Diving Into Blue

We like diving with Pingo, one of the Divemasters at Dive Palancar. He’s very personable and truly enjoys what he does. He ensures that everyone on the boat has a say in picking the dive sight. Do we want to see a lot of marine life or more coral? Do we want to see sharks and turtles or splendid toadfish? Too many times, we’ve dove with other Divemasters who never ask the divers’ opinion. Then, we end up going to the same reefs time after time.

Pingo thoroughly explains what’s expected of the divers during the dive briefing. In addition, he lets everyone know that when he finds anything of interest, he’ll let us know; listen for his noisemaker. And more often than not, he finds a lot of things!

During the dive, he’ll keep an eye on those divers that need more attention, and just ensure that the rest of us are ok every now and then. Anytime you hear his noisemaker, you look up and around to see what he’s found. Once you catch his eye, he’ll give you the sign—it’s a shark, turtle, splendid toadfish, crab, lobster, spotted eagle ray, or whatever.

At some point, it’s time to surface, and the boat is ready to pick us up. Pedro, the mate, and Jose, the Captain, have kept an eye on our bubbles and know exactly where we are. They help us onboard and get us situated. They even help us with our gear. To ensure we’re hydrated, Pedro offers everyone a cold bottle of water.

The divers excitedly talk about the things they’ve seen and what they’ve just experienced. Another wonderful dive has come to an end. Pingo, Pedro, and Jose--we’ll see you next dive!