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I have been wanting to write this for a while because our trip actually took place in mid October so here goes.
In mid October, my wife and I took a trip with a few friends out of the Houston area. This time we wanted to do Cozumel “on the cheap”. That is, we decided to stay in a hotel that isn’t so fancy because we found on previous trips that all the Scuba’ing takes away from desire to enjoy the benefits of full service resorts. We decided to save our money for the thing that matters most: Diving!
We picked Villa Blanca and we were very pleasantly surprised especially considering we paid somewhere around $60 a night. The rooms were very clean and quiet which was basically all we wanted. I would highly recommend this place if all you are looking for is a place to sleep your off your overnight surface interval.
However, one thing we didn’t skimp on was the diving and the dive operator: Blue XT Sea. This is the 3rd operator that we have used in Cozumel but so far it is the best. Christi’s attention to detail and her employee’s knowledge and service were top notch. In Pedro, our divemaster, I don’t know if you can find someone with more enthusiasm and knowledge of the local area.
The small fast boats of Blue XT Sea made for a much more personal experience, and the fact that they take our gear and rinse and store every night was a very nice touch.
This was the trip of medical problems with 3 out of the party of 5 having something go wrong: a migraine headache, and a sinus infection (didn’t know it until we got back) resulting in an underwater nose bleed. The 3rd and final was a case of conjunctivitis resulting in a call to DAN and a trip to the clinic where the hyperbaric chamber is located. In each case, Christi made calls to us checking up on our conditions. I am not sure if other operators would have shown that type of personal concern.
Anyway, the diving was fantastic as usual. Everything was typical Cozumel stuff with trips to Palancar Caves, La Francesca, Paso del Cedral, Santa Rosa, Yucab, Dalila, Palancar Gardens, Paradise, Dalila Wall, and San Francisco Wall. Eleven dives in 2.5 days. The best part was Pedro guaranteeing a sea horse sighting at Paradise Reef and delivering. Nice job.
A couple of 6 footers. I am sure I used up 10 minutes of air trying to position myself for this shot.
Thank you for this write up! It doesn't matter if it was back in October. Any news and pictures from the island are welcomed from those of us that didn't make it down to the island this year... Your shot of the nurse sharks is perfect! I have to chuckle at the sea horse hunt picture because all of us look like that trying to locate one!!! Continued safe diving to you. I hope everyone in your group has recovered health-wise and will give Cozumel another try to be able to finish the fun trip next time. Thanks again for sharing.
Very nice shark shot. I haven't run into a pair at rest in all my trips. Pedro searched for & found a sea horse for me & my dive buddy in Sept and one of the photos is now my desktop background. Thanks for the trip report. Larry.
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