Well I am deeply entrenched in my post Cozumel denial of reality week.
We had another great adventure in Cozumel staying and diving with Blue Angel.
This was our first experience doing the bag drag from Cancun and overall it was a good option. We got a non stop from LAX at 8am so we were able to get to the Blue Angel just after sunset at 6:45pm. Long day of travel, but certainly better than any of the 11 hour layovers in Houston. Going home, we had a 1 stop red eye via Mexico City and I would not choose this option again. Going home from Cancun is fine, but the red eye through Mexico sucked. We were so tired and having to be traveling in the middle of the night after a crazy 5 days was too much for this old man! I'd try to get the direct flight in to Cancun, and then go home from Coz even if it cost a bit more next time.
We arrived to find our room ready, unit 104 in our preferred ground floor location! This was one of the rooms that has had some upgrades, and although it keeps all its BA charm, the tile, new dresser, toilet, and lamps were a nice touch. The internet in the room seemed to work better than previous trips! We checked in, got some weights, unpacked and jumped in for a quick night dive, then walked down to LaHatch for some yummy fajitas.
Next morning we were on the 8am boat and that got us off and running.
We did 15 more dives over 4 days and thought the reefs and fish were in amazing shape! It just keeps getting better! Temp was 80 at depth all week, and viz was 100’+ most sites. It did make us appreciate Bonaire for the sheer number of fish and soft coral, but we were reminded once again of Cozumel’s majesty and variety. Amazing. Weather was beautiful with only a couple of partly cloudy days, and no rain at all. Dive sites were in no particular order, Santa Rosa, Chuun Chakaab, Columbia Deep, Palancar Gardens and Caves, San Francisco, Francesca, Tunich, Torrmentos, Delilah, Cedral, Paradise (night), Villa Blanca (my least favorite), and Cantarell. DM’s were Tony and Jose both of who are amazing, and we really enjoyed diving with them. We saw more turtles and lobster this trip than ever before. Lots of eels, trunks, crabs, toadies, and we had 9 rays at Cantarell which was amazing! Lion fish were there, but not in great numbers.
We also did two trips with Tres Pelicanos to dive with our buddy Jorge. It was great to see him, and the Skinny Shark is a very nice boat - they showed us a great time.
The staff at the Blue Angel remains second to none, and it really does feel like coming home! They take great care of their customers, and you are in good hands! Thanks all, can’t wait to be back!
We tried some new spots to eat this trip - We’ve been meaning to get to Ohana since they opened, and this time we saw it through. Amazing coconut shrimp and an awesome pizza plus an awesome hang were our rewards for making it happen! It will be a must do from now on! We also tried El Foco at their new location - very good and affordable, and ate at a fish place in Puerto Morelos. Other food included my favorite Chile Relleno at Blue Angel, Ernestos, Los Seras, Chilangos, cake at Rockin Java, and an awesome meal at Rolandi’s with Mike and Page (who drove and saved us a cab fare!) The churro man was around, and I really like his Apple Pie churro (new for us this trip).
All too soon the trip was over, and we were packing up and saying goodbye to friends old and new. We decided to spend the day on the Cancun side as our flight was at 1am and the last bus was at 7:15. We tried to arrange a van for the day including a trip to Tulum and then ultimately a ride to the airport, but the guy was a no show. While we were waiting for him we struck up a conversation with a cab driver right outside Señor Frogs. He offered to take us for the day with no money due until the airport for $1800 pesos (this was going to be like 9 hours). We ended up have a BLAST! Roberto Ortiz our cab driver turned out to be the sweetest, intelligent, and most charming man and it was a pleasure to get to know about him and his family. He took us to Tulum, for an amazing lunch at a little seaside town where he joined us for the meal, then took us all through Cancun before dropping us at the airport at 9pm. I was super hesitant to take my chances with a guy off the street, but it turned out to be such a blessing, and something we will always remember.
Thanks Cozumel - can’t wait to get back!
