amandasdaddy
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Cozumel, what a great place.
Day 1
Our trip started from SFO in California. Our Continental flight left SFO at 12:50 am, and arrived into Houston at 6:30am. We left Houston at 9:30 and arrived in Cozumel at 11:30 (ish). I am not a big fan of this flight, but we seem to take the same ones each year. It gives you time to sleep on the plane and get into CZM early in the day.
We arrived at the CZM airport and proceeded through customs and security pretty quickly. Their customs area is very small, and it never fails that 2 or 3 planes arrive at the same time. One specific member of my group of 6 always gets searched, and it was no different this trip.
So we arrived at Plaza Los Glorias at about 11:45 or so, and as expected our rooms weren't ready. They usually aren't available until about 3 or so, so keep that in mind when you pack. I always pack a pair of swim shorts in my carry on so I can change as soon as we get there, check our luggage with Lorenzo and hit the swim up bar in the pool.
I love the views from the pool area. It's right on the water, and it's always nice to just sit there and appreciate the scenery. I usually have an order of Jalepeno Poppers and a Sol beer... and I am not sure there is a better way to start the trip! The nice thing about check in (even when your room isn't ready) is that they give you a room number and you can charge food to your room before it's even ready.
We checked in with Aqua Safari right in the hotel. We signed our releases and showed them our Cert cards, and we were ready for the next mornings dives. We played around the pool for a while, and we all got sun burned the first day. One Word: Lotsofsunscreenrightaway. I also checked in with Holly at Island Photo & Video to get the digital DX3000 underwater camera that I reserved for the week. First night, we hit Prima's for Dinner. The Scallop, Shrimp, and Lobster with Fettucini in Garlic and Olive oil was to die for. I think it was the best dinner all week.
Day 2
I am 220 pounds and started with 12 pounds of weight to help me remain negative on the bottom for pictures. We dove Delila and Yucab. Delila is a place I haven't seen on any of the maps, so it makes me wonder if our DM (Chino) on Ocean Two made it up. We dropped in and went to 65 feet for 45 minutes. We saw 2 Nurse Sharks, Crabs, and the worlds largest Lobsters! The water was a nice 87 degrees according to my computer, and I dove in a pair of shorts, thats all. Yucab was great as usual. We did 50 feet for 52 minutes. We saw a few giant green Eels, and more lobsters. Yucab is similar to a bunch of island reefs in the sand. The current here was pretty strong. After Diving we spent some time in the pool, and I need to remind you: Lots of sun screen right away. We did our first of two night dives - Paradise reef: 45 feet for 60 minutes. I wore a 1 mil shorty just to protect mysef from anything in the water (sea lice). It was great for a night dive. The current was slow and we got a lot of pictures of eels searching for food, and a few Octopus' also searching. We got in the water at 7:30 and watched the animals go to sleep and the nocturnal ones come out.
Dinner was at La Choza. A pretty good place.
Day 3
I had to take my camera back to Holly at Island Photo & Video (http://www.islacozumel.net/services/armando/) to get the images downloaded and fresh batteries for the strobe and the camera. Then back to PLG and on to the diving. We dove Columbia Reef and Tormentos reef. I seem to recall it took some time to get out there, but it was worth the trip. We did 100 feet (not sure how I go so deep with Aqua Safari's rule of 80 foot max) for 59 minutes, and 55 feet for 50 minutes. Columbia gave us glimpses of a few Baracuda's, the Largest green Eel I have ever seen, sting rays, turtles, porcupine fish,. This is a great site for taking photo's. I will post some of the pictures as soon as I can.
Dinner was La Choza. Wasn't the best food, but it was good.
Day 4
Started my day by taking my rented camera back to Holly at Island Photo & Video to get the images downloaded and fresh batteries for the strobe and the camera. Then back to PLG and on to the diving. The boat picked us up at 8:30, right on time. They took us to Palancar and Cedral. Our dives were 72 feet for 51 minutes, and 57 feet for 51 minutes. Water was 86 degrees this day, still diving in nothing but shorts... and loving it. The majority of the boat wears 1 - 3 mil wet suits, but I don't think they have ever tried to dive in shorts. MY wife also dove in her bathing suit, all week, and was fine. We saw more eels, a couple rays, and a lot of small life (hermit crabs, and small fish). At Cedral I saw a small sea horse, but it turned out to be a different type of horse... It escapes me right now.
Dinner was at the French Quarter. I love this place too. We spoke with Mike's (The owner) son, Mike Jr. We spoke about the menu and a few items missing from the last time I was there. He offered to make whatever I wanted, if it was on the menu or not. He was so very occomodating. We had the Etoufee, it's very good.
Day 5
Started as usual, I had to take my camera back to Holly at Island Photo & Video to get the images downloaded and fresh batteries for the strobe and the camera. Then back to PLG and on to the diving. First thing I heard after getting on the boat, was that we were diving Devils Throat... and I failed to bring a flash light, oh well. I also didn't think that there would be many photo op's, but there was. I saw the largest Spotted Drum adult that I have ever seen... in the main tunnel and in the shadows on the left. We did 120 feet for 37 minutes. This was a great dive, not great for pic's, but I did get quite a few. If you dive here, make sure you stick with your group, it's very easy to miss a turn going through the tunnels. Dive 2 was at Los Palmas - 68 feet for 44 minutes. This site was ok, nothing great to write about after Devils throat.
Then the night dive. This was the worst night dive for me. We did Paradise Reef North. The current was way to fast for us to be diving... and trying to see anything. We tried to hang on to a rock on the bottom, but the current was so strong, we couldn't kick hard enough to stop moving with it. I think I got 10 pictures shot, but not too many turned out. We should not have dove here. Bad call by the DM's.
Dinner turned out to be at Ambar. Ambar is a newer italian place... fine if you like the neveau style, but the food (heated in a microwave - the center still cold) wasn't great. I would have rather eaten in the hotel that night. We walked the square and caught the tail end of the fiesta, that is not to be missed. Very cool booths out and all of the local towns people out in fashion.
Day 6
Again started by me taking my camera back to Holly to get the images downloaded and fresh batteries for the strobe and the camera. Then back to PLG and on to the diving. The boat was again on time and we dove Santa Rosa Wall and Los Balones. Santa Rosa Dive saw87 feet for 43 minutes and Balones saw 65 feet for 50 minutes. Santa Rosa is a great place for pictures of larger life (Baracuda, Nurse Sharks, large crabs and Lobsters). Los Balones was a great place for Sea Horses. We saw Yellow and Orange horses. Got some great picutes. These were among my favorite dives this week. Took my camera back to get it downloaded and the pictures put onto a CD-Rom. I have to tell you - if you want to try a digital camera, and can spare the time to get it loaded each day, See Holly at Island Photo in the La Ceiba Hotel, and she'll teach you to be an expert. Tell her Brian sent you! They also sell some great underwater pictures, especialy Dolphions and Toad fish.
We went to the pool afterwards, and then took a nap. Dinner turned out to be after shopping, at Carlos'N Charlies. The food was ok, but the drinks are why you go there. My group was dancing on stage for a while, kinda scarey. We also got Henna Tattoo's there, not great, but they are still on and still look new.
Day 7
This is the sleeping in and go shopping day, as Diving is over. We went to Punta Sur for the second half of the day. As you pass it you will see a big white inflatable iceburg from your dive boat... it was a lot of fun. We rented some jet ski's and had a blast. It's $8 to get in, but it includes any of the boats you want to try, the swim up platforms and all utilities they have there. It's anice beach to hang out at. I got really burnt again here.
Dinner was again at Primas. I got the same thing as I did the first night. The owner was there and he was extremely friendly. We spoke with him for a while before ordering. After dinner a walk around town is always good to work off dinner. Many of the shops were closed as it was late, but it was still a nice night.
Day 8
This is the day everyone dreads... time to packup and head to the front desk to pay the food and beverage bill. Ours was about $400, not too bad I guess, considering we never ate dinner there. The trip back was pretty easy, and the prices on alcohol in the Duty free shop were pretty good too if you are interested. We flew Continental each way, and had a pleasant experience.
Next time, I would like to try aldora divers, as Aqua Safari will not dive the C-53 wreck... I am not sure why. But I really wanted to dive there. And they made us pay a $10 fee to get out to Devils throat. Other than that, I like Aqua safari, but I will definitely arrange a C-53 dive next trip. I also would like to look into a little better hotel. Plaza Los Glorias is ok for diving, but I had to sleep on the couch a couple nights because the bed was like a rock... and I knew that ahead of time. PLG isn't really made for families, they have no kids plans there, so I will look in the future for a more kid friendly place. One surprise was at the pool, it seems topless sun bathing was the new fad there. I hadn't seen that at the pool before, but It was funny to watch the people come out and get shocked when they saw the half dozen half nude girls.
Sorry the review went so long. If you drop me a note, I'll publish my pictures on www.ofoto.com and share them with you later this week.
backdad@pacbell.net
Day 1
Our trip started from SFO in California. Our Continental flight left SFO at 12:50 am, and arrived into Houston at 6:30am. We left Houston at 9:30 and arrived in Cozumel at 11:30 (ish). I am not a big fan of this flight, but we seem to take the same ones each year. It gives you time to sleep on the plane and get into CZM early in the day.
We arrived at the CZM airport and proceeded through customs and security pretty quickly. Their customs area is very small, and it never fails that 2 or 3 planes arrive at the same time. One specific member of my group of 6 always gets searched, and it was no different this trip.
So we arrived at Plaza Los Glorias at about 11:45 or so, and as expected our rooms weren't ready. They usually aren't available until about 3 or so, so keep that in mind when you pack. I always pack a pair of swim shorts in my carry on so I can change as soon as we get there, check our luggage with Lorenzo and hit the swim up bar in the pool.
I love the views from the pool area. It's right on the water, and it's always nice to just sit there and appreciate the scenery. I usually have an order of Jalepeno Poppers and a Sol beer... and I am not sure there is a better way to start the trip! The nice thing about check in (even when your room isn't ready) is that they give you a room number and you can charge food to your room before it's even ready.
We checked in with Aqua Safari right in the hotel. We signed our releases and showed them our Cert cards, and we were ready for the next mornings dives. We played around the pool for a while, and we all got sun burned the first day. One Word: Lotsofsunscreenrightaway. I also checked in with Holly at Island Photo & Video to get the digital DX3000 underwater camera that I reserved for the week. First night, we hit Prima's for Dinner. The Scallop, Shrimp, and Lobster with Fettucini in Garlic and Olive oil was to die for. I think it was the best dinner all week.
Day 2
I am 220 pounds and started with 12 pounds of weight to help me remain negative on the bottom for pictures. We dove Delila and Yucab. Delila is a place I haven't seen on any of the maps, so it makes me wonder if our DM (Chino) on Ocean Two made it up. We dropped in and went to 65 feet for 45 minutes. We saw 2 Nurse Sharks, Crabs, and the worlds largest Lobsters! The water was a nice 87 degrees according to my computer, and I dove in a pair of shorts, thats all. Yucab was great as usual. We did 50 feet for 52 minutes. We saw a few giant green Eels, and more lobsters. Yucab is similar to a bunch of island reefs in the sand. The current here was pretty strong. After Diving we spent some time in the pool, and I need to remind you: Lots of sun screen right away. We did our first of two night dives - Paradise reef: 45 feet for 60 minutes. I wore a 1 mil shorty just to protect mysef from anything in the water (sea lice). It was great for a night dive. The current was slow and we got a lot of pictures of eels searching for food, and a few Octopus' also searching. We got in the water at 7:30 and watched the animals go to sleep and the nocturnal ones come out.
Dinner was at La Choza. A pretty good place.
Day 3
I had to take my camera back to Holly at Island Photo & Video (http://www.islacozumel.net/services/armando/) to get the images downloaded and fresh batteries for the strobe and the camera. Then back to PLG and on to the diving. We dove Columbia Reef and Tormentos reef. I seem to recall it took some time to get out there, but it was worth the trip. We did 100 feet (not sure how I go so deep with Aqua Safari's rule of 80 foot max) for 59 minutes, and 55 feet for 50 minutes. Columbia gave us glimpses of a few Baracuda's, the Largest green Eel I have ever seen, sting rays, turtles, porcupine fish,. This is a great site for taking photo's. I will post some of the pictures as soon as I can.
Dinner was La Choza. Wasn't the best food, but it was good.
Day 4
Started my day by taking my rented camera back to Holly at Island Photo & Video to get the images downloaded and fresh batteries for the strobe and the camera. Then back to PLG and on to the diving. The boat picked us up at 8:30, right on time. They took us to Palancar and Cedral. Our dives were 72 feet for 51 minutes, and 57 feet for 51 minutes. Water was 86 degrees this day, still diving in nothing but shorts... and loving it. The majority of the boat wears 1 - 3 mil wet suits, but I don't think they have ever tried to dive in shorts. MY wife also dove in her bathing suit, all week, and was fine. We saw more eels, a couple rays, and a lot of small life (hermit crabs, and small fish). At Cedral I saw a small sea horse, but it turned out to be a different type of horse... It escapes me right now.
Dinner was at the French Quarter. I love this place too. We spoke with Mike's (The owner) son, Mike Jr. We spoke about the menu and a few items missing from the last time I was there. He offered to make whatever I wanted, if it was on the menu or not. He was so very occomodating. We had the Etoufee, it's very good.
Day 5
Started as usual, I had to take my camera back to Holly at Island Photo & Video to get the images downloaded and fresh batteries for the strobe and the camera. Then back to PLG and on to the diving. First thing I heard after getting on the boat, was that we were diving Devils Throat... and I failed to bring a flash light, oh well. I also didn't think that there would be many photo op's, but there was. I saw the largest Spotted Drum adult that I have ever seen... in the main tunnel and in the shadows on the left. We did 120 feet for 37 minutes. This was a great dive, not great for pic's, but I did get quite a few. If you dive here, make sure you stick with your group, it's very easy to miss a turn going through the tunnels. Dive 2 was at Los Palmas - 68 feet for 44 minutes. This site was ok, nothing great to write about after Devils throat.
Then the night dive. This was the worst night dive for me. We did Paradise Reef North. The current was way to fast for us to be diving... and trying to see anything. We tried to hang on to a rock on the bottom, but the current was so strong, we couldn't kick hard enough to stop moving with it. I think I got 10 pictures shot, but not too many turned out. We should not have dove here. Bad call by the DM's.
Dinner turned out to be at Ambar. Ambar is a newer italian place... fine if you like the neveau style, but the food (heated in a microwave - the center still cold) wasn't great. I would have rather eaten in the hotel that night. We walked the square and caught the tail end of the fiesta, that is not to be missed. Very cool booths out and all of the local towns people out in fashion.
Day 6
Again started by me taking my camera back to Holly to get the images downloaded and fresh batteries for the strobe and the camera. Then back to PLG and on to the diving. The boat was again on time and we dove Santa Rosa Wall and Los Balones. Santa Rosa Dive saw87 feet for 43 minutes and Balones saw 65 feet for 50 minutes. Santa Rosa is a great place for pictures of larger life (Baracuda, Nurse Sharks, large crabs and Lobsters). Los Balones was a great place for Sea Horses. We saw Yellow and Orange horses. Got some great picutes. These were among my favorite dives this week. Took my camera back to get it downloaded and the pictures put onto a CD-Rom. I have to tell you - if you want to try a digital camera, and can spare the time to get it loaded each day, See Holly at Island Photo in the La Ceiba Hotel, and she'll teach you to be an expert. Tell her Brian sent you! They also sell some great underwater pictures, especialy Dolphions and Toad fish.
We went to the pool afterwards, and then took a nap. Dinner turned out to be after shopping, at Carlos'N Charlies. The food was ok, but the drinks are why you go there. My group was dancing on stage for a while, kinda scarey. We also got Henna Tattoo's there, not great, but they are still on and still look new.
Day 7
This is the sleeping in and go shopping day, as Diving is over. We went to Punta Sur for the second half of the day. As you pass it you will see a big white inflatable iceburg from your dive boat... it was a lot of fun. We rented some jet ski's and had a blast. It's $8 to get in, but it includes any of the boats you want to try, the swim up platforms and all utilities they have there. It's anice beach to hang out at. I got really burnt again here.
Dinner was again at Primas. I got the same thing as I did the first night. The owner was there and he was extremely friendly. We spoke with him for a while before ordering. After dinner a walk around town is always good to work off dinner. Many of the shops were closed as it was late, but it was still a nice night.
Day 8
This is the day everyone dreads... time to packup and head to the front desk to pay the food and beverage bill. Ours was about $400, not too bad I guess, considering we never ate dinner there. The trip back was pretty easy, and the prices on alcohol in the Duty free shop were pretty good too if you are interested. We flew Continental each way, and had a pleasant experience.
Next time, I would like to try aldora divers, as Aqua Safari will not dive the C-53 wreck... I am not sure why. But I really wanted to dive there. And they made us pay a $10 fee to get out to Devils throat. Other than that, I like Aqua safari, but I will definitely arrange a C-53 dive next trip. I also would like to look into a little better hotel. Plaza Los Glorias is ok for diving, but I had to sleep on the couch a couple nights because the bed was like a rock... and I knew that ahead of time. PLG isn't really made for families, they have no kids plans there, so I will look in the future for a more kid friendly place. One surprise was at the pool, it seems topless sun bathing was the new fad there. I hadn't seen that at the pool before, but It was funny to watch the people come out and get shocked when they saw the half dozen half nude girls.
Sorry the review went so long. If you drop me a note, I'll publish my pictures on www.ofoto.com and share them with you later this week.
backdad@pacbell.net
Also did you post the pics down at the beach :wacko:
