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I had posted a link to this NASA page before, but it got deleted somehow . Coral triangle area appears to be in purple/blue , which is the low end of the salinity scale [https://salinity.oceansciences.org/images/maps/smap_RSS_SSS_monthly_2023_12_v5.0.png]

I kind of wonder if Cozumel is just very high in salinity. That is my home base so I have my weight very tightly dialed in for the waters there, but I seem to use less weight pretty much everywhere else I dive. EDIT: Another thought/question I have had is if some places are really using kilos...

Mostly just reiterating what @Shawn C said , but the risk of being delayed definitely is a function of the number of flights coming and going. While most people don’t have much flexibility due to work schedules , if you can avoid weekend travel to and from Cozumel you are generally better off...

Please note the standard Indonesia Visa is 30 days. I gather it is extendable to 60 days but I would have a good handle on the procedures etc (I think extension is often done in person, which could be logistically challenging ). I am definitely not an expert on this at all , just flagging...

Tomorrow should certainly be open (mild winds and the they will be coming from East/Southeast so dive sites will be mostly protected from wind anyway). Today’s forecast is borderline so I could see port captain going either way. (someone should have port captain report fairly soon I assume )...

The lack of customs forms is partly the fault of the airline. United normally gives the form out during the flight (and if they didn’t have the form on the plane they usually give it out right after landing.) I flew in today. I probably walked out the door within 30 minutes of landing . They...

I think this point has been almost beaten to death , but as background even two decades ago people used to joke that PADI stood for either “pay and dive immediately “ or “put another dollar in “. While PADI is still fine more or less , some shops have shifted to training via other agencies...

These guys haven’t even locked down the route ? I see more power cuts in our future

Very little in Pacific is particularly cheap, especially for a family of four. Off the beaten path , but Yap is a pretty quaint island. Manta Ray Bay isn’t particularly expensive from my recollection. Not as dense of marine life as Raja or even Palau but a nice place with nice people...

I was in R4 for a little over two weeks in February. I did a few days at Sorido Bay (didn’t dive much due to lingering sinus injury ) followed by 11 nights on the Blue Manta going from Misool area back up to Central Raja Ampat with @Dan and his friends. I was happy with both Sorido Bay (my...

It seems like a bunch of the heavy duty photographer groups /companies use them to host courses/trips. I had tried to make a a few dates work and they were either mostly full or totally full because they were hosting a group from ____[ (fill in the blank with well known photographer or photo...

They arranged for the transfer in their van. I think is was $240 round trip. Not too bad given it was a 2 1/2 hour drive. I assume they ordinarily prefer to do that with more than one guest .

I stopped by the Philippines for 8 nights after a couple of weeks in Raja Ampat (which will be handled in different post under Indo forum). I stayed at Crystal Blue Resort and was happy with my choice. I had read postive comments regarding CBR on this forum and I also happened to do a...

Not familiar with AA, but as @gopbroek mentioned , United used to dramatically pare back flights in September and October as I recall. For the airlines , their schedule isn’t just a function of reduced demand for Cozumel , it can be a function of increased demand for alternative routes. I...

Really nice pics. Thanks for sharing.

Another 3 classic Mexican options would be El Moro , Casa Mission and La Choza. They each have survived a few decades on the island so they must be doing something right. Casa Mission has the best ambience (in the courtyard of a large home ), but I think it is open to debate which has the...

I know this has been discussed before , you will need to search. PADI says October through May, and that sounds right to me as far as general consensus (PADI says it avoids rainy season , which I think also overlaps with much of Typhoon season ). All of that said , I have had a lot of good...

I have Hyatt points so I stayed at Hyatt. I am not 100 percent certain but I most likely used Hertz. Taxis on Guam are way more expensive than they should be, I think taxi from airport to Hyatt is $30ish dollars for 3 miles plus or minus . EDIT: I thought maybe I had used Uber on my last...

Someone else will chime in , but the big shops are MDA (Micronesian Divers Association) and Axe Murderer Tours . They are both kind of geared to locals doing self-guided dives on the buddy system from a charter boat as opposed to tourists taking DM guided dives. Obviously they do get some...

Looks like the text is in black font , but you might want to correct the university name (the article says Texas A&M, not Texas ). Aggies get pretty upset when they get confused with Longhorns