Caribe Blu / Blue Angel -short review

[RonFrank]

Day 5:
Dive #12: Tormentos

Dive #13: Chankanaab Bolones

Dive #14: Devil's Throat, Punta Sur
Max Depth: 129 feet
Time: 0:47 minutes (including 0:12 minute decompression stop)
-We were finally granted our request to dive Devil's Throat after days of requesting and lobbying. This is undoubtedly one of the best dive sites in Cozumel. A lot of people say that there is nothing to see, but I disagree. There were three circuitous swim throughs opening out into immense blue vistas. Colorful coral growth line all the tunnels, and we even saw a huge crab, and a school of glassy sweepers inhabiting one cave. Unlike what some people say, the swim throughs have plenty of light. I was told that diving with a light is unnecessary.
-One of the divers lost their fin in one of the tunnels at 100'. This could potentially have been a disaster. But we calmly swam out of the tunnel. DM Jorge descended upon the scene like a hawk and assembled his fin strap back together.
-Decided to explore the shallower portions of the coral reef after the swim throughs were done, and once everyone else had started their decompression stops. I was rewarded for my adventurousness with a 12 minute decompression obligation.

What computer were you diving?

You don't have to hit 129 feet on Devil's Throat. If you stay level (don't drop at the end of the first swim through) you will not go below 120'.

I agree it's a really fun dive, and there is lots to see. We saw 9 spotted eagle rays while doing our ascent after Devil's throat. Wow, was that just magical. One would come by, and then the next.

Why on earth did they take you to this site as the THIRD dive of the day? I never even hit red doing the Throat (122 max depth I think), and that is because it was our first dive of the day!

There is nothing wrong with deco, as long as it's planned for, and you are trained for it, and have the right equipment (like computers that don't lock you out!).

 

[underachiever]

When did Opal take over the shop? She was still DMing in June. But I think she was getting married soon also. It will be great to see that big smile first thing in the morning before your dive. We were there in April and June. Hope to get back in December. Can't wait to see the gang again.

We are following in Dandy Don's footsteps and took our own coffee maker last time. And got a room with a fridge. We did not walk to town a often in June but there was a group from TEXAS that had a jeep and gave us a ride a few times.

Great place this Cozumel.

I will hit 50 on our trip in December (not dives, years) and the wife/dive buddy and I are geting a massage together. For my birthday present. (it was my idea)

Hey Mark, who do you guys use for massages?

Gotta go.

 

[ggunn]

When did Opal take over the shop? She was still DMing in June. But I think she was getting married soon also. It will be great to see that big smile first thing in the morning before your dive.

We dove with Opal one time when we were there in May. She was really good. We were relaxing on the patio one day when the big boat came in and a lot of tanks had to be unloaded. She was hauling two at a time back to the shop, same as the guys. No shrinking violet, her.

I'll miss Victor, but Opal is great, too.

 

[Diver Kat]

I will hit 50 on our trip in December (not dives, years) and the wife/dive buddy and I are geting a massage together. For my birthday present. (it was my idea)

Hey Mark, who do you guys use for massages?

Just jumping in here, but if you want a GREAT massage, check out Cozumel Sally (aka Barefoot in Cozumel) http://www.barefootincozumel.com/ She does Asiatsu which is amazing, but does other types (like Swedish) as well. Last trip, I managed to book a massage the day I arrived as well as the day before flying out! (Hubby only got one the day before we left.) We're already set-up with her for our Thanksgiving trip .... it's just not a trip to Coz without visiting her!!

 

[minamin13]

What computer were you diving?

You don't have to hit 129 feet on Devil's Throat. If you stay level (don't drop at the end of the first swim through) you will not go below 120'.

I agree it's a really fun dive, and there is lots to see. We saw 9 spotted eagle rays while doing our ascent after Devil's throat. Wow, was that just magical. One would come by, and then the next.

Why on earth did they take you to this site as the THIRD dive of the day? I never even hit red doing the Throat (122 max depth I think), and that is because it was our first dive of the day!

There is nothing wrong with deco, as long as it's planned for, and you are trained for it, and have the right equipment (like computers that don't lock you out!).

I just updated my dive log with the correct depths and times for those dives without that information. I just was too lazy to check the computer. All 4 dives were in the yellow caution zone or red zone. Here is an excerpt for convenience:

Dive #12: Tormentos
Surface Interval: 12+ hours
Max depth: 66 feet
Time: 1:03 minutes

Dive #13: Chankanaab Bolones
Preceding Surface Interval: 0:54 minutes
Max depth: 65 feet
Time: 0:58 minutes

Dive #14: Devil's Throat, Punta Sur
Preceding Surface Interval: 2:17 minutes
Max Depth: 129 feet
Time: 0:47 minutes (including 0:12 minute decompression stop)

Dive #15: Columbia Shallows
Preceding Surface Interval: 0:05 minutes
Max depth: 40 feet
Time: 1:00


I have an old Oceanic Data Plus computer. It does seem a little conservative. My dive buddy (a newer Oceanic Veo) didn't even go into deco and he had the same morning dives I had.

The reason why we did Devil's Throat in the afternoon as a third dive was because there were a couple of divers on the morning boat that the dive shop was unfamiliar with. Also, the DM knew that this was our last day of diving, and this was our only chance to do Devil's Throat.

I certainly don't want to make it a practice of going into deco. I don't even want to go into the yellow caution zone. We both felt very strange after doing 4 relatively aggressive dives in one day with relatively little surface interval in between. At the end of our last day, both of us felt extremely woozy beyond any of the usual post dive fatigue -- we felt like we were on sedatives. We may have imagined it, but we thought we felt tingling in our extremities. Thang goodness we didn't fly out until 48 hours later.

 

[cowdog77]

Nicely written....really easy to follow and informative.
THANKS !

 

[alcina]

Interesting reverse profile there...didn't realise that was something done in Cozumel.

It only took you five minutes to get from Punta Sur and drop in at Columbia? You're quick!

Great you had a good time.

 

[Christi]

I have an old Oceanic Data Plus computer. It does seem a little conservative. My dive buddy (a newer Oceanic Veo) didn't even go into deco and he had the same morning dives I had.

The reason why we did Devil's Throat in the afternoon as a third dive was because there were a couple of divers on the morning boat that the dive shop was unfamiliar with. Also, the DM knew that this was our last day of diving, and this was our only chance to do Devil's Throat.

I certainly don't want to make it a practice of going into deco. I don't even want to go into the yellow caution zone. We both felt very strange after doing 4 relatively aggressive dives in one day with relatively little surface interval in between. At the end of our last day, both of us felt extremely woozy beyond any of the usual post dive fatigue -- we felt like we were on sedatives. We may have imagined it, but we thought we felt tingling in our extremities. Thang goodness we didn't fly out until 48 hours later.

:shakehead

Sorry, but I have to comment on this. This was very irresponsible dive planning on everyone's part. You were in the red and/or yellow on your computer and yet you planned a deep aggressive dive for the third dive of the day and then did yet another dive with less than an hour surface interval, after a deco obligation no less. Sounds like some of you have forgoten the basic rules of repetitive dive plannning...and BTW...the old oceanics are liberal computers.

If you didn't fly out until 48 hours after your last afternoon dive, then why couldn't you have saved this dive for the following morning or even for the next trip? My calculations indicate that you still would have had a 24 hour pre-flight surface interval if only doing the morning dives.

Extra woozy, tingling in your extremities...did you share this information with anyone else? You are very lucky that it wasn' more serious.

 

[minamin13]

:shakehead

Sorry, but I have to comment on this. This was very irresponsible dive planning on everyone's part. You were in the red and/or yellow on your computer and yet you planned a deep aggressive dive for the third dive of the day and then did yet another dive with less than an hour surface interval. Souns like some of you have forgoten the basic rules of repetitive dive plannning...and BTW...the old oceanics are liberal computers.

If you didn't fly out until 48 hours after your last afternoon dive, then why couldn't you have saved this dive for the following morning or even for the next trip? My calculations indicate that you still would have had a 24 hour pre-flight surface interval if only doing the morning dives.

Extra woozy, tingling in your extremities...did you share this information with anyone else? You are very lucky that it wasn' more serious.

I completely agree. This is not something I would ever do again. I chalk it up to inexperience, and stupidity. We're lucky nothing worse happened.

In my slight defense, there were 4 other divers who did the same dives I did, and didn't have the same decompression obligations I had. They didn't wander about the reef around Devil's Throat an additional 5 minutes like I did. And also, they probably kept their morning dives 10 minutes shorter than I did. Lastly, we weren't spending the night at Caribe Blu after that day so a morning dive the next mornign would have been impossible.

All in all, poor judgement on my part.

 

[Christi]

All in all, poor judgement on my part.

Not just yours (the poor judgment).

I respect you for recognizing and taking responsibility as a certified diver as to how "bad" this dive plan was and glad to hear you learned from it. It's the dive professional who planned and took you on these dives that I'm disappointed with.

What is even more surprising to me than the Devil's Throat for the third dive (while already being in the warning zone on your computer) is that after having a deco obligation at the end of the 3rd dive, you jumped right back in the water (maybe that 5 minute surface interval was a typo?) and did an hour long dive without a real SI...even if it was a 50 minute SI, it wasn't long enough.

Anyway, I'm glad you had a good trip and that you're safe.