While I'm thinking of it...  a friend mentioned I should share this email I
sent to a couple of SCUBA diving acquaintances I made on the Web.  It's in
reference to a recent SCUBA vacation my new hubby and I took to Cozumel,
Mexico.  Hope the info might be useful to anyone contemplating a visit
there soon.
 
I got my first-ever look at a fully adult Strombus gigas on a shallow drift
dive at Palancar.  What beautiful, alien eyes the snail had!  And so strong
and fast for its size.  Fascinating...
 
Jenny
 
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> From: Jenny Scarboro <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Cozumel
> Date: Monday, 23 March, 1998 17:31 PM
>
> Mark and Twylla,
>
> Probably by this time you have already made it to Cozumel, but if not, I
> have some information from my trip that might be useful.  I waited so
long
> to respond because until I made the trip just last week, there was no way
I
> could help you.  Now I can.
>
> We used Adventure Tours, a wholesaler which arranged a charter through
> Champion Air (1-800-387-6951).  Adventure Tours can be reached through
> Carlson Wagonlit travel agency, which has offices in most major cities.
> The charter was fine but somewhat inconvient, in that check in time was
90
> minutes prior to departure from the US airport, and 2.5 hours prior in
> Cozumel.  We flew in directly to Cozumel, and were "on our own" from the
> moment we reached the airport.  This was not a problem because there were
> numerous English-speaking taxi drivers who knew where all the hotels are.
>
> We stayed at Hotel Vista del Mar, downtown on Ave Melgar.  At $44 a night
> it was slightly run-down but perfectly comfortable.  It sits above the
best
> breakfast eatery on the island, the "Wafle House" [sic].  It has five
> floors, with all rooms having phones, small refrig, two double beds,
> windows with a view, full plumbing, and no pests except very tiny ants!
> (Harmless.)  There is also a small lightly-used pool.
>
> Conviently, the dive shop we used, Dimi Divers (MEX ph 987-2-29-15), is
> also below the hotel.  The owner, Miguel, is both SSI and PADI as is his
> divemaster, a longtime SSI/PADI instructor named Jorge.  The daily rate
for
> a two-tank boat dive was $55 per person, night dives $30 for one tank.
> Dimi Divers has virtually all conceivable dive equipment available for
> rent.  They go out with as few as two divers aboard, so "cattle diving"
> they are not.  The boat is a conventional 36' single-hull, with a hard
> shell roof for sunning and drying off.  The boat was just right for our
> group of 8 divers and crew of three.  There was even a small private head
> for those of us who couldn't "go" in the water.
>
> Our divemaster, Jorge, was very attentive and totally familiar with the
> dive sites.  The only negative about the boat was that the exhaust is
port
> is above-water, situated precisely where divers re-enter the boat.  My
> husband got a good whiff of exhaust after the first dive, and it rather
> ruined his day; he became nauseous and didn't feel better until he was
> underwater.  I was wearing SeaBands the whole time and felt fine
> regardless.
>
> At 100+, visibility was good compared to what we are used to as lake
divers
> (about 15 feet on a good day) although Jorge said that 150 was the
average.
>  Conditions during our trip were unseasonably windy and cool (El Nino?)
--
> water was choppy but visibility was still fine.  Temperature was about
> 72-74 deg.  I used an Aeroskin fleece and was wishing I had a light
shorty.
>  1-3mm of neoprene would have been perfect.
>
> I recommend shallow dives, 40-60 feet.  Light and color is better, the
reef
> is livelier, and there are many more fish.  We dove mostly at Palancar,
> which is where everyone starts.  Deeper (80') wall dives seemed
overrated.
> All dives are drift, which is great for lazy divers but tricky for those
> who like to view the reef as closely as possible.  It's hard to stop and
> look at things.
>
> Neat things I saw included a gigantic crab claw as long as my forearm (we
> got a photo of that), a huge spiny lobster, the shed carapace of another
> spiny lobster, a large green moray, several great barracuda, an uncommon
> fully adult Queen Conch, towering barrel sponges, and multitudes of
grunts,
> French and Gray angels, queen triggers, young coral groupers, sweetlips,
> stoplight parrotfish, as well as many other smaller species I wasn't sure
> of.  Reefs seemed healthy and were not besieged by divers on the days we
> were there.  Snorklers seemed to predominate, watching us from way above.
>
> Going back to travel... Getting in and out of Mexico is painless.
Passport
> or birth certificate are necessary.  A tourist visa is issued free upon
> arrival at the Cozumel airport.  About one of five people will have their
> luggage searched at Mexican Customs.  Polite greetings en Espanol make
the
> process more pleasant.
>
> I have never heard of Island Dreams so can't help you there.  You will
save
> a lot of money if you stay away from resort-type hotels such as the
Fiesta
> Americana and their on-site operation, Dive House.  Resort boats are
bigger
> but correspondingly more expensive.  You will miss much of the flavor of
> the somewhat seedy but intriguing downtown if you elect to spend all your
> time at the resort.  Renting a car is cheap downtown and easy.  There is
> horseback riding, parasailing, and Mayan ruins to visit on the island.
> Without a car you will pay at least $3 p/p one way for taxis, which are
> omnipresent and very helpful with dive gear and luggage.
>
> Food is very good at the restuarants on the Plaza.  Elsewhere, La Mission
> and the nearby grills are also terrific.  Bottled water is served, no ice
> is used, and you should always get bottled Coke and not fountain.  Only
> cooked/boiled veggies and fruits are a smart choice, to avoid "turista."
> With those exceptions, you can eat without hestitation!
>
> Shopping is fun but don't buy anything in the nicer-looking shops that
face
> the Plaza; wares are cheaper elsewhere.  Silver is a bad buy in Cozumel.
> Go back into the interior bazaars and compare.  You can usually get
> merchants to come down a 1/4 to 1/3 of their asking price if you
resolutely
> claim that you saw the same item elsewhere for less (a tactic they hate
but
> can't resist), then name a price lower than what you want to pay.  If
they
> won't budge, shrug your shoulders and start to turn away.  Give them a
> chance to change their minds.  If not, you can always find it elsewhere.
>
> If you choose to buy black coral, you will lose it at US Customs if you
> declare it.  Real black coral is ringed with brown growth layers and
should
> not appear flawless like plastic.  You will also lose any shells you try
to
> bring out of Cozumel since its reefs are a marine reserve.  I
particularly
> warn against taking or buying Queen (aka Pink) Conchs, as these are both
> endangered and protected by CITES.  Don't risk a fine.  Goods under $300
> are duty free with a few exceptions.
>
> You probably are familiar with most of this general info, but if not, it
> may prove useful.
>
> If you need someone to put a travel package together, my husband's shop
> (C&J Divers, Killeen, TX) can do it for you.  Our costs (everything less
> food) was $450 p/p.  Call Rob Cline or Chris Mendoza, (254)634-5161.  It
> was our honeymoon and we really had a great time.
>
> Have a fun trip!
>
> Jenny Cline
> 401 S. Twin Creek Dr #9C
> Killeen, TX 76543 USA
> email [log in to unmask]
>
> ----------
> > From: Mark Johnson <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: Hello
> > Date: Sunday, 11 January, 1998 16:59 PM
> >
> > I found your name in a dive buddy list on the "Dive the Southwest"
> > webpage.  We are considering a trip to Cozumel and we were wondering if
> > you could recommend a wholesale travel provider, a hotel in Cozumel
> > and/or a good dive operation.  We are looking at Island Dreams to book
> > an all inclusive package.  Do you have any knowledge of them?  Are they
> > are a reputable operation?
> >
> > Thank you for your help!
> >
> > Twylla and Mark Johnson
> > Merriam, KS
> > [log in to unmask]