rainmaker
Contributor
I arrived in Cozumel, Mexico on October 4, 2006 and began my week of diving the following day. I made a total of 12 dives during the next six days, and they represent some of the most beautiful and adventuresome diving Ive done so far.
Most of the people I met in Mexico were friendly and helpful. I know nothing about other parts of the country, but in the tourist-oriented areas of Cancun, Playa Del Carmen and Cozumel that I visited, I never felt unsafe or threatened. In Cozumel, I did a lot of walking around alone at night and at no time did I feel that I was in any danger. The place has a very friendly, almost festive atmosphere. In fact, it felt safer than most American cities.
Car rentals are readily available, and taxis are all over the place. The taxis will take you to most places in and around the downtown tourist area for $4US or less.
There are hundreds of shops in Cozumel, ranging from upscale malls to hole-in-the wall souvenir shops. There are lots of leather, Sterling silver and clothing items available. Bars also do a good business and many of them advertise cold beer for $1US. Best T-shirt seen in Cozumel said, Take Me Drunk, Im Home.
The official exchange rate when I was there varied from about 10.85 to 11.10 pesos = $1US. However, the unofficial exchange rate in stores, shops and restaurants was 10 pesos = $1US. In other words, if you buy something that costs 20 pesos, the merchant will want $2US if you choose to pay with US currency.
Most (but not all) of the locals who work in the tourist areas speak at least some English.
Unlike Belize, there was no departure tax when I left the country. However, Mexican Customs agents thoroughly checked every piece of carry-on luggage before passengers were allowed to board their flights. The agents appeared to readily recognize dive gear. I had my reg and dive computer console (with liquid filled compass) in my carry-on luggage, and had no problems at either US or Mexican airports.
The new security procedures concerning liquids seemed not to slow down things at the security checkpoints on either the US or Mexican side of the border. When going through security checkpoints, the TSA people want all liquids in carry-on luggage to be in 4 oz. sizes (or less) in a clear, resealable, plastic, quart-size bag, and they want the bag taken out of the luggage and put in the tray that contains your shoes, wallet, purse, etc.
The underwater and above water photos for this are located at: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/rainmakerat92/album?.dir=/9be8re2 . Additional information concerning diving, transportation, lodging and meals is shown below.
Diving:
All my dives were made with Blue XT Sea Diving. Christi runs a very safe, efficient, dependable and professional dive operation. They use fast boats that carry no more than 6 divers. They get their customers to the dive sites (and back) very quickly. All my dives were drift dives, and were led by a divemaster (Jackie or Pedro).
Blue XTs boat picked me up each morning from what previously was called the Villablanca Pier (across the road from the Villablanca Hotel). However, after the pier was destroyed by Hurricane Wilma, it was rebuilt by the Dive Paradise dive operation, and it is now called the Dive Paradise Pier. Since the pier is no longer owned by the hotel, I had to pay a daily fee of $2 to Dive Paradise for the privilege of being picked up from their pier each day by Blue XTs boat.
The maximum depth of the first dive of the day usually was in the 80 100 ft. range. After a surface interval of about an hour, the second dive was made with a maximum depth of 50 60 feet. My Aeris Atmos2 dive computer was happy with this arrangement, and I never got seriously close to running out of no-deco time.
Snacks and juice were served between dives, and the surface interval was usually spent at a local beach.
My dive times ranged from 55 to 94 minutes, and the water temperature ranged from 76 to 85 degrees. Visibility often exceeded 100 feet. I was very comfortable in a 4/3 wetsuit. I wore boots, but no hood or gloves. A few of the other divers opted to dive without a wetsuit, however, I tend to get cold pretty easy and there were some jellyfish around. One of the divemasters (Jackie) was stung several times on one of our dives.
There were a lot of colorful tropicals on the reefs, and I also saw a few nurse sharks, along with lobsters, morays, turtles and rays. The wildlife was varied and abundant.
The deeper reefs on the southern end of the island appear to have escaped serious damage from Hurricane Wilma in 2005, but there is a lot of sand on the shallower reefs, and some noticeable damage to the coral. Even with the hurricane damage, the reefs of Cozumel contain more color than any other reefs that Ive seen, and the walls are truly spectacular.
The cost of my 12 dives, including all taxes and marine park fees, was $452.00. Blue XT Sea Divings website is located at: http://www.bluextseadiving.com/ .
Transportation:
I used Northwest Airlines, and had no serious problems with them (no hassles about luggage containing dive gear) and they didnt lose or damage any of my gear. My round-trip ticket from Charlotte, NC to Cancun, Mexico was $321, including all fees and taxes.
In Cancun, I paid $15 for an express van shuttle to Playa Del Carmen. In Playa Del Carmen, I paid $10 for the ferry to Cozumel. In Cozumel, I paid $4 for a taxi ride to my hotel.
The transportation on the return trip was pretty much the same, except I used an express bus for the ride from Playa Del Carmen to the airport in Cancun. The buses run every hour on the hour (approximately), and a ticket costs $9. The bus station in Playa Del Carmen is located only a few blocks from the ferry pier, within easy walking distance.
Lodging:
I stayed at the Villablanca Hotel, which is located about 2.5 miles south of downtown. I paid for a standard room, but for some reason, the hotel gave me a free upgrade to a deluxe room when I arrived. My room was large and spacious, with TV, phone, ceiling fan, king-size bed and air conditioning. However, the location of the hotel is not really convenient unless you are diving with either Papa Hogs or Dive Paradise.
I had no serious problems with the hotel; however, hot water was almost nonexistent the last few days that I was there. Also, the air conditioning was not adjustable. It was either on or off, the breaker in the closet serving as the switch. The room was very clean and had marble floors and a marble bathtub. The walls must be very thick, because I heard almost no noise from outside. The hotel has an outside hot-tub near the swimming pool, but it was not turned on at all the entire week that I was there. The cost of my room for 7 nights, including all taxes, was $337.
Meals:
I had my breakfasts at the Hogtown Café, which is located next door to the Villablanca Hotel. I had either banana hotcakes or the 2 egg, hash browns and toast breakfast. Both breakfasts were $4 each, and coffee (with free refills) was $1.
I had most of my suppers at the Barracuda Hotel, which is about a 5 minute walk from downtown. It is located right on the water, and Ill probably stay there during my next visit to Cozumel. My favorite meal was the chicken tacos, which cost $7. They are delicious!
My lunches were usually snack items purchased either from the Internet café (see below), or the small convenience store next to the Villablanca Hotel.
The Barracuda Hotel also has an Internet Café. Internet time costs $1US per hour, and the café is run by a colorful American expatriate named Grant. The café also has the largest English-language paperback book library in Cozumel, and drinks and snacks are available at reasonable prices. Meals can also be ordered from the restaurant menu.
Most of the people I met in Mexico were friendly and helpful. I know nothing about other parts of the country, but in the tourist-oriented areas of Cancun, Playa Del Carmen and Cozumel that I visited, I never felt unsafe or threatened. In Cozumel, I did a lot of walking around alone at night and at no time did I feel that I was in any danger. The place has a very friendly, almost festive atmosphere. In fact, it felt safer than most American cities.
Car rentals are readily available, and taxis are all over the place. The taxis will take you to most places in and around the downtown tourist area for $4US or less.
There are hundreds of shops in Cozumel, ranging from upscale malls to hole-in-the wall souvenir shops. There are lots of leather, Sterling silver and clothing items available. Bars also do a good business and many of them advertise cold beer for $1US. Best T-shirt seen in Cozumel said, Take Me Drunk, Im Home.
The official exchange rate when I was there varied from about 10.85 to 11.10 pesos = $1US. However, the unofficial exchange rate in stores, shops and restaurants was 10 pesos = $1US. In other words, if you buy something that costs 20 pesos, the merchant will want $2US if you choose to pay with US currency.
Most (but not all) of the locals who work in the tourist areas speak at least some English.
Unlike Belize, there was no departure tax when I left the country. However, Mexican Customs agents thoroughly checked every piece of carry-on luggage before passengers were allowed to board their flights. The agents appeared to readily recognize dive gear. I had my reg and dive computer console (with liquid filled compass) in my carry-on luggage, and had no problems at either US or Mexican airports.
The new security procedures concerning liquids seemed not to slow down things at the security checkpoints on either the US or Mexican side of the border. When going through security checkpoints, the TSA people want all liquids in carry-on luggage to be in 4 oz. sizes (or less) in a clear, resealable, plastic, quart-size bag, and they want the bag taken out of the luggage and put in the tray that contains your shoes, wallet, purse, etc.
The underwater and above water photos for this are located at: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/rainmakerat92/album?.dir=/9be8re2 . Additional information concerning diving, transportation, lodging and meals is shown below.
Diving:
All my dives were made with Blue XT Sea Diving. Christi runs a very safe, efficient, dependable and professional dive operation. They use fast boats that carry no more than 6 divers. They get their customers to the dive sites (and back) very quickly. All my dives were drift dives, and were led by a divemaster (Jackie or Pedro).
Blue XTs boat picked me up each morning from what previously was called the Villablanca Pier (across the road from the Villablanca Hotel). However, after the pier was destroyed by Hurricane Wilma, it was rebuilt by the Dive Paradise dive operation, and it is now called the Dive Paradise Pier. Since the pier is no longer owned by the hotel, I had to pay a daily fee of $2 to Dive Paradise for the privilege of being picked up from their pier each day by Blue XTs boat.
The maximum depth of the first dive of the day usually was in the 80 100 ft. range. After a surface interval of about an hour, the second dive was made with a maximum depth of 50 60 feet. My Aeris Atmos2 dive computer was happy with this arrangement, and I never got seriously close to running out of no-deco time.
Snacks and juice were served between dives, and the surface interval was usually spent at a local beach.
My dive times ranged from 55 to 94 minutes, and the water temperature ranged from 76 to 85 degrees. Visibility often exceeded 100 feet. I was very comfortable in a 4/3 wetsuit. I wore boots, but no hood or gloves. A few of the other divers opted to dive without a wetsuit, however, I tend to get cold pretty easy and there were some jellyfish around. One of the divemasters (Jackie) was stung several times on one of our dives.
There were a lot of colorful tropicals on the reefs, and I also saw a few nurse sharks, along with lobsters, morays, turtles and rays. The wildlife was varied and abundant.
The deeper reefs on the southern end of the island appear to have escaped serious damage from Hurricane Wilma in 2005, but there is a lot of sand on the shallower reefs, and some noticeable damage to the coral. Even with the hurricane damage, the reefs of Cozumel contain more color than any other reefs that Ive seen, and the walls are truly spectacular.
The cost of my 12 dives, including all taxes and marine park fees, was $452.00. Blue XT Sea Divings website is located at: http://www.bluextseadiving.com/ .
Transportation:
I used Northwest Airlines, and had no serious problems with them (no hassles about luggage containing dive gear) and they didnt lose or damage any of my gear. My round-trip ticket from Charlotte, NC to Cancun, Mexico was $321, including all fees and taxes.
In Cancun, I paid $15 for an express van shuttle to Playa Del Carmen. In Playa Del Carmen, I paid $10 for the ferry to Cozumel. In Cozumel, I paid $4 for a taxi ride to my hotel.
The transportation on the return trip was pretty much the same, except I used an express bus for the ride from Playa Del Carmen to the airport in Cancun. The buses run every hour on the hour (approximately), and a ticket costs $9. The bus station in Playa Del Carmen is located only a few blocks from the ferry pier, within easy walking distance.
Lodging:
I stayed at the Villablanca Hotel, which is located about 2.5 miles south of downtown. I paid for a standard room, but for some reason, the hotel gave me a free upgrade to a deluxe room when I arrived. My room was large and spacious, with TV, phone, ceiling fan, king-size bed and air conditioning. However, the location of the hotel is not really convenient unless you are diving with either Papa Hogs or Dive Paradise.
I had no serious problems with the hotel; however, hot water was almost nonexistent the last few days that I was there. Also, the air conditioning was not adjustable. It was either on or off, the breaker in the closet serving as the switch. The room was very clean and had marble floors and a marble bathtub. The walls must be very thick, because I heard almost no noise from outside. The hotel has an outside hot-tub near the swimming pool, but it was not turned on at all the entire week that I was there. The cost of my room for 7 nights, including all taxes, was $337.
Meals:
I had my breakfasts at the Hogtown Café, which is located next door to the Villablanca Hotel. I had either banana hotcakes or the 2 egg, hash browns and toast breakfast. Both breakfasts were $4 each, and coffee (with free refills) was $1.
I had most of my suppers at the Barracuda Hotel, which is about a 5 minute walk from downtown. It is located right on the water, and Ill probably stay there during my next visit to Cozumel. My favorite meal was the chicken tacos, which cost $7. They are delicious!
My lunches were usually snack items purchased either from the Internet café (see below), or the small convenience store next to the Villablanca Hotel.
The Barracuda Hotel also has an Internet Café. Internet time costs $1US per hour, and the café is run by a colorful American expatriate named Grant. The café also has the largest English-language paperback book library in Cozumel, and drinks and snacks are available at reasonable prices. Meals can also be ordered from the restaurant menu.
