Quicksilver II
Registered
I like to do a write-up of my trips for my own memory, but after reading everyone's stories here, I thought I'd share mine. Apologies for any irrelevant details.
This was a solo trip to boost my dive count and build my skills for more exotic and challenging locations like the Galapagos, Komodo, etc.
I flew directly into Cozumel for the first time. Customs and baggage claim took about 30 minutes—well worth the extra cost to avoid the bag drag.
I stayed at the Presidente and was upgraded to a second-floor ocean view room for free after declining the upsells. Honestly, I don't care much about ocean views on dive trips, so I booked a cheaper poolside room for about $200/night, which felt like a great deal. In the future, I think I'd prefer a first-floor walkout room for quick access to the amenities. The resort is very comfortable, modern, and spacious, with excellent staff, though I wish there was a c-store within walking distance.
The food was good, not great, and fairly expensive ($20-$40 for entrees, $5-$15 for beers and simple cocktails). The beach cove is one of the best I've ever seen for swimming, and the two pools are nice but on the smaller side for a Mexican resort. Oddly, the place was DESERTED—restaurants had just 2-3 tables occupied, and I was often the only one at the bar. Even the beach was empty for much of the day.
October is rainy season, which I have not experienced but did not impact the diving negatively at all this trip. Even with every day showing a 50% - 80% chance of rain, I was able to dive every day I was there. We went through a few squalls on the boat but they didn't impact the diving.
Cozumel lived up to it's reputation. Turtles, nurse sharks, all the usual suspects were there. I was just in Bonaire in July and noticed that the same species of fish are typically larger in Coz. Bonaire seemed to have a higher density of fish but they were smaller, and Bonaire lacked the stunning reef architecture that Coz is famous for.
Currents were mild. Only a few dives had enough to require afterburners to swim against.
Aldora uses steel tanks (100, 117, and 120 cf). I started with 100s but quickly switched to 117s after realizing they suited me better. The larger tanks helped with my trim and let me relax, focusing less on air consumption. All the tanks were filled to 3600-3800 psi.
The dive masters were excellent—seasoned, helpful, and fun. They had the group ascend together, but even our shortest dive was over an hour. If someone ran low on air, they got hooked up to the DM's "Hose of Opportunity" until we hit the hour mark.
Aldora takes care of your gear overnight, which takes a lot of the hassle out of diving. Although I'd prefer setting up my own gear, they are probably more competent than most divers. I had an O-ring blow on my reg which needed a special tool to replace. They had a spare reg on the boat and my O-ring was replaced before then next morning without me having to do anything. That was pretty cool.
I started to weigh my options. We were about 20 minutes into the dive and pretty deep. I really, really didn't want to screw up the group's dive, which shouldn't have been my first concern but it was. Up to this point I had been very happy with my dives and was feeling quite confident, so this was all a surprise.
Eventually, the DM checked in with me and I gave him a ''something's wrong'' hand wave but followed it up with a okay, hoping he would keep an extra close eye on me, which he did after giving me a suspicious look over.
I continued fighting off some low grade vertigo and tried to not spiral into thinking what would happen if I passed out. I looked up and saw a boat almost directly overhead and wagered I could probably head up now and the group would be able to continue. I started a slow ascent and shook my rattler to get the DMs attention, signaling I could see the boat, and was going to go up but I was okay, and they should stay down and continue their dive. He started to swim up but I waved him off and confirmed I was okay and had an SMB. He shot his SMB from depth as I ascended and watched from below as I completed my safety stop and surfaced. I flagged down the nearby boat, they radioed mine and I was picked up in just a couple minutes. For clarity, the DM kept eyes on me until I was safely out of the water.
After thinking it over, I attribute the vertigo, nausea and ensuing anxiety to the margaritas, an extra cup of coffee that morning, dehydration from traveling and having limited bottled water and the nature of the dive environment. Palancar Bricks is on a steep slope with lots of tall pinnacles. I think the geometry was particularly confusing to my brain, being compounded by me spinning around trying to get good pictures. I also discovered later that night that I was coming down with a cold which very well may have had a lot to do with it.
I had some fruit and a lot of water during the surface interval at the beach bar, cautiously assuming I'd make the next dive, which I did.
We dove Dalila, which was my favorite dive of the trip. I had a few moments of anxiety about the vertigo returning but eventually relaxed and enjoyed the dive. What a beautiful and unique site. I also made a 3rd dive that afternoon at Yucab, which went smoothly and was nearly 90 minutes.
This was a solo trip to boost my dive count and build my skills for more exotic and challenging locations like the Galapagos, Komodo, etc.
I flew directly into Cozumel for the first time. Customs and baggage claim took about 30 minutes—well worth the extra cost to avoid the bag drag.
I stayed at the Presidente and was upgraded to a second-floor ocean view room for free after declining the upsells. Honestly, I don't care much about ocean views on dive trips, so I booked a cheaper poolside room for about $200/night, which felt like a great deal. In the future, I think I'd prefer a first-floor walkout room for quick access to the amenities. The resort is very comfortable, modern, and spacious, with excellent staff, though I wish there was a c-store within walking distance.
The food was good, not great, and fairly expensive ($20-$40 for entrees, $5-$15 for beers and simple cocktails). The beach cove is one of the best I've ever seen for swimming, and the two pools are nice but on the smaller side for a Mexican resort. Oddly, the place was DESERTED—restaurants had just 2-3 tables occupied, and I was often the only one at the bar. Even the beach was empty for much of the day.
Dive Conditions:
Water was 85+ degrees. I fear for the reef but gotta love diving in just a rash guard and shorts!October is rainy season, which I have not experienced but did not impact the diving negatively at all this trip. Even with every day showing a 50% - 80% chance of rain, I was able to dive every day I was there. We went through a few squalls on the boat but they didn't impact the diving.
Cozumel lived up to it's reputation. Turtles, nurse sharks, all the usual suspects were there. I was just in Bonaire in July and noticed that the same species of fish are typically larger in Coz. Bonaire seemed to have a higher density of fish but they were smaller, and Bonaire lacked the stunning reef architecture that Coz is famous for.
Currents were mild. Only a few dives had enough to require afterburners to swim against.
Aldora:
I dove with Aldora every day, using their fast boats with 4-6 divers per trip. They pick up at the Presidente dock without charging fee, right next to the breakfast buffet, making the whole process super easy. The ride to the southern reefs was a quick 10-20 minutes. I wouldn’t want to do a slow boat from up by town.Aldora uses steel tanks (100, 117, and 120 cf). I started with 100s but quickly switched to 117s after realizing they suited me better. The larger tanks helped with my trim and let me relax, focusing less on air consumption. All the tanks were filled to 3600-3800 psi.
The dive masters were excellent—seasoned, helpful, and fun. They had the group ascend together, but even our shortest dive was over an hour. If someone ran low on air, they got hooked up to the DM's "Hose of Opportunity" until we hit the hour mark.
Aldora takes care of your gear overnight, which takes a lot of the hassle out of diving. Although I'd prefer setting up my own gear, they are probably more competent than most divers. I had an O-ring blow on my reg which needed a special tool to replace. They had a spare reg on the boat and my O-ring was replaced before then next morning without me having to do anything. That was pretty cool.
Minor Incident:
The night before I celebrated my good fortune by having what may have been one too many margaritas at La Choza. The next morning I felt fine, I really did, but right after a swim through at Bricks I got a wave of vertigo, at a depth deeper than I have ever been. It passed quickly but instantly made me very uncomfortable. Vertigo can be alarming while sitting on the couch in your home. Deep under water, it's downright terrifying. I gritted my teeth and tried to focus on my breathing but wasn't having fun anymore. I became a bit nauseous and started to get sweaty and feel pretty shaky and weak.I started to weigh my options. We were about 20 minutes into the dive and pretty deep. I really, really didn't want to screw up the group's dive, which shouldn't have been my first concern but it was. Up to this point I had been very happy with my dives and was feeling quite confident, so this was all a surprise.
Eventually, the DM checked in with me and I gave him a ''something's wrong'' hand wave but followed it up with a okay, hoping he would keep an extra close eye on me, which he did after giving me a suspicious look over.
I continued fighting off some low grade vertigo and tried to not spiral into thinking what would happen if I passed out. I looked up and saw a boat almost directly overhead and wagered I could probably head up now and the group would be able to continue. I started a slow ascent and shook my rattler to get the DMs attention, signaling I could see the boat, and was going to go up but I was okay, and they should stay down and continue their dive. He started to swim up but I waved him off and confirmed I was okay and had an SMB. He shot his SMB from depth as I ascended and watched from below as I completed my safety stop and surfaced. I flagged down the nearby boat, they radioed mine and I was picked up in just a couple minutes. For clarity, the DM kept eyes on me until I was safely out of the water.
After thinking it over, I attribute the vertigo, nausea and ensuing anxiety to the margaritas, an extra cup of coffee that morning, dehydration from traveling and having limited bottled water and the nature of the dive environment. Palancar Bricks is on a steep slope with lots of tall pinnacles. I think the geometry was particularly confusing to my brain, being compounded by me spinning around trying to get good pictures. I also discovered later that night that I was coming down with a cold which very well may have had a lot to do with it.
I had some fruit and a lot of water during the surface interval at the beach bar, cautiously assuming I'd make the next dive, which I did.
We dove Dalila, which was my favorite dive of the trip. I had a few moments of anxiety about the vertigo returning but eventually relaxed and enjoyed the dive. What a beautiful and unique site. I also made a 3rd dive that afternoon at Yucab, which went smoothly and was nearly 90 minutes.
