Divingnthedark
Contributor
Thought I would take the time to post a report from my trip. I hadn’t really planned on returning to Cozumel in April but I needed to make my own assessment of the recovery progress since hurricane Wilma. This was my 6th trip to Cozumel and I generally make from 23-30 dives when I travel there. Cozumel is my escape pod when my life/reality gets too stressful, it is my home away from home, where I can go to see friendly faces and friends with positive attitudes about life. Having said that I can also tell you that the glass is always half full! At first I was dismayed when I saw the island during landing and did not see the overwhelming green that I am accustomed to seeing. I quickly got over it and realized how much hard work the people of Cozumel have done and continue to do to insure the islands continued vitality.
Accommodations: Stayed at Hotel Cozumel and Resort which I have stayed at on past trips. The Hotel is clean and the staff is friendly but I never get the all inclusive plan as I find that the food is generally better off the resort and I like to explore. The pool is very nice although I spent so much time in the ocean I never made it into the pool. The only thing that I really dislike about the Hotel Cozumel is that the activities remind me of being on a land based cruise ship. I guess it’s a plus for those traveling with family and or non-diving companions.
Dive Operations:
Did my diving with Blue XT Sea http://www.bluextseadiving.com/ and Bottom Time Divers http://www.bottomtimedivers.net/index.html both are 6 divers max/ fast boat operations who are proficient at dive briefings and allowing divers to maximize their bottom time based on individual air consumption and no decompression limits. Both carry on board O2 and are equipped with marine radio. Their captains and dive masters are top notch and the boat was always right there when we surfaced. Both operations serve snacks and cold water/juices between dives. Both also will clean and store your gear (Except your wet suit) for you and have it set up and waiting for you for your next dive day. (Which would have worked really well if I had just dove with one operation) Surface intervals are generally done at the beach where you can get off the boat, relax, swim or fill out your log book. I would not hesitate to recommend either Blue XT Sea or Bottom Time Divers to anyone as both are safety conscious, flexible and generally very interested in insuring that everyone has a good dive experience with them.
I made 27 dives total in the ten days I had set aside for diving. I was able to get to a look at the majority of Coz dive sites and thanks to Christi’s “Special Surprise” I was able to dive the Tortugas dive off Playa Del Carmen aboard her new boat Bandida II. I just love that boat, although it is a little trickier to climb back on, you get to be a pro after the first couple trips up the ladder. The Bandida II is very stable in the water and makes rough water trips smoothly to the northern reefs, as well as, crossing to the mainland. It was nice diving with Pedro Pablo DM of Blue XT Sea, as well as, Raul Platas Owner and DM of Bottom Time Divers both of whom I dove with when they worked for Blue Bubbles of long ago. I also got to make two dives with Christi owner of Blue XT Sea. I really want to thank Christi Courtney and Raul Platas for really going out of their way to make this one of the best dive vacations ever. Oh, I’ll definitely be back! The only thing I regret is not having been able to make some dives with Dario Hernandez owner of Xtabay Divers. Com as his boat Eusmilia is still under going repairs. I did get a ride back from Caleta, in my wet suit, on his scooter. That has to be something you don’t get a chance to do or see often… Only in Coz =). Maybe next time I will stay 3 weeks and dive a week with each of these operations!
Break Down of Dives/Sites and excerpts from my log book
Disclaimer: Although I have made 150 or so dives in Cozumel I am not an expert but have dove all the sites except the C53 wreck prior to Wilma …YMMV. One thing I found very interesting was an abundance of juvenile fish and juvenile critters, I think that when they grow bigger people with older eyes than mine will be able to see them. The reefs are obviously capable supporting the marine life in Coz. Even though some of the reefs particularly the shallow sites took a pounding from Wilma and a fair bit of sand scouring and dusting occurred, the reefs are far from gone! I noticed that the dive masters continue to work on the reefs during dives such as dusting sand off sponges and turning over dislodged coral structures so that the healthy pieces can regenerate. This speaks of their dedication to the marine ecology and restoration of the reefs.
Accommodations: Stayed at Hotel Cozumel and Resort which I have stayed at on past trips. The Hotel is clean and the staff is friendly but I never get the all inclusive plan as I find that the food is generally better off the resort and I like to explore. The pool is very nice although I spent so much time in the ocean I never made it into the pool. The only thing that I really dislike about the Hotel Cozumel is that the activities remind me of being on a land based cruise ship. I guess it’s a plus for those traveling with family and or non-diving companions.
Dive Operations:
Did my diving with Blue XT Sea http://www.bluextseadiving.com/ and Bottom Time Divers http://www.bottomtimedivers.net/index.html both are 6 divers max/ fast boat operations who are proficient at dive briefings and allowing divers to maximize their bottom time based on individual air consumption and no decompression limits. Both carry on board O2 and are equipped with marine radio. Their captains and dive masters are top notch and the boat was always right there when we surfaced. Both operations serve snacks and cold water/juices between dives. Both also will clean and store your gear (Except your wet suit) for you and have it set up and waiting for you for your next dive day. (Which would have worked really well if I had just dove with one operation) Surface intervals are generally done at the beach where you can get off the boat, relax, swim or fill out your log book. I would not hesitate to recommend either Blue XT Sea or Bottom Time Divers to anyone as both are safety conscious, flexible and generally very interested in insuring that everyone has a good dive experience with them.
I made 27 dives total in the ten days I had set aside for diving. I was able to get to a look at the majority of Coz dive sites and thanks to Christi’s “Special Surprise” I was able to dive the Tortugas dive off Playa Del Carmen aboard her new boat Bandida II. I just love that boat, although it is a little trickier to climb back on, you get to be a pro after the first couple trips up the ladder. The Bandida II is very stable in the water and makes rough water trips smoothly to the northern reefs, as well as, crossing to the mainland. It was nice diving with Pedro Pablo DM of Blue XT Sea, as well as, Raul Platas Owner and DM of Bottom Time Divers both of whom I dove with when they worked for Blue Bubbles of long ago. I also got to make two dives with Christi owner of Blue XT Sea. I really want to thank Christi Courtney and Raul Platas for really going out of their way to make this one of the best dive vacations ever. Oh, I’ll definitely be back! The only thing I regret is not having been able to make some dives with Dario Hernandez owner of Xtabay Divers. Com as his boat Eusmilia is still under going repairs. I did get a ride back from Caleta, in my wet suit, on his scooter. That has to be something you don’t get a chance to do or see often… Only in Coz =). Maybe next time I will stay 3 weeks and dive a week with each of these operations!
Break Down of Dives/Sites and excerpts from my log book
Disclaimer: Although I have made 150 or so dives in Cozumel I am not an expert but have dove all the sites except the C53 wreck prior to Wilma …YMMV. One thing I found very interesting was an abundance of juvenile fish and juvenile critters, I think that when they grow bigger people with older eyes than mine will be able to see them. The reefs are obviously capable supporting the marine life in Coz. Even though some of the reefs particularly the shallow sites took a pounding from Wilma and a fair bit of sand scouring and dusting occurred, the reefs are far from gone! I noticed that the dive masters continue to work on the reefs during dives such as dusting sand off sponges and turning over dislodged coral structures so that the healthy pieces can regenerate. This speaks of their dedication to the marine ecology and restoration of the reefs.
