Fish_Whisperer
Contributor
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As I was packing my dive gear for a long-planned trip to Cozumel, Mexico, a friend of mine asked if I was looking forward to the trip. I replied that I was looking forward to it, but not as much as I thought I should be. Little did I know what I was in for...
The next morning, (Saturday the 15th) all five of us (my dive team) boarded the plane for Cozumel. As the plane descended, I was charmed by the deep azure blue of the ocean and the lush emerald green of the tropical island.
After checking into the Casa Del Mar, we assembled our dive gear and met up at the dive shop. We went out for a leisurely shore dive, and then went back to the outdoor restaurant/bar for dinner and drinks. Warm breezes wafted through, as we sat beneath the thatched roof and gazed out at the sea.
The next morning, (Sunday the 16th) after a light breakfast, we lugged our dive gear to the boat and our first dive was a coral wall dive. The current carried us along, and we saw an amazing abundance of marine life and corals. Our next dive took us to a calm coral garden, where there was only the slightest bit of current. We played around with lobsters, saw countless fish, and then we surfaced, washed our gear, showered, and met up for lunch at the restaurant again. That afternoon, I did some souvenir shopping. That night, we went out to "Senor Frog's," and had a great time.
The next morning, (Monday the 17th) we went on another coral wall dive, and again, went through a calm coral garden... It was so beautiful, and we saw three nurse sharks -- one of them looked to be over ten feet long! (But I may have just been goggle-eyed at seeing a big shark!) LOL
That afternoon, we did a dive of C53, an old navy vessel that had been sunken as an artificial reef, making our way through the hatches and various rooms of the ship. We emerged topside, and found that a new coral garden was beginning to bloom on the decks... It was really beautiful. (And a little eerie...)
Tuesday was much the same as the previous two days: We dove a reef wall, and then meandered through a coral garden. I saw a huge barracuda, but he remained off to one side, just observing us.
That afternoon, I did some more souvenir shopping. We had originally decided to do a night dive that night, but instead, the harbor, marina, and dive shop closed, and everywhere we looked, people were nailing up plywood over the windows and talking about hurricane Wilma, which was now slated to hit Cancun and the Yucatan Peninsula. Talking with the locals, no one seemed terribly concerned, and said that they expected it to be very minor. I was reassurred. If the locals weren't worried, than neither was I, although I was disappointed that we wouldn't be able to dive.
That afternoon, the wind began to pick up, and the waves began to increase in size. The hotel called a meeting of all the guests, and outlined the emergency procedures that we would be undergoing, if/when things got bad. Still, it didn't seem like Wilma was going to be much more than a tropical storm for Cozumel, and that night, we met again at the restaurant for drinks and dinner.
When we walked back to the hotel, we were told to meet in the lobby at 9 p.m. The wind and waves had picked up considerably.
At the meeting, we were told to bring our passports and other necessities to the lobby at 10:30. Already, lounge chairs had been taken from around the pool and set up in the basement of the Casa Del Mar -- A room that was already boarded up, with a ceiling that was only 7' high. Even under the flourescents, it looked very small and I felt a little claustrophobic. The wind had picked up in earnest, and we could hear the waves pounding and smashing harder and harder.
(cont.)
The next morning, (Saturday the 15th) all five of us (my dive team) boarded the plane for Cozumel. As the plane descended, I was charmed by the deep azure blue of the ocean and the lush emerald green of the tropical island.
After checking into the Casa Del Mar, we assembled our dive gear and met up at the dive shop. We went out for a leisurely shore dive, and then went back to the outdoor restaurant/bar for dinner and drinks. Warm breezes wafted through, as we sat beneath the thatched roof and gazed out at the sea.
The next morning, (Sunday the 16th) after a light breakfast, we lugged our dive gear to the boat and our first dive was a coral wall dive. The current carried us along, and we saw an amazing abundance of marine life and corals. Our next dive took us to a calm coral garden, where there was only the slightest bit of current. We played around with lobsters, saw countless fish, and then we surfaced, washed our gear, showered, and met up for lunch at the restaurant again. That afternoon, I did some souvenir shopping. That night, we went out to "Senor Frog's," and had a great time.
The next morning, (Monday the 17th) we went on another coral wall dive, and again, went through a calm coral garden... It was so beautiful, and we saw three nurse sharks -- one of them looked to be over ten feet long! (But I may have just been goggle-eyed at seeing a big shark!) LOL
That afternoon, we did a dive of C53, an old navy vessel that had been sunken as an artificial reef, making our way through the hatches and various rooms of the ship. We emerged topside, and found that a new coral garden was beginning to bloom on the decks... It was really beautiful. (And a little eerie...)
Tuesday was much the same as the previous two days: We dove a reef wall, and then meandered through a coral garden. I saw a huge barracuda, but he remained off to one side, just observing us.
That afternoon, I did some more souvenir shopping. We had originally decided to do a night dive that night, but instead, the harbor, marina, and dive shop closed, and everywhere we looked, people were nailing up plywood over the windows and talking about hurricane Wilma, which was now slated to hit Cancun and the Yucatan Peninsula. Talking with the locals, no one seemed terribly concerned, and said that they expected it to be very minor. I was reassurred. If the locals weren't worried, than neither was I, although I was disappointed that we wouldn't be able to dive.
That afternoon, the wind began to pick up, and the waves began to increase in size. The hotel called a meeting of all the guests, and outlined the emergency procedures that we would be undergoing, if/when things got bad. Still, it didn't seem like Wilma was going to be much more than a tropical storm for Cozumel, and that night, we met again at the restaurant for drinks and dinner.
When we walked back to the hotel, we were told to meet in the lobby at 9 p.m. The wind and waves had picked up considerably.
At the meeting, we were told to bring our passports and other necessities to the lobby at 10:30. Already, lounge chairs had been taken from around the pool and set up in the basement of the Casa Del Mar -- A room that was already boarded up, with a ceiling that was only 7' high. Even under the flourescents, it looked very small and I felt a little claustrophobic. The wind had picked up in earnest, and we could hear the waves pounding and smashing harder and harder.
(cont.)