We got back late last night from a two week stay at Blue Angel. The port was closed due to weather for 2-1/2 days and the southern reefs were closed due to strong SE winds for the first week, but we still got to dive 42 tanks between the two of us. We dove most of the usual suspects, some of them twice. The disturbance that developed into TS Alberto shut things down on our first day there and we dove in the rain for a couple of days, then it got better, then it got worse with the next tropical wave, then it got better again, and the last two days were sunny and bright. We flew away yesterday with Hurricane Beryl churning through the Caribbean; our departure was as scheduled, but the airport was very busy with tourists Getting Out Of Dodge.
We dove Francesa, Yucab, Cedral, San Clemente, the very north part of Palancar Gardens into San Francisco, the Cedral "Platform", San Clemente Wall, the end of Yucab into Tormentos (a couple of times, once as a night dive), Palancar Gardens, Villablanca, Colombia (when they finally opened the southern reefs), the end of Cedral into Santa Rosa, Palancar Caves, Tormentos, Palancar Bricks, Palancar Horseshoe, Villablanca Wall (just the one dive that day when the port closed at 11AM), and we finished the diving with a night shore dive from Blue Angel. High points included several sharks, a few turtles, several octopus at night, a couple of big green morays, and a close encounter at the north end of Cedral with "Charlie" the huge loggerhead with the distinctive big barnacle and propeller damage to his shell. We buzzed around him for several minutes getting really close to him at times for photos, and he completely ignored us. We saw only two very small lionfish the whole trip. DMs were Mateo, Marcos, Andy, and Julio, and all were excellent. Mateo is an old friend and fellow Deadhead; we need a miracle every day.
We ate lunch every day at the room and had dinner in restaurants. We ate at La Choza, El Moro, 'Ohana, La Monina (a new one for us and an addition to our short list), Kondesa, Pancho's Backyard, Buccanos, La Perlita, La Conchita del Caribe, Casa Mission, and a few times at the Blue Angel restaurant. All were great.
We took my 96 year old mom with us and she did very well, with some help getting around. She has not missed spending a couple of weeks on Cozumel every year since 1977, except for 2020 like most of the rest of us. She even went out for a day of offshore fishing with me, my sister, and a couple of friends.
All things considered it was an excellent trip, even with the weather challenges.
- Gordon
We dove Francesa, Yucab, Cedral, San Clemente, the very north part of Palancar Gardens into San Francisco, the Cedral "Platform", San Clemente Wall, the end of Yucab into Tormentos (a couple of times, once as a night dive), Palancar Gardens, Villablanca, Colombia (when they finally opened the southern reefs), the end of Cedral into Santa Rosa, Palancar Caves, Tormentos, Palancar Bricks, Palancar Horseshoe, Villablanca Wall (just the one dive that day when the port closed at 11AM), and we finished the diving with a night shore dive from Blue Angel. High points included several sharks, a few turtles, several octopus at night, a couple of big green morays, and a close encounter at the north end of Cedral with "Charlie" the huge loggerhead with the distinctive big barnacle and propeller damage to his shell. We buzzed around him for several minutes getting really close to him at times for photos, and he completely ignored us. We saw only two very small lionfish the whole trip. DMs were Mateo, Marcos, Andy, and Julio, and all were excellent. Mateo is an old friend and fellow Deadhead; we need a miracle every day.
We ate lunch every day at the room and had dinner in restaurants. We ate at La Choza, El Moro, 'Ohana, La Monina (a new one for us and an addition to our short list), Kondesa, Pancho's Backyard, Buccanos, La Perlita, La Conchita del Caribe, Casa Mission, and a few times at the Blue Angel restaurant. All were great.
We took my 96 year old mom with us and she did very well, with some help getting around. She has not missed spending a couple of weeks on Cozumel every year since 1977, except for 2020 like most of the rest of us. She even went out for a day of offshore fishing with me, my sister, and a couple of friends.
All things considered it was an excellent trip, even with the weather challenges.
- Gordon
