|
|
|
|
#1
09/27/2006, 07:00 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Cozumel photos. Dialup unfriendly
I just got back from Cozumel. Our original plan was to do 5 days (2 tanks per day) of diving - including one night dive. Unfortunately I caught either a cold or sinus infection the day I left, so didn't dive the first day. However, with a lot of med, I was able to get in three days of diving and a night dive. Thought I'd share some pictures. Sorry - they aren't Jeni or Alex quality.
Background on diving in Cozumel. Cozumel diving is drift diving. Basically - the current carries the divers along, so there is no need to kick. Sometimes the current was moderate, but other time it was a very strong current. This made it very difficult stay still in one place and take pictures. The visibility was about 100 to 200 feet. On October 21st, 2005, Cozumel suffered a direct hit by Hurricane WilmaHurricane Wilma (Cat4) for three days. One of the taxi drivers showed us a DVD of the island after the hurricane, and the devastation was like New Orleans. On land, the damage was still very visible. Although I have never seen the reef prior to the hurricane, there was very strong evidence of hurricane damage. There were bits and pieces or coral skeleton all over the place, and sand was covering a lot of the corals. Even though there weren't a lot of corals - there were plenty of fish. It's amazing seeing some of the fish in person. These fish were HUGE. For example, most triggers were 12" to 18". We saw a grouper that was probably 4 feet. There was a barracuda that we estimate to be at least 4 feet in length as well. Some of the angels that we sere probably 18". We went looking for shark, but didn't find any.  On our night dive, we saw quite a few octopus. Unfortunately, we had to cut our night dive short because the current was so strong. We also did a wall dive - reaching depth of about 110 ft. Compare to Montrey diving, Cozumel diving was a breeze.The people of Cozumel were very friendly - although some shop keepers were a little pushy. I felt safer walking in Cozumel than I do walking in some part of Sacramento. Anyway - we had a great time. I do hope to come back someday to do some more diving. I think our next trip will be Hawaii (because it's cheap and I have a friend who lives there), and then the Philippines. Image from the restaurant at the hotel:  Picture of the the suite we stayed in:  Sea Turtle. We saw sea turtles on every dive. The largest turtle was probably 3 feet long.   Reef pictures:   
|
|
#4
09/27/2006, 07:05 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Great shots Bud! I'll call you later.
__________________
Wee-Reef Master |
|
#7
09/27/2006, 07:25 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Good stuff! Cozumel is fun. IMO the site called Palancar Gardens has the best coral and the most interesting landscape.
If you want info on Hawaii, let me know. My wife and I have been there for 6 or 7 diving trips. The Big Island is by far the best island of the group for diving and there you'll see a greater variety of fish than anywhere I know of in the Caribbean. |
|
#9
09/27/2006, 07:54 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
That's just sweet.
Congrats on the honeymoon, and some Awesome pics!!! ~Steve~
__________________
"Sharks are naturally peaceful." "How'd you get that nasty cut anyway?" "A shark bit me." Jack of all trades, and master of none. ~Steve~ |
|
#10
09/27/2006, 08:06 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Thanks for sharing your photos. Looks like you had a great time.
|
|
#12
09/27/2006, 08:55 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Congratulations Minh & Stacy (on both counts). You've now been inducted into the "Tank First, Tanks Second" club.
Glad to know you got to see some turtles (that's usually feast or famine in Coz). Now, get that suit for coldwater while there's still time left in the Abalone Season...... |
|
#14
09/27/2006, 10:35 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Rich - Thanks.
 Let me know when you want to go. Never been abalone diving, but I am more than willing to try. What do you recommend for abalone diving? A single piece 7mm wetsuit? I also want to try some bug hunting. Yoshiod - it's a Canon SD550 with a Waterproof Case WP-DC80. It's a nice point and shoot camera. It's a nice beginner underwater camera and case for about $600. Also a great camera for everyday use. PS - Stacy wants credit for some of the pictures. |
|
#15
09/27/2006, 11:44 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Great photos Minh & Stacy! Looks like you had a great time in Coz. Sorry to hear about your cold, damn airplanes.
We'll be in Playa del Carmen (los Cenotes!), Isla Mujeres and Cozumel for two weeks over Thanksgiving. Madison and I are hoping to get a good number of dives in. Let me know if you have any suggestions. Staying at Fiesta Americana Dive Resort on Coz. Been helping out a dive master friend of mine a couple of days the past two weeks building a navigational course for training here in Carnelian Bay. Beautiful day today. Thanks a lot for sharing Minh and congratulations again. |
|
#16
09/27/2006, 11:51 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
|
|
#17
09/27/2006, 11:56 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Great shots Stacy!! Oh, and you to Minh
 What a beautifull get away, those suites are too cool! I can only imagine the blast you 2 had. Thanks for sharing with us all. -Justin
__________________
Proud member of M.A.R.S Marine Aquarist Rountable of Sacramento since Apr.'05 |
|
#18
09/28/2006, 12:29 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
nice!
|
|
#19
09/28/2006, 12:41 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Hey Robert,
We stayed at Fiesta Americana as well. Just a couple of tips. The food at the restaurant is overpriced and isn't that great. It had the grossest fillet mignon that I have ever had. My recommendation is take a taxi into town ($7 or 70 pesos for three people per way) and eat in town. You can't go wrong with this restaurant guide. BTW - the first day I was their, I stopped by a local grocery store in town and purchased water and snack food. Oh - if you got the all inclusive deal - I will try to get out of it. Their "buffet" style food looked pretty gross. They let it sit out all day, and sometimes you see flys on the food. As far as dive shop - avoid Dive House - which is located on the hotel premise. They have huge cattle boats (I counted 20+ people on one boat) with a lot of inexperience (freshly certified) divers. I also heard that they sometime end a dive for everyone as soon as one person runs low on gas. We used Blue XT Sea Diving, and they were great. They have anywhere from 3 to 8 people per boat. When someone ran low on gas, the buddy team ascended, but the rest of the group can continued. The dive master (Arturo) was awesome. I believe that anybody under 15 is required to have a dedicated divemaster because they are not suppose to go beyond 60 ft. If you just want to scuba near the shore, you can rent a tank from Dive House for $7. Around the pier area is also a good place to snorkel. Just remember that the current can be quite strong, so stay close to shore. We saw three divers get lost in the middle of boat traffic area. I don't know if they lost their boat or were doing shore diving and got swept out, but the hotel had to call a boat to pick them up. BTW - your wife will love the man-made beach. It has some nice shade. In the first picture, you can see the beach that is across the street from the actual hotel. Oh last thing - don't forget the mosquito spray. I had some nasty mosquito bite at night. Some night - it was fine. Other nights - we were eaten alive. Minh Quote:
Last edited by Reefugee; 09/28/2006 at 12:54 AM. |
|
#20
09/28/2006, 01:17 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Hey Minh, beautiful shots! I hope you guys are having a great time
__________________
Alex. To see more pics, please click on my red house :) Digital Rebel XT Addict Now Open Water Scuba Certified :) |
|
#21
09/28/2006, 07:41 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Thanks for the info Minh. We did not opt for the AI, staying in one of the casitas, read the reviews and heard similiar stories about the dive house. Glad to hear it directly from you though.
Just showed Madison your photos and she's fired up to see the turtles and rays! |
|
|
Linear Mode
