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- I'm a Fish!
My wife and I found some real good RT airfair on Funjet to Cancun so we decided to make a dive trip out of it. We booked from Houston/Cancun from Sunday 15 thru Thursday 19th of Feb. Wife and I both speak Spanish and travel in this hemisphere diving as frequently as we can. We did the ususal net reseach and did the following:
Contacted Coral Divers direct by telephone and spoke with Joel. He was most helpful and he assured us that the shop was just four blocks from the ferry and he would be there until 10PM the night we arrived...he said just show up and he would get us a room, even though it is the high travel season. He was right on!!
We left on time and arrived at Cancun, got our dive gear and began the next leg to Puerto Juarez, where the passenger ferries depart evey half hour to make the 25 minute trip to Isla. There are three ways to get by vehicle to Pto. Juarez; Taxi, van or bus. Leaving the Cancun airport, all the prices are inflated and federally regulated. We took the taxi because we were in a hurry. I suggest the van, costs about $12.00PP. Taxi is way more $40.00, bus about $3/$4. Taxi takes about 25 minutes, van about 45 (makes stops) and the bus somewhat longer.The ferries are very nice and well maintained, fare is 35pesos, about $3.50. Trip takes about 20 minutes.
When you get off the ferry at Isla, don't pay anyone to carry your stuff, it's only about 30 meters to the street and taxis. Taxi prices are posted at the stand. Keep in mind that the island is about four miles long and 1/3 mile wide. You can walk anywhere downtown. Coral has two locations on the island...the dive operation is about 100 feet from the beach and docks. The main office is four blocks from the docks.
We found a guy with a big three wheel bicycle. We loaded all our gear on and we walked to the main Coral Divers office on Hidalgo St. In addition to the dive op, they have 10 computers with instant internet service which we used to stay in touch.
Sure enough, Joel was there as promised. We went directly across the street and he had made arrangements at the Hotel Roca-Teliz. If you did not know it was a small hotel, you would walk by because it is located between the business entrances to two jewelry shops, also owned by Miss Teresa (Terri), the owner. The hotel is nice, not luxiourious. The room we got had bath, hot water, three fans, two large beds and lots of room for all our dive gear, ect. Price was $25.00 night. A room with one bed and AC goes for the same $25.00. There is a watchman on duty all night and there is bottled water and soft drinks available 24 hrs.
I should note that Hidalgo street is closed to vehicle traffic. Also, contrary to Cozumel, Isla is very quiet after 10PM. So the hotel turned out to be nice and quiet. It is nine rooms situated around a small courtyard with a little fountain in the middle.
Isla is a very clean place. There are garbage receticles on every corner and if the block is long, there are some in the middle. Most restaurants have their menus posted outside for review as you walk by. We found expensive to be comparable to US prices. Otherwise, we found great food at very reasonable prices. Rolandi"s had the best Margarita's and desserts...the Poc-Chuk, a small family run restaurant on the corner had some of the best breakfasts on the island at very, very, reasonable prices!!
We checked out three other dive shops, Sea Hawke divers, Mundaca Divers and Sea Friends. Mundaca is located in the center, close to where we stayed; Sea Hawke is located about a block from North Beach, Sea Friends is actually located right on the beach near North Beach. Prices seem to be about the same...$39.00 for two tank reef dives and $59.00 for two tank deep dives.
Coral Divers operation seemed organized, their boats and equipment are well maintained.
We loaded our gear in boat bags and Coral divers picked us up at our hotel and took us to the boat. They put the gear aboard for us. We planned to do two reef dives on Monday and deep dives on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.
First dive was to Manchones reef. Maximum depth was about 35'. Water temp was 79F. The wind was very stiff and seas we building as a norther was coming in. The dive was uneventful, current was fairly fast and the marine life was not that impressive. 54 minutes the dive was over. We did a short surface interval, 30 minutes, and went to Banderas Reef. Maximum depth, 35'. This was a very good dive as far as the reef and marine life go. Saw lots of reef fish and critters, morays, nurse shark, tons of very nice sized barracuda in schools.
The current was running pretty heavy and the instructor leading the group did more swimming into the current than was necessary for that particular dive. At any rate, after 30 minutes, one of the divers was down to 500psi...wife and I still had about 1500, and the dive was ended. Seas had become pretty rough and the wind had come up significantly during the last dive. Bumpy ride back to shore.
Weather worsened for the next two days. Too rough to dive. Dive Boats stayed in port.
We rented a golf cart and did the whole island. Mayan ruins on one end, North Beach on the other. Great people in between.
Trip home is less expensive. Taxi ride from Pto. Juarez to airport is about $17.00. Our plane was three hours late getting into Houston because they had to repair an AC unit in Cancun. What's three hours anyway when you're traveling on hora latina!!
Next time we plan to go back during the summer months (low season). Weather more stable. Prices will be somewhat less. If things don't cange, we'll stay at the same hotel and dive with the same operator.
Contacted Coral Divers direct by telephone and spoke with Joel. He was most helpful and he assured us that the shop was just four blocks from the ferry and he would be there until 10PM the night we arrived...he said just show up and he would get us a room, even though it is the high travel season. He was right on!!
We left on time and arrived at Cancun, got our dive gear and began the next leg to Puerto Juarez, where the passenger ferries depart evey half hour to make the 25 minute trip to Isla. There are three ways to get by vehicle to Pto. Juarez; Taxi, van or bus. Leaving the Cancun airport, all the prices are inflated and federally regulated. We took the taxi because we were in a hurry. I suggest the van, costs about $12.00PP. Taxi is way more $40.00, bus about $3/$4. Taxi takes about 25 minutes, van about 45 (makes stops) and the bus somewhat longer.The ferries are very nice and well maintained, fare is 35pesos, about $3.50. Trip takes about 20 minutes.
When you get off the ferry at Isla, don't pay anyone to carry your stuff, it's only about 30 meters to the street and taxis. Taxi prices are posted at the stand. Keep in mind that the island is about four miles long and 1/3 mile wide. You can walk anywhere downtown. Coral has two locations on the island...the dive operation is about 100 feet from the beach and docks. The main office is four blocks from the docks.
We found a guy with a big three wheel bicycle. We loaded all our gear on and we walked to the main Coral Divers office on Hidalgo St. In addition to the dive op, they have 10 computers with instant internet service which we used to stay in touch.
Sure enough, Joel was there as promised. We went directly across the street and he had made arrangements at the Hotel Roca-Teliz. If you did not know it was a small hotel, you would walk by because it is located between the business entrances to two jewelry shops, also owned by Miss Teresa (Terri), the owner. The hotel is nice, not luxiourious. The room we got had bath, hot water, three fans, two large beds and lots of room for all our dive gear, ect. Price was $25.00 night. A room with one bed and AC goes for the same $25.00. There is a watchman on duty all night and there is bottled water and soft drinks available 24 hrs.
I should note that Hidalgo street is closed to vehicle traffic. Also, contrary to Cozumel, Isla is very quiet after 10PM. So the hotel turned out to be nice and quiet. It is nine rooms situated around a small courtyard with a little fountain in the middle.
Isla is a very clean place. There are garbage receticles on every corner and if the block is long, there are some in the middle. Most restaurants have their menus posted outside for review as you walk by. We found expensive to be comparable to US prices. Otherwise, we found great food at very reasonable prices. Rolandi"s had the best Margarita's and desserts...the Poc-Chuk, a small family run restaurant on the corner had some of the best breakfasts on the island at very, very, reasonable prices!!
We checked out three other dive shops, Sea Hawke divers, Mundaca Divers and Sea Friends. Mundaca is located in the center, close to where we stayed; Sea Hawke is located about a block from North Beach, Sea Friends is actually located right on the beach near North Beach. Prices seem to be about the same...$39.00 for two tank reef dives and $59.00 for two tank deep dives.
Coral Divers operation seemed organized, their boats and equipment are well maintained.
We loaded our gear in boat bags and Coral divers picked us up at our hotel and took us to the boat. They put the gear aboard for us. We planned to do two reef dives on Monday and deep dives on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.
First dive was to Manchones reef. Maximum depth was about 35'. Water temp was 79F. The wind was very stiff and seas we building as a norther was coming in. The dive was uneventful, current was fairly fast and the marine life was not that impressive. 54 minutes the dive was over. We did a short surface interval, 30 minutes, and went to Banderas Reef. Maximum depth, 35'. This was a very good dive as far as the reef and marine life go. Saw lots of reef fish and critters, morays, nurse shark, tons of very nice sized barracuda in schools.
The current was running pretty heavy and the instructor leading the group did more swimming into the current than was necessary for that particular dive. At any rate, after 30 minutes, one of the divers was down to 500psi...wife and I still had about 1500, and the dive was ended. Seas had become pretty rough and the wind had come up significantly during the last dive. Bumpy ride back to shore.
Weather worsened for the next two days. Too rough to dive. Dive Boats stayed in port.
We rented a golf cart and did the whole island. Mayan ruins on one end, North Beach on the other. Great people in between.
Trip home is less expensive. Taxi ride from Pto. Juarez to airport is about $17.00. Our plane was three hours late getting into Houston because they had to repair an AC unit in Cancun. What's three hours anyway when you're traveling on hora latina!!
Next time we plan to go back during the summer months (low season). Weather more stable. Prices will be somewhat less. If things don't cange, we'll stay at the same hotel and dive with the same operator.
