Dave Zimmerly
Contributor
Returned last Wednesday from a two week stay in Coz, fourth time there and it was better than ever.
Scuba Club
The first week I would be alone. GF would come down next week. The Scuba Club fit my needs. Its a no-frills kinda place. Basic room with fridge, hair dryer, alarm clock and racks outside your room to dry your gear. My room was on the third floor with a patio and nice view of the ocean. Always plenty of towels and pleasantries from the maids. The bed was kinda hard but I have come to expect this in most of Coz. They assigned me to a boat with five other divers to one DM. Diving was varied, the most challenging being Punta Sur. I quickly realized that for once I was the diver with more experience and greater SAC rate. It seemed guys were always asking me how much air I had after a dive and then explaining why they didnt. Amusing. Anyways, the reefs are coming back and it seemed that there were more small fish than before. Saw a greater number of Angel fishes than in previous years. Had the pleasure of seeing a pod of six dolphins follow in the wake of our boat on one of the rides out. Water viz was 100-125+ and around 85f. Currents were mild the first week and actually had the experience of being on a dive and having the current change direction three times.
The food. Well, Im not a picky eater, but the food was O.K. Lots of it, but recycled from lunch to dinner with lots of rice and beans. I think the food at Fantasy Island, Roatan was better. The bar price for a wine was $5 US. Off to Chedrul where I bought a couple of bottles for much less and proceeded to have a evening ritual of talking to people, drinking wine and watching the sun set on the patio.
Cozumel Palace
By the end of the first week I had settled in to my daily routine, and while everyone was packing to the airport, I hailed a taxi and went up the street to the Palace. Ah, the Palace. My GF showed up around 13:30 and after lunch and cocktails we went to Dive Paradise to fill out the paperwork. Then back to the Palace. What a difference. From the soft beds, excellent food, two-person jacuzzi (which works great for rinsing dive gear), service to the level of catering, it cannot be beat. The next morning we were picked in a fast boat and were pleased to learn that there would be only one other diver with us for the week. Sweet. Since he was a photographer, we decided to do the shallower dives. We like to look at the fish. We all had a great time and half way through the week, he and his wife took us to the other side of the island for sightseeing and cocktails. The Nortes did blow through for a couple of days and one day we didnt dive, but made up for it the next day.
All in all a wonderful, relaxing vacation and cannot wait to go back. Cozumel will always be my favorite place to go.
Personnel Notes:
- Passed my 100th dive in the second week.
- Did my first solo dives (only at 22 ft in front of the Scuba Club)
- Used my SMB twice out of necessity. GF and I had to ascend earlier because of her air. When we came up, there were swells and the boat was a long way off.
- My SAC rate is greatly improving, coming up with at least 1000-1200 psi (45-50 min) on the first dives and 1200-1500 psi (45-60 min) on the second dives.
- I was the only diver in two groups to have a Save-A-Dive Kit, and it was used by others a few times.
- Took off an additional 2 lbs of weight of my belt.
- Lost 5 lbs of weight (body mass).
- Baby shampoo works the best for mask defog.
Regards,
Dave (aka Squirt)
Scuba Club
The first week I would be alone. GF would come down next week. The Scuba Club fit my needs. Its a no-frills kinda place. Basic room with fridge, hair dryer, alarm clock and racks outside your room to dry your gear. My room was on the third floor with a patio and nice view of the ocean. Always plenty of towels and pleasantries from the maids. The bed was kinda hard but I have come to expect this in most of Coz. They assigned me to a boat with five other divers to one DM. Diving was varied, the most challenging being Punta Sur. I quickly realized that for once I was the diver with more experience and greater SAC rate. It seemed guys were always asking me how much air I had after a dive and then explaining why they didnt. Amusing. Anyways, the reefs are coming back and it seemed that there were more small fish than before. Saw a greater number of Angel fishes than in previous years. Had the pleasure of seeing a pod of six dolphins follow in the wake of our boat on one of the rides out. Water viz was 100-125+ and around 85f. Currents were mild the first week and actually had the experience of being on a dive and having the current change direction three times.
The food. Well, Im not a picky eater, but the food was O.K. Lots of it, but recycled from lunch to dinner with lots of rice and beans. I think the food at Fantasy Island, Roatan was better. The bar price for a wine was $5 US. Off to Chedrul where I bought a couple of bottles for much less and proceeded to have a evening ritual of talking to people, drinking wine and watching the sun set on the patio.
Cozumel Palace
By the end of the first week I had settled in to my daily routine, and while everyone was packing to the airport, I hailed a taxi and went up the street to the Palace. Ah, the Palace. My GF showed up around 13:30 and after lunch and cocktails we went to Dive Paradise to fill out the paperwork. Then back to the Palace. What a difference. From the soft beds, excellent food, two-person jacuzzi (which works great for rinsing dive gear), service to the level of catering, it cannot be beat. The next morning we were picked in a fast boat and were pleased to learn that there would be only one other diver with us for the week. Sweet. Since he was a photographer, we decided to do the shallower dives. We like to look at the fish. We all had a great time and half way through the week, he and his wife took us to the other side of the island for sightseeing and cocktails. The Nortes did blow through for a couple of days and one day we didnt dive, but made up for it the next day.
All in all a wonderful, relaxing vacation and cannot wait to go back. Cozumel will always be my favorite place to go.
Personnel Notes:
- Passed my 100th dive in the second week.
- Did my first solo dives (only at 22 ft in front of the Scuba Club)
- Used my SMB twice out of necessity. GF and I had to ascend earlier because of her air. When we came up, there were swells and the boat was a long way off.
- My SAC rate is greatly improving, coming up with at least 1000-1200 psi (45-50 min) on the first dives and 1200-1500 psi (45-60 min) on the second dives.
- I was the only diver in two groups to have a Save-A-Dive Kit, and it was used by others a few times.
- Took off an additional 2 lbs of weight of my belt.
- Lost 5 lbs of weight (body mass).
- Baby shampoo works the best for mask defog.
Regards,
Dave (aka Squirt)
