Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Highlights from these last ten days...
- 19 dives for Greg
- 17 dives for Leenie
- Rough seas and sea sickness
- Rain, rain, and more rain
- New finds: snapping shrimp, juvenile smooth trunkfish, corkscrew anemoine, red snapping shrimp
- Little turtles and big turtles
- Little eels
- Private dives
- Slow internet
- $$$ internet
- Royal Club restaurant
- Junior suite at the Royal Club
- Old friends: Pingo, Carlos, Winnie, Teresa, Veronica, Ismael
- No wakeup calls
- Hour late wakeup calls
- 30-minute too early wakeup calls
- Wicked, wicked current
- Greg's 200th dive
- No still camera
- Lots of video
- Sitting on the beach, listening to the surf
- Deep blue sea
- Newly certified divers
- Sea shells on the ocean floor
- Pingo having fun with the fish
- Hermit crabs duking it out on the ocean floor
- Lots of arrow crabs--big and small
- Red banded shrimp
- Fat Americans in bathing suits
- Surface intervals
- A missed dive at Cathedral
- The real dive at Cathedral--only backwards
- The sun in and out of the clouds
- Pastel de chocolate
- Mero no tinta
- Bees in the desserts
- Omlets at breakfast
- Waffels at breakfast
- Cheeseburgers and fries for lunch
- Dinner with Pingo at Los Morros del Morrito
Muy Bueno!
"Muy bueno!" says Greg about his 200th dive!
We went to one of his favorite reefs--Palancar Bricks. We saw lots of fun stuff, like:
We went to one of his favorite reefs--Palancar Bricks. We saw lots of fun stuff, like:
- A huge turtle just hanging out under a reef.
- A medium size turtle just swimming along.
- A little, cute turtle munching on some coral.
- A hermit crab who didn't want his picture taken.
- A huge stingray playing in the sand.
Many other assorted fish who had no problems being videotaped.
We did a private dive with Pingo so we had all the time in the world to explore and enjoy ourselves. The water was pretty choppy that morning and it was quite fun just trying to get on the boat from the dock. The huge waves pounded the boat into the dock so you had to time your leap into the boat just right.
Just before we got to the dive site, we got our gear on so we could be ready to jump in when Pingo gave us the signal. One giant stride, and we were in! We headed to the sandy bottom and started the dive.
We weaved in and out of the swim throughs, enjoying the sights. The deepest point we hit was 76 feet before we slowly made our way up through open water around huge coral heads before we made it to the top of the reef at about 45 feet.
All in all, Greg's 200th dive lasted a glorious 49 minutes! Here's to at least 200 more!
Monday, October 15, 2007
Private Dive: Part II
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…then, there’s the private dive.
We’re on the same boat with the other divers but we don’t have to worry about them at all. We’re usually the last ones off the boat. I’m in first, then Greg, Sonita, and finally, our favorite Divemaster, Pingo. We head to the white sandy bottom so Greg can white balance Sonita on the sand. Pingo checks to see if we’re ok, and then off we go, slowly following Pingo.
We’re in no rush at all. We don’t have to worry about slowing the group up or having to catch up to the group. We go at our own pace. Pingo is just there to watch over us but really, it’s like he’s enjoying the dive with us as a friend not a Divemaster. He knows his way around the coral heads and always knows the best swim throughs.
Greg takes his time videotaping whatever he pleases—fish swimming by, the coral, turtles, etc. Pingo and I look out for stuff and signal Greg if we find anything or see anything. We enjoy ourselves and take our time really looking at the small things.
We meander from one coral head to another finding eels, toadfish, hermit crabs, red banded shrimp, and anything else that peaks our interest. We keep our eye out for each other, for interesting things to see, our depth, and our dive time.
Here are just a few things we’ve done during our private dives with Pingo:
Greg videotaped a hermit crab up close as the crab walked along the sandy bottom.
Pingo swam after and captured a juvenile trunkfish, twice, so Greg could videotape it.
The three of us played with an arrow crab.
We’ve watched little fish play hide-n-seek in the coral.
We’ve observed huge parrot fish chow down on the coral—you can even hear the crunch as they take a bite.
We’ve slowly glided through a school of fish just trying to fit in.
We’ve watched a turtle slowly swim to the surface for air and come all the way back down to the coral again.
We’ve seen stingrays play on the sandy bottom.
We’ve gazed in amazement at how graceful nurse sharks swim.
We’ve been transfixed at the beautiful dance of three drum fish.
Although we’ve seen some of these things on regular dives, it has never been to the extent as what we’ve experienced on our private dives. As we glide over the reef, we can stop and poke around at our leisure—we don’t have to worry about anyone else but us.
Since the three of us are all very good on air consumption, we don’t have to worry about cutting our dive short because someone in the group is low on air and needs to surface. Each of our private dives on the shallow reefs has been at least 45 minutes. That’s 45 blissful minutes of enjoyment. Did I mention that the boat is at our beck and call? Once we surface, whenever we surface, the boat comes to us.
To fully appreciate the wonders of the sea, private dives are really the way to go!
Private Dive: Part I
Just the other day, we found out about private dives. You’re on the boat with other divers but the Divemaster you select only watches out for you. There’s no worry about waiting for or trying to catch up with other divers. It’s all about you and what you want out of the dive.
Our first private dive was with Ismael, and it was awesome! These last few days, we have done private dives with Pingo, our friend and favorite Divemaster.
First, let me tell you how diving with other divers work. Then, you’ll understand how awesome an experience it is to have a private dive.
When you sign up for a dive, you can ask to be on the boat with a particular Divemaster. This is good but it’s still a crap shoot. Each Divemaster is in charge of six to eight divers. These divers, however, range dramatically in expertise. You may have someone who has just been certified diving alongside someone who has done 200+ dives. In addition, you may have some divers who have never done a drift dive before and don’t know what to expect. And then, you could get anyone in between.
So, this is how it looks. The Divemasters divvy up the divers once onboard the boat. Again, if you know the Divemasters (like we do), they’ll usually have you dive with them in their group. Other than that, it’s a gamble. You can listen to what the divers say, how they look on the boat, or how they set up their equipment. None of that compares to what they look like or how they take care of themselves underwater.
Now, you’re ready to dive. The Divemaster does a giant stride into the ocean, and all his charges stride into the ocean one after another until all six or eight signal they’re ok. Then, it’s down we go. This is where you’ll see the first signs of how the dive is going to go. You may have the guy who forgot his weights on the boat, or the couple who can’t seem to get past the first three feet because they’re breathing too much. Or, you may have the lady who has too much weight and sinks straight to the sandy bottom.
Ok, so we’re all on the bottom (some of them literally on the bottom instead of hovering a few feet off the bottom) and the Divemaster looks at each diver and gives the hand signal, “Are you ok?” When he gets a satisfactory answer from each diver, away we go! Now is when you see what all the divers are made of.
Let’s see…we’re drift diving, which means NO KICKING into the current! But, there are divers that still do. Others, can’t quite figure out their buoyancy so they’re up, then, they’re down. Those that have too much weight are dragging their fins in the sand and over the coral. The good divers are the ones that are almost motionless with their arms crossed, just waiting for the Divemaster to pick a direction. The good divers usually hang back, many, many feet away from the others.
Oh look! The Divemaster has spotted a splendid toadfish, a unique fish that’s only found in Cozumel. The toadfish lives under small ledges in the reef in very tiny, tight spaces. The Divemaster gets everyone’s attention and signals “toadfish,” and points to the very tiny space under the ledge. Next thing you know, it’s a mad dash to be the first one to get to the toadfish. Fins are flying; sand is being tossed because everyone is vying for the best spot to view the toadfish. Good luck if you’re the firs one there. Some divers don’t wait their turn; all of a sudden, you get bumped in the head by a fin or a tank. Ouch!
The good divers wait their turn and try their best NOT to stir up any sand or silt. It might obstruct the next person’s view or, good heaven; scare the toadfish deeper into his crevice. Oh yeah. Let’s add to this mix a guy with a video camera. He patiently waits his turn, too.
Hey! Lookey there! It’s a turtle! Good divers hang motionless in the water, watching from a distance as the turtle swims by. Other divers swim at top speed, arms flaying, bubbles spewing, as they scare the turtle half to death. The turtle motors so fast that no one has a chance of enjoying his beauty.
Our dive is done and we’ve done our safety stop. There’s boat courtesy that good divers follow—the one closest to the boat gets on first and so on. You hang back until it’s your turn, then, grab the ladder, and take your fins off as quickly as possible. Once on the boat, the captain’s mate helps you get seated and secures your tank. Other divers make a mad dash to the ladder—it’s whoever can get there first, wins! Then, they take their time, yanking off their fins and climbing the ladder.
Whew! That’s a dive with one Divemaster and six to eight divers.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…then, there’s the private dive.
Our first private dive was with Ismael, and it was awesome! These last few days, we have done private dives with Pingo, our friend and favorite Divemaster.
First, let me tell you how diving with other divers work. Then, you’ll understand how awesome an experience it is to have a private dive.
When you sign up for a dive, you can ask to be on the boat with a particular Divemaster. This is good but it’s still a crap shoot. Each Divemaster is in charge of six to eight divers. These divers, however, range dramatically in expertise. You may have someone who has just been certified diving alongside someone who has done 200+ dives. In addition, you may have some divers who have never done a drift dive before and don’t know what to expect. And then, you could get anyone in between.
So, this is how it looks. The Divemasters divvy up the divers once onboard the boat. Again, if you know the Divemasters (like we do), they’ll usually have you dive with them in their group. Other than that, it’s a gamble. You can listen to what the divers say, how they look on the boat, or how they set up their equipment. None of that compares to what they look like or how they take care of themselves underwater.
Now, you’re ready to dive. The Divemaster does a giant stride into the ocean, and all his charges stride into the ocean one after another until all six or eight signal they’re ok. Then, it’s down we go. This is where you’ll see the first signs of how the dive is going to go. You may have the guy who forgot his weights on the boat, or the couple who can’t seem to get past the first three feet because they’re breathing too much. Or, you may have the lady who has too much weight and sinks straight to the sandy bottom.
Ok, so we’re all on the bottom (some of them literally on the bottom instead of hovering a few feet off the bottom) and the Divemaster looks at each diver and gives the hand signal, “Are you ok?” When he gets a satisfactory answer from each diver, away we go! Now is when you see what all the divers are made of.
Let’s see…we’re drift diving, which means NO KICKING into the current! But, there are divers that still do. Others, can’t quite figure out their buoyancy so they’re up, then, they’re down. Those that have too much weight are dragging their fins in the sand and over the coral. The good divers are the ones that are almost motionless with their arms crossed, just waiting for the Divemaster to pick a direction. The good divers usually hang back, many, many feet away from the others.
Oh look! The Divemaster has spotted a splendid toadfish, a unique fish that’s only found in Cozumel. The toadfish lives under small ledges in the reef in very tiny, tight spaces. The Divemaster gets everyone’s attention and signals “toadfish,” and points to the very tiny space under the ledge. Next thing you know, it’s a mad dash to be the first one to get to the toadfish. Fins are flying; sand is being tossed because everyone is vying for the best spot to view the toadfish. Good luck if you’re the firs one there. Some divers don’t wait their turn; all of a sudden, you get bumped in the head by a fin or a tank. Ouch!
The good divers wait their turn and try their best NOT to stir up any sand or silt. It might obstruct the next person’s view or, good heaven; scare the toadfish deeper into his crevice. Oh yeah. Let’s add to this mix a guy with a video camera. He patiently waits his turn, too.
Hey! Lookey there! It’s a turtle! Good divers hang motionless in the water, watching from a distance as the turtle swims by. Other divers swim at top speed, arms flaying, bubbles spewing, as they scare the turtle half to death. The turtle motors so fast that no one has a chance of enjoying his beauty.
Our dive is done and we’ve done our safety stop. There’s boat courtesy that good divers follow—the one closest to the boat gets on first and so on. You hang back until it’s your turn, then, grab the ladder, and take your fins off as quickly as possible. Once on the boat, the captain’s mate helps you get seated and secures your tank. Other divers make a mad dash to the ladder—it’s whoever can get there first, wins! Then, they take their time, yanking off their fins and climbing the ladder.
Whew! That’s a dive with one Divemaster and six to eight divers.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…then, there’s the private dive.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Greg's 200th Dive
Tomorrow, Monday morning, marks Greg's 200th dive! Awesome, isn't it! He's been looking forward to this dive all week!
We've booked Pingo, our favorite Divemaster, for two private dives tomorrow morning (9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.). Greg's got it planned that we'll go to Palancar Bricks for the deep dive but he's still trying to figure out where we'll be doing the shallow dive. Guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens tomorrow!
It's just amazing to me that we got certified just a little over three years ago. And now, Greg will have 200 dives under his belt--or I could say, under his wetsuit or weight belt!
As Greg hits 200, I'll be hitting 175. Yep! He's got more dives than I! How is that so, you ask? Greg won a trip through our dive shop on a liveaboard to the Bahamas two years ago. Liveaboards are great if you can stomach the seas 24/7. He was on a 65 foot boat with a bunch of other divers. All they did was eat, sleep, and dive--anytime, as much as they wanted. I'm not bitter at all! Grrrrrrr...
But I am happy that we share a great passion for diving.
Congrats, Greg! See you underwater tomorrow for your 200th dive!
We've booked Pingo, our favorite Divemaster, for two private dives tomorrow morning (9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.). Greg's got it planned that we'll go to Palancar Bricks for the deep dive but he's still trying to figure out where we'll be doing the shallow dive. Guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens tomorrow!
It's just amazing to me that we got certified just a little over three years ago. And now, Greg will have 200 dives under his belt--or I could say, under his wetsuit or weight belt!
As Greg hits 200, I'll be hitting 175. Yep! He's got more dives than I! How is that so, you ask? Greg won a trip through our dive shop on a liveaboard to the Bahamas two years ago. Liveaboards are great if you can stomach the seas 24/7. He was on a 65 foot boat with a bunch of other divers. All they did was eat, sleep, and dive--anytime, as much as they wanted. I'm not bitter at all! Grrrrrrr...
But I am happy that we share a great passion for diving.
Congrats, Greg! See you underwater tomorrow for your 200th dive!
Dear Heather,
Everytime we dive and see the yellowtail snappers, I think of you! Greg has taken lots of video of these fish and tons of other fish. Maybe someday, we'll show you the snappers! Little Sonita takes some still pictures, and I think he took one of a yellowtail for you. I'm just not sure how to download the pictures!
Well, just to know we've been thinking about ya!
Well, just to know we've been thinking about ya!
The Pennsylvania Girls
Let me tell you about the Pennsylvania girls. I call them girls but truly, they’re woman. There are six of them, ranging in age from early 50s to early 70s. We met them yesterday morning on the boat, and they were on our boat again this morning.
One of the girls decided to put this trip together when her husband told her he was going on a hunting trip. She didn’t want to stay at home while he was away, so she started calling the other girls to see if they were up for a Cozumel dive trip. And now, there here for a week’s fun of diving—just the girls!
I learned that one of the girls will dive her 100th dive sometime tomorrow, depending upon the number of dives they’ll do between now and then. One of the other girls has over 200 dives. They all are very comfortable around water and definitely around diving.
During our surface interval yesterday, we ended up staying on the boat instead of coming back to the dive shop to switch tanks. As we all sat around, relaxing and talking, one of the girls decided she wanted to snorkel off the back of the boat. She grabbed her mask and snorkel and jumped in. A few minutes later, one of the other girls decided to join her. Every time they came back up to the surface, they excitedly talked about the fish they’d seen. One of the girls sitting next to me just laughed. She said, “That one,” pointing to the girl on the right, “She’s just a fish! The night before we left home, she was swimming in the pool. She just can’t get enough water time!”
They were laughing and joking with the Divemaster, even swapping dive stories. They were even planning their next dive. How fun is that!
I told Greg that someday, when he doesn’t want to dive, I want to get the girls together and head to Cozumel for some diving. He laughed, of course, for two reasons: when has he NOT wanted to dive, and what girls do I know that dive.
I need to start recruiting…
One of the girls decided to put this trip together when her husband told her he was going on a hunting trip. She didn’t want to stay at home while he was away, so she started calling the other girls to see if they were up for a Cozumel dive trip. And now, there here for a week’s fun of diving—just the girls!
I learned that one of the girls will dive her 100th dive sometime tomorrow, depending upon the number of dives they’ll do between now and then. One of the other girls has over 200 dives. They all are very comfortable around water and definitely around diving.
During our surface interval yesterday, we ended up staying on the boat instead of coming back to the dive shop to switch tanks. As we all sat around, relaxing and talking, one of the girls decided she wanted to snorkel off the back of the boat. She grabbed her mask and snorkel and jumped in. A few minutes later, one of the other girls decided to join her. Every time they came back up to the surface, they excitedly talked about the fish they’d seen. One of the girls sitting next to me just laughed. She said, “That one,” pointing to the girl on the right, “She’s just a fish! The night before we left home, she was swimming in the pool. She just can’t get enough water time!”
They were laughing and joking with the Divemaster, even swapping dive stories. They were even planning their next dive. How fun is that!
I told Greg that someday, when he doesn’t want to dive, I want to get the girls together and head to Cozumel for some diving. He laughed, of course, for two reasons: when has he NOT wanted to dive, and what girls do I know that dive.
I need to start recruiting…
My New Best Friend
My new best friend is Darlene, who lives in Russellville, Arkansas. Here’s why she is my new best friend.
Friday night we headed out to do two dives: the twilight and the night. Palancar Gardens was the twilight dive. Everything was fine until the last 15 minutes of the dive. The current typically flows from the south to the north but this night, the current switched at least twice. We dive with the current so, if you can imagine, we backtracked a bit. First, we headed north, then turned around and headed south. Then, back north when the current changed.
Pingo and the other four divers were ahead of us. At one point, the current pushed us toward some coral and we had to kick pretty fierce to stay away. Then, I noticed that Pingo and the other divers went up and over this huge coral head. I got Greg’s attention and motioned that we need to head over there, where the others went. As soon as we got close to the top edge of the coral, the current pushed us both up over the top. Instead of gliding across the top, the current continued to push us up.
Looking back, our computers said we went from about 40 feet to 19 feet within two minutes. Quite a ride! And the current at the top of the reef was ripping! So, with all that motion—up, down, sideways, this way, that way, and then back on the boat—my stomach was not doing so good. We ended up not doing the night dive; we just hung out on the boat and watched everyone else dive. It’s pretty cook to watch all the flashlights in the water. We just wished that was us.
Darlene’s friend Shannon had come with us on the boat just to enjoy the boat ride. She and I got to talking about diving and sea sickness. Shannon’s husband, Darlene, and Darlene’s husband were all diving the night dive. Finally, the night dive is over, everyone is back on the boat, and we head back to the hotel.
Now, fast forward to Saturday morning just outside the Dive Shop. Darlene walks up to me and says, “My friend Shannon tells me you get sea sick a lot. I want you to try something that I use.”
For the next ten minutes or so, we exchange motion sickness stories. It might sound bizarre but unless you’re very motion sensitive like I am, you really don’t understand how icky it is. Darlene understands. It seems she’s just like me. But she’s found something that she uses and it’s wonderful! A pharmacist friend of hers makes this gel with scopolamine in it. I’ve heard of it before but never knew that it came in a gel. You just rub some on your wrists about one hour before you go out on the boat and presto! No motion sickness. And the best part is there are no side effects like when taking Bonine.
Darlene gave me a tube with ten applications in it. So yesterday afternoon, on the 3:30 p.m. dive, I tried it. Not bad—no issues. But, still, I’m just a little skeptical so today was the true test—one small boat, a 30 minute boat ride, a deep dive, and a surface interval on the boat.
So, did it work, you ask? As far as I can tell, yes. The boat ride was no issue. The deep dive was no problem. Turns out we had to return to the dive shop to pick up two more divers for the 10:30 a.m. dive so no surface interval on the boat. I was just a tad queasy when I got back on the boat but the boat ride and having a short surface on land helped. I also used the gel before the 3:30 p.m. dive today, and it seemed to work.
I think I may be on to something. Thanks to my new best friend, Darlene!
Friday night we headed out to do two dives: the twilight and the night. Palancar Gardens was the twilight dive. Everything was fine until the last 15 minutes of the dive. The current typically flows from the south to the north but this night, the current switched at least twice. We dive with the current so, if you can imagine, we backtracked a bit. First, we headed north, then turned around and headed south. Then, back north when the current changed.
Pingo and the other four divers were ahead of us. At one point, the current pushed us toward some coral and we had to kick pretty fierce to stay away. Then, I noticed that Pingo and the other divers went up and over this huge coral head. I got Greg’s attention and motioned that we need to head over there, where the others went. As soon as we got close to the top edge of the coral, the current pushed us both up over the top. Instead of gliding across the top, the current continued to push us up.
Looking back, our computers said we went from about 40 feet to 19 feet within two minutes. Quite a ride! And the current at the top of the reef was ripping! So, with all that motion—up, down, sideways, this way, that way, and then back on the boat—my stomach was not doing so good. We ended up not doing the night dive; we just hung out on the boat and watched everyone else dive. It’s pretty cook to watch all the flashlights in the water. We just wished that was us.
Darlene’s friend Shannon had come with us on the boat just to enjoy the boat ride. She and I got to talking about diving and sea sickness. Shannon’s husband, Darlene, and Darlene’s husband were all diving the night dive. Finally, the night dive is over, everyone is back on the boat, and we head back to the hotel.
Now, fast forward to Saturday morning just outside the Dive Shop. Darlene walks up to me and says, “My friend Shannon tells me you get sea sick a lot. I want you to try something that I use.”
For the next ten minutes or so, we exchange motion sickness stories. It might sound bizarre but unless you’re very motion sensitive like I am, you really don’t understand how icky it is. Darlene understands. It seems she’s just like me. But she’s found something that she uses and it’s wonderful! A pharmacist friend of hers makes this gel with scopolamine in it. I’ve heard of it before but never knew that it came in a gel. You just rub some on your wrists about one hour before you go out on the boat and presto! No motion sickness. And the best part is there are no side effects like when taking Bonine.
Darlene gave me a tube with ten applications in it. So yesterday afternoon, on the 3:30 p.m. dive, I tried it. Not bad—no issues. But, still, I’m just a little skeptical so today was the true test—one small boat, a 30 minute boat ride, a deep dive, and a surface interval on the boat.
So, did it work, you ask? As far as I can tell, yes. The boat ride was no issue. The deep dive was no problem. Turns out we had to return to the dive shop to pick up two more divers for the 10:30 a.m. dive so no surface interval on the boat. I was just a tad queasy when I got back on the boat but the boat ride and having a short surface on land helped. I also used the gel before the 3:30 p.m. dive today, and it seemed to work.
I think I may be on to something. Thanks to my new best friend, Darlene!
Friday, October 12, 2007
Random Thoughts
Why did that guy take our picture underwater? We’ve dove with him and his friend at least two other dives. The most we’ve said to him is the casual, “Hello.” So, why, on this dive, today, did he decide to take our picture?
Why did the guy that took our picture say anything about taking our picture once we got onboard the boat?
Why do people insist on kicking with the current? The current we’ve experienced these past few days is really wicked! I mean, like flying, like a four knot current. So, why would any sane diver kick with the current?
Why do people dive in the first place? If you’re kicking with the current, you can’t see anything because things are whipping by too fast to appreciate. So, what’s the pleasure of moving along at light speed and not seeing anything?
Why do people think they’re better divers than they are? On the boat or on shore, you overhear conversations, boastful conversations, about how many dives they’ve done or the exotic places they’ve been. And then, you see them underwater—flaying around, using their arms, going up and down, and kicking their feet like they’re riding a bicycle. They’ve got a lot learn.
Why can’t we see a shark on every single dive? We saw one today and it was awesome. Greg says it was about eight feet long. We’d just come over a reef and there he was—just laying a few feet from the reef out in the open. Never knew they would do that!
Why does it have to rain so much? I know, there’s a logical explanation for it—something like a depression south of Cozumel that keeps whipping the rain up to us. Enough already! We’d rather get wet diving!
What makes the Divemasters here in Cozumel so good? Practice, practice, practice! Lots of dives! One of these days, I want to be just as proficient as they are.
Why did we forget the housing to our still camera? This question still haunts us. How could we forget? As we dive, I see lots of things that would make great still pictures but they won’t, at least not on this trip.
Why doesn’t it freak me out to be completing our safety stop within 18 feet of the surface but over what we call “the deep blue sea?” Deep blue sea is the bottomless part of the sea. It’s always just on the other side of the reef. Follow the reef, down the wall, and check out the nothingness of the deep blue sea. It’s actually pretty cool!
Why does the internet work wonderfully one minute and the next, you can’t open a browser at all? We thought the internet connection was getting better, until tonight. Haven’t been able to open a browser for the last hour. When will this ever get posted to the blog?
Why did the guy that took our picture say anything about taking our picture once we got onboard the boat?
Why do people insist on kicking with the current? The current we’ve experienced these past few days is really wicked! I mean, like flying, like a four knot current. So, why would any sane diver kick with the current?
Why do people dive in the first place? If you’re kicking with the current, you can’t see anything because things are whipping by too fast to appreciate. So, what’s the pleasure of moving along at light speed and not seeing anything?
Why do people think they’re better divers than they are? On the boat or on shore, you overhear conversations, boastful conversations, about how many dives they’ve done or the exotic places they’ve been. And then, you see them underwater—flaying around, using their arms, going up and down, and kicking their feet like they’re riding a bicycle. They’ve got a lot learn.
Why can’t we see a shark on every single dive? We saw one today and it was awesome. Greg says it was about eight feet long. We’d just come over a reef and there he was—just laying a few feet from the reef out in the open. Never knew they would do that!
Why does it have to rain so much? I know, there’s a logical explanation for it—something like a depression south of Cozumel that keeps whipping the rain up to us. Enough already! We’d rather get wet diving!
What makes the Divemasters here in Cozumel so good? Practice, practice, practice! Lots of dives! One of these days, I want to be just as proficient as they are.
Why did we forget the housing to our still camera? This question still haunts us. How could we forget? As we dive, I see lots of things that would make great still pictures but they won’t, at least not on this trip.
Why doesn’t it freak me out to be completing our safety stop within 18 feet of the surface but over what we call “the deep blue sea?” Deep blue sea is the bottomless part of the sea. It’s always just on the other side of the reef. Follow the reef, down the wall, and check out the nothingness of the deep blue sea. It’s actually pretty cool!
Why does the internet work wonderfully one minute and the next, you can’t open a browser at all? We thought the internet connection was getting better, until tonight. Haven’t been able to open a browser for the last hour. When will this ever get posted to the blog?
What a cluster!
Today started out to be a beautiful day! The sun was out; there were some clouds. But the sea looked calm. It’s always good when the sea is calm.
We were on the Oystier again this morning, along with five other divers and Alberto as our Divemaster. Pingo and Juan were also onboard along with other divers for a private dive.
It was decided that we would be diving Palancar Bricks for the first dive, the deep dive. We like anything that starts with Palancar so we’re happy.
Alberto and his charges, including us and Sonita, head to the white sandy bottom. You could feel the tug of the current, and you could see it as it whipped the sand at the bottom in small wisps. To get a good visual, think of this: you’re standing in the desert and the wind is blowing. It whips the sand up and off the ground in a swirling motion. Yep, it’s just like that.
Alberto motions for all of us to follow him toward the reef, under a small ledge, which takes us to the other side of the reef. The current is pretty tough, and Greg and I are handling it well, making our way to the reef. And then we see the rest of the divers—up, down, kicking madly, using their hands, and pretty much just trying their best to get to the reef. Finally, they all make it and head under the ledge.
Meanwhile, Greg and I are hanging back a bit—we want to be last. But, there’s just one diver left who hasn’t quite made it to the ledge in the reef. It looks like he’s going to go over the reef to meet us on the other side. Ok, no problem. So, Greg heads in first, I follow shortly just behind him but giving him some room. Because it’s such a short space between the sand and the top of the overhang, small kicks are a must. You don’t want to stir up the sand for the person behind you and you certainly don’t want to kick the top. I’m using small kicks but I think I hit something. It can’t be the sand because it’s too rigid and it can’t be the top because I’m not kicking so big. Once on the other side of the reef, I turn around. Yeah, great. It’s the diver we thought was going over the reef that decided to follow us under the ledge. Must have kicked him. Oh, well—I guess that’s what happens when you follow too close.
We continue with the dive, Greg and I minding our own business, just making sure we keep sight of Alberto and the other divers. But, at some point, they get just a bit ahead of us. As Greg videotapes the dive, my job is to keep one eye on him and the other eye on the group ahead. As the group rounds the corner of a huge coral head, I check to make sure Greg is doing ok, and I continue toward the coral head where I last saw the last diver in the group. I slow down a bit and let Greg catch up. As we round the corner of the coral head, check it out.
Just 18 minutes into our dive, four of the five other divers are already heading to the surface. Say what? Greg and I both check out our computers. Holy cow! What the heck were they doing? Sucking air, we guess. We’re not ready to head to the surface so we keep going at our pace. Minutes later, there goes the fifth diver, heading for the surface. We’re not too sure but we think Alberto is heading to the surface with them. We continue on, just Greg and I.
It was an amazing experience. It’s just Greg and I, and the fish, of course, amongst the coral heads. Greg continues to videotape as we glide along with the current. Neither of us was worried—letting the current take us along, we knew the boat would follow our bubbles.
Just as we passed another coral head, we see Alberto. He had signaled the boat for the five divers but stayed behind to make sure we were ok. He reeled in his signaling device and continued the rest of the dive with us.
About 36 minutes into our dive, it’s time to head for the surface but first we need to do our safety stop. We signal to Alberto that we’re ready for our safety stop. He unfurls his signaling device to attract the attention of the boat. We hit the surface and don’t have to wait very long before the boat swings by to pick us up. And look, everyone is on the boat, waiting for us!
What a sweet dive!
We were on the Oystier again this morning, along with five other divers and Alberto as our Divemaster. Pingo and Juan were also onboard along with other divers for a private dive.
It was decided that we would be diving Palancar Bricks for the first dive, the deep dive. We like anything that starts with Palancar so we’re happy.
Alberto and his charges, including us and Sonita, head to the white sandy bottom. You could feel the tug of the current, and you could see it as it whipped the sand at the bottom in small wisps. To get a good visual, think of this: you’re standing in the desert and the wind is blowing. It whips the sand up and off the ground in a swirling motion. Yep, it’s just like that.
Alberto motions for all of us to follow him toward the reef, under a small ledge, which takes us to the other side of the reef. The current is pretty tough, and Greg and I are handling it well, making our way to the reef. And then we see the rest of the divers—up, down, kicking madly, using their hands, and pretty much just trying their best to get to the reef. Finally, they all make it and head under the ledge.
Meanwhile, Greg and I are hanging back a bit—we want to be last. But, there’s just one diver left who hasn’t quite made it to the ledge in the reef. It looks like he’s going to go over the reef to meet us on the other side. Ok, no problem. So, Greg heads in first, I follow shortly just behind him but giving him some room. Because it’s such a short space between the sand and the top of the overhang, small kicks are a must. You don’t want to stir up the sand for the person behind you and you certainly don’t want to kick the top. I’m using small kicks but I think I hit something. It can’t be the sand because it’s too rigid and it can’t be the top because I’m not kicking so big. Once on the other side of the reef, I turn around. Yeah, great. It’s the diver we thought was going over the reef that decided to follow us under the ledge. Must have kicked him. Oh, well—I guess that’s what happens when you follow too close.
We continue with the dive, Greg and I minding our own business, just making sure we keep sight of Alberto and the other divers. But, at some point, they get just a bit ahead of us. As Greg videotapes the dive, my job is to keep one eye on him and the other eye on the group ahead. As the group rounds the corner of a huge coral head, I check to make sure Greg is doing ok, and I continue toward the coral head where I last saw the last diver in the group. I slow down a bit and let Greg catch up. As we round the corner of the coral head, check it out.
Just 18 minutes into our dive, four of the five other divers are already heading to the surface. Say what? Greg and I both check out our computers. Holy cow! What the heck were they doing? Sucking air, we guess. We’re not ready to head to the surface so we keep going at our pace. Minutes later, there goes the fifth diver, heading for the surface. We’re not too sure but we think Alberto is heading to the surface with them. We continue on, just Greg and I.
It was an amazing experience. It’s just Greg and I, and the fish, of course, amongst the coral heads. Greg continues to videotape as we glide along with the current. Neither of us was worried—letting the current take us along, we knew the boat would follow our bubbles.
Just as we passed another coral head, we see Alberto. He had signaled the boat for the five divers but stayed behind to make sure we were ok. He reeled in his signaling device and continued the rest of the dive with us.
About 36 minutes into our dive, it’s time to head for the surface but first we need to do our safety stop. We signal to Alberto that we’re ready for our safety stop. He unfurls his signaling device to attract the attention of the boat. We hit the surface and don’t have to wait very long before the boat swings by to pick us up. And look, everyone is on the boat, waiting for us!
What a sweet dive!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Just One Dive
Just one dive today—the 9:00 a.m. dive to Palancar Caves. It’s a great dive, and every time we dive the caves it’s different.
We woke up this morning to more rain. It wasn’t a hard, driving rain. It was a soft, steady, drizzle. It didn’t look like it would clear up so we decided to dive anyway—hey, we were going to get wet one way or another. Why not have some fun?
We headed out on the Oystier with Pingo, our favorite Divemaster and five other divers. The rain continued to fall but it wasn’t an annoyance at all. We arrived at the dive site and made our finally preparations for the dive. Pingo explained that the currents were pretty wicked yesterday, and it looked like maybe we’d have the same type of conditions today.
One after another, we did a giant stride into the sea, and headed down to the bottom. Greg brought Sonita (our video camera) along on the dive. Once we hit the sand at about 54 feet, Greg did a quick white balance in the sand, and we were ready to go!
Greg and I always are the last two in the follow-the-leader game we play on each dive. All the divers fall into a single file line following Pingo as he weaves his way into and out of the caves in the Palancar reef. Not too long into the dive, I could feel the current pushing and pulling.
Typically, in strong currents, you head for the reef and duck behind it. The current flows over the reef and over you and allows you some time to catch your breath. This time, this wasn’t an option. The current seemed to flow everywhere except for in the caves. One time, as we passed between two huge coral heads, the current was stronger, and we had to swim pretty hard into it before ducking into a cave on our right. At another point during our dive, I noticed I was being pulled down. No matter how hard I kicked, I watched my depth gauge read 84, 85, 86, 87—then, I overcame the downward pull and was able to level off at about 80 feet.
A true diver does his/her best to maintain optimum buoyancy for many reasons, including protecting the reef. It takes years for the reef to grow a small amount yet one touch kills it instantly. I’m sorry to say that even with my excellent buoyancy, I could not stop myself from hitting the reef at one time during this dive. The current was too strong and I did everything I could but my arm came in contact with the reef.
This was a really challenging dive—one I won’t soon forget. I’m glad we did the dive because every dive teaches you something.
We woke up this morning to more rain. It wasn’t a hard, driving rain. It was a soft, steady, drizzle. It didn’t look like it would clear up so we decided to dive anyway—hey, we were going to get wet one way or another. Why not have some fun?
We headed out on the Oystier with Pingo, our favorite Divemaster and five other divers. The rain continued to fall but it wasn’t an annoyance at all. We arrived at the dive site and made our finally preparations for the dive. Pingo explained that the currents were pretty wicked yesterday, and it looked like maybe we’d have the same type of conditions today.
One after another, we did a giant stride into the sea, and headed down to the bottom. Greg brought Sonita (our video camera) along on the dive. Once we hit the sand at about 54 feet, Greg did a quick white balance in the sand, and we were ready to go!
Greg and I always are the last two in the follow-the-leader game we play on each dive. All the divers fall into a single file line following Pingo as he weaves his way into and out of the caves in the Palancar reef. Not too long into the dive, I could feel the current pushing and pulling.
Typically, in strong currents, you head for the reef and duck behind it. The current flows over the reef and over you and allows you some time to catch your breath. This time, this wasn’t an option. The current seemed to flow everywhere except for in the caves. One time, as we passed between two huge coral heads, the current was stronger, and we had to swim pretty hard into it before ducking into a cave on our right. At another point during our dive, I noticed I was being pulled down. No matter how hard I kicked, I watched my depth gauge read 84, 85, 86, 87—then, I overcame the downward pull and was able to level off at about 80 feet.
A true diver does his/her best to maintain optimum buoyancy for many reasons, including protecting the reef. It takes years for the reef to grow a small amount yet one touch kills it instantly. I’m sorry to say that even with my excellent buoyancy, I could not stop myself from hitting the reef at one time during this dive. The current was too strong and I did everything I could but my arm came in contact with the reef.
This was a really challenging dive—one I won’t soon forget. I’m glad we did the dive because every dive teaches you something.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
The Internet
What’s with the internet service at the hotel? Here’s the story:
So, there we were, sitting in Building 16 this past June. We were able to connect to the wireless service reserved especially for the folks staying in the Royal Club (Buildings 20 and 21). The Royal Club is like first class at the hotel—they have their own restaurant, huge whirlpool spa, room service, nice rooms. It’s just an all around pampered lifestyle for the guests that stay at the Royal Club. These folks also didn’t have to go to the lobby bar for free wireless internet. Because Building 16 was so close to the Royal Club, we were able to pick up a weak wireless signal. It was great! No walking all the way to the lobby bar to jump onto the internet.
Fast forward to October 7, as we check into the pampered lifestyle of the Royal Club. (Hey! We decided we wanted to experience some the good life. It’s our anniversary—20 years! Might as well splurge.) We decided our room is nice—a few steps better than the last time we were here. The restaurant is good—the food is hot and the waiters are awesome! So far so good, until we try to log onto the internet—not so good.
The short version is the hotel decided to start charging for wireless internet. And not just charging, really, more like highway robbery! Now, staying at the Royal Club, you’re PAYING for the great amenities. We can’t figure out why they would be charging the folks staying at the Royal Club for wireless internet. Oh and by the way, it’s $100 USD for five days or 120 hours. Yep, wow!
Needless to say, we’ve complained got the runaround. Complained some more. Complained some more. And then, we’re getting our wireless internet free. Whew! So we thought…
We’re given a user name and password to use to log onto the wireless internet. Instead of getting instantly on the internet, we get an error message—something about too many users logged on? What? More complaining, more complaining. Ok now, we think we’re in the clear. Enter the user name and password…we’re on! Sweet! Oh no. Not so sweet. Within five minutes of logging on, we’re kicked off. What?
There is no moral to this story. Just the simple facts. We understand that the resort wants to make as much money as possible so they’ve decided to charge for internet service. It’s not an outside company that provides the service, we hear, it’s the resort it self. We hope that every time we log onto the internet, we can complete our task before we get kicked off. This is a warning just in case we can’t post a lot on the blog.
So, there we were, sitting in Building 16 this past June. We were able to connect to the wireless service reserved especially for the folks staying in the Royal Club (Buildings 20 and 21). The Royal Club is like first class at the hotel—they have their own restaurant, huge whirlpool spa, room service, nice rooms. It’s just an all around pampered lifestyle for the guests that stay at the Royal Club. These folks also didn’t have to go to the lobby bar for free wireless internet. Because Building 16 was so close to the Royal Club, we were able to pick up a weak wireless signal. It was great! No walking all the way to the lobby bar to jump onto the internet.
Fast forward to October 7, as we check into the pampered lifestyle of the Royal Club. (Hey! We decided we wanted to experience some the good life. It’s our anniversary—20 years! Might as well splurge.) We decided our room is nice—a few steps better than the last time we were here. The restaurant is good—the food is hot and the waiters are awesome! So far so good, until we try to log onto the internet—not so good.
The short version is the hotel decided to start charging for wireless internet. And not just charging, really, more like highway robbery! Now, staying at the Royal Club, you’re PAYING for the great amenities. We can’t figure out why they would be charging the folks staying at the Royal Club for wireless internet. Oh and by the way, it’s $100 USD for five days or 120 hours. Yep, wow!
Needless to say, we’ve complained got the runaround. Complained some more. Complained some more. And then, we’re getting our wireless internet free. Whew! So we thought…
We’re given a user name and password to use to log onto the wireless internet. Instead of getting instantly on the internet, we get an error message—something about too many users logged on? What? More complaining, more complaining. Ok now, we think we’re in the clear. Enter the user name and password…we’re on! Sweet! Oh no. Not so sweet. Within five minutes of logging on, we’re kicked off. What?
There is no moral to this story. Just the simple facts. We understand that the resort wants to make as much money as possible so they’ve decided to charge for internet service. It’s not an outside company that provides the service, we hear, it’s the resort it self. We hope that every time we log onto the internet, we can complete our task before we get kicked off. This is a warning just in case we can’t post a lot on the blog.
Where is it?
“Where is it?”
“I have no idea…”
“What suitcase was it in?”
“I don’t think we put it in a checked bag…”
“I thought it was in my backpack…”
“Oh please! Don’t tell me we forgot it!”
Yep, we forgot it. More than likely, it’s sitting on the kitchen island at home. Or, it could be sitting on the kitchen table. Still waiting for it to be packed. We still can’t believe it—what were we thinking? Obviously, we weren’t thinking very well, otherwise, it’d be with us.
We didn’t know it was missing until this morning. We didn’t need it yesterday. We just wanted to relax and dive without any cares. But this morning, we decided to bring along the camera.
“Hey…let’s take the still camera this morning on our dives. I’m not ready yet to put together the video camera just yet. Probably tomorrow.”
Here’s the camera…where’s the housing? Can’t take pictures underwater with the still camera without the housing! And we looked everywhere. It’s not here. It’s probably on the kitchen island or table. That’s our best guess since it should have been packed in our backpacks.
So what does this mean? No still pictures unless we take the video camera.
Wow! Still can’t believe it!
“I have no idea…”
“What suitcase was it in?”
“I don’t think we put it in a checked bag…”
“I thought it was in my backpack…”
“Oh please! Don’t tell me we forgot it!”
Yep, we forgot it. More than likely, it’s sitting on the kitchen island at home. Or, it could be sitting on the kitchen table. Still waiting for it to be packed. We still can’t believe it—what were we thinking? Obviously, we weren’t thinking very well, otherwise, it’d be with us.
We didn’t know it was missing until this morning. We didn’t need it yesterday. We just wanted to relax and dive without any cares. But this morning, we decided to bring along the camera.
“Hey…let’s take the still camera this morning on our dives. I’m not ready yet to put together the video camera just yet. Probably tomorrow.”
Here’s the camera…where’s the housing? Can’t take pictures underwater with the still camera without the housing! And we looked everywhere. It’s not here. It’s probably on the kitchen island or table. That’s our best guess since it should have been packed in our backpacks.
So what does this mean? No still pictures unless we take the video camera.
Wow! Still can’t believe it!
The First Dive
The first dive is a good dive—it’s like coming home. Do the fish miss us? Do they wonder where we’ve been?
Our first dive is at 2:00 p.m. on Monday. The Divemaster asks where we’d like to dive. It really doesn’t matter because any dive, right now, is great! We’re headed for Palancar Gardens Deep. There’s some weather close to the island which makes for some swift and tricky currents. The Divemaster warns us about the swift current he’d heard about from the Divemasters in the morning. We know what to do.
We’re off with Alberto, our Divemaster—there’s just six of us. We head for the huge coral heads about 80 feet below. Alberto takes us on the scenic tour, weaving in and out of the coral heads. Greg and I see a small eel poking out of a crevice in the coral. No one else from our group sees him—he’s our little secret. Just a short distance away, we see a swirling cone of fish—it looks like a tornado, but made entirely of small fish. It was truly amazing! We’d seen something like this on a show on the Discovery Channel and in Finding Nemo. The tornado of fish—again, our secret as the others in our group were too far ahead.
Other things we saw on the dive: a turtle heading to the surface for air, red banded shrimp, and lots of other fish too numerous to spell out here.
It was a great dive—a peaceful dive. An awesome start to a wonderful week!
Our first dive is at 2:00 p.m. on Monday. The Divemaster asks where we’d like to dive. It really doesn’t matter because any dive, right now, is great! We’re headed for Palancar Gardens Deep. There’s some weather close to the island which makes for some swift and tricky currents. The Divemaster warns us about the swift current he’d heard about from the Divemasters in the morning. We know what to do.
We’re off with Alberto, our Divemaster—there’s just six of us. We head for the huge coral heads about 80 feet below. Alberto takes us on the scenic tour, weaving in and out of the coral heads. Greg and I see a small eel poking out of a crevice in the coral. No one else from our group sees him—he’s our little secret. Just a short distance away, we see a swirling cone of fish—it looks like a tornado, but made entirely of small fish. It was truly amazing! We’d seen something like this on a show on the Discovery Channel and in Finding Nemo. The tornado of fish—again, our secret as the others in our group were too far ahead.
Other things we saw on the dive: a turtle heading to the surface for air, red banded shrimp, and lots of other fish too numerous to spell out here.
It was a great dive—a peaceful dive. An awesome start to a wonderful week!
