Mossman in Cozumel, day 2

[Mossman]

After another practically sleepless night, I crawled out of bed at 5 am to set up the camera. Leak tested it before putting on the strobes, then realized I might have screwed up: I forgot to screw the caps on the bulkhead sockets for the sync cords. My fears were confirmed after I blew out the water and attached the strobes: nada. Clutching at straws, I decided to check on something. I haven't used the housing since it came back from service and there's a menu for customizing which strobes are attached. Sure enough, the factory had reset it to Sea & Sea strobes. I changed the settings to Ike DS125s, tested again, and voila, both strobes fired. Got it all assembled finally, but that meant missing out on breakfast. Made myself a pot of in-room coffee and it came out looking like tea but I drank it anyway. Some caffeine is better than none at all.

The walk down the path, around the pool, across the long boardwalk, past the restaurant, across the beach, and down the dock is quite a long one when you have a 40-lb camera system and drybag in hand and dive gear on the back, but I finally made it, set everything down, and relaxed in the chilly wind until the Jew Fish came by to pick me up. The OG dock is quite the madhouse in the morning with the Dive Palancar boats loading divers and tanks and other dive ops' boats zipping in for pickups as well, but they managed to get me aboard and away we went.

First dive, Palancar Caves, 90' for 49 minutes, second dive, Delila, 70' for 51 minutes. My air consumption was much worse than usual, but I attributed that to first day jitters and trying to take photos. Fortunately Living Underwater is not a dive op that insists on the group surfacing together, so I was able to make solo ascents on both dives without limiting anyone else. A few shots came out OK, but shooting macro is such a pain in Cozumel so I'm switching to wide-angle tomorrow (now that I finally got a toadfish for my collection):

122554122555122556122557122558122559

[Sideways]

Sounds like you're having a blast so far Bro. Nioce pics!! Keep us updated! Glad you didn't screw up your bulkheads....LOL.

[Tunaman68]

Great Toadie!!!

[Brules]

Nice! Needs more poolside fish! :)

[cardzard]

Thanks for sharing

[diveprof]

Mossman, how does the Occidental compare to Cozumel Palace?

[azscubadude]

I forgot to screw the caps on the bulkhead sockets for the sync cords. My fears were confirmed after I blew out the water and attached the strobes

On one of my first dives last trip a fellow from Hotel Cozumel came over to SCC to do some diving.

He had a nice kit with a P&S camera, housing and strobe/video light. We went down on the first dive of the day and the DM was pointing out some fishes for him to get a photos of but he didn't take any pictures for the whole dive, we couldn't understand why ?

When the dive was over and we got back on the boat he opened the housing and poured the water out of it, opened the camera back and also poured the water out of it too.

He grabbed his camera case and was rifling through it looking for something. When we inquired what happened he said that there was no o-ring in the housing and as soon as he hit the water he watched the housing flood (no o-ring = big flood, not just a leak). He never did find the big o-ring for the housing so evidently he never got one, or lost it, or left it in his room.. cause it wasn't anywhere to be found (and we were on a small boat).

He told us it was a brand new camera and kit and was his first dive for the whole set-up. He was not a happy diver.. we never saw him again after that day.

I felt bad for him but also thought (to myself).. dude, the MAIN o-ring !!

[Mossman]

Great Toadie!!!
Thank you. Jeremy dangled something to lure him out, but a head-on shot was impossible. Thought the profile shot was more unique anyway since most people shoot them head-on.


Mossman, how does the Occidental compare to Cozumel Palace?
I'm still figuring that out. So far, lunches were better at the Palace, but dinners were very comparable, edge to the Palace on apps, but my entrees were better at the Grand (can't say just say Occidental since there's the Occidental Allegro next door). Desserts also about the same. Also, I'm staying at the Royal Club part of the Grand that not only has its own restaurant (which I tried tonight) but also allows unlimited reservations at the specialty restaurants, whereas normal Grand guest only get to reserve three nights at the specialty restaurants for a 7-night stay. Still, the price would have been $600 less had J come with me ($1800 vs $2400 for the Palace) and the Grand has a single rate ($1200) whereas the Palace would have still charged me $2400 had I come alone, so for a single it's a no brainer. Again, these are the prices for the Royal Club. I think the double rate at the regular Grand is only $1400.

The rooms are definitely nicer at the Palace, of that there's no doubt. Oceanview and the huge jacuzzi can't be beat, though my little patio is in a nice garden setting and the single bathtub here does have jacuzzi jets. The Palace is great for those who love marble, but the Grand is very organic, natural vegetation everywhere, yet they keep it up very well. Because of the natural setting, you start to hear the tropical birds sing in the morning, but at least there are no roosters! Last night when I got up to pee, there was a tiny frog by the sink, but I haven't yet seen any crawling bugs thankfully. The proximity to the dive sites is great - I didn't get picked up until 8:30 this morning, whereas I had to be on the dock at 7:45ish at the Palace, then endure the long boat rides back and forth. And if beach is your thing, there's obviously no comparison to the excellent beach here versus the iron shore at the Palace. As for drinks, they serve name brands even in the regular bars. Last night in the Lobby Bar I sampled rum & diet Cokes made with Bacardi Anejo, Bacardi Solera, and Havana Club 7 year. I'll investigate vodkas and whiskies another night.

Overall, I still probably prefer the amenities and perks of the Palace, but the Grand is a close runner up and better then the Palace in some ways, so with the price differential I'll probably bring J back here if we can get the time this winter. And then there's the Aura, which is supposed to be better than the Grand, but with the same benefits of being south, so I supposed I'll have to give that a shot sometime as well.


He told us it was a brand new camera and kit and was his first dive for the whole set-up. He was not a happy diver.. we never saw him again after that day.

I felt bad for him but also thought (to myself).. dude, the MAIN o-ring !!
Yup, that's pretty darn dumb. I'm not dumb enough to leak test my housing before putting the camera in, but I sure am dumb enough to leave the caps off the bulkhead. Fortunately my housing is made for hungover dummies like me as it's rather bulletproof. There are two main o-rings in case one fails, and the whole shebang is designed to be rinsed with fresh water in case of flooding. Yeah, you'll fry the camera, but the housing electronics are all sealed. That may be why I didn't fry the bulkhead when I screwed up this morning. And I already invested in a backup camera when the inevitable happens. Unfortunately L&M isn't currently making still camera housings, that's a shame.

[cicopo]

Chris, It's a pretty good bet that guy never read the manual or if he did he didn't take the time to absorb what it said. ANY I've read were very thorough in O ring installation & maintenance.

Re the Grand our stay wasn't very grand, primarily because of the food at the buffets (and I like buffets) especially at lunch. We also thought there was very little service just about everywhere. The buildings, grounds, rooms & beach were all great but for the price we paid (& it was on sale) we weren't impressed. We didn't do the Royal Club option & I have no idea how much more that would have cost. I did however drink a lot of my favorite rum there which is the Anejo which I have finally found locally & will be sampling soon. (Just checked the bottle, "Product of Mexico")

[Mossman]

Anejo is awesome rum, used to only find in Mexico, but it has emerged to the States in better liquor stores. Try the Solera sometime, it's even smoother and in a fancier bottle. I've heard mixed reviews on the buffets here, a primary reason why I upgraded to the Royal Club so I could avoid them. The lunch buffet at the Palace is simply incredible, only problem is you're too full for dinner after gorging yourself. Dinner buffet at the Palace is also excellent: steaks, chicken, or fish grilled to order with a great buffet selection of salads, sides, and desserts - only problem with that is it's outdoors which was great when we stayed there in December and would be great when the weather is like it is tonight: about 70 degrees with low humidity, but when we were there in June the heat was oppressive at night and we stuck to the indoor restaurants.

One more comparison between the Palace and the Grand (or at least the Royal Club section) - it's very quiet at night. I was just sitting outside on my patio and could barely hear the entertainment over the natural sounds of crickets and frogs chirping away. OTOH, at the Palace, almost all the rooms front the pool area where the entertainment is loud and clear even with your balcony door closed tight. Only thing I can hear in my room right now is the a/c fan.

Dinner tonight at the Royal Club restaurant: an amuse-geule of a lightly tempura-ed shrimp with a half a cherry tomato on top, then a starter of tuna tartare. The tuna was a bit scary looking since it was brown instead of the nice red I'm used to at home, I'm hoping that was just from oxidation, not spoilation, and I'll guess I'll find out soon enough - it tasted OK. Both went down nicely with a margie on the rocks. Switched to white wine with my next course, the Chinese noodles with bacon and shrimp, which was excellent. Shrimp were cooked perfectly and the noodles were very tasty with the minced bacon, albeit a bit greasy. Got a filet again tonight, this time it was even better than last night's, about 12 oz of close-to-prime beef, perfectly trimmed, and topped with a very savory brown sauce composed of raisins and other stuff that I forget - I do plan on taking a photo of menu before I leave. Dessert was trio de chocolate, basically a little layered mousse of white, milk, and dark chocolate that had a bit too much gelatin for my taste, but the chocolate flavor was still rich. For the beef, I asked the waiter if I could have a whole bottle of the house red (Domecq Cabernet) so I could take the rest back to the room. No problem, though he did whisper to me that I should tell anyone who asked that I bought the bottle. Not sure why the drama since there's no problem drinking the stuff by the unlimited glass - he was probably just milking me for a tip and I obliged. I took pics off all the courses except the dessert, so I'll have to order that again just so I can photo it. Can't post food pics until I get home since I forgot to bring the card adapter for the point-and-shoot camera. That reminds me, I think it's time to head back to the restaurant to get a couple of white russians to bring back to the room since I'm staying in tonight, actually have work to do which sucks the big one.

[cicopo]

I discovered Anejo on my first stay at the Iberostar (2003) while trying all the different rums they had. After a while the bartender knew what i wanted whenever I headed his way. On my next visit (1 year later) he saw me on our first night & immediately brought me one (with Coke) & welcomed me back plus announced his promotion to a management position. He deserved it but unfortunately Wilma closed the place long enough that he ended up somewhere else & where ever he is I'm sure his employer got a great employee. I guess I'll have to break the seal on the bottle I just bought soon, and if it's as good as I expect it will bring back those memories even more vividly.
Hope tomorrow is great & you get some photos to prove it. Have fun.

[Mossman]

One more point of comparison that could be very important for those who have to stay in touch. There is no cell phone signal out here at the Grand. Wifi is free, and pretty decent, at the Royal Club, but costs money for the rest of the Grand ($10 a day, I believe?). I made the mistake of using the credit card option to call home and ended up spending $49 to leave a message on my answering machine, plus my credit card was suspended for potential fraud because the phone charge hailed from Luxembourg. Fortunately I was able to clear that up since they e-mailed me about the suspect charge, but it could have been a problem at check out had I not gotten the message. On the other hand, the Palace does include free calls to the U.S. and Canada as well as through out Mexico. I think the Grand even charges $4.00 for local calls, but I lucked out on that one. When I called my dive op upon arrival I couldn't figure out how to place a local call (dialing 9 first, or 8 first didn't work), so I went to the Royal Club concierge and she dialed it on her phone at no cost to me. Again, the regular Grand staff might not be as helpful as the Royal Club concierge, so YMMV if you don't upgrade.

But this place smells so good. Tropical flowers abound and you constantly get a whiff of floral essence, instead of car exhaust or sewage smells that can impact staying in town. Why they couldn't have just put the Palace down south on the same grounds, then there'd be no need to weigh the alternatives.

[cicopo]

Internet charges (non Royal Club) are outrages there considering what they pay for them. As for the credit card problem I ran into something similar here at home years ago so I always contact my CC company to let them know my travel plans & dates.

[Mossman]

I discovered Anejo on my first stay at the Iberostar (2003) while trying all the different rums they had. After a while the bartender knew what i wanted whenever I headed his way. On my next visit (1 year later) he saw me on our first night & immediately brought me one (with Coke) & welcomed me back plus announced his promotion to a management position. He deserved it but unfortunately Wilma closed the place long enough that he ended up somewhere else & where ever he is I'm sure his employer got a great employee. I guess I'll have to break the seal on the bottle I just bought soon, and if it's as good as I expect it will bring back those memories even more vividly.
Hope tomorrow is great & you get some photos to prove it. Have fun.
I went to college a short drive from the Mexican border (UC San Diego), so Anejo has been one of my faves since the late 80s. I don't know why it took them so long to import it into the States. After all, Bacardi is a product of Puerto Rico, which is surely more American than Mexican.

Tomorrow will be really nice. I think Jeremy is accomodating a couple of cruisers since he doesn't want to pick me up until 9:15, which means more sleep and time for breakfast! Dive sites might be limited, but with my air consumption sucking at the present, I don't mind staying shallow. Besides, that's where there are better wide-angle opportunites IMO.

Ah, almost forgot to mention. On the first dive today we saw one of those monster green morays and I was joking with Jeremy about why I didn't bother to shoot it with my macro lens. He said I could have shot its eye, I said I could have shot a tooth. On the second dive, however, I was drifting backward (as I find that an easier way to shoot) and he started gesticulating at me. I looked around, and there was another monster moray free-swimming. I've seen plenty of monsters in crevices, and plenty of free swimming smaller morays, but this was my first free swimming monster. Oh to have had my wide-angle lens then. To tell you the truth, it was almost frightening, especially when it circled back and started coming our way. That sucker probably could have bitten my head off.

Also saw the biggest channel clinging (aka "king") crab I've ever seen, must have been five feet across. Even the angel fish are outsized here. Got the wide-angle lens on the camera already, just need to put the big port on, add arms to the strobes, and I'm good to go. Of course, with my typical luck, we'll be spotting all sorts of unusual tiny critters tomorrow and not see any big stuff.

[Sideways]

My last trip in December, I shot mostly WA. I really wanted to try out my new 105mm, and did on one dive. 60mm on a couple, but the majority was WA. On the second dives (shallower reef dives) I videod. With my crappy lil JVC Picsio. I'm in the process of buying a real vid cam/housing combo now. Can't wait to try it out.

You're braver than me man, Tuna tartar that's off color???....:doh:

[Mossman]

My last trip in December, I shot mostly WA. I really wanted to try out my new 105mm, and did on one dive. 60mm on a couple, but the majority was WA. On the second dives (shallower reef dives) I videod. With my crappy lil JVC Picsio. I'm in the process of buying a real vid cam/housing combo now. Can't wait to try it out.

You're braver than me man, Tuna tartar that's off color???....:doh:
I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt, hoping they don't deliberately food poison their guests. Oxidation can turn tuna brown which is unpleasant to look at and can impair the taste, but it isn't a health risk. We Californians were at the forefront of the sushi craze so our raw fish standards are much higher, but this is Mexico after all. That said, I've had excellent sushi and sashimi in Mexico, including very nice red/pink tuna. But I've also learned not to complain in restaurants because if you piss off the chef, you'll get much worse in return. Chefs have bigger egos than anyone and even well-meaning critiques can still lead to them spitting in your food or worse. So I happily ate it (flavor was OK, which is a good sign) washed down with liberal sips of my margarita, hoping the tequila would kill any potential bugs. Still, I'm pretty sure I'll order a different appetizer for my next dinner there :)

When I get home, I'll make up for it with a trip to Katsu-ya and blow a few hundred bucks on raw fish ecstacy, assuming I'm not dead from this batch.

Good luck with the video. I played around with that a bit with a used Aquatica housing for the TRV-900, but had awful luck with video lights, first with a set of Noctural lights that had major battery issues and eventually one flooded; then I got some battery-inclusive Aquatica lights that spontaneously broke and led to a major argument between me and a rude French-Canadian Aquatica employee and that turned me off video altogether and got me back into still. With tiny cameras available now that shoot HD in low light, it's almost tempting, but I've made my investment in my current still set-up and I'm still "amortizing" that over many dive trips to come. When that's mentally "paid off", probably not until 2020 or so, maybe I'll try video again. By then, we'll be able to shoot in 3D with no extra lighting!

[MMM]

Jeremy will tell you that tequila is a good general cure-all. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Sideways]

I'll let you know how it goes with the video. I already have my lights, a pair of Sola 1200's that I bought for my lil flip vid. I'm hoping that with the capabilities of the newer camcorders with man. WB I won't have to completely rely on them. Save the lights for the macro goodies ;) I also agree with your's and Marg's Tequila assesment.... hehehe. I have an Aquatica housing for my D90, so your story scares me a bit. :( Have a great day #3 Brotha!

[diveprof]

Thanks for your comments Mossman.

[PARADISE HUNTER]

Jeremy does a great job. Allowing people to ascend on their own early in dives is really nice and not many ops let you do that.

Sounds like you are having a great time. Enjoying the posts on my end!

How is the wine at the Grand? I've not found anything good offered in the AIs.

Thanks,

PH

[Ron Lee]

Allowing people to ascend on their own early in dives is really nice and not many ops let you do that.

Maybe nice...maybe not. Depends on how it is implemented. It seems to me that a common factor in several recent deaths is that the deceased ascended alone.


That sucker probably could have bitten my head off.

Perhaps but the prevailing view amongst the underwater locals is that people taste like chicken.

[awap]

Maybe nice...maybe not. Depends on how it is implemented. It seems to me that a common factor in several recent deaths is that the deceased ascended alone.

I think that "common factor" needs to be refined a bit more. My impression is that those deaths involved divers who were otherwise experiencing some problems (not a planned ascent based on gas plans) and the alone was unplanned. There is a big difference between planned solo and unplanned buddy separation solo.

[cvchief]

One more point of comparison that could be very important for those who have to stay in touch. There is no cell phone signal out here at the Grand. .

I wonder if that changed? I had a great cell signal on both Sprint and Nextel down there before. A little further south at Ibero I had to stick my BB in the window and it would grab emails off and on.

[Ron Lee]

Good point awap. Experience level is also relevant which is the essence of my signature statement.

[Mossman]

Internet charges (non Royal Club) are outrages there considering what they pay for them. As for the credit card problem I ran into something similar here at home years ago so I always contact my CC company to let them know my travel plans & dates.
I do the same, notified Chase that I'd be in the foreign countries of Mexico and Texas. It was the Luxembourg charge that threw them off. And $10/day is a bargain compared to charging me $49 to leave a one-minute voicemail!


Jeremy does a great job. Allowing people to ascend on their own early in dives is really nice and not many ops let you do that.

Sounds like you are having a great time. Enjoying the posts on my end!

How is the wine at the Grand? I've not found anything good offered in the AIs.

At the Palace, we used much of our $1500 in credits to upgrade to better wine each night. So far the wine at the steakhouse (Chilean) and the Royal Club restaurant (Baja California) were very decent, better than expected. That said, I've heard that the buffet wine is lousy, one more reason I'm trying to avoid the buffet.


I wonder if that changed? I had a great cell signal on both Sprint and Nextel down there before. A little further south at Ibero I had to stick my BB in the window and it would grab emails off and on.
I'll have to walk my phone around the property and check. Perhaps it will work closer to the road. I made a comment to the concierge that I couldn't get service and she agreed with me, saying we're too far south, so I naively believed her. Now that I see what they charge for phone call to the U.S., it's entirely possible she lied.

[Okie Mike]

If you have internet, use Skype.

[Uber]

there is no cell phone signal out here at the Grand

Well... That's funny....because I get a perfect Telecel GSM EDGE connection even in the darkest recesses of the resort.... I have to turn my blackberry off so work doesn't keep bugging me...

Are you on the night dive tonight?

[Mossman]

If you have internet, use Skype.
Unfortunately I have no microphone on my laptop nor did I bring my headset. The Skype app on my Blackberry won't let me use it for voice calls. If I were in town, I'd try to score a microphone or headset, but that's a $30 round trip by taxi. That's OK, I guess there's no one I need to talk to. I'm eating up near the lobby by the road, so I'll try my cell phone from there tonight.

[cvchief]

Unfortunately I have no microphone on my laptop nor did I bring my headset. The Skype app on my Blackberry won't let me use it for voice calls. If I were in town, I'd try to score a microphone or headset, but that's a $30 round trip by taxi. That's OK, I guess there's no one I need to talk to. I'm eating up near the lobby by the road, so I'll try my cell phone from there tonight.

Yea, the only one who wants to talk to you is probably with you....

[Mossman]

Yea, the only one who wants to talk to you is probably with you....
You should have seen me last night annoying these three people at the bar. Two guys that tried to ignore me while the drunk lady they were with kept laughing uproariously at my wittiness. Unfortunately 1:45 am is too late for Mossman to be out partying with an 8:15 pickup in the morning. Woke up with 20 minutes to get my stuff together and make the long camera drag to the dock. Ended up having excellent dives, but I'll save the details for Mossman in Cozumel, day 4. Gotta do day 3 yet, sorry for falling behind!

[awap]

You should have seen me last night annoying these three people at the bar. Two guys that tried to ignore me while the drunk lady they were with kept laughing uproariously at my wittiness. Unfortunately 1:45 am is too late for Mossman to be out partying with an 8:15 pickup in the morning. Woke up with 20 minutes to get my stuff together and make the long camera drag to the dock. Ended up having excellent dives, but I'll save the details for Mossman in Cozumel, day 4. Gotta do day 3 yet, sorry for falling behind!

Don't they have alcohol in SoCal? Dive Dive Dive.

[Mossman]

Don't they have alcohol in SoCal? Dive Dive Dive.
They have excellent diving in SoCal. At home I have to pay for my booze, here's it's included. What's your point exactly? If you're a teetotaler, good for you.

BTW, I was the last one up on the boat on both dives today and took some great shots and I'm not bent. If you think my alcohol consumption last night in any way impacted my dives today, I'd love to hear how.


Well... That's funny....because I get a perfect Telecel GSM EDGE connection even in the darkest recesses of the resort.... I have to turn my blackberry off so work doesn't keep bugging me...

Are you on the night dive tonight?
Nope!

As for perfect connection, you are right. It's my damn phone again. I just get the SOS "signal" on my Blackberry in GSM and zero bars in CDMA. Perhaps I didn't update the roaming list or something before I left home. (If you want to trade phones for the week, I promise mine won't bug you and I'll reimburse you for calls :) )