Saturday, June 23, 2007
Palancar Caves
Palancar Caves, the first dive this morning, the deep dive, is our second to the last dive for this trip! Lucky for us (but sorry to the crew), there was only another couple and Greg and I that would follow Pingo, our Divemaster. With us on the boat were two Instructors and their students, Edwin (babysitting Sonita), the captain, and his mate.
We love Palancar caves! The swim throughs are awesome! Greg and I always are the last two divers following Pingo. That way, we can go at our own pace, and we don't have to worry about having other divers follow us so close--because they do. I guess there's something about being in the open ocean that freaks people out. They don't want to get left. I certainly understand that but really. Following too close really doesn't help either. But, I digress.
So, Greg and I had our plan. I was the lookout, the go-between. My job was to keep an eye on Pingo and the other two divers and look for good stuff for Greg to video. The other day, I had seen so many arrow crabs but didn't show any to Greg. He wanted me to point them out on this dive. I think the arrow crabs like living in the caverns.
We completed our giant stride into the sea and headed to the white sandy bottom about 54 feet below. Once Pingo made sure we wereall ok, we headed to the edge of the reef, to the deep blue sea, where we would weave our way in and out of the swim throughs.
We love Palancar caves! The swim throughs are awesome! Greg and I always are the last two divers following Pingo. That way, we can go at our own pace, and we don't have to worry about having other divers follow us so close--because they do. I guess there's something about being in the open ocean that freaks people out. They don't want to get left. I certainly understand that but really. Following too close really doesn't help either. But, I digress.
So, Greg and I had our plan. I was the lookout, the go-between. My job was to keep an eye on Pingo and the other two divers and look for good stuff for Greg to video. The other day, I had seen so many arrow crabs but didn't show any to Greg. He wanted me to point them out on this dive. I think the arrow crabs like living in the caverns.
We completed our giant stride into the sea and headed to the white sandy bottom about 54 feet below. Once Pingo made sure we wereall ok, we headed to the edge of the reef, to the deep blue sea, where we would weave our way in and out of the swim throughs.
For a moment, just think about one of those cutesy rides at Disneyworld. You and a few other people climb into a little car at the Dumbo ride. The car takes you from room to room as Dumbo's tale unfolds. As you enter each room, there's lots to see. You look left, right, straight ahead, sometimes even up. It's a visual feast for your eyes.
As we weave our way through the coral,from one swim through to another, it reminds me of this type of Disneyworld ride. As you enter, you look left, right, up, and down to feast your eyes on such beautiful and many different types of coral. Sometimes, the coral is lightly dusted with sand--just think of Grandma's iced oatmeal cookies! You try to look in every nook and cranny in the coral, as it may hold different surprises. This is where you'll find the arrow crabs, or maybe the red banded shrimp. Or, maybe, it's just the home of some tiny fish.
Shortly after we start our ride through the coral, I hit 96 feet. That may seem like a lot but it really nothing. You don't even know you're that deep unless you look at your computer. Out of the swim through, you can look all the way up to the surface. Every time I do, it's just amazing! The water is so clear to be that deep and see the surface.
I find a few arrow crabs for Greg and point them out as I slowly glide by. I've got the still camera, and he's got the video camera--we're quite the pair. He video tapes a drum fish (it's a rare occasion to see a drum), which I didn't see. I watch Pingo play with a flat flounder (that's about three inches in diameter) in the sand, but by the time Greg reaches us, the flounder is gone--where the heck did he go?
It's so peaceful and easy on this dive; I wish it would never end. I've only taken a few pictures on this dive but I know Greg has taken tons of video. Hopefully, some point in the future, I'll learn how to edit the video and put his best shots together! Then, we can relive this wonderful dive again!
Update: Greg's BCD
So maybe I was a little too quick with the post this morning that said Greg's BCD was fixed. I guess it was fixed this morning, but then, it broke again.
We just climbed aboard the boat this morning. The boys had brought down my BCD and our bags with our fins and masks inside. It was still early; we had some time before the boat would leave the pier. Edwin was coming with us this morning to babysit Sonita during the boat ride. He came rushing to the boat and talked to Pingo, our Divemaster, in Spanish. (Here's where it would be great if I knew Spanish.)
I could tell there was something wrong. As he talked to Pingo, he glanced from Pingo to me. I thought maybe he wouldn't be able to go with us on the boat; that was a possiblity we knew about. Then, Greg walked up, and we got the story.
"Your BCD is broken again, in the same place " Pingo explained. "Sometimes, that glue doesn't stick very well. It's Mexican glue, you know. They'll bring you a rental, ok?"
And, of course, it had to be ok. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to dive our last two dives of the trip. Greg grumbled a bit; I guess I would have too.
Bad news: Darn it! Greg has to wear one of those stinking rentals with a weight belt for two more dives.
Good news: Greg gets a new BCD when we get home! (He likes this part a lot!)
We just climbed aboard the boat this morning. The boys had brought down my BCD and our bags with our fins and masks inside. It was still early; we had some time before the boat would leave the pier. Edwin was coming with us this morning to babysit Sonita during the boat ride. He came rushing to the boat and talked to Pingo, our Divemaster, in Spanish. (Here's where it would be great if I knew Spanish.)
I could tell there was something wrong. As he talked to Pingo, he glanced from Pingo to me. I thought maybe he wouldn't be able to go with us on the boat; that was a possiblity we knew about. Then, Greg walked up, and we got the story.
"Your BCD is broken again, in the same place " Pingo explained. "Sometimes, that glue doesn't stick very well. It's Mexican glue, you know. They'll bring you a rental, ok?"
And, of course, it had to be ok. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to dive our last two dives of the trip. Greg grumbled a bit; I guess I would have too.
Bad news: Darn it! Greg has to wear one of those stinking rentals with a weight belt for two more dives.
Good news: Greg gets a new BCD when we get home! (He likes this part a lot!)
Thank you, Gustavo!
So, after the inflater hose incident on Wednesday, Greg talked to Carlos in the Centro de Buceo. Carlos thought maybe they could fix it or check in town with other dive shops to see if they had the part. Now, if you thought this would stop Greg from diving, I don't think so! This dive shop rents BCDs, so we took advantage of that.
On Thursday morning, we talked to Carlos again. He had us check with Gustavo, one of the Instructors. Gustavo said he thought it could fix it; it looked like it came apart where the inflater hose was glued to the BCD. He could fix it, but Greg wouldn't be able to use it until Friday morning. We were happy about that!
Greg picked out a rental BCD. Of course, it wasn't at all like his own. But, it would have to do if he wanted to dive. Our BCDs are weight integrated--which means, no weight belt. Not so with the rentals. Now, Greg had to wear his weights around his waist (which I can attest to--it's not comfortable at all).
We both surfaced the two dives on Thursday with Greg wearing a rental and weights around his waist--but that's all we did on Thursday was two dives. I completely understood.
On Friday morning, we met Gustavo in the Centro de Buceo. He had repaired Greg's BCD and the glue was dry! Greg could use his BCD today! What a relief!
And we dove three times on Friday without incident. Thanks, Gustavo, for saving our dive days!
On Thursday morning, we talked to Carlos again. He had us check with Gustavo, one of the Instructors. Gustavo said he thought it could fix it; it looked like it came apart where the inflater hose was glued to the BCD. He could fix it, but Greg wouldn't be able to use it until Friday morning. We were happy about that!
Greg picked out a rental BCD. Of course, it wasn't at all like his own. But, it would have to do if he wanted to dive. Our BCDs are weight integrated--which means, no weight belt. Not so with the rentals. Now, Greg had to wear his weights around his waist (which I can attest to--it's not comfortable at all).
We both surfaced the two dives on Thursday with Greg wearing a rental and weights around his waist--but that's all we did on Thursday was two dives. I completely understood.
On Friday morning, we met Gustavo in the Centro de Buceo. He had repaired Greg's BCD and the glue was dry! Greg could use his BCD today! What a relief!
And we dove three times on Friday without incident. Thanks, Gustavo, for saving our dive days!
The Last Two Dives
Our time in Cozumel is coming to an end. This morning, we'll be diving our last two dives for this trip. We'll be savoring each moment, each experience, each fish adventure. These memories will have to last until October. We're already talking about "the next trip." Because, of course, we HAVE to have a "next trip." That's what keeps us going throughout the year.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Dear Stephen,
Dude! We’re totally missing you on this trip! We think you would have loved diving with us this week!
As of today, we’ve done 18 dives, and we look forward to five more before we leave on Sunday—three dives tomorrow and two dives on Saturday.
Typically, we’re up by 7:00 a.m. and out the door by 7:15 a.m. so we can have some breakfast. Greg is the lucky one; he eats all the good stuff like made to order omelets and hash browns. Me—I eat stuff that won’t cause any problems if it comes back up (if you know what I mean), like waffles, pancakes, oatmeal, and maybe a banana that Greg and I can share.
We head back to the room to finish getting ready and pick up our regulators and camera so we can be at the Centro de Buceo by 8:30 a.m. for our first dive at 9:00 a.m. The guys at the dive shop have our gear (wetsuit, BCD, booties, mask, and fins) ready to take down to the boat. We’ve learned to put on our wetsuit and booties before we get on the boat; it’s so much easier than trying to do it on the boat while it’s moving! We don’t know what boat we’ll be on until we check in at the Centro de Buceo. We always request our favorite Divemaster, Pingo; he takes care of us.
By 9:00 a.m., we’re on the boat with our gear assembling our BCD and regulator on a tank. Once we shove off, the Divemaster usually asks what we’d like to see on our dive or what reef we’d like to dive. This dive is a deep dive, usually 80-90 feet. Once the captain knows where we’re going, we motor!
After the dive, we head back to the Allegro hotel (the sister hotel to the Occidental and the one right next door) for fresh tanks for the 10:30 a.m. dive. Dive Palancar’s main operation is out of the Allegro so that’s where the tanks are held and filled. Sometimes, we drop off or pick up other divers at the Occidental before going to the Allegro. The dives are ala carte but we choose to do both the 9:00 a.m. and the 10:30 a.m. dives every morning.
We’re usually at the Allegro about 10 minutes while they switch out tanks. And it’s a good thing too, since we need to take advantage of the restrooms there.
Soon, we’re all back onboard the boat, assembling our gear on a fresh tank, ready for the 10:30 a.m. dive. This dive is a shallow dive, anywhere up to 60 feet. Again, the Divemaster asks for suggestions to determine the next dive site, and off we go!
We’re usually heading back to the Occidental pier by noonish, and I’m definitely starving! The guys at the dive shop meet our boat at the pier so they can take our stuff (wetsuit, BCD, booties, fins, and mask) and clean it for the next dive. We also sign up for the 3:30 p.m. dive before we leave.
Some days, we head to the room to clean our regulators, computers, and camera before we eat lunch. Other days, we can’t WAIT to eat so we head to the Beach Club for the lunch buffet right away. And how lucky are we! The Centro de Buceo is right next door to the Beach Club!
After lunch, we have a little down time. I do one of two things—sleep off the four to five Bonine I’ve taken before the morning dives or do some writing for the blog. Greg just hangs—sitting out on the balcony watching the world go by.
By 3:00 p.m., we’re out the door again, heading to the Centro de Buceo for our afternoon dive. We elect not to do the 2:00 p.m. deep dive as it doesn’t work well with the dive profile we’ve got going on. (Remember what you learned in class?) The 3:30 p.m. is a shallow dive and fits into our schedule well.
The 3:30 p.m. dive works just like those in the morning, and we’re back on the Occidental pier by about 5:00 p.m. If we’re lucky, we have reservations for dinner at 6:30 p.m. for one of the specialty restaurants. So, we hustle back to the room to clean the regulators, computers, and camera. Then, we hit the shower—you’d be surprised what you smell like after swimming in the ocean with fishies!
After dinner, we might walk around a bit, and then head back to the room. Greg downloads our computers and the still camera. We log our dives with the info from our computers; I usually add some commentary in my log about what we’ve seen or the people we had on the boat. We check out the still pictures or video to see what we’ve got. Then, sometimes, I blog some more.
And before you know it, it’s 9:30 p.m., and we’re exhausted. Time to hit the hay because tomorrow, it starts all over again! This is the life—the dive life, that is! Stephen, maybe someday soon, you’ll get to experience it with us! Until that day,
Always,
Aunt Eileenie and Uncle Greggie
P.S. If anyone else wants to get certified and join us on our next trip, we’d love to have ya!
As of today, we’ve done 18 dives, and we look forward to five more before we leave on Sunday—three dives tomorrow and two dives on Saturday.
Typically, we’re up by 7:00 a.m. and out the door by 7:15 a.m. so we can have some breakfast. Greg is the lucky one; he eats all the good stuff like made to order omelets and hash browns. Me—I eat stuff that won’t cause any problems if it comes back up (if you know what I mean), like waffles, pancakes, oatmeal, and maybe a banana that Greg and I can share.
We head back to the room to finish getting ready and pick up our regulators and camera so we can be at the Centro de Buceo by 8:30 a.m. for our first dive at 9:00 a.m. The guys at the dive shop have our gear (wetsuit, BCD, booties, mask, and fins) ready to take down to the boat. We’ve learned to put on our wetsuit and booties before we get on the boat; it’s so much easier than trying to do it on the boat while it’s moving! We don’t know what boat we’ll be on until we check in at the Centro de Buceo. We always request our favorite Divemaster, Pingo; he takes care of us.
By 9:00 a.m., we’re on the boat with our gear assembling our BCD and regulator on a tank. Once we shove off, the Divemaster usually asks what we’d like to see on our dive or what reef we’d like to dive. This dive is a deep dive, usually 80-90 feet. Once the captain knows where we’re going, we motor!
After the dive, we head back to the Allegro hotel (the sister hotel to the Occidental and the one right next door) for fresh tanks for the 10:30 a.m. dive. Dive Palancar’s main operation is out of the Allegro so that’s where the tanks are held and filled. Sometimes, we drop off or pick up other divers at the Occidental before going to the Allegro. The dives are ala carte but we choose to do both the 9:00 a.m. and the 10:30 a.m. dives every morning.
We’re usually at the Allegro about 10 minutes while they switch out tanks. And it’s a good thing too, since we need to take advantage of the restrooms there.
Soon, we’re all back onboard the boat, assembling our gear on a fresh tank, ready for the 10:30 a.m. dive. This dive is a shallow dive, anywhere up to 60 feet. Again, the Divemaster asks for suggestions to determine the next dive site, and off we go!
We’re usually heading back to the Occidental pier by noonish, and I’m definitely starving! The guys at the dive shop meet our boat at the pier so they can take our stuff (wetsuit, BCD, booties, fins, and mask) and clean it for the next dive. We also sign up for the 3:30 p.m. dive before we leave.
Some days, we head to the room to clean our regulators, computers, and camera before we eat lunch. Other days, we can’t WAIT to eat so we head to the Beach Club for the lunch buffet right away. And how lucky are we! The Centro de Buceo is right next door to the Beach Club!
After lunch, we have a little down time. I do one of two things—sleep off the four to five Bonine I’ve taken before the morning dives or do some writing for the blog. Greg just hangs—sitting out on the balcony watching the world go by.
By 3:00 p.m., we’re out the door again, heading to the Centro de Buceo for our afternoon dive. We elect not to do the 2:00 p.m. deep dive as it doesn’t work well with the dive profile we’ve got going on. (Remember what you learned in class?) The 3:30 p.m. is a shallow dive and fits into our schedule well.
The 3:30 p.m. dive works just like those in the morning, and we’re back on the Occidental pier by about 5:00 p.m. If we’re lucky, we have reservations for dinner at 6:30 p.m. for one of the specialty restaurants. So, we hustle back to the room to clean the regulators, computers, and camera. Then, we hit the shower—you’d be surprised what you smell like after swimming in the ocean with fishies!
After dinner, we might walk around a bit, and then head back to the room. Greg downloads our computers and the still camera. We log our dives with the info from our computers; I usually add some commentary in my log about what we’ve seen or the people we had on the boat. We check out the still pictures or video to see what we’ve got. Then, sometimes, I blog some more.
And before you know it, it’s 9:30 p.m., and we’re exhausted. Time to hit the hay because tomorrow, it starts all over again! This is the life—the dive life, that is! Stephen, maybe someday soon, you’ll get to experience it with us! Until that day,
Always,
Aunt Eileenie and Uncle Greggie
P.S. If anyone else wants to get certified and join us on our next trip, we’d love to have ya!
Sea Creatures
Greg and I got some great pictures this week of the wonderful sea creatures in Cozumel. Here are a few: 
Gray Angelfish: Angelfish are just beautiful! They typically travel in pairs. This one just seemed to pose for me. 
Hawksbill Turtle and Queen Angelfish: We've seen lots of turtles this week! This one was minding his own business, just eating away at the coral. He didn't mind us at all. He's surrounded by a couple of Queen Angelfish (the bright yellow and blue) and a Gray Angelfish.
Spotted Moray: This little cutie looks huge but he really isn't. His head is about the size of my fist. I found him on a deep dive just as we were coming out of a swim through that dumped us out close to the deep blue sea.
Queen Triggerfish: This picture doesn't really do the Queen justice. She's just beautiful and you don't see her very often.
Arrow Crab in a barrel sponge: He has long legs, a body that's shaped like a triangle, and little beady eyes. He can be found on coral heads sheltered behind things. You really have to look for him. Queen Triggerfish: This picture doesn't really do the Queen justice. She's just beautiful and you don't see her very often.Gray Angelfish: Angelfish are just beautiful! They typically travel in pairs. This one just seemed to pose for me. Hawksbill Turtle and Queen Angelfish: We've seen lots of turtles this week! This one was minding his own business, just eating away at the coral. He didn't mind us at all. He's surrounded by a couple of Queen Angelfish (the bright yellow and blue) and a Gray Angelfish.The Captain and His Mate
What do the captain and his mate do while the divers are enjoying the blue sea? I always wondered. Don’t you? Well, after yesterday’s BCD incident, we certainly found out.
Turns out, not much! They hang out at the helm, shooting the breeze, and keeping an eye on the bubbles. It’s always a drift dive, remember? So, the current takes the divers northward, and the boat follows suit. Sometimes, he powers up the boat to move it east or west, but never a lot—just keeping up with the bubbles.
Maybe they do more when it’s just them—maybe we cramped their style. I don’t know.
Another Dive Palancar boat pulls alongside ours, and they tie the two boats together. I wish I knew enough Spanish to figure out what they’re saying to each other. They exchange a few drinks between boats. Then, I think one of the other boat’s crew uses the head on our boat. (Our boat had a head, theirs didn’t.) They might have been polite because we were there.
Greg and I peer over the side of the boat. It’s so clear we can see all the way to the bottom—the white sand and the coral heads.
Before you know it, out of the water pops a yellow emergency sausage. It’s the Divemaster’s method of letting the captain know he and the divers are on their way up.
Right now, I can just imagine what the divers are doing…they’re floating along in the current, slowing ascending to the surface. Once they reach 18 to 15 feet, they hang in the water completing their safety stop for at least three minutes. (Typically, I keep one eye on my gauge while I glance below and all around; you never know what you’ll see on your safety stop.) With your safety stop complete, you slowly ascend the last few feet until you reach the surface.
From our vantage point on the boat, we can see the divers’ brightly colored fins just below the surface of the water. Then, they slowly popped up—one by one.
They wait on the surface until the captain backs up the boat just within a few feet of where they’re at. Then, the captain and his mate help the divers into the boat. (You take off your fins close to the boat and hand them up. With your BCD and tank still attached, you climb up the ladder to the boat.)
As more of the divers come onboard, you can hear the excitement in their voices as they exchange stories.
“Did you see that eel?”
“The green one, right?”
“Yea! It was huge! I thought it was going to reach up and grab me!”
Laughter ensues as the stories continue.
“That sucker was this wide!”
“Check out the toadfish!”
“You found a toadfish?”
“Yea, Juan found it! It’s the first toadfish that I’ve seen and gotten a picture of.”
“Pretty cool!”
She shows the picture of the toadfish to anyone who will look. “See the toadfish?”
I feel a slight pang of regret. The divers have bonded over a shared expereince. Greg and I missed it so all we can do is listen and wish we had been there.
Now, it’s the mad scurry of getting all your gear together before we reach the pier. Gathering masks from the bucket and fins from the back of the boat. Taking off regulators and BCDs from the tanks. Putting on shirts, shorts, hats, glasses, and sandals. The captain knows the divers need some time to get all this done so he makes sure it’s a slow ride back; we’re not so far today.
The captain easily brings the boat alongside the pier while the mate throws the ropes to secure the boat. The Divemaster thanks everyone for diving and hopes to see us real soon. The crew on shore and the mate help everyone off the boat with their gear.
With everyone and their gear off the boat, the mate pulls up the ropes. The captain waves to the divers as he motors the boat away from the pier. Another successful dive for everyone!
Turns out, not much! They hang out at the helm, shooting the breeze, and keeping an eye on the bubbles. It’s always a drift dive, remember? So, the current takes the divers northward, and the boat follows suit. Sometimes, he powers up the boat to move it east or west, but never a lot—just keeping up with the bubbles.
Maybe they do more when it’s just them—maybe we cramped their style. I don’t know.
Another Dive Palancar boat pulls alongside ours, and they tie the two boats together. I wish I knew enough Spanish to figure out what they’re saying to each other. They exchange a few drinks between boats. Then, I think one of the other boat’s crew uses the head on our boat. (Our boat had a head, theirs didn’t.) They might have been polite because we were there.
Greg and I peer over the side of the boat. It’s so clear we can see all the way to the bottom—the white sand and the coral heads.Before you know it, out of the water pops a yellow emergency sausage. It’s the Divemaster’s method of letting the captain know he and the divers are on their way up.
Right now, I can just imagine what the divers are doing…they’re floating along in the current, slowing ascending to the surface. Once they reach 18 to 15 feet, they hang in the water completing their safety stop for at least three minutes. (Typically, I keep one eye on my gauge while I glance below and all around; you never know what you’ll see on your safety stop.) With your safety stop complete, you slowly ascend the last few feet until you reach the surface.
From our vantage point on the boat, we can see the divers’ brightly colored fins just below the surface of the water. Then, they slowly popped up—one by one.
They wait on the surface until the captain backs up the boat just within a few feet of where they’re at. Then, the captain and his mate help the divers into the boat. (You take off your fins close to the boat and hand them up. With your BCD and tank still attached, you climb up the ladder to the boat.)As more of the divers come onboard, you can hear the excitement in their voices as they exchange stories.
“Did you see that eel?”
“The green one, right?”
“Yea! It was huge! I thought it was going to reach up and grab me!”
Laughter ensues as the stories continue.
“That sucker was this wide!”
“Check out the toadfish!”
“You found a toadfish?”
“Yea, Juan found it! It’s the first toadfish that I’ve seen and gotten a picture of.”
“Pretty cool!”
She shows the picture of the toadfish to anyone who will look. “See the toadfish?”
I feel a slight pang of regret. The divers have bonded over a shared expereince. Greg and I missed it so all we can do is listen and wish we had been there.
Now, it’s the mad scurry of getting all your gear together before we reach the pier. Gathering masks from the bucket and fins from the back of the boat. Taking off regulators and BCDs from the tanks. Putting on shirts, shorts, hats, glasses, and sandals. The captain knows the divers need some time to get all this done so he makes sure it’s a slow ride back; we’re not so far today.
The captain easily brings the boat alongside the pier while the mate throws the ropes to secure the boat. The Divemaster thanks everyone for diving and hopes to see us real soon. The crew on shore and the mate help everyone off the boat with their gear.
With everyone and their gear off the boat, the mate pulls up the ropes. The captain waves to the divers as he motors the boat away from the pier. Another successful dive for everyone!
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
The Dive that wasn't
We wait patiently on shore at the centro de Buceo for Pro Dive III, the boat that will take us for the 3:30 p.m. dive. We chit-chat with a few other divers; they’re waiting for their 3:30 p.m. dive boat, Splash. It’s beyond 3:30 p.m. but who gets upset? We’re on vacation; we’re in Cozumel. What else could you want?
Finally, three boats converge at the pier. Divers jump onto the pier from the boats; their dives completed. The others, like us, anxiously await our turn to get on the boat. We’re all accounted for—it’s time to head to the hotel next door (the Allegro) to get fresh tanks.
We hang out at the Allegro pier just long enough to switch from empty to full tanks. While we’re there, I strike up a conversation with a guy at the end of the pier. He’s caught some mahi-mahi, and he’s filleting them right there.
“Where do you fish for those?” I ask. Somewhere out in the deep blue sea, is the answer I get in spotty English.
We shove off with fresh tanks and anxious divers. We just wanna get wet! And then the question, “Where do you want to dive? What do you want to see?” asks our Divemaster, Juan. Ah, good choice—La Francesca (the French Lady).
La Francesca is about 15 minutes from the pier; we all get our gear ready: BCD on the tank; check the air; set out our fins right under the bench; toss our masks in the water bucket; place the camera in the fresh water bucket. Now, we just wait—Juan will let us know when we need to get our gear on.
There’s polite conversation among the divers. “What kind of camera is that?” “Where are you from?” “Did you do any dives this morning?” One lady has her fish identifier handy, checking out the pictures of the fish common to Cozumel.
“What’s the fish of the day?” Greg asks.
“I’d love to see a toadfish,” she says. “I’ve never seen one.”
Greg assures her that the Divemasters are great at locating toadfish.
And before you know it, Juan says it’s time to get ready; we’re almost there! We all scurry around completing our last-minute adjustments: zipping up our wetsuits; cleaning our masks with defog; slipping on our fins; and finally donning on our BCDs. The mate helps where he can with BCDs and ensuring that our air is on.
The boat slows to just the right spot. Juan gives us the final briefing. Then, the pool is open—it’s time to take a giant stride into the sea! Greg and I are about the last two in our group to get in. Once in, Greg fins back to the boat to pick up Sonita from Edwin.
Oh yea…Sonita has made a few dives with us but we’re very particular when she goes. Today,
it’s an easy, shallow dive, and the seas are calm. Nevertheless, we always get Ramiro or Edwin to come with us to watch over Sonita; we don’t want to take any chances with her.
Greg attaches Sonita to his BCD, and we’re ready to plunge below the surface. He gives me the thumbs down sign—let’s go! One hand goes to the inflator hose to raise it in the air while I take a deep breath. To get below the surface, all the air must be exhausted from your BCD through the inflator hose as you expel the air from your lungs.
My eyes are on Greg the whole time; he’s my buddy! Can’t lose him, that’s for sure. His one hand raises the inflator hose in the air but somehow, it looks different this time than the countless other times we’ve done this. It takes just a second but then I figure it out. Greg’s inflator hose is completely off his BCD! What the heck!
I call out to Edwin, who’s still standing at the back of the boat, and get his attention. The mate hears me and now all eyes are on Greg. He fins his way to the back of the boat as do I.
The second group of divers and their Divemaster are just getting ready to stride off the boat. Greg hands Sonita to Edwin and climbs the ladder to the boat. The mate and the captain confer with Greg. No diving for Greg or me, his buddy. I also climb up the ladder to the boat.
The inflator hose didn’t just come unscrewed off the BCD—it ripped! This leaves an inch hole that can’t be plugged. Obviously, without anything covering the hole, water would get in and weigh Greg down. Not so good for diving!
It sinks in—we’re not diving the 3:30 p.m. dive! That stinks! But we laugh it off—we have to! Now, we’ll get to see what the captain and his mate do while they wait on the boat for the divers.
Finally, three boats converge at the pier. Divers jump onto the pier from the boats; their dives completed. The others, like us, anxiously await our turn to get on the boat. We’re all accounted for—it’s time to head to the hotel next door (the Allegro) to get fresh tanks.
We hang out at the Allegro pier just long enough to switch from empty to full tanks. While we’re there, I strike up a conversation with a guy at the end of the pier. He’s caught some mahi-mahi, and he’s filleting them right there.“Where do you fish for those?” I ask. Somewhere out in the deep blue sea, is the answer I get in spotty English.
We shove off with fresh tanks and anxious divers. We just wanna get wet! And then the question, “Where do you want to dive? What do you want to see?” asks our Divemaster, Juan. Ah, good choice—La Francesca (the French Lady).
La Francesca is about 15 minutes from the pier; we all get our gear ready: BCD on the tank; check the air; set out our fins right under the bench; toss our masks in the water bucket; place the camera in the fresh water bucket. Now, we just wait—Juan will let us know when we need to get our gear on.
There’s polite conversation among the divers. “What kind of camera is that?” “Where are you from?” “Did you do any dives this morning?” One lady has her fish identifier handy, checking out the pictures of the fish common to Cozumel.
“What’s the fish of the day?” Greg asks.
“I’d love to see a toadfish,” she says. “I’ve never seen one.”
Greg assures her that the Divemasters are great at locating toadfish.
And before you know it, Juan says it’s time to get ready; we’re almost there! We all scurry around completing our last-minute adjustments: zipping up our wetsuits; cleaning our masks with defog; slipping on our fins; and finally donning on our BCDs. The mate helps where he can with BCDs and ensuring that our air is on.
The boat slows to just the right spot. Juan gives us the final briefing. Then, the pool is open—it’s time to take a giant stride into the sea! Greg and I are about the last two in our group to get in. Once in, Greg fins back to the boat to pick up Sonita from Edwin.
Oh yea…Sonita has made a few dives with us but we’re very particular when she goes. Today,
it’s an easy, shallow dive, and the seas are calm. Nevertheless, we always get Ramiro or Edwin to come with us to watch over Sonita; we don’t want to take any chances with her.Greg attaches Sonita to his BCD, and we’re ready to plunge below the surface. He gives me the thumbs down sign—let’s go! One hand goes to the inflator hose to raise it in the air while I take a deep breath. To get below the surface, all the air must be exhausted from your BCD through the inflator hose as you expel the air from your lungs.
My eyes are on Greg the whole time; he’s my buddy! Can’t lose him, that’s for sure. His one hand raises the inflator hose in the air but somehow, it looks different this time than the countless other times we’ve done this. It takes just a second but then I figure it out. Greg’s inflator hose is completely off his BCD! What the heck!
I call out to Edwin, who’s still standing at the back of the boat, and get his attention. The mate hears me and now all eyes are on Greg. He fins his way to the back of the boat as do I.
The second group of divers and their Divemaster are just getting ready to stride off the boat. Greg hands Sonita to Edwin and climbs the ladder to the boat. The mate and the captain confer with Greg. No diving for Greg or me, his buddy. I also climb up the ladder to the boat.
The inflator hose didn’t just come unscrewed off the BCD—it ripped! This leaves an inch hole that can’t be plugged. Obviously, without anything covering the hole, water would get in and weigh Greg down. Not so good for diving!It sinks in—we’re not diving the 3:30 p.m. dive! That stinks! But we laugh it off—we have to! Now, we’ll get to see what the captain and his mate do while they wait on the boat for the divers.
Dive 150 = A great dive
Our second dive today was my 150th dive! Wahoooooo! And it was great!
At 11:16 a.m., we hit the water heading down to Santa Rosa reef. The current was pretty steady along this reef. This time, it didn't matter. There were two guys and a girl (they were ok divers), a guy named Ken we just met, Pingo (our Divemaster), and Greg and I. We all knew NOT to kick with the current--it just makes for an easier dive! Beto, on the other hand, was the Divemaster in charge of the family (mom, dad, sister, and brother). They jumped in after us. I mention these folks here because I have to tell you about them later in the story.
This dive was a shallow dive so we were going to stay on the topside of the reef. As we headed down, we were over the deep blue sea. I call it the deep blue sea because you can't see the bottom--the blue just goes on forever. Just ahead, raising out of the deep blue, is Santa Rosa wall. We were headed for the top of the wall; that's where we'd start our dive.
At first, the terrain was pretty flat with clumps of coral here and there. We were floating, letting the current take us away, just a few feet above the reef. Fish are everywhere--big, small, colorful, plain. They just don't seem to mind the current--or maybe, the current doesn't have any affect on them! Greg and I hang back a bit. When Pingo finds something, he gets everyone's attention by shaking his noisemaker. That sound is so familiar now. Anytime we hear it, we look up and around--where's Pingo? What did he find?
As we continue, the coral heads are getting bigger. A lot of small marine life live just off the coral heads in the sand. It's funny to watch the little fish dart in and out of the small holes they've made in the sand.
We see a turtle up ahead. He decides he's had enough of us gawking at him so he heads to the surface for air. It turns out Greg and I see him again; he comes so close to us, within a mere few feet. I could almost reach out and touch his shell but I don't. Greg snaps a few pics, and we continue on.
It's so relaxing; diving is all that--with sceneary! You look down, to the left, to the right, straight ahead; then, you move yourself around, just using your fins. You look all around because you never know what you'll see. Ahhhh...that barracuda, he doesn't fighten me. He looks mean, yes, but really harmless. He doesn't want to eat us divers!
We come upon another coral head. Look it's a little eel, a spotted one. Geez! He's no bigger than my index finger. But I see him, and I get Greg's attention. We're pretty good at the hand signals.
"Eel. Little. Over here, " I gesture to him. As I turn back around to get a fix on him, ouy! That darn fish...what is it called? It gets in between me and the eel.
By now, Greg is by my side. "Eel. Little. Behind the fish," I tell him again.
At first, he doesn't see it. All he sees is that fish! And then, finally, the fish moves, and the eel sticks his head out of the coral. "There he is!" I point. Greg has him now, and takes a picture.
Of course, just seconds after that, Pingo gets our attention. "Eel, over here!" he motions. And it's bigger than the one I found. Ah, well, maybe next time.
46 minutes as elapsed; we're at the surface, waiting for the boat. Now, remember the family with Beto? Well, seems that they were kicking with the current (a big NO NO). We could see the boat, a long way away (maybe a quarter mile, Greg thinks). So, we waited and waited. It's pretty funny, though, because we surfaced in front of the hotel, about a quarter mile off shore. And we waited. There was another boat, drifting with its divers. Pingo struck up a conversation with the capitain. Then, we could see the boat finally coming to pick us up.
Hurry up, dudes! It's noontime, and I'm hungry!
At 11:16 a.m., we hit the water heading down to Santa Rosa reef. The current was pretty steady along this reef. This time, it didn't matter. There were two guys and a girl (they were ok divers), a guy named Ken we just met, Pingo (our Divemaster), and Greg and I. We all knew NOT to kick with the current--it just makes for an easier dive! Beto, on the other hand, was the Divemaster in charge of the family (mom, dad, sister, and brother). They jumped in after us. I mention these folks here because I have to tell you about them later in the story.
This dive was a shallow dive so we were going to stay on the topside of the reef. As we headed down, we were over the deep blue sea. I call it the deep blue sea because you can't see the bottom--the blue just goes on forever. Just ahead, raising out of the deep blue, is Santa Rosa wall. We were headed for the top of the wall; that's where we'd start our dive.
At first, the terrain was pretty flat with clumps of coral here and there. We were floating, letting the current take us away, just a few feet above the reef. Fish are everywhere--big, small, colorful, plain. They just don't seem to mind the current--or maybe, the current doesn't have any affect on them! Greg and I hang back a bit. When Pingo finds something, he gets everyone's attention by shaking his noisemaker. That sound is so familiar now. Anytime we hear it, we look up and around--where's Pingo? What did he find?
As we continue, the coral heads are getting bigger. A lot of small marine life live just off the coral heads in the sand. It's funny to watch the little fish dart in and out of the small holes they've made in the sand.
We see a turtle up ahead. He decides he's had enough of us gawking at him so he heads to the surface for air. It turns out Greg and I see him again; he comes so close to us, within a mere few feet. I could almost reach out and touch his shell but I don't. Greg snaps a few pics, and we continue on.It's so relaxing; diving is all that--with sceneary! You look down, to the left, to the right, straight ahead; then, you move yourself around, just using your fins. You look all around because you never know what you'll see. Ahhhh...that barracuda, he doesn't fighten me. He looks mean, yes, but really harmless. He doesn't want to eat us divers!
We come upon another coral head. Look it's a little eel, a spotted one. Geez! He's no bigger than my index finger. But I see him, and I get Greg's attention. We're pretty good at the hand signals.
"Eel. Little. Over here, " I gesture to him. As I turn back around to get a fix on him, ouy! That darn fish...what is it called? It gets in between me and the eel.By now, Greg is by my side. "Eel. Little. Behind the fish," I tell him again.
At first, he doesn't see it. All he sees is that fish! And then, finally, the fish moves, and the eel sticks his head out of the coral. "There he is!" I point. Greg has him now, and takes a picture.Of course, just seconds after that, Pingo gets our attention. "Eel, over here!" he motions. And it's bigger than the one I found. Ah, well, maybe next time.
46 minutes as elapsed; we're at the surface, waiting for the boat. Now, remember the family with Beto? Well, seems that they were kicking with the current (a big NO NO). We could see the boat, a long way away (maybe a quarter mile, Greg thinks). So, we waited and waited. It's pretty funny, though, because we surfaced in front of the hotel, about a quarter mile off shore. And we waited. There was another boat, drifting with its divers. Pingo struck up a conversation with the capitain. Then, we could see the boat finally coming to pick us up.
Hurry up, dudes! It's noontime, and I'm hungry!
Dear Randy,
I want to thank you SOOOO much for all you've taught Greg and I! We met some "assistant instructors" and some "instructors" yesterday (Tuesday, June 19) on our first two dives. They were not even in the same league as you!
We headed down south to Punta Sur. We thought we were going to Cathedral, our favorite dive. Little did we know that the other folks on the boat had talked Pingo, the Divemaster, into going to Devil's throat instead. We might have considered doing the dive but one of my computers crapped out on Monday night. (Thank gosh Greg is sooo anal about redundancy--we've been diving with two computers!) I'm not as familiar with my backup computer so we didn't want to risk the dive. (Here's some info on Devil's Throat: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil's_Throat_at_Punta_Sur)
We all entered the water and headed down to the bottom about 80 feet below. We got to the sandy bottom and played with a turtle for a few minutes before moving on. The others entered the throat while Greg and I followed their bubbles along the topside of the reef. The reef, by the way, was pristine--no one does this dive for the reef! Greg got some great pics and shortly thereafter, met up with the others.
Greg didn't tell me until later that one of the "instructors" didn't double check to make sure his air was on before doing a giant stride off the boat. Just a few feet down, he motioned to his wife to turn on his air. Not a good example for an "instructor."
Anyway, three of the five folks loved to use their hands to move themselves through the water--another "instructor" no-no. And once we hit the surface, two of them were laughing and making fun of one of the ladies. Seems that her computer was screaming at her while they were in the Devil's throat--she hit zero decompression time. Not so good from the safety aspect.
As the boat came to pick us up, three of the five folks bullied their way to the ladder to be the first on the boat even though Greg and I were closest--wrong boat etiquette!
All in all, for the short amount of time Greg and I have been diving, seems that our Instructor taught us well. We always look out for each other and complete our predive check. We NEVER use our hands to motor about; we know how to use good breath control and our fins to get us where we need to be. We're very safety conscious and know our dive limits. We have great boat etiquette and yield to those needing to board the boat quicker than us. And, we also keep an eye out for others!
Thanks, Randy, you've taught us a lot! You're a great Instructor! Keep up the good work! And, maybe someday, we'll become great Instructors just like you!
Always,
Leenie and Greg
We headed down south to Punta Sur. We thought we were going to Cathedral, our favorite dive. Little did we know that the other folks on the boat had talked Pingo, the Divemaster, into going to Devil's throat instead. We might have considered doing the dive but one of my computers crapped out on Monday night. (Thank gosh Greg is sooo anal about redundancy--we've been diving with two computers!) I'm not as familiar with my backup computer so we didn't want to risk the dive. (Here's some info on Devil's Throat: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil's_Throat_at_Punta_Sur)
We all entered the water and headed down to the bottom about 80 feet below. We got to the sandy bottom and played with a turtle for a few minutes before moving on. The others entered the throat while Greg and I followed their bubbles along the topside of the reef. The reef, by the way, was pristine--no one does this dive for the reef! Greg got some great pics and shortly thereafter, met up with the others.
Greg didn't tell me until later that one of the "instructors" didn't double check to make sure his air was on before doing a giant stride off the boat. Just a few feet down, he motioned to his wife to turn on his air. Not a good example for an "instructor."
Anyway, three of the five folks loved to use their hands to move themselves through the water--another "instructor" no-no. And once we hit the surface, two of them were laughing and making fun of one of the ladies. Seems that her computer was screaming at her while they were in the Devil's throat--she hit zero decompression time. Not so good from the safety aspect.
As the boat came to pick us up, three of the five folks bullied their way to the ladder to be the first on the boat even though Greg and I were closest--wrong boat etiquette!
All in all, for the short amount of time Greg and I have been diving, seems that our Instructor taught us well. We always look out for each other and complete our predive check. We NEVER use our hands to motor about; we know how to use good breath control and our fins to get us where we need to be. We're very safety conscious and know our dive limits. We have great boat etiquette and yield to those needing to board the boat quicker than us. And, we also keep an eye out for others!
Thanks, Randy, you've taught us a lot! You're a great Instructor! Keep up the good work! And, maybe someday, we'll become great Instructors just like you!
Always,
Leenie and Greg
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Dive 141 = The worst dive ever
I didn’t think that you could have a worst dive ever. Wow! Was I completely wrong. Here’s the story:
So, there we were, on the Triton boat with Ricardo as our Divemaster. It was the 3:30 p.m. dive on Sunday, June 17.
“Where shall we go?” they ask.
“How about Palancar Gardens? That’s always a great dive.”
“White house? Ok, what the heck—wherever the people want to go.”
The current had been strong all day; it was a windy day. But we didn’t have any problems on our other two dives—we just let the current take us away. Why would this dive be any different?
At 4:02 p.m., we hit the water. As we descended and reached the bottom, Greg and I ended up between Ricardo and the other five divers. Ricardo made sure everyone was ok, and motioned for us to follow him. We quickly realized that the other divers weren’t so good—it was like they were coming at us—flaying hands and feet. Greg motioned for me to follow him but I gave him the “let all those yahoooos go first,” which we did.
And before you knew it, they were off. It was like a RACE! Remember, the current is strong today—no need to kick WITH the current because if you DO…
Wait…it was more like a feeding frenzy! It was a challenge to see who could get to where Ricardo was first.
No, hold on…Greg described it best. He used to be a referee for kids soccer. He would tell me, “Wherever the ball was, that’s where all the kids were. And they’d stay in a clump as they went around the field.”
Yep. That’s more like it. Ricardo was the ball and the other divers where the kids.
Look! Ricardo found a toadfish. Clump! There’s a turtle. Clump! And they’d just spend a few minutes—maybe even seconds—looking and gawking and taking a picture. Then, they were off to find the next treasure. And each time, they’d kick WITH the current.
Greg stopped to take a few pictures but I never saw the toadfish. We turned around, and the “clump” was gone! Literally! We could barely make out their bubbles. So, here we go, kicking WITH the current. Ok, there they are, and they’ve found something else…oh wait! There they go again…yep! Kicking WITH the current.
Wow! Was that the end of the reef? Now we had to kick sideways to go across the sand to the next reef. Are you having fun? I know I’m not. This stinks! And when my mask started fogging up so I couldn’t see, it just got worse. Who had time to stop and clear it? Not me! All I could think of was, “This isn’t any fun!”
Oh look! Ricardo found a green moray eel! Clump! Kick, kick, kick! There goes the clump. Greg: picture, picture, picture as he’s kicking into the current to take the pictures. Me: kick, kick, kick into the current just to keep an eye on Greg who’s about 20 feet away. And when I look over my shoulder to see where the clump was…gone, AGAIN! No way!
Honk, honk! I use my squacker to get Greg’s attention and motion him to COME ON! At this point, I’m exhausted! Really! I can’t hold on much longer. Again, I’m thinking, “This isn’t any fun.”
Kick, kick, kick WITH the current…geez! There they are, playing with a turtle. Ok, I’m done. And Greg is too. He looks at me and I know what he’s thinking. He motions to Ricardo, “we’re heading up.” “Are you ok?” Ricardo asks. “Ok. But we’re going up.”
And we started our ascent to complete our safety stop. That was the longest three minutes of my life. When it was done, we hit the surface and signaled the boat. We were first up—we’ve NEVER been first up.
Typically, our bottom time is about 45 to 55 minutes for each dive. During a shallow dive, like this was, typically, I’ll end up with about 1200-1400 psi of air left. There was NOTHING typical about this dive.
Bottom time=26 minutes
Air remaining=1600 psi
Did I tell you this was my worst dive ever?!
So, there we were, on the Triton boat with Ricardo as our Divemaster. It was the 3:30 p.m. dive on Sunday, June 17.
“Where shall we go?” they ask.
“How about Palancar Gardens? That’s always a great dive.”
“White house? Ok, what the heck—wherever the people want to go.”
The current had been strong all day; it was a windy day. But we didn’t have any problems on our other two dives—we just let the current take us away. Why would this dive be any different?
At 4:02 p.m., we hit the water. As we descended and reached the bottom, Greg and I ended up between Ricardo and the other five divers. Ricardo made sure everyone was ok, and motioned for us to follow him. We quickly realized that the other divers weren’t so good—it was like they were coming at us—flaying hands and feet. Greg motioned for me to follow him but I gave him the “let all those yahoooos go first,” which we did.
And before you knew it, they were off. It was like a RACE! Remember, the current is strong today—no need to kick WITH the current because if you DO…
Wait…it was more like a feeding frenzy! It was a challenge to see who could get to where Ricardo was first.
No, hold on…Greg described it best. He used to be a referee for kids soccer. He would tell me, “Wherever the ball was, that’s where all the kids were. And they’d stay in a clump as they went around the field.”
Yep. That’s more like it. Ricardo was the ball and the other divers where the kids.
Look! Ricardo found a toadfish. Clump! There’s a turtle. Clump! And they’d just spend a few minutes—maybe even seconds—looking and gawking and taking a picture. Then, they were off to find the next treasure. And each time, they’d kick WITH the current.
Greg stopped to take a few pictures but I never saw the toadfish. We turned around, and the “clump” was gone! Literally! We could barely make out their bubbles. So, here we go, kicking WITH the current. Ok, there they are, and they’ve found something else…oh wait! There they go again…yep! Kicking WITH the current.
Wow! Was that the end of the reef? Now we had to kick sideways to go across the sand to the next reef. Are you having fun? I know I’m not. This stinks! And when my mask started fogging up so I couldn’t see, it just got worse. Who had time to stop and clear it? Not me! All I could think of was, “This isn’t any fun!”
Oh look! Ricardo found a green moray eel! Clump! Kick, kick, kick! There goes the clump. Greg: picture, picture, picture as he’s kicking into the current to take the pictures. Me: kick, kick, kick into the current just to keep an eye on Greg who’s about 20 feet away. And when I look over my shoulder to see where the clump was…gone, AGAIN! No way!
Honk, honk! I use my squacker to get Greg’s attention and motion him to COME ON! At this point, I’m exhausted! Really! I can’t hold on much longer. Again, I’m thinking, “This isn’t any fun.”
Kick, kick, kick WITH the current…geez! There they are, playing with a turtle. Ok, I’m done. And Greg is too. He looks at me and I know what he’s thinking. He motions to Ricardo, “we’re heading up.” “Are you ok?” Ricardo asks. “Ok. But we’re going up.”
And we started our ascent to complete our safety stop. That was the longest three minutes of my life. When it was done, we hit the surface and signaled the boat. We were first up—we’ve NEVER been first up.
Typically, our bottom time is about 45 to 55 minutes for each dive. During a shallow dive, like this was, typically, I’ll end up with about 1200-1400 psi of air left. There was NOTHING typical about this dive.
Bottom time=26 minutes
Air remaining=1600 psi
Did I tell you this was my worst dive ever?!
Diving into blue
Cozumel, Mexico
Paso del Cedral
Off a boat named Triton, we completed a giant stride following our Divemaster, Raoul. At exactly 4:03 p.m., it was official--it was our first dive into blue for this trip.
With that first stride, you never know what to expect: what's the visibility going to be? Will we see anything good? Did I take enough Bonine to counteract the boat ride and the motion of the sea? But then, you relax, and follow the rhythm that your body seems to innately know. It's a comfortable feeling. All those worries and cares seem to vanish. There's nothing but you and the blue. And, of course, the reef and the fish. Can't forget about them.
We seem to be lucky this time. The others in our group aren't too bad. They're following Raoul--but not too close. And no one is kicking; we're all letting the gentle current take us for an easy ride. It's a shallow dive so we end up at 53 feet for our maximum depth.
Look! There's a turtle! How cool is that! And check out those fish: parrotfish, blue tang, foureye butterfly fish, gray angelfish, and some queen angel fish. It's like old home week. Do you think they missed us? I know I missed them. Did you see those arrow crabs? Wow! I can really spot them now.
And all you hear is a slight whoooosh, whooooosh, whoooooosh. (Greg and I tried to pinpoint what that sound was but never could.) Sometimes, you hear the whine of a boat motor. That's usually the crew on your boat following the bubbles--they're good like that!
As we glide along, not too fast and not too slow, just above the reef, you can see all the activity. Fish darting here and there. Schools of baby fish that look like small clouds of insects if you were topside. And these fish are soooo tiny, you can't make out what they'll be when they grow up.
There goes the school of juvenile parrotfish playing follow the leader. The small basslets and blue chromis going in and out of the caves inside a small head of coral. Another turtle! He's munching down on some coral as two gray angels follow him trying to clean him.
And then, before you know it, Raoul gives us the sign--three-minute safety stop. It's time to head back to the surface, back to the boat. We've spent 49 glorious minutes diving in the blue--I'm glad we have many more days ahead of us. This never gets old.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
A Toast to Lynnie!
Dear Family,
By now, you've surprised Lynnie and are sitting down for a great dinner created by the chef.
Lynnie, we hope you were surprised! Enjoy another birthday dinner! Wish we could be there! We raise our glass to toast you from Cozumel!
Happy birthday, Lynnie!
Love always,
Leenie and Greg
The Great Wasp Adventure
Greg and I enjoy sitting outside on our balcony. We're in building 16 and our balcony looks out toward the middle of the property. We can see the centro de buceo, and we have two views of the ocean. (I'll add pictures later.) So, who wouldn't want to sit on the balcony and enjoy the view?
I haven't been outside yet but Greg has. He's braved it. He doesn't seem to stay out for very long and he keeps an eye out. It seems that a few wasps created a great structure--we're talking a neighborhood! There's about three to four wasps that hang out all day; at night, Greg counted at least eight in the neighborhood. And these aren't just small little things. They're freakin' HUGE!
Yesterday, we asked the front desk (and at least four other people) to please get rid of the neighborhood. We've dealt with something similiar at home so Greg gave the people advice.
Greg: "It's easier if you spray the neighborhood and the wasps close to dusk. That way, you get them all when they're home. It'll take care of the problem."
The people: "No problemo, senor. We're gonna send the firemen to your room to get rid of the them."
Us: "Firemen? Ok. Whatever it takes."
So, at 12:45 p.m., the "fireman" shows up. (He's really a lifeguard. I guess they certify their lifeguards to kill insects as well.) Greg shows him the neighborhood. Greg, again, gives the "come back at dusk and kill them" speech as the fireman shakes his head in agreement.
Fireman: "No problemo, senor. I'll take care of them. I'll be right back."
Us: "Ok..."
When the fireman returns, he's got a broom and a can of Off spray--like the kind you use to douse yourself to keep the bugs off you. He stands at our balcony door, with the door open just wide enough for his arm to be outside. With the broom in his hand, he pokes at the neighborhood.
Poke, poke, poke--until the neighborhood comes crashing down, bouncing off the balcony, and falling three stories to the ground. Now, if THAT doesn't piss the wasps off, I don't know what will! And they do come back, looking for the neighborhood. They're not too happy that they can't find the place.
Now that the neighborhood is gone, it's time for the fireman to spray the area with Off. And he sprays and sprays and sprays. But once safe inside our room, he and Greg notice the wasps keep coming back.
Greg: "Don't you have anything else to spray them with? You need something stronger."
Fireman: "No problemo, senor. Someone's bringing me something else to use."
And now, we have security involved. Security man brings fireman a can of bug spray. The three of them confer as they read the instructions on the side of the can. Unfortunately for Greg, it's in Spanish.
Greg: "Ok. Whatever. Just spray it real good. Especially where the neighborhood used to be. Those wasps are going to keep coming back there for awhile."
Fireman: "No problemo, senor. I'll spray."
And he sprays some more. He and the security man are outside on the balcony spraying up a storm--literally. Once they've decided it's good enough, they come back inside the room.
Fireman: "No problemo, senor. They shouldn't be back."
Greg: "Well, just in case, leave the spray."
I haven't been outside yet but Greg has. He's braved it. He doesn't seem to stay out for very long and he keeps an eye out. It seems that a few wasps created a great structure--we're talking a neighborhood! There's about three to four wasps that hang out all day; at night, Greg counted at least eight in the neighborhood. And these aren't just small little things. They're freakin' HUGE!
Yesterday, we asked the front desk (and at least four other people) to please get rid of the neighborhood. We've dealt with something similiar at home so Greg gave the people advice.
Greg: "It's easier if you spray the neighborhood and the wasps close to dusk. That way, you get them all when they're home. It'll take care of the problem."
The people: "No problemo, senor. We're gonna send the firemen to your room to get rid of the them."
Us: "Firemen? Ok. Whatever it takes."
So, at 12:45 p.m., the "fireman" shows up. (He's really a lifeguard. I guess they certify their lifeguards to kill insects as well.) Greg shows him the neighborhood. Greg, again, gives the "come back at dusk and kill them" speech as the fireman shakes his head in agreement.
Fireman: "No problemo, senor. I'll take care of them. I'll be right back."
Us: "Ok..."
When the fireman returns, he's got a broom and a can of Off spray--like the kind you use to douse yourself to keep the bugs off you. He stands at our balcony door, with the door open just wide enough for his arm to be outside. With the broom in his hand, he pokes at the neighborhood.
Poke, poke, poke--until the neighborhood comes crashing down, bouncing off the balcony, and falling three stories to the ground. Now, if THAT doesn't piss the wasps off, I don't know what will! And they do come back, looking for the neighborhood. They're not too happy that they can't find the place.
Wasp 1: "What the...Martha, where did the neighborhood go? "
Wasp 2: "Fred, it was right here just a few minutes ago."
Wasp 1: "Boy howdy! Just wait until I get my stinger on the sucker who wiped out the neighborhood! They're gonna be in a world of hurt!"
Now that the neighborhood is gone, it's time for the fireman to spray the area with Off. And he sprays and sprays and sprays. But once safe inside our room, he and Greg notice the wasps keep coming back.Greg: "Don't you have anything else to spray them with? You need something stronger."
Fireman: "No problemo, senor. Someone's bringing me something else to use."
And now, we have security involved. Security man brings fireman a can of bug spray. The three of them confer as they read the instructions on the side of the can. Unfortunately for Greg, it's in Spanish.
Greg: "Ok. Whatever. Just spray it real good. Especially where the neighborhood used to be. Those wasps are going to keep coming back there for awhile."
Fireman: "No problemo, senor. I'll spray."
And he sprays some more. He and the security man are outside on the balcony spraying up a storm--literally. Once they've decided it's good enough, they come back inside the room.
Fireman: "No problemo, senor. They shouldn't be back."
Greg: "Well, just in case, leave the spray."
Will we ever get to Cozumel? --Part II
So the way Greg figured it, we went west until we hit Abilene, and then we headed south. One hour and 25 minutes into the flight, the flight crew made the announcement that we were going to divert to a "partner" city to refuel. And since we were on AeroMexico, all the announcements were in Spanish first, then English. We were trying to translate what the captain was saying in Spanish before he continued in English. Needless to say, it was easier to understand in English.
About 5 p.m., we landed in Reynoso, Mexico. If you can, check out a map. It's just over the border. A small city with a smaller airport--one runway and no taxiways. You turn around at the end of the runway and taxi back to the one turn off to the terminal building. And terminal building is really stretching it, too. But, again, I digress...
So, remember the wonderful (psycho) man sitting behind Greg? Yep, he kept mouthing off about how this was so bogus. "How come we have to divert? This is a load of crap." And on and on and on.
Here's Greg version of why we diverted: you have to have minimum amount of reserve fuel when you land. It's especially important if your destination is an island. In this way, if anything happens, we should have enough fuel to divert to Cancun, plus have extra fuel when we land there. Because we were routed around the weather, we wouldn't have enough of this minimum fuel to land. Hence, we need to divert and bring on more fuel.
Psycho man, " This is the worst flight ever. Why do we have to divert? Did you see that? I've never taxied on a runway before. What the heck! I hope there's not anyone else trying to land. We should have just waited until tomorrow morning to leave. We've just wasted HOURS of time. Do you think they'll let us get off the plane? There's not much here..."
Greg, "If that guy doesn't shut up, I'm gonna hit him!"
We were on the ground in Reynoso about 45 minutes. And then, we were off, making our way to Cozumel. Another easy two hours, and we finally landed in Cozumel at 7:35 p.m., about two hours and 10 minutes late. Wahoooooo!
And on a personal note, that's the first flight I've ever been on that diverted. Interesting!
About 5 p.m., we landed in Reynoso, Mexico. If you can, check out a map. It's just over the border. A small city with a smaller airport--one runway and no taxiways. You turn around at the end of the runway and taxi back to the one turn off to the terminal building. And terminal building is really stretching it, too. But, again, I digress...
So, remember the wonderful (psycho) man sitting behind Greg? Yep, he kept mouthing off about how this was so bogus. "How come we have to divert? This is a load of crap." And on and on and on.
Here's Greg version of why we diverted: you have to have minimum amount of reserve fuel when you land. It's especially important if your destination is an island. In this way, if anything happens, we should have enough fuel to divert to Cancun, plus have extra fuel when we land there. Because we were routed around the weather, we wouldn't have enough of this minimum fuel to land. Hence, we need to divert and bring on more fuel.
Psycho man, " This is the worst flight ever. Why do we have to divert? Did you see that? I've never taxied on a runway before. What the heck! I hope there's not anyone else trying to land. We should have just waited until tomorrow morning to leave. We've just wasted HOURS of time. Do you think they'll let us get off the plane? There's not much here..."
Greg, "If that guy doesn't shut up, I'm gonna hit him!"
We were on the ground in Reynoso about 45 minutes. And then, we were off, making our way to Cozumel. Another easy two hours, and we finally landed in Cozumel at 7:35 p.m., about two hours and 10 minutes late. Wahoooooo!
And on a personal note, that's the first flight I've ever been on that diverted. Interesting!
Friday, June 15, 2007
Will we ever get to Cozumel?
I think airline employees are the most patient people EVER! You understand what goes on behind the scenes. And it doesn't make a difference if you're traveling on your own airline or another airline. I say this because of what we experienced yesterday traveling on AeroMexico from DFW to CZM.
Our flight was scheduled to leave at 2:35 p.m. When we arrived at the gate at about 2:00 p.m., the plane was already there. Good sign--we should be leaving ontime. Not really the case. No announcements about delays and we didn't board until about 2:30 p.m. Who should complain? Good gosh, we're all on our way to Mexico. How can we complain?
The flight's not really full at all. First class had two folks in it (note to self: find out how to get first class next time). Greg wanted the extra leg room at the emergency exit row so we asked for those assigned seats. Unfortunately, we were just one row off--the ladies behind us got the leg room while we got the row with two seats. Greg heard them make a comment, hoping that no one would sit in the empty seat by them. Greg offered to switch seats and we did! It worked out for all four of us.
And then we heard the dude in the seat behind Greg. Ouy! He was REALLY full of it! We really think he was psycho. But, I digress...
We finally get off the ground from DFW, and we breathe a sigh of relief. Let's relax and take it easy. We're on vacation, by gosh!
Greg's sitting in the window seat, checking the sights out the window. He turns to me and says, "We're heading west. That's not a good sign. That thunderstorm must be pretty bad if they're routing us west."
And it turns out, Greg's right.
Our flight was scheduled to leave at 2:35 p.m. When we arrived at the gate at about 2:00 p.m., the plane was already there. Good sign--we should be leaving ontime. Not really the case. No announcements about delays and we didn't board until about 2:30 p.m. Who should complain? Good gosh, we're all on our way to Mexico. How can we complain?
The flight's not really full at all. First class had two folks in it (note to self: find out how to get first class next time). Greg wanted the extra leg room at the emergency exit row so we asked for those assigned seats. Unfortunately, we were just one row off--the ladies behind us got the leg room while we got the row with two seats. Greg heard them make a comment, hoping that no one would sit in the empty seat by them. Greg offered to switch seats and we did! It worked out for all four of us.
And then we heard the dude in the seat behind Greg. Ouy! He was REALLY full of it! We really think he was psycho. But, I digress...
We finally get off the ground from DFW, and we breathe a sigh of relief. Let's relax and take it easy. We're on vacation, by gosh!
Greg's sitting in the window seat, checking the sights out the window. He turns to me and says, "We're heading west. That's not a good sign. That thunderstorm must be pretty bad if they're routing us west."
And it turns out, Greg's right.
What are the chances?
So imagine this...we're standing in line at the Beach Club, waiting for a table so we can have lunch. I'm looking around, doing a little people watching. As this couple walk up, I think, "I know them...they look familiar..." The closer they get, I know I'm right! We've met before but I think, "How ironic to see them here!" And she recognizes me about the same time.
"Oh my gosh! How are you? I can't believe you're here!"
She and I banter back and forth catching up. We glance several times at our husbands who are trying to place where we know each other from. She and I laugh because they can't seem to figure it out. The boys give us both a quizzical look.
"I'm sorry...what was your name again?"
Oh, that's right! It's Monica and Jason.
Finally, we have to clue the boys in--we met last October in Cayman Brac!
We learn that they've added to their family--adopted a little boy who's four month old now. And their daughter is 22 months. And, by the way, they booked this trip on Sunday, just five days ago. They remembered us telling them about the Occidental Grande and thought they'd give it a try.
See, what are the chances?
"Oh my gosh! How are you? I can't believe you're here!"
She and I banter back and forth catching up. We glance several times at our husbands who are trying to place where we know each other from. She and I laugh because they can't seem to figure it out. The boys give us both a quizzical look.
"I'm sorry...what was your name again?"
Oh, that's right! It's Monica and Jason.
Finally, we have to clue the boys in--we met last October in Cayman Brac!
We learn that they've added to their family--adopted a little boy who's four month old now. And their daughter is 22 months. And, by the way, they booked this trip on Sunday, just five days ago. They remembered us telling them about the Occidental Grande and thought they'd give it a try.
See, what are the chances?
Thursday, June 14, 2007
T minus nine hours and counting...
until we land on the beautiful island of Cozumel.
T minus 25 hours and counting...
until we take our first dive this year into the awesome blue! Watch out fishies! Here we come!
T minus 25 hours and counting...
until we take our first dive this year into the awesome blue! Watch out fishies! Here we come!
