achu
Guest
I decided to try a new dive shop that I´ve never gone with before...
Roberta´s Dive Eco-Cozumel. I´d heard a lot of great things about the dive shop. In fact, I´ve had an open invitation for more than 5 months now from Roberta, to go diving with them.... Today was finally the day!
We had a group of 6 divers and our Divemaster, Jorge. I was surprised to see one of my favorite Captains driving the boat! Apparently, he had just switched dive shops...So, one thing I knew right then, was that the boat would be right there with us the entire time and that Roberta has an awesome Captain. I´d trust my life with Wacho!
1st dive: Santa Rosa Wall. We start on the south end of Santa Rosa. Bummer... no real swim throughs at that side, but we really wanted to avoid the crowd... The visibility was pretty bad and the water was quite murky. Half the group claimed to have seen 2 eagle rays! I was obviously looking in the wrong direction! The currents were mild, but the water was quite cold. After around 20 min, we made it to the section of Santa Rosa where all the swim throughs were. Those were fun. We went over to the shallows to slowly ascend. There we saw a HUGE beautiful nurse shark swim by AND I was looking in the right direction this time!!! We did an unusually long safety stop and surfaced.
The surface interval was a relaxed one at the Sand Dollar pier. They have bathrooms (like that matters to most divers... but for me, during a surface interval, I prefer to use a real bathroom... I´m just not into the "jump into the water and go" while chatting with everyone on the boat.)
What a surprise! Roberta has baked up her homemade banana bread for everyone on the boat! YUM YUM!! The banana bread in itself is worth the trip!
2nd Dive: Punta Tunich. DM Jorge points out 2 toadfish, a moray eel, two tiny tiny little drumfish. I managed to find one red seahorse and a little bitty baby toadfish. Those baby toadfish are so incredibly cute! We find huge lobsters and crabs. Jorge is finding marine life in every coral. What a cool dive! This dive ends all to soon with yet another unusually long 15ft safety stop. This time I swim circles during the stop. I´m freezing and figure that I will need thawing if I don´t start to move around more. I also practice blowing those "bubble rings" with Jorge. I can´t tell whose are worse!
Sigh, it all ends too soon with Roberta´s fast 6 pak boat dropping me off at the pro dive pier.
I would most definately go diving with Roberta´s Dive Eco Cozumel again.
I´d add them to my favorite dive shops out here:
Big dive shops without the crowded cattle boat feeling: Dive Palancar, Del Mar Aquatics
Small Dive shops with medium sized, medium speed boats: Pascual, Studio Blue
Small Dive shops with fast 6 pak boats: Michelle´s Dive shop and now Roberta´s Dive Eco Cozumel
Of course, there are also plenty of really good freelance divemasters and instructors on this island that I would also highly recommend...and there are a bunch of other dive shops that i´ve heard great things about, but have never gone diving with.
If you guys like, I´ll keep writing dive reports as I go.
Roberta´s Dive Eco-Cozumel. I´d heard a lot of great things about the dive shop. In fact, I´ve had an open invitation for more than 5 months now from Roberta, to go diving with them.... Today was finally the day!
We had a group of 6 divers and our Divemaster, Jorge. I was surprised to see one of my favorite Captains driving the boat! Apparently, he had just switched dive shops...So, one thing I knew right then, was that the boat would be right there with us the entire time and that Roberta has an awesome Captain. I´d trust my life with Wacho!
1st dive: Santa Rosa Wall. We start on the south end of Santa Rosa. Bummer... no real swim throughs at that side, but we really wanted to avoid the crowd... The visibility was pretty bad and the water was quite murky. Half the group claimed to have seen 2 eagle rays! I was obviously looking in the wrong direction! The currents were mild, but the water was quite cold. After around 20 min, we made it to the section of Santa Rosa where all the swim throughs were. Those were fun. We went over to the shallows to slowly ascend. There we saw a HUGE beautiful nurse shark swim by AND I was looking in the right direction this time!!! We did an unusually long safety stop and surfaced.
The surface interval was a relaxed one at the Sand Dollar pier. They have bathrooms (like that matters to most divers... but for me, during a surface interval, I prefer to use a real bathroom... I´m just not into the "jump into the water and go" while chatting with everyone on the boat.)
What a surprise! Roberta has baked up her homemade banana bread for everyone on the boat! YUM YUM!! The banana bread in itself is worth the trip!
2nd Dive: Punta Tunich. DM Jorge points out 2 toadfish, a moray eel, two tiny tiny little drumfish. I managed to find one red seahorse and a little bitty baby toadfish. Those baby toadfish are so incredibly cute! We find huge lobsters and crabs. Jorge is finding marine life in every coral. What a cool dive! This dive ends all to soon with yet another unusually long 15ft safety stop. This time I swim circles during the stop. I´m freezing and figure that I will need thawing if I don´t start to move around more. I also practice blowing those "bubble rings" with Jorge. I can´t tell whose are worse!
Sigh, it all ends too soon with Roberta´s fast 6 pak boat dropping me off at the pro dive pier.
I would most definately go diving with Roberta´s Dive Eco Cozumel again.
I´d add them to my favorite dive shops out here:
Big dive shops without the crowded cattle boat feeling: Dive Palancar, Del Mar Aquatics
Small Dive shops with medium sized, medium speed boats: Pascual, Studio Blue
Small Dive shops with fast 6 pak boats: Michelle´s Dive shop and now Roberta´s Dive Eco Cozumel
Of course, there are also plenty of really good freelance divemasters and instructors on this island that I would also highly recommend...and there are a bunch of other dive shops that i´ve heard great things about, but have never gone diving with.
If you guys like, I´ll keep writing dive reports as I go.
