22 February 2025

Dos and Don'ts of Diving in Mexico

Dos

DO Think closely about your buoyancy after a Full Mexican Breakfast. If you go for the traditional Huevos Rancheros, and get extras you may find you need more weight for your morning's dives. The combination of refried beans and tortilla first thing will come back to haunt you at 40 metres a few hours later. Yes the most gas inducing brekker is served up here. On my last dive after double frijoles, I suddenly felt like I was about to erupt out of the water like a North Korean missile test. So unless spending 7 hours in a Mexican chamber is on your holiday 'to do' list, try adding an extra kilo to your weight belt for every 200 grams of FMB consumed before a dive. And no naked flame when removing your dry suit.

DO Choose your flight out here wisely. Yes you can fly direct to Cancun but these are all charters and filled with lairy stag parties and the ensuing madness. Most flights to the dive spots have to hub through the USA. You can choose LA for Baja; Dallas or Fort Worth for East Coast, but my favourite is still Houston. It has the only revolving restaurant still left from the 70's. There was a time when no self-respecting city didn't have one of these. But thanks to Health and Safety, as well as dizziness, they are now endangered. So... divers hub over-night in the Oil City and you can still experience going to the loo then "Find your Table" as everyone slowly chugs by you at 10 RPM.

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