Open Water – Casa del Buceo

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Welcome to the Island!

Isla Mujeres, México

English

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Español

Welcome to the Island!

Isla Mujeres, México

[ PADI Open Water Certification:

Become a certified bubble-maker

]

Tour Description

This is a brief introduction to diving which consists of watching a 25 min. video, shallow water training with the equipment, and if all goes well, we can do a Reef or Underwater Sculpture Museum Dive at around 40ft. deep. To ensure non-certified divers’ safety, it will be mandatory to do this small course before each start dive.

Depth Range: Approx. - 40ft.

MEETING & DEPARTURE POINT:

Our marina on Isla Mujeres. (Private pick-up service may be available for Private Groups at an additional cost + docking fees if applicable). Click HERE for our location.

SUSTAINABLE DIVING

What is MUSA and how you are you helping our marine life by snorkeling this site.

Deposit refund due to weather:

100% for cancellations notified by us due to poor/unsafe weather conditions. Rescheduling available whenever possible.

IMPORTANT:

If this is your first time diving, please visit your doctor for an evaluation and approval for this activity. Participants must be in good health condition and no ear/nose/heart or lung problems must be present for any type of diving.

*There must be a full 24hr. period between the end of your last dive with us and your departure flight.

*Booking in advance is strongly recommended as this is the only way we can guarantee availability and all your tour references.

PACKAGES:

Available starting at a minimum of 3 completed activities. Subject to season and availability.

[ Begin your Journey ]

Approx. 3-4hrs. x 3-4 Days

PADI OPEN WATER CERTIFICATION

[ Book Here ]

14,700

MXN

Per Person

Skills & Knowledge

That will open underwater doors to you around the world

Ages

10 & Up

Includes

Full equipment, textbooks, dives, exam and certification pic.

Lockers, washroom and changing room available at our marina.

What to bring

Towels

Swimwear

In the event of an existing medical (or any other special) condition, please contact us in advance with a valid and signed doctor’s approval.

MUSA [Underwater Sculpture Museum]

MUSA is an innovative project designed to counteract the effects of climate change on our oceans and reef systems. This museum is a work-in-progress and located just off the coast of Isla Mujeres. It was formally opened to the public on November 26, 2010 and will ultimately consist of 12 galleries containing nearly 1,364 artificial habitats. The aim is to discharge the accumulated impact of nearly 800,000 visiting tourists each year in the natural reef of the National Marine Park, while increasing overall biomass of the reef system and habitat areas for marine life to colonize. The project was initiated by Dr. Jaime Gonzalez Cano, local head of Mexico’s Environment and Natural Resources Secretariat (SEMARNAT). Looking for a way to ease the stress on the local reef system without having to close the national underwater park, Dr. Cano reached out to the British sculptor, Jason deCaires Taylor, to collaborate and build one of the largest and most ambitious underwater artificial art attractions in the world. The project became a reality with the collaboration of both the Cancun and Isla Mujeres’ Nautical Associations and other private sector supporters. (musaislamujeres.com)

Excerpts from The Guardian article "Silent Evolution in Cancún, Mexico"

By GrrlScientist

Hypothesis: creating an underwater sculpture will relieve tourist pressure on nearby coral reefs whilst providing new habitat that encourages establishment of yet more coral reefs.

British artist and sculptor, Jason de Caires Taylor, has created a huge underwater sculpture, “The Silent Evolution”. This sculpture weighs over 120 tons and is comprised of 400 individual statues cast from local Mexican people, representing a cross section of society.

The goals of this sculpture are twofold: first, (it) is easily accessible to snorkelers and divers so it will ease pressures on the nearby natural reefs that are visited by 750,000 tourists every year. Second, this installation will provide the basis for a coral reef-like ecosystem that will attract a variety of aquatic creatures to the Cancún and Isla Mujeres National Marine Park. It is made from a special cement that is 10 times harder than the normal kind and it has a neutral PH (favourable to corals), and the statues are anchored to a barren rocky seabed 10 meters below the water’s surface.
Coral reefs are constructed of calcium carbonate secreted by the bodies of countless numbers of tiny marine animals. Often known as the “rainforests of the sea”, coral reefs form some of the most diverse ecosystems on earth. They are surrounded by nutrient-poor ocean waters, yet they provide food and shelter for roughly 25 percent of all marine animal species, including fish, molluscs, worms, crustaceans, echinoderms, sponges, tunicates and other cnidarians.

The coral reefs that most people are familiar with are found in shallow tropical waters, but they can be found in cold or deep water as well. Even though coral reefs occupy less than one tenth of one percent of the world’s ocean surface (roughly the same area as Norway), they are one of the most endangered marine ecosystems in the world. Currently, 10 percent of the world’s coral reefs are already dead and another 60 percent are at risk due to destructive, human-related activities, including ocean acidification and increasing water temperatures due to global warming, as well as agricultural and urban runoff, pollution, overfishing and a variety of other threats.

More sculpture displays that can be seen during our tours off of Isla Mujeres include:

“Seascape”, “The Dream Collector”, “Time Bombs”, “Man on Fire”, “The Banker”, “Anthropocene” and “Urban Reef House”.

Images from www.musaislamujeres.com

By Jason deCaires Taylor. Images from www.musaislamujeres.com