Diver Kat
Contributor
(Sorry this is so late - came back to holidays & mega-work load!!)
Arrived in Cozumel (via Continental out of Houston) mid-afternoon, and took the transfer van to Villablanca. Due to the pre-Christmas slow period, (and thanks to Nancy!!) got a superior room in the front building for the price of the standard room in the back building. Dropped our gear & luggage and headed over to Papa Hoggs to check in for our diving. Theyd moved the main office across the street to the dockside since our last visit in August very nice setup. Mike was there, but Margaret was in Canada and did not get back till Monday. Blanca was, of course, running the show!!
The dives:
1st Day 12/12 (and my birthday to boot!) did Palancar Horseshoe, which is one of our favorites. The swim-thrus and coral heads are always spectacular. First dive for our new Olympus C5050, and Im now a believer that it was worth every penny it cost! Viz was 100+ and the water was a nice 81 degrees (and stayed at 81 all week). 2nd dive was San Francisco Wall (viz 80+) a strong current at the start, and then mellowed out. Tons of good fish viewing, and at the very end of the dive a large Spotted Eagle Ray glided by.
12/13 well, being with a different group of divers, we ended up at Palancar Horseshoe - again. But as Ive come to discover the name may be the same but the dive can be totally different. We did an outer wall part of the Horseshoe, and it was great. Even better towering coral views. The 2nd dive - Yucab dropped down to a sandy edge with a very large Green Moray swimming out in the open. As usual for 2nd dives, the fish tend to be more of a focus, and again, there were tons of them.
12/14 The first of many weather problem days arriving at PHs we found that it was too rough for the small boats, so we threw our gear in Mikes truck, and jumped a cab to the Marina. We were heading out in the big boat. 1st dive -Las Palmas due to the weather they were keeping close to the harbor. We had ditched the camera due to the weather a big mistake. Once under, the dive was great. Found 2 Seahorses together and kicked myself for no camera. The swells had increased during our dives, so getting back on the boat was a bit tricky, but everyone did with no problems. The 2nd dive - Paradise great spotted eels, King Crab, lobster again kicking myself for no camera!
12/15 Day 2 of rough weather so out on the big boat again. Not quite as rough as the day before but we did have a few green people 1st dive - Palancar Horseshoe into Palancar Gardens (yup 3rd dive at this reef in a week!) This time we brought the camera anyway, and were rewarded with a terrific pix of a 6-foot barracuda under a ledge at about 85 ft. (As soon as we figure out how Ill put some of the pix up for viewing.) 2nd dive - Punta Dalila saw a number of turtles, Angels and Queen Triggerfish. (Okay Im a fish fanatic!) Viz for both dives had dropped down to around 60+.
12/16 Finally back to the small boats!! Went out on Brain Damaged with Capt. Victor and DM Enrique. 1st dive Palancar Caves - beautiful towering coral heads just wish wed had a bit more sun and it would have been even more spectacular. 2nd dive - Paso de Cedral great 2nd dive with squirrelfish, lobster, blue tangs, chubs, large stoplight parrots, and towards the end what looked like a squadron of drifting barracudas over the sand.
12/17 & 12/18 due to the heavy winds, the harbor was closed to all boats big & small. We actually loaded up the large boat and had left the harbor on the 17th, but were called back due to the closing. Apparently another op disregarded the closing and went ahead with their dive and 2 people were injured trying to get back on their boat. Although the weather had calmed somewhat on the afternoon of the 18th, the harbor was kept closed probably as an extra precaution due to the injuries the day before.
12/19 Our last day the harbor is open and small boats are running although the weather appears worse than the afternoon before. We jump on our boat and head south to pick up another couple at a southern hotel. Long, bumpy, wet ride. 1st dive - Santa Rosa Wall (viz 50-60) great swim-thrus and caves, and saw a Southern Stingray at the end of the dive. The surface interval was cold and wet, as we could not dock anywhere due to the rough water so we just drifted along. 2nd dive - Paso de Cedral we hit this on the shallow side and saw great fish again. Lobster, a scorpionfish, etc. Dropped the couple at their hotel and had a very long bumpy ride back. Swells had increased so much that is was a bit shaky when we cleared the cruise ship pier and headed right into the north winds, but made it back to PHs in one piece (if somewhat bruised!) We heard the next day that a small boat had actually been swamped and sank, but had already been recovered. As we left on the 20th, the harbor was again only open to big boats, and word was that it might close down again entirely as a new batch of bad winds were moving in. As I understand it, this is normal for December weather .
The Food:
12/11 El Turix (next to La Cocay) tiny family spot that serves Yucatan food the pork was wonderful!!
12/12 La Cocay for a birthday dinner had a delectable red snapper dish; Alan had the stuffed chicken breast - wonderful as always
12/13 Lunch La Choza 1st time here had a terrific garlic fish dish, and love the soup comes with every meal (Garlic this time.) Dinner had a quirky nite out with dinner at a fundraiser for the ASPCA/Humane Society all the restaurants donated stuff so we got to sample a lot of different items and for a good cause.
12/14 La Choza (again) fajitas this time, with Lime soup another great meal.
12/15 Primas Alans pizza was very overpriced, my blackened shrimp was good but not impressive dont know that Ill return here with so many other/better options available.
12/16 Lunch La Parroquia a great little second floor restaurant/bar on Ave 10. Couldnt find it at first, but had heard about their lime soup so kept looking. We each had the lime soup, shared Nachos. Nice big bowl of soup and I love the fresh fried-on-the-spot tortilla chips everyone does. Dinner Especias a great find. Adrian, the owner, is the grandson of Casa Denis owner, and brother (or nephew?) to Las Tortugas owner. We had heard about the filet mignon ($9.50) so we gave it a shot. The meal was great, and Adrian sat down with us to talk for a bit, and offer us a glass of Xtabentun the Mayan anise-honey liquor drink.
12/17 Lunch Mexico En Los Siglos our biggest disappointment. Had read on the boards that the Cream of Cilantro-Walnut soup was a great lunch, so decided to check it out. I will admit the soup was very good but the price was ridiculous over $5 a bowl with no bread, chips or anything to go with it. Dinner another favorite Panchos Backyard great food as always however dont pay by credit card. They tack the tip on automatically (at about 22%) saying thats how the credit card company requires them to do it. I think its a scam to get an exchange fee since VISA will not allow vendors to charge one directly.
12/18 Lunch Ernestos Fajita Factory okay, not great. Dinner Manates found this in our wanderings and had a nice inexpensive dinner caught the early bird special for mere $5. I had cream of carrot soup, a nice fish fillet with cilantro sauce and sides of beets, rice and carrots. Came with a wonderful loaf of warm bread with herbed butter as well. Alan was mildly disappointed in his chicken entrée but the price couldnt be beat.
12/19 lunch La Choza again great garbanzo bean soup and fajitas for lunch. Dinner back to Especias to see Adrian. Alan had the filet mignon again, I had fresh King Crab was great but very pricey. My warning would be to ask the price on any specials before ordering
Over all the diving was great, the food was great, and we cant wait to find a way back as soon as possible. With the exchange rate being so good right now (approx 11 to 1) we converted dollars to pesos whenever possible at an exchange booth, at Chedraui, etc. and paid taxis & restaurants in pesos. Otherwise dollars are accepted at a standard 10 to 1. Converting saved a bit over the length of the trip. Many thanks to both Nancy at Villablanca, and Mike, Margaret & staff at Papa Hoggs for making this another great dive trip.
Arrived in Cozumel (via Continental out of Houston) mid-afternoon, and took the transfer van to Villablanca. Due to the pre-Christmas slow period, (and thanks to Nancy!!) got a superior room in the front building for the price of the standard room in the back building. Dropped our gear & luggage and headed over to Papa Hoggs to check in for our diving. Theyd moved the main office across the street to the dockside since our last visit in August very nice setup. Mike was there, but Margaret was in Canada and did not get back till Monday. Blanca was, of course, running the show!!
The dives:
1st Day 12/12 (and my birthday to boot!) did Palancar Horseshoe, which is one of our favorites. The swim-thrus and coral heads are always spectacular. First dive for our new Olympus C5050, and Im now a believer that it was worth every penny it cost! Viz was 100+ and the water was a nice 81 degrees (and stayed at 81 all week). 2nd dive was San Francisco Wall (viz 80+) a strong current at the start, and then mellowed out. Tons of good fish viewing, and at the very end of the dive a large Spotted Eagle Ray glided by.
12/13 well, being with a different group of divers, we ended up at Palancar Horseshoe - again. But as Ive come to discover the name may be the same but the dive can be totally different. We did an outer wall part of the Horseshoe, and it was great. Even better towering coral views. The 2nd dive - Yucab dropped down to a sandy edge with a very large Green Moray swimming out in the open. As usual for 2nd dives, the fish tend to be more of a focus, and again, there were tons of them.
12/14 The first of many weather problem days arriving at PHs we found that it was too rough for the small boats, so we threw our gear in Mikes truck, and jumped a cab to the Marina. We were heading out in the big boat. 1st dive -Las Palmas due to the weather they were keeping close to the harbor. We had ditched the camera due to the weather a big mistake. Once under, the dive was great. Found 2 Seahorses together and kicked myself for no camera. The swells had increased during our dives, so getting back on the boat was a bit tricky, but everyone did with no problems. The 2nd dive - Paradise great spotted eels, King Crab, lobster again kicking myself for no camera!
12/15 Day 2 of rough weather so out on the big boat again. Not quite as rough as the day before but we did have a few green people 1st dive - Palancar Horseshoe into Palancar Gardens (yup 3rd dive at this reef in a week!) This time we brought the camera anyway, and were rewarded with a terrific pix of a 6-foot barracuda under a ledge at about 85 ft. (As soon as we figure out how Ill put some of the pix up for viewing.) 2nd dive - Punta Dalila saw a number of turtles, Angels and Queen Triggerfish. (Okay Im a fish fanatic!) Viz for both dives had dropped down to around 60+.
12/16 Finally back to the small boats!! Went out on Brain Damaged with Capt. Victor and DM Enrique. 1st dive Palancar Caves - beautiful towering coral heads just wish wed had a bit more sun and it would have been even more spectacular. 2nd dive - Paso de Cedral great 2nd dive with squirrelfish, lobster, blue tangs, chubs, large stoplight parrots, and towards the end what looked like a squadron of drifting barracudas over the sand.
12/17 & 12/18 due to the heavy winds, the harbor was closed to all boats big & small. We actually loaded up the large boat and had left the harbor on the 17th, but were called back due to the closing. Apparently another op disregarded the closing and went ahead with their dive and 2 people were injured trying to get back on their boat. Although the weather had calmed somewhat on the afternoon of the 18th, the harbor was kept closed probably as an extra precaution due to the injuries the day before.
12/19 Our last day the harbor is open and small boats are running although the weather appears worse than the afternoon before. We jump on our boat and head south to pick up another couple at a southern hotel. Long, bumpy, wet ride. 1st dive - Santa Rosa Wall (viz 50-60) great swim-thrus and caves, and saw a Southern Stingray at the end of the dive. The surface interval was cold and wet, as we could not dock anywhere due to the rough water so we just drifted along. 2nd dive - Paso de Cedral we hit this on the shallow side and saw great fish again. Lobster, a scorpionfish, etc. Dropped the couple at their hotel and had a very long bumpy ride back. Swells had increased so much that is was a bit shaky when we cleared the cruise ship pier and headed right into the north winds, but made it back to PHs in one piece (if somewhat bruised!) We heard the next day that a small boat had actually been swamped and sank, but had already been recovered. As we left on the 20th, the harbor was again only open to big boats, and word was that it might close down again entirely as a new batch of bad winds were moving in. As I understand it, this is normal for December weather .
The Food:
12/11 El Turix (next to La Cocay) tiny family spot that serves Yucatan food the pork was wonderful!!
12/12 La Cocay for a birthday dinner had a delectable red snapper dish; Alan had the stuffed chicken breast - wonderful as always
12/13 Lunch La Choza 1st time here had a terrific garlic fish dish, and love the soup comes with every meal (Garlic this time.) Dinner had a quirky nite out with dinner at a fundraiser for the ASPCA/Humane Society all the restaurants donated stuff so we got to sample a lot of different items and for a good cause.
12/14 La Choza (again) fajitas this time, with Lime soup another great meal.
12/15 Primas Alans pizza was very overpriced, my blackened shrimp was good but not impressive dont know that Ill return here with so many other/better options available.
12/16 Lunch La Parroquia a great little second floor restaurant/bar on Ave 10. Couldnt find it at first, but had heard about their lime soup so kept looking. We each had the lime soup, shared Nachos. Nice big bowl of soup and I love the fresh fried-on-the-spot tortilla chips everyone does. Dinner Especias a great find. Adrian, the owner, is the grandson of Casa Denis owner, and brother (or nephew?) to Las Tortugas owner. We had heard about the filet mignon ($9.50) so we gave it a shot. The meal was great, and Adrian sat down with us to talk for a bit, and offer us a glass of Xtabentun the Mayan anise-honey liquor drink.
12/17 Lunch Mexico En Los Siglos our biggest disappointment. Had read on the boards that the Cream of Cilantro-Walnut soup was a great lunch, so decided to check it out. I will admit the soup was very good but the price was ridiculous over $5 a bowl with no bread, chips or anything to go with it. Dinner another favorite Panchos Backyard great food as always however dont pay by credit card. They tack the tip on automatically (at about 22%) saying thats how the credit card company requires them to do it. I think its a scam to get an exchange fee since VISA will not allow vendors to charge one directly.
12/18 Lunch Ernestos Fajita Factory okay, not great. Dinner Manates found this in our wanderings and had a nice inexpensive dinner caught the early bird special for mere $5. I had cream of carrot soup, a nice fish fillet with cilantro sauce and sides of beets, rice and carrots. Came with a wonderful loaf of warm bread with herbed butter as well. Alan was mildly disappointed in his chicken entrée but the price couldnt be beat.
12/19 lunch La Choza again great garbanzo bean soup and fajitas for lunch. Dinner back to Especias to see Adrian. Alan had the filet mignon again, I had fresh King Crab was great but very pricey. My warning would be to ask the price on any specials before ordering
Over all the diving was great, the food was great, and we cant wait to find a way back as soon as possible. With the exchange rate being so good right now (approx 11 to 1) we converted dollars to pesos whenever possible at an exchange booth, at Chedraui, etc. and paid taxis & restaurants in pesos. Otherwise dollars are accepted at a standard 10 to 1. Converting saved a bit over the length of the trip. Many thanks to both Nancy at Villablanca, and Mike, Margaret & staff at Papa Hoggs for making this another great dive trip.
