We arrived on Memorial Day, May 30. Five of our group came on the 3pm AA flight from DFW while a sixth - her first visit to Cozumel - had arrived earlier from Atlanta and waited for us at Diego's. She was waiting at the airport for us when we landed, already thrilled because Diego's had the best tacos she had ever tasted. Good start! We all got the green light, and walked outside to greet the villa manager and....he wasn't there. A kind tour operator waiting for his party knew the manager and gave him a call for us. Eventually I was able to get through on my phone as well and he suggested it would be faster to just meet at the villa.
We got our van tickets and headed to Castillo del Rey on Ave 10 and Calle 9. What a beautiful place. Great pool and gardens....and the villa was huge! More than enough room to spread out, cook our breakfasts, and relax.
After quickly unpacking, we headed over to Tres Pelicanos to check in, but they had already closed for the day. I emailed Jeanie and she copied Pony, who was running the shop during our stay (Jeanie was back in the U.S.). Pony said to just show up the next day.
We then walked to Mega and got all our groceries. Turns out 2 lbs of bacon, 54 eggs, four loaves of bread, and some odds and ends is enough for plenty of breakfasts (and lunches) for hungry divers for a week! We picked up 2 cabs for the return trip at 40 pesos each.
That night, we walked up to La Rumba and had a great dinner to live music. There were only a few tables filled while we were there, but they played their hearts out. It was a lot of fun, but everyone was exhausted from travel and we went to bed without a lot of additional fanfare.
The next day, we woke up, ate breakfast, and headed to 3Ps. Pony was running the whole show with Steve in Alaska and Jeanie back home as well. We got a cab to the Caleta and met the other couple on the boat. We learned that Edgar had some sinus issues and wouldn't be diving with us. We really liked Edgar from a previous trip, so that concerned me a little , but Jaime filled in and was a really great divemaster. Miguel (Campeche) captained us to Palancar Deep and Paso de Cedral for two really nice first dives. We saw a nurse shark at first drop, and several turtles throughout.
The following day, we went to Santa Rosa Wall, always a terrific dive, and Tormentos. Then we did a night dive on Paradise Reef. I'm normally just OK with night dives, but this one was probably the best I've ever done. I lost count of the number of octopus, and saw a few things like a Spanish lobster that I had not seen before. Jaime had us turn out our lights near the end of the dive, and we flailed about watching the bioluminescent creatures light up with every stroke. It was pretty incredible.
The following day, the couple that had joined us were no longer diving, and we joined a family of four at their hotel pier just south of the Caleta. Also, Edgar was back as divemaster and was as good as ever. The first dive of the day was Colombia. I experienced a bit of a panic on this dive - really for no discernible reason - and it required a few good minutes of concentration to recover from. My dive buddies did not notice it; I think the most tangible signs were that I was breathing heavy, and I tried to pay very methodical attention to my computers, which helped keep me from calling my dive. Despite that, it was a good dive with several turtles and a large grouper among the stars. Even though I was breathing heavy at first (at the deepest part of the dive), my breathing moderated and I sipped air during the second half of the dive, ending up with 700psi when back on the boat after almost 60 minutes.
The second dive of the day was Palancar Gardens, and was spectacular. There was so much life above the swim-throughs that my buddy and I decided to stay above after doing a few. The sun was out by this time and dappled the reef with shimmering light. Just a great dive, and a close second favorite of the trip.
One of our dive buddies was only diving three days during the trip, so this was his last day. He had perforated his eardrum in the past, and had done so again. Nothing painful, but he went to the hospital in town and got treated by the doc there, a mere $60 for the equivalent of an ER/urgent care visit. (The ear is doing well).
The next day, We went to Palancar horseshoe and Casa Blanca/Cedral. They were good dives. A dive buddy found a juvenile drumfish (her absolute favorite) and there was a splendid toadfish or two in addition to the other sea life.
On day five, my last day of diving, we dived Palancar Bricks and Dalila. Both were very good dives. Several of the divers were on the boat after 45 minutes each time, but my buddy and I were pushing 70 minutes on Dalila when we mutually signaled for our safety stop. Just as we started ascending, Edgar called us back down. We did a little "what?" shrug and he motioned a bit more authoritatively this time. Checking our computers, we decided we had enough air and bottom time to see what was up. Glad we did! A huge green moray eel (my favorite) poked his tail out of a hole in the rock, and after a few seconds, he came fully out and swam around. I got a lot of pictures from different angles. Lo and behold, a juvenile drumfish had been sharing the hole with the eel, and my dive buddy shrieked and watched that while I followed the eel.
After a few minutes, we needed to do our safety stop for good, so we ascended again, only to see a huge stingray ply the sand as we drifted overhead (the current was pretty brisk during this dive).
We had planned to do the afternoon dives that day. It would have been only our group diving, and we wanted to see the C-53 wreck (none of us had ever been there), to which Edgar agreed. While on our surface interval at Money Bar, Edgar came back and said the storm that was forming over the Yucutan peninsula was coming, and the port was closed. Despite this, we didn't see any rain for the rest of the day; the closure was probably a little premature. We were a bit bummed but it just leaves something for next time.
The following day, half the group dived and the other half (including me) didn't. Instead, we took a cab to the East side, stopping at El Cedral, and then La Mirador to watch the waves crash onto the rocks and, occasionally, up through some blowholes, if the waves were big enough. Apparently, they were plenty big just as two of us had our faces right over the hole, and we got drenched. Just a spectacular site and well worth a stop! The hazy salt air from the crashing waves enveloped the entire eastern shore and permeated the air.
We then stopped at El Pescador to lounge on the beach chairs and take a dip in the ocean. It was perfect; the breeze felt so good while the white noise of the waves crashed around us. Some of the largest breakers made it through the rock wall protecting the little beach cove where we were, and made for some fun dodging and bobbing.
During the trip, we dined at a lot of places, each better than the last (with only one exception). La Rumba, Le Chef, Blue Angel with its live music, Casa Denis, El Moro (twice!), La Choza, Cielito Lindo, and more. The only one I wouldn't return to a second time - not to mention again and again - is Woody's. Weird vibe, standoffish waitstaff..just no kindness at all, and forgettable food. But any of the other restaurants would stand up favorably against the best places I enjoy back home.
Even though a tropical storm was forming above Cozumel for the last several days, we lucked out on rain. We had clouds with some sun on every dive, some early morning showers, and really nothing at night until the last night, when it really poured. Our dive gear had been drying outside and most of it got drenched again, but some fans and strategically-used towels got it dry by the next morning when we had to check out. The taxi ride back was sad but we were happy that we enjoyed a successful, safe, and healthy trip.
All in all, a really enjoyable trip that has us thinking about doing it again next year.
We got our van tickets and headed to Castillo del Rey on Ave 10 and Calle 9. What a beautiful place. Great pool and gardens....and the villa was huge! More than enough room to spread out, cook our breakfasts, and relax.
After quickly unpacking, we headed over to Tres Pelicanos to check in, but they had already closed for the day. I emailed Jeanie and she copied Pony, who was running the shop during our stay (Jeanie was back in the U.S.). Pony said to just show up the next day.
We then walked to Mega and got all our groceries. Turns out 2 lbs of bacon, 54 eggs, four loaves of bread, and some odds and ends is enough for plenty of breakfasts (and lunches) for hungry divers for a week! We picked up 2 cabs for the return trip at 40 pesos each.
That night, we walked up to La Rumba and had a great dinner to live music. There were only a few tables filled while we were there, but they played their hearts out. It was a lot of fun, but everyone was exhausted from travel and we went to bed without a lot of additional fanfare.
The next day, we woke up, ate breakfast, and headed to 3Ps. Pony was running the whole show with Steve in Alaska and Jeanie back home as well. We got a cab to the Caleta and met the other couple on the boat. We learned that Edgar had some sinus issues and wouldn't be diving with us. We really liked Edgar from a previous trip, so that concerned me a little , but Jaime filled in and was a really great divemaster. Miguel (Campeche) captained us to Palancar Deep and Paso de Cedral for two really nice first dives. We saw a nurse shark at first drop, and several turtles throughout.
The following day, we went to Santa Rosa Wall, always a terrific dive, and Tormentos. Then we did a night dive on Paradise Reef. I'm normally just OK with night dives, but this one was probably the best I've ever done. I lost count of the number of octopus, and saw a few things like a Spanish lobster that I had not seen before. Jaime had us turn out our lights near the end of the dive, and we flailed about watching the bioluminescent creatures light up with every stroke. It was pretty incredible.
The following day, the couple that had joined us were no longer diving, and we joined a family of four at their hotel pier just south of the Caleta. Also, Edgar was back as divemaster and was as good as ever. The first dive of the day was Colombia. I experienced a bit of a panic on this dive - really for no discernible reason - and it required a few good minutes of concentration to recover from. My dive buddies did not notice it; I think the most tangible signs were that I was breathing heavy, and I tried to pay very methodical attention to my computers, which helped keep me from calling my dive. Despite that, it was a good dive with several turtles and a large grouper among the stars. Even though I was breathing heavy at first (at the deepest part of the dive), my breathing moderated and I sipped air during the second half of the dive, ending up with 700psi when back on the boat after almost 60 minutes.
The second dive of the day was Palancar Gardens, and was spectacular. There was so much life above the swim-throughs that my buddy and I decided to stay above after doing a few. The sun was out by this time and dappled the reef with shimmering light. Just a great dive, and a close second favorite of the trip.
One of our dive buddies was only diving three days during the trip, so this was his last day. He had perforated his eardrum in the past, and had done so again. Nothing painful, but he went to the hospital in town and got treated by the doc there, a mere $60 for the equivalent of an ER/urgent care visit. (The ear is doing well).
The next day, We went to Palancar horseshoe and Casa Blanca/Cedral. They were good dives. A dive buddy found a juvenile drumfish (her absolute favorite) and there was a splendid toadfish or two in addition to the other sea life.
On day five, my last day of diving, we dived Palancar Bricks and Dalila. Both were very good dives. Several of the divers were on the boat after 45 minutes each time, but my buddy and I were pushing 70 minutes on Dalila when we mutually signaled for our safety stop. Just as we started ascending, Edgar called us back down. We did a little "what?" shrug and he motioned a bit more authoritatively this time. Checking our computers, we decided we had enough air and bottom time to see what was up. Glad we did! A huge green moray eel (my favorite) poked his tail out of a hole in the rock, and after a few seconds, he came fully out and swam around. I got a lot of pictures from different angles. Lo and behold, a juvenile drumfish had been sharing the hole with the eel, and my dive buddy shrieked and watched that while I followed the eel.
After a few minutes, we needed to do our safety stop for good, so we ascended again, only to see a huge stingray ply the sand as we drifted overhead (the current was pretty brisk during this dive).
We had planned to do the afternoon dives that day. It would have been only our group diving, and we wanted to see the C-53 wreck (none of us had ever been there), to which Edgar agreed. While on our surface interval at Money Bar, Edgar came back and said the storm that was forming over the Yucutan peninsula was coming, and the port was closed. Despite this, we didn't see any rain for the rest of the day; the closure was probably a little premature. We were a bit bummed but it just leaves something for next time.
The following day, half the group dived and the other half (including me) didn't. Instead, we took a cab to the East side, stopping at El Cedral, and then La Mirador to watch the waves crash onto the rocks and, occasionally, up through some blowholes, if the waves were big enough. Apparently, they were plenty big just as two of us had our faces right over the hole, and we got drenched. Just a spectacular site and well worth a stop! The hazy salt air from the crashing waves enveloped the entire eastern shore and permeated the air.
We then stopped at El Pescador to lounge on the beach chairs and take a dip in the ocean. It was perfect; the breeze felt so good while the white noise of the waves crashed around us. Some of the largest breakers made it through the rock wall protecting the little beach cove where we were, and made for some fun dodging and bobbing.
During the trip, we dined at a lot of places, each better than the last (with only one exception). La Rumba, Le Chef, Blue Angel with its live music, Casa Denis, El Moro (twice!), La Choza, Cielito Lindo, and more. The only one I wouldn't return to a second time - not to mention again and again - is Woody's. Weird vibe, standoffish waitstaff..just no kindness at all, and forgettable food. But any of the other restaurants would stand up favorably against the best places I enjoy back home.
Even though a tropical storm was forming above Cozumel for the last several days, we lucked out on rain. We had clouds with some sun on every dive, some early morning showers, and really nothing at night until the last night, when it really poured. Our dive gear had been drying outside and most of it got drenched again, but some fans and strategically-used towels got it dry by the next morning when we had to check out. The taxi ride back was sad but we were happy that we enjoyed a successful, safe, and healthy trip.
All in all, a really enjoyable trip that has us thinking about doing it again next year.
