lisa_j
Contributor
Hi everyone!
This is my first trip report, so let me know if I've left out important details!
We just got back from an RCI cruise to KeyWest, Coz, Costa Maya and Grand Cayman and we had an absolute blast. We did 2 tanks each in Coz, CM and GC and I'll tell you all about it!
In Coz we booked with Chellie and Antonio at Eagle Ray Divers (www.eagleraydivers.com). Chellie was great from the start, very friendly and quick to answer all our questions. Jeff and I decided to charter "Chucho Vivas" for 2 tanks and Luiz was our DM. The dives were beautiful, but you can see some of the damage on the poor reefs
. The first dive was a wall and the second was a drift dive (fun!). We saw 2 eagle rays and so much other marine life I don't even know what any of it was! They provided a great lunch for us with sandwiches, cookies, chips, waters, sodas and fresh fruit. Getting a cab at the port is very easy and inexpensive and Luiz called for a return cab for us as soon as we got back to dock. We were very happy with ERD and will certainly dive with them in the future.
In Costa Maya we booked with Maya Palms (www.mayapalms.com). Since the dives on the ship were $136pp for 2 tanks (with Dreamtime), we decided that booking on our own would be best. Maya Palms is tricky to get to. First you have to take a van to town, and then find a cab to bring you to Maya Palms, which is about 7 miles of a very interesting ride away. The cab drivers like to negotiate a round trip paid up front. Fortunately for us, the van driver didn't know what he was doing and instead of the additional $15 cab ride it was a $3 van ride with a big tip. The resort itself is just beautiful. It used to be the Maya Ha and I guess they're trying to repair the reputation the previous owners "earned"...so keep in mind it's all new if you've heard rumors. Since they are fixing their big boat, we ended up diving out of a 18ft panga (see pics). There were 5 of us and boy was it an experience!! Once again the diving was gorgeous...more reefs than fish, and lots of lobsters. Ron was our divemaster and he went out of his way to make us feel comfortable.
The cool part about Maya Palms is that it's a full resort, so if you have non-divers that want a beach day, this place is your best bang for the buck. They are secluded, have a big pool, very nice private beach and Pedro prepares a super lunch. They are still working on the hotel part and the restaurant, both will be opened at a later date. Like I said, Maya Palms is tricky to get to, but I think it's worth it.
Last but DEFINITELY not least, we dove with Butch at Seasports in Grand Cayman (www.bestdivingingrandcayman.com). I have to say this was our favorite. I don't know if it was the perfect weather (finally) or Butch himself, or the dive sites (Big Tunnels!) or that cute yellow-tailed snapper that stayed with us the entiredive 2. But whatever it was, it made these dives amazing. If you dive with Seasports, you won't be sorry.
We tried out our new camera/strobe on the trip, and through all the kinks, we ended up with a few nice pics. Feel free to view them at http://photos.fishoutercape.com/gallery/album73. There are a few pics topside if you go up a level in the gallery if that's something that interests you.
Hope this helped all you cruisers out there!
Lisa
This is my first trip report, so let me know if I've left out important details!
We just got back from an RCI cruise to KeyWest, Coz, Costa Maya and Grand Cayman and we had an absolute blast. We did 2 tanks each in Coz, CM and GC and I'll tell you all about it!
In Coz we booked with Chellie and Antonio at Eagle Ray Divers (www.eagleraydivers.com). Chellie was great from the start, very friendly and quick to answer all our questions. Jeff and I decided to charter "Chucho Vivas" for 2 tanks and Luiz was our DM. The dives were beautiful, but you can see some of the damage on the poor reefs
. The first dive was a wall and the second was a drift dive (fun!). We saw 2 eagle rays and so much other marine life I don't even know what any of it was! They provided a great lunch for us with sandwiches, cookies, chips, waters, sodas and fresh fruit. Getting a cab at the port is very easy and inexpensive and Luiz called for a return cab for us as soon as we got back to dock. We were very happy with ERD and will certainly dive with them in the future.In Costa Maya we booked with Maya Palms (www.mayapalms.com). Since the dives on the ship were $136pp for 2 tanks (with Dreamtime), we decided that booking on our own would be best. Maya Palms is tricky to get to. First you have to take a van to town, and then find a cab to bring you to Maya Palms, which is about 7 miles of a very interesting ride away. The cab drivers like to negotiate a round trip paid up front. Fortunately for us, the van driver didn't know what he was doing and instead of the additional $15 cab ride it was a $3 van ride with a big tip. The resort itself is just beautiful. It used to be the Maya Ha and I guess they're trying to repair the reputation the previous owners "earned"...so keep in mind it's all new if you've heard rumors. Since they are fixing their big boat, we ended up diving out of a 18ft panga (see pics). There were 5 of us and boy was it an experience!! Once again the diving was gorgeous...more reefs than fish, and lots of lobsters. Ron was our divemaster and he went out of his way to make us feel comfortable.
The cool part about Maya Palms is that it's a full resort, so if you have non-divers that want a beach day, this place is your best bang for the buck. They are secluded, have a big pool, very nice private beach and Pedro prepares a super lunch. They are still working on the hotel part and the restaurant, both will be opened at a later date. Like I said, Maya Palms is tricky to get to, but I think it's worth it.
Last but DEFINITELY not least, we dove with Butch at Seasports in Grand Cayman (www.bestdivingingrandcayman.com). I have to say this was our favorite. I don't know if it was the perfect weather (finally) or Butch himself, or the dive sites (Big Tunnels!) or that cute yellow-tailed snapper that stayed with us the entiredive 2. But whatever it was, it made these dives amazing. If you dive with Seasports, you won't be sorry.
We tried out our new camera/strobe on the trip, and through all the kinks, we ended up with a few nice pics. Feel free to view them at http://photos.fishoutercape.com/gallery/album73. There are a few pics topside if you go up a level in the gallery if that's something that interests you.
Hope this helped all you cruisers out there!
Lisa
