sctom
Contributor
My wife and I decided that before our son went off for his first year of collage, hes starting at Coastal Carolina next week; we would take one last family vacation to Cozumel. Although weve been to Cozumel very many times our last trip (2006) was not as great as the ones before so I started searching the board for something new. That is when I found DandyDons threads Fun with the Orbitz $200 package discount and How do you shop for air and hotel package discounts? I ended up finding a deal with airfare from Augusta, Ga. and rooms at Villa Blanca Hotel, using the discount code twice I was able to get a separate room for my son for just $38 for the week. DandyDon is the man. 
We decided to use Scuba Mau because of the location, right next door and because of the reviews here on the board. Opal at Scuba Mau was very quick with answers to my emails and offered me a great price for 5 days of diving and AOW for my son.
When the big day arrived we were up at 3 am for the hour drive to the airport. All went fairly well considering a 2.5 hour flight to Dallas, 2.5 hour layover and then a 2 hour+ flight to Cozumel. The airport has really changed since the last time I was there, (1999) we had done the bag drag thing the last 4 or 5 trips. Anyway, my son Jake hit the green light and coupled with the info from the board, the airport was quick and easy.
Check in at Villa Blanca went smooth. My wife Kathy and I had a Superior room and my son had a standard room, the young lady at check in informed me the rooms were far apart and for $10 more per day Jake could upgrade and be next door to our room. We declined, however when we were shown to our rooms they had upgraded us anyway for no charge. Great way to start a vacation!
We quickly dropped our bags and went next door to check out the Scuba Mau shop. The welcome was like homecoming; they were expecting us from my emails and treated us like long lost family. After intros and such we went back to our rooms got our gear and returned for a shore dive. Victor, the main equipment and shop guy carried weights and tanks across the road to the pier and helped us set up, he then carried our bags, back to the shop, whenever I told him I could do or carry something he would smile and say relax youre on vacation. This was the theme for the rest of the week.:luxhello:
A little over 12 hours from getting out of bed in South Carolina to diving in Cozumel, what a wonderful day. :banana: The shore dive at Villa Blanca Beach was pretty nice, the only negative was in less then 5 minutes in the water we had found 3 lionfish. We saw lots of small wildlife, 3 small eels, a couple of small lobsters, great first dive. Maximum depth of the dive was 22fsw and lasted about an hour. Victor came and got our gear and that was the last we saw of it except on the boat each morning (this included our wet suits).
Just across the street from the shop is La Palapita Den Medio. This is a great little beach bar. It has a shower and a little saltwater pool. They serve food that they get from La hatch and Hog Town Café. Its great; you get off the boat, walk down the pier, rinse off and have a beer.
That night we ate supper at La Hatch. The food was good, but the view was fantastic. Setting in the open air watching the sun set over the water was almost sensory overload.
Our rooms included an American Breakfast each morning, this worked out nice, as we would dress for diving, go to breakfast then walk across the street to the boat, less then an hour from bed to boat.
When we got to the boat for the first day of diving I got worried, it did not appear as though it was going to be a lot of fun. There were my son and his instructor (Goose) doing AOW, a lady, her son and their instructor doing their open water dive and my wife and I with our dive master Ray. Our first dive was Palancar Caves and Ray, Kathy and I were the first off the boat and we never saw any of the other divers. The dive was 57 min, 87fsw. The temp at depth was 80° and vis was 100 plus. We saw a large nurse shark under a ledge, 1 lionfish and many small lobsters. When we surfaced everyone was on the boat waiting for us. Jake had completed his deep dive for his AOW with no problems.
After an hour at the naked beach with fresh fruit and cold water we went to Paso del Cedral for our 2nd dive. Again we were the first off the boat and the last on. The dive was 1:02, 81fsw; again 100 vis. WE saw a very large black grouper along with many other wonderful things.
We walked the mile to town and ate supper at Rock-n-Jave. As I remembered the food was still very good, however the prices seemed to have gone up quite a bit.
The next day we had a new DM, Monkey, great guy, great DM, he found all kinds of small critters. Monkey is in his 40s and has been diving for 30 years. Like many of the old time MDs on Cozumel, Monkey is a wonder to watch. He carries extra weight for others, does not use his BCD for anything other then to hold a tank and does not seem to use air (I think he has gills). He seems to be neutral at any depth. He handed my wife a 2 lb weight during a safety stop and never changed depths. When we got back to the shop I asked Opel if we could keep Monkey for the rest of the week and we did.
The second day was with Jake and Goose completing his AOW, a young lady from Ireland, Kathy, Monkey and I. We went to Yucab Wall and Villa Blanca Wall; both were great dives at 57 min each. Monkey killed 1 lionfish. On Yucab Wall we went through a swim through that was very much like a shallow Devils Throat, when we came out on the wall it almost took my breath. Ive been on Yucab many times but this was the first time through this swim through.
That night we did a night dive with DM Gabi Loco at Paradise reef and ended under the new International Pier. We saw many free swimming snakes, eels and octopuses. Under a large piece of coral were 10 to 12 medium size lionfish. Back on the boat Gabi said he would go back during the day to get them.
We had a late supper at La Hatch, so very convenient.
Day three we went to Columbia Pinnacles and Dalila Shallows. It was Monkey, a young couple from Barcelona, Kathy, Jake and I. Columbia was for 57 min at max depth 101fsw. Dalila was 58 min at max depth 67fsw. Both were great dives, again Monkey was the DM. This dive Jake was diving with us as an AOW Diver! (The Card is in the mail)
We tried to go to Pescaderia San Carlos for supper but we were too late and they were closed. The cabbie said he knew a place that was just as good so we took a chance. He took us to La Perlite way back on Av 65 and Norte 49. The fresh fish was outstanding and the price very agreeable.
Day four we went to Barracuda. It was a very nice dive with some large critters. We saw a BIG barracuda, grouper and something in the far blue that could have been a big shark; it was just too far to be sure. The current at Barracuda was kind of slow nothing like the last time I was there, it was so strong it would ripe your mask off if you turned sidewise. Monkey killed a large and a small lionfish. We saw two more large ones but could not get back up current to get them.
For the second dive we decided to do something different and went back to the pier and got a small spear. It was a 2 foot stainless steal shaft with a loop of surgical tubing lashed to one end and a point on the other. We dived the old International Pier to Villa Blanca Wall. I carried the spear and Monkey carried a hook attached to a shaft. The pier was fun, as Jake though he was shopping for souvenirs. He found a glass, a hat, a small blanket purse, a large bag of cold towels and a six pack of unopened Corona. It was all he could do to swim with all his booty.
I killed 4 lionfish with the spear. The last one I got was the best. It was about 6 inches long and as soon as I shot it, a spotted eel shot out of his hole and snatched it off the spear and swallowed it. The eel went right back in his hole only to come back out 20 seconds later with his mouth open as if to say thanks, got another one.
The greatest thing about this dive was that Monkey found a seahorse. Now Ive been diving over 25 years and have dove all over the Caribbean, but I have never seen a seahorse in the wild. I have searched and have asked many DMs to find me one, but no one has been able, not even many old timers who said sure no problem The seahorse was orange and about 6 inches long. GREAT DIVE!
That afternoon we left early enough to eat at Pescaderia San Carlos. If you havent eaten here youve really missed out. The fish is wonderful. I had a whole fried hogfish. It was one of the best meals Ive had in quite some time. We paid less for supper then we had been paying for lunch, the three of us ate for less then $40 including beers and tip.
Day five was to my favorite dive site in Cozumel, Santa Rosa Wall. This site is dear to my heart as it was the first place I dived on my first trip to the Island in 1986. The last time I was there was 4 years ago and the impact of Hurricane Wilma was very prevalent. I was very pleasantly surprised to see how much the site has recovered, if you had not seen it before you would not know anything ever happened. Anyway, it was a great dive we saw a giant lobster, it was as big as Monkey, almost SMILEY and 2 more that were half as big. We also saw a giant grouper and it was bigger then Monkey. The dive was an hour long, max depth was 93fsw, vis was 100+.
The second dive of the day (last deep dive of the trip :sad was at Tormentos. We got an hour and 17 min with the max depth at 65fsw. The strangest thing on this dive was that we saw 4 foot grouper sleeping with a 6 foot nurse shark, kid you not; they were laying together in a crevice in the coral. During the last 10 min of the dive I kept noticing a flashing and I kept looking around to see who was taking pictures. No pictures, it was lighting. There was a major thunderstorm going on above us. At 40 feet the sound of the rain was very loud and the raindrops were diving 4 inches into the ocean, strange angle to see rain hitting water. When we surfaced the rain was so heavy it hurt my head. The vis was much better underwater then it was on the surface, I could hear the boat but couldnt see it. We had to wait 10 min for the rain to let up enough for the boat Captain to be able to see us and come get us. We had to wait another 15 min after we got on the boat before we could head back to the pier, again because the vis was less the 50 feet. This site really lived up to its name.
We had an early supper just down the street at Ernestos Fajitas. Being Sunday night everything close by was closed and we didnt want to go to town. Ernestos turned out to be good and fast.
Our last dive was a night dive at Villa Blanca Beach. This turned out to be a wonderful dive, just Kathy, Jake and I. We got over an hour with a max depth of 28fsw. I lost count of the octopuses, there seemed to be one everywhere I looked. We saw many eels out swimming. There was a squid and a pipefish that acted like best friends always moving and staying together. This was a great way to end our diving for the trip.
For our last full day we followed our standing tradition and rented a car to drive around the Island. We got a late start because we got stuck at La Palapita watching the ocean. :beer: We decided to have an early lunch and ordered a plate of quesadillas from the Hog Café. Kathy and I split the quesadillas and Jake ordered something else (good thing). After lunch we took off for the other side, our usual plan consists of having a cold drink or 2 at each of the little bars until we get to Coconuts. By the time we got to Coconuts the party was over. I started with cramping and then diarrhea, Kathy was soon to follow. Jake was fine and it was not hard to deduce it was the quesadillas from earlier. Somehow we made it back to the hotel and I wont describe how the rest of the night went but I did worry about being able to make the flight home the next day.
By 8 am we were able to get out of bed and start packing. Our flight was at 1:45 and we had to return the car. Margarita at Isis car rental told me when I was through with the car just to bring it back with our luggage and they would give us a ride to the airport. All so easy and convenient.
Even with such a chitty ending (pun intended) it was a great trip.
We decided to use Scuba Mau because of the location, right next door and because of the reviews here on the board. Opal at Scuba Mau was very quick with answers to my emails and offered me a great price for 5 days of diving and AOW for my son.
When the big day arrived we were up at 3 am for the hour drive to the airport. All went fairly well considering a 2.5 hour flight to Dallas, 2.5 hour layover and then a 2 hour+ flight to Cozumel. The airport has really changed since the last time I was there, (1999) we had done the bag drag thing the last 4 or 5 trips. Anyway, my son Jake hit the green light and coupled with the info from the board, the airport was quick and easy.
Check in at Villa Blanca went smooth. My wife Kathy and I had a Superior room and my son had a standard room, the young lady at check in informed me the rooms were far apart and for $10 more per day Jake could upgrade and be next door to our room. We declined, however when we were shown to our rooms they had upgraded us anyway for no charge. Great way to start a vacation!
We quickly dropped our bags and went next door to check out the Scuba Mau shop. The welcome was like homecoming; they were expecting us from my emails and treated us like long lost family. After intros and such we went back to our rooms got our gear and returned for a shore dive. Victor, the main equipment and shop guy carried weights and tanks across the road to the pier and helped us set up, he then carried our bags, back to the shop, whenever I told him I could do or carry something he would smile and say relax youre on vacation. This was the theme for the rest of the week.:luxhello:
A little over 12 hours from getting out of bed in South Carolina to diving in Cozumel, what a wonderful day. :banana: The shore dive at Villa Blanca Beach was pretty nice, the only negative was in less then 5 minutes in the water we had found 3 lionfish. We saw lots of small wildlife, 3 small eels, a couple of small lobsters, great first dive. Maximum depth of the dive was 22fsw and lasted about an hour. Victor came and got our gear and that was the last we saw of it except on the boat each morning (this included our wet suits).
Just across the street from the shop is La Palapita Den Medio. This is a great little beach bar. It has a shower and a little saltwater pool. They serve food that they get from La hatch and Hog Town Café. Its great; you get off the boat, walk down the pier, rinse off and have a beer.
That night we ate supper at La Hatch. The food was good, but the view was fantastic. Setting in the open air watching the sun set over the water was almost sensory overload.
Our rooms included an American Breakfast each morning, this worked out nice, as we would dress for diving, go to breakfast then walk across the street to the boat, less then an hour from bed to boat.
When we got to the boat for the first day of diving I got worried, it did not appear as though it was going to be a lot of fun. There were my son and his instructor (Goose) doing AOW, a lady, her son and their instructor doing their open water dive and my wife and I with our dive master Ray. Our first dive was Palancar Caves and Ray, Kathy and I were the first off the boat and we never saw any of the other divers. The dive was 57 min, 87fsw. The temp at depth was 80° and vis was 100 plus. We saw a large nurse shark under a ledge, 1 lionfish and many small lobsters. When we surfaced everyone was on the boat waiting for us. Jake had completed his deep dive for his AOW with no problems.
After an hour at the naked beach
with fresh fruit and cold water we went to Paso del Cedral for our 2nd dive. Again we were the first off the boat and the last on. The dive was 1:02, 81fsw; again 100 vis. WE saw a very large black grouper along with many other wonderful things.We walked the mile to town and ate supper at Rock-n-Jave. As I remembered the food was still very good, however the prices seemed to have gone up quite a bit.
The next day we had a new DM, Monkey, great guy, great DM, he found all kinds of small critters. Monkey is in his 40s and has been diving for 30 years. Like many of the old time MDs on Cozumel, Monkey is a wonder to watch. He carries extra weight for others, does not use his BCD for anything other then to hold a tank and does not seem to use air (I think he has gills). He seems to be neutral at any depth. He handed my wife a 2 lb weight during a safety stop and never changed depths. When we got back to the shop I asked Opel if we could keep Monkey for the rest of the week and we did.
The second day was with Jake and Goose completing his AOW, a young lady from Ireland, Kathy, Monkey and I. We went to Yucab Wall and Villa Blanca Wall; both were great dives at 57 min each. Monkey killed 1 lionfish. On Yucab Wall we went through a swim through that was very much like a shallow Devils Throat, when we came out on the wall it almost took my breath. Ive been on Yucab many times but this was the first time through this swim through.
That night we did a night dive with DM Gabi Loco at Paradise reef and ended under the new International Pier. We saw many free swimming snakes, eels and octopuses. Under a large piece of coral were 10 to 12 medium size lionfish. Back on the boat Gabi said he would go back during the day to get them.
We had a late supper at La Hatch, so very convenient.
Day three we went to Columbia Pinnacles and Dalila Shallows. It was Monkey, a young couple from Barcelona, Kathy, Jake and I. Columbia was for 57 min at max depth 101fsw. Dalila was 58 min at max depth 67fsw. Both were great dives, again Monkey was the DM. This dive Jake was diving with us as an AOW Diver! (The Card is in the mail)
We tried to go to Pescaderia San Carlos for supper but we were too late and they were closed. The cabbie said he knew a place that was just as good so we took a chance. He took us to La Perlite way back on Av 65 and Norte 49. The fresh fish was outstanding and the price very agreeable.
Day four we went to Barracuda. It was a very nice dive with some large critters. We saw a BIG barracuda, grouper and something in the far blue that could have been a big shark; it was just too far to be sure. The current at Barracuda was kind of slow nothing like the last time I was there, it was so strong it would ripe your mask off if you turned sidewise. Monkey killed a large and a small lionfish. We saw two more large ones but could not get back up current to get them.
For the second dive we decided to do something different and went back to the pier and got a small spear. It was a 2 foot stainless steal shaft with a loop of surgical tubing lashed to one end and a point on the other. We dived the old International Pier to Villa Blanca Wall. I carried the spear and Monkey carried a hook attached to a shaft. The pier was fun, as Jake though he was shopping for souvenirs. He found a glass, a hat, a small blanket purse, a large bag of cold towels and a six pack of unopened Corona. It was all he could do to swim with all his booty.
I killed 4 lionfish with the spear. The last one I got was the best. It was about 6 inches long and as soon as I shot it, a spotted eel shot out of his hole and snatched it off the spear and swallowed it. The eel went right back in his hole only to come back out 20 seconds later with his mouth open as if to say thanks, got another one.
The greatest thing about this dive was that Monkey found a seahorse. Now Ive been diving over 25 years and have dove all over the Caribbean, but I have never seen a seahorse in the wild. I have searched and have asked many DMs to find me one, but no one has been able, not even many old timers who said sure no problem The seahorse was orange and about 6 inches long. GREAT DIVE!
That afternoon we left early enough to eat at Pescaderia San Carlos. If you havent eaten here youve really missed out. The fish is wonderful. I had a whole fried hogfish. It was one of the best meals Ive had in quite some time. We paid less for supper then we had been paying for lunch, the three of us ate for less then $40 including beers and tip.
Day five was to my favorite dive site in Cozumel, Santa Rosa Wall. This site is dear to my heart as it was the first place I dived on my first trip to the Island in 1986. The last time I was there was 4 years ago and the impact of Hurricane Wilma was very prevalent. I was very pleasantly surprised to see how much the site has recovered, if you had not seen it before you would not know anything ever happened. Anyway, it was a great dive we saw a giant lobster, it was as big as Monkey, almost SMILEY and 2 more that were half as big. We also saw a giant grouper and it was bigger then Monkey. The dive was an hour long, max depth was 93fsw, vis was 100+.
The second dive of the day (last deep dive of the trip :sad
was at Tormentos. We got an hour and 17 min with the max depth at 65fsw. The strangest thing on this dive was that we saw 4 foot grouper sleeping with a 6 foot nurse shark, kid you not; they were laying together in a crevice in the coral. During the last 10 min of the dive I kept noticing a flashing and I kept looking around to see who was taking pictures. No pictures, it was lighting. There was a major thunderstorm going on above us. At 40 feet the sound of the rain was very loud and the raindrops were diving 4 inches into the ocean, strange angle to see rain hitting water. When we surfaced the rain was so heavy it hurt my head. The vis was much better underwater then it was on the surface, I could hear the boat but couldnt see it. We had to wait 10 min for the rain to let up enough for the boat Captain to be able to see us and come get us. We had to wait another 15 min after we got on the boat before we could head back to the pier, again because the vis was less the 50 feet. This site really lived up to its name.We had an early supper just down the street at Ernestos Fajitas. Being Sunday night everything close by was closed and we didnt want to go to town. Ernestos turned out to be good and fast.
Our last dive was a night dive at Villa Blanca Beach. This turned out to be a wonderful dive, just Kathy, Jake and I. We got over an hour with a max depth of 28fsw. I lost count of the octopuses, there seemed to be one everywhere I looked. We saw many eels out swimming. There was a squid and a pipefish that acted like best friends always moving and staying together. This was a great way to end our diving for the trip.
For our last full day we followed our standing tradition and rented a car to drive around the Island. We got a late start because we got stuck at La Palapita watching the ocean. :beer: We decided to have an early lunch and ordered a plate of quesadillas from the Hog Café. Kathy and I split the quesadillas and Jake ordered something else (good thing). After lunch we took off for the other side, our usual plan consists of having a cold drink or 2
at each of the little bars until we get to Coconuts. By the time we got to Coconuts the party was over. I started with cramping and then diarrhea, Kathy was soon to follow. Jake was fine and it was not hard to deduce it was the quesadillas from earlier. Somehow we made it back to the hotel and I wont describe how the rest of the night went but I did worry about being able to make the flight home the next day.By 8 am we were able to get out of bed and start packing. Our flight was at 1:45 and we had to return the car. Margarita at Isis car rental told me when I was through with the car just to bring it back with our luggage and they would give us a ride to the airport. All so easy and convenient.
Even with such a chitty ending (pun intended) it was a great trip.
