/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/TAJMA_HA.jpg

[Scuba Diver Gal]

You will notice a HUGE difference with a strobe. But try renting one maybe first, cause they are SO expensive...We always rent from Cathy Church in Grand Cayman, where the vis is always 100 feet :)

Great photos by the way, we just got back from Cayman but they make me want to go again :)

[globaldesigns]

Akumal, what a great place... I didn't dive, but snorkeled there with my family. Beautiful area, and lots of turtles, so close that you can grab them... But you can't of course. Rules you now.

Great pic's!!!

[Treebeard]

My first trip to Mexico was in 2007 and we stayed at ABR. It was a nice no frills AI with some wonderful staff that made it very enjoyable. That was the trip that got me hooked on the caribean side of Mexico. I wasn't a diver at the time and it was actually the first time I ever snorkelled but I was hooked after seeing the turtles, coral and the fish.
I haven't been back to ABR since but have been to Akumal many times. I got my certification in 2009 and did 3 of my qualification dives in Akumal. My dive buddy/wife and I prefer the condo life on Half Moon Bay, and honestly Akumal Bay is overcrowded and the turtles and reef are paying the price. But we still enjoyed the occasional happy hour at Lo Ha and a pitcher of margs at La Cuevo Pescadors.
Sad to say, not sure when we will go back to Akumal now that we have discovered Bonaire. :(. We are booked for three weeks next March. :)

[Treebeard]

Do you recall the name of the dive master you dove with from Akumal Dive Center? One of their DMs was involved in a bad car accident on the 307 a few days ago and passed away yesterday. We dove with him many times when he was working at Akumal Dive Adventures on Half Moon Bay. He was a great guy and an excellent DM and leaves behind a wife and three daughters. :sad:

[Reef_Geek]

You will notice a HUGE difference with a strobe. But try renting one maybe first, cause they are SO expensive...We always rent from Cathy Church in Grand Cayman, where the vis is always 100 feet :)

Great photos by the way, we just got back from Cayman but they make me want to go again :)

Thanks. For sure a strobe would be nice. I'm kinda liking how portable and not-cumbersome the GoPro and pole is right now though... good heads up. Thanks.

Akumal, what a great place... I didn't dive, but snorkeled there with my family. Beautiful area, and lots of turtles, so close that you can grab them... But you can't of course. Rules you now.

Great pic's!!!

ah yes, of course, rules... I can say that I am a marine biologist and I know what I am doing (this is factual, have resume and degree to show, just not what I am doing for a living any more) https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152405585172953&l=7106104410772056192

My first trip to Mexico was in 2007 and we stayed at ABR. It was a nice no frills AI with some wonderful staff that made it very enjoyable. That was the trip that got me hooked on the caribean side of Mexico. I wasn't a diver at the time and it was actually the first time I ever snorkelled but I was hooked after seeing the turtles, coral and the fish.
I haven't been back to ABR since but have been to Akumal many times. I got my certification in 2009 and did 3 of my qualification dives in Akumal. My dive buddy/wife and I prefer the condo life on Half Moon Bay, and honestly Akumal Bay is overcrowded and the turtles and reef are paying the price. But we still enjoyed the occasional happy hour at Lo Ha and a pitcher of margs at La Cuevo Pescadors.
Sad to say, not sure when we will go back to Akumal now that we have discovered Bonaire. :(. We are booked for three weeks next March. :)

Yeah, I've been researching Bonaire. My wife doesn't dive, so I'm trying to find more snorkel-exciting places. I'm currently researching Cabo. Looks like a few tours out of La Paz will do snorkeling with whale sharks and sea lions.

[Reef_Geek]

Do you recall the name of the dive master you dove with from Akumal Dive Center? One of their DMs was involved in a bad car accident on the 307 a few days ago and passed away yesterday. We dove with him many times when he was working at Akumal Dive Adventures on Half Moon Bay. He was a great guy and an excellent DM and leaves behind a wife and three daughters. :sad:

That's sad. The DM with me on my cave dive was Jose. He's probably in his 50s and does not speak much english (made the day a bit awkward as it was just me and him)

[Reef_Geek]

Here's a video of me following an eagle ray for a while over the reef flats. You can see that the reefs aren't great but aren't bad either. It is, of course, a reef flat and not the fore reef.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152405586597953&l=8771043351477030077

[Reef_Geek]

I finally went through all my videos and put together this consolidated video. Hope you enjoy!

Some neat tang action in there...

http://youtu.be/K2ZC6IkSdXk

[hillegom]

Thanks. I enjoyed that.
I snorkeld there as well. Many turtles there for sure.
Did you go to the reef, where the breakers were? I saw a basking shark there.

[Reef_Geek]

glad you liked.

No, I didn't make it out that far... looked about 1 km out, but maybe that's just what I convinced myself. Basking shark would have been worth the swim though!

[hillegom]

Well, one yard at a time.
Seriously, though, it wash't that bad, the real challenge was to get across the "channel" that the boats use. Eyes above and ears below.
Also say a bunch of those eels that stick their bodies above the sand and then retract into their holes when you swim close.

[Slyguy00]

Really cool footage!