gdenny
Guest
My wife and I had an absolute blast in Cozumel. We were on the island from June 18th - 25th. Many thanks to all who have posted valuable info in this forum. It really helped us make our decisions and we couldnt have been happier. Our only mistake was that we stayed for just a week. We both wish we had stayed longer.
Casa Mexicana: As first timers to Mexico we wanted to stay someplace nice, but we also wanted to be in town so we could get a true feel for the place. We chose Casa Mexicana. Its a great hotel but it is not a resort. It does have a small pool and a few lounges, but no beach. As this was our first trip to Coz, we planned to dive, explore town, and eat off Christis restaurant list. All we really wanted was a warm shower, clean room, ocean view, in-town location, and no hassle breakfast. This hotel was spotless, the staff was friendly, and the breakfast was outstanding. It was perfect for us for this trip. Next time I might stay somewhere with rinse tanks and lockers. Oh yeah, the bed was firm. :11: Really firm, maybe the hardest surface I have ever called a bed. But from what I understand its part of the fun. I could have slept on the wall by the waterfront and had a good time.
Island Photo: Holly and Armando Allentado are fantastic. This was our first time renting an underwater camera. Armando set us up with a Sea & Sea DX3000G with strobe. He gave us a thorough explanation of how to use the camera as well as a quick lesson on how to compose our shots. One thing I really liked is they have a computer in the shop so you can see your shots the day you take them. You can also get a little advice on what youre doing well and what youre doing wrong when you stop by to exchange your batteries. Call it luck if you will (I did), but check out the picture of the turtle my wife took on her first dive with this camera. If you have any photo needs while in Coz, I highly recommend Holly and Armando.
Blue XT-Sea: Diving Cozumel was incredible. We made 16 dives in 6 days including 2 4-dive days, and 2 night dives. It was hands down the best diving experience Ive had thus far. We dove with Christis operation Blue XT-Sea. Her reputation on the board is well deserved. I have a whole new appreciation for how hard she and her crew work. Christi really goes above and beyond the call of duty to make your time on the island as nice as possible. When we arrived and checked in, we asked for a few directions, expecting a verbal explanation, or at most maybe a hand drawn map. Not from Christi, next thing I know we are piling in the truck and she is giving us a tour of San Miguel and the surrounding area. It really helped us get our bearings. She also loaned us gear for our first day since ours didnt make it, invited us to join her, Chris (Cali68) and Gina for dinner our first night there. You couldnt have a more gracious host or a better friend on the island than Christi. She really made us feel welcome. :07:
Our DM for the week was Pedro. Hes a very graceful diver and I learned a lot just watching him dive. He gives excellent pre-dive briefings; dives great profiles, and insists on 5 min. safety stops. His English is impeccable. Hes funny as hell, and hes got a great attitude. I cant wait to dive with him again. Our Captains for the week were Javier and Mago. Not the Javier you know and love but another Javier. I think he was from another shop maybe Liquid Blue? All three of these guys impressed me with their hard work over the course of a week. By the time you sit down in the boat after a dive, your tank has been changed and someone is handing you a fresh towel. Mago even fixed my light for me before a night dive. Christi has assembled quite a team. She sets the bar pretty high on safety as well. I mentioned the 5 min. safety stop, but when logging my dives I noticed the shortest SI we had all week was 82 minutes. The average was over 90 min. Our bottom times for the week were about an hour, shorter on the first day but we were new to Coz and drift diving etc. The nice thing is they send you up in pairs when your running low so you don't cut others dives short and vice versa. When you dive with Blue XT-Sea, it's definitely all about you. My favorite dives were Columbia Deep, Palancar Caves, Palancar Horseshoe, and Chun Cha Cab.
All in all it was a great week. We got to meet and dive with several SBer's. Chris (Cali68) and his wife Gina, Jeff (Moodiejeff) and his girlfriend Mia, Mikki (Mikkilj) and her husband David, and Kent (divedoggie). Cozumel was a lot of fun. I'm sure we will be back.
Casa Mexicana: As first timers to Mexico we wanted to stay someplace nice, but we also wanted to be in town so we could get a true feel for the place. We chose Casa Mexicana. Its a great hotel but it is not a resort. It does have a small pool and a few lounges, but no beach. As this was our first trip to Coz, we planned to dive, explore town, and eat off Christis restaurant list. All we really wanted was a warm shower, clean room, ocean view, in-town location, and no hassle breakfast. This hotel was spotless, the staff was friendly, and the breakfast was outstanding. It was perfect for us for this trip. Next time I might stay somewhere with rinse tanks and lockers. Oh yeah, the bed was firm. :11: Really firm, maybe the hardest surface I have ever called a bed. But from what I understand its part of the fun. I could have slept on the wall by the waterfront and had a good time.
Island Photo: Holly and Armando Allentado are fantastic. This was our first time renting an underwater camera. Armando set us up with a Sea & Sea DX3000G with strobe. He gave us a thorough explanation of how to use the camera as well as a quick lesson on how to compose our shots. One thing I really liked is they have a computer in the shop so you can see your shots the day you take them. You can also get a little advice on what youre doing well and what youre doing wrong when you stop by to exchange your batteries. Call it luck if you will (I did), but check out the picture of the turtle my wife took on her first dive with this camera. If you have any photo needs while in Coz, I highly recommend Holly and Armando.
Blue XT-Sea: Diving Cozumel was incredible. We made 16 dives in 6 days including 2 4-dive days, and 2 night dives. It was hands down the best diving experience Ive had thus far. We dove with Christis operation Blue XT-Sea. Her reputation on the board is well deserved. I have a whole new appreciation for how hard she and her crew work. Christi really goes above and beyond the call of duty to make your time on the island as nice as possible. When we arrived and checked in, we asked for a few directions, expecting a verbal explanation, or at most maybe a hand drawn map. Not from Christi, next thing I know we are piling in the truck and she is giving us a tour of San Miguel and the surrounding area. It really helped us get our bearings. She also loaned us gear for our first day since ours didnt make it, invited us to join her, Chris (Cali68) and Gina for dinner our first night there. You couldnt have a more gracious host or a better friend on the island than Christi. She really made us feel welcome. :07:
Our DM for the week was Pedro. Hes a very graceful diver and I learned a lot just watching him dive. He gives excellent pre-dive briefings; dives great profiles, and insists on 5 min. safety stops. His English is impeccable. Hes funny as hell, and hes got a great attitude. I cant wait to dive with him again. Our Captains for the week were Javier and Mago. Not the Javier you know and love but another Javier. I think he was from another shop maybe Liquid Blue? All three of these guys impressed me with their hard work over the course of a week. By the time you sit down in the boat after a dive, your tank has been changed and someone is handing you a fresh towel. Mago even fixed my light for me before a night dive. Christi has assembled quite a team. She sets the bar pretty high on safety as well. I mentioned the 5 min. safety stop, but when logging my dives I noticed the shortest SI we had all week was 82 minutes. The average was over 90 min. Our bottom times for the week were about an hour, shorter on the first day but we were new to Coz and drift diving etc. The nice thing is they send you up in pairs when your running low so you don't cut others dives short and vice versa. When you dive with Blue XT-Sea, it's definitely all about you. My favorite dives were Columbia Deep, Palancar Caves, Palancar Horseshoe, and Chun Cha Cab.
All in all it was a great week. We got to meet and dive with several SBer's. Chris (Cali68) and his wife Gina, Jeff (Moodiejeff) and his girlfriend Mia, Mikki (Mikkilj) and her husband David, and Kent (divedoggie). Cozumel was a lot of fun. I'm sure we will be back.
I'm so bummed not planning another trip right now. I wish I could come join you guys. It makes all the difference diving with nice people. It was definitely a pleasure hanging out with you and Mia. We are gonna have to do that again. At least we're diving local now.
I found a way to get the Oly C7070 for $359. 
