Cozumel - Just back from trip with SLIM

[scububa]

Just got back from Cozumel. I was there with my family in a group that included SLIM. As you all know, it is hard to capture all of the fun in a written account, so, I'll hit a few high spots.

The weather was just about perfect. Every now and then a cloud would block some direct rays for a few minutes. Wind was real tame. Water pretty calm. About 84 degrees.

Diving was pretty good. Definitely different than last year. The reefs have some sand, still. Several swim thrus are larger. But, it is interesting to see things after such a major storm. Most of the usual suspects were on the reef, but perhaps not in the same volume. The last dive of the last day was Punta Tunich and the color and wildlife volume was the best, I thought of the week.

There is a lot of construction going on, but was not a big distraction for me. At one point, one of my daughters said something about the noise. Before that, I didn't even notice it at all. Of course after she pointed it out I noticed it. (The nice thing is that for the next few months, whenever I turn on my saw, I'll be reminded of the island :-)

The vegetation has taken a beating and looks bare, especially near the shore. The salt water has done much of the damage. The trees in the square looked very good, though. Hard to believe the square had been thru a storm. Shops are all up and running. Even though the ships are back, they have to tender in the passengers and it doesn't appear that they are all coming ashore, so there are fewer people milling around. It is far from empty.

The diving was fun, of course. Palancar Bricks, Columbia, Cedar Reef, were some of the early dives. SLIM did some nice sounding cave work. I am sure he will be reporting on that (and I only heard about it and wasn't actually there). We did one night dive off the beach at the Fiesta Americana. Then on the last day SLIM let me hook up with a group that went down to Punta Sur. SLIM stayed with the bigger group and dove with my daughters. Which, by the way, they said was their best and funniest dives of the trip.

Well, our dives at Punta Sur and Punta Tunich were great, as you can imagine. We did Devil's Throat. I was never that wowed with swim thrus before, but I certainly had a change on this dive. It was very impressive. It was also the first time I had been to exactly 130. SLIM has taken me to 120 ffw and tested me before, but this was the first 130 fsw. So, it was an amazing day of diving for me (as well as the girls). Thanks SLIM! Just wish I would have gotten to see the Cross, but alas it is no more. Wilma took it.

Jim

[SLIM]

Boy that was fast. You all gotta give me a few days or so to get a report up and running. Yes I will even mention about the caves I did and my views on the reefs and the conditions of everything.

SLIM

[Atlaua]

Just wish I would have gotten to see the Cross, but alas it is no more. Wilma took it.

Ouch, that's sad. Glad I got to see it while it was there.

Nice report.

[theskull]

Sounds like a great trip.

I'd like to tag along one of these years.

theskull

[SLIM]

As Scubaba said he and I were in Coz for several days and we all had so much fun even with the problems that we all got to experience at the Hotel. That alone is another story.

When we all got there most everyone got their gear out and did a check out dive to check their weight. Now as those of you know me, I got 35#’s to start with. You should have looked at what the dive shop guys were looking at me funny for. When I explained to them that I will only need maybe 20 at the most. Well I gave out 15# so I was kind of light.

First day we did an awesome dive. I was the drag man in Group 1 and yes him and his girls were in it also. Did 2 dives that day with the group. Palancar Bricks and Cedral Wall. Just as the boat got back to the pier, I had to jump off and run up to meat Diego for a cave dive. Took me to Aerolito and performed a dive up main line and turned on 1/3rds. Got back and yes I had a few drinks of and on thought out the rest of the day, like I said, just a few, LOL.

Second day was bout the same dove Columbia Deep and Pasco Del Cedral for our second dive. Just like the day before I had to do another run up to Diego and dive Aerolito again but this time we took a jump to Wonder Room. He took me there last year. It was nice to see the changes. Evening was the same as day before with a few drinks here and there.

Our last day of diving went with a group to Santa Rosa Wall and San Francisco Wall. I know all these dive sites fairly good and could see all kinds of changes on the reef. There is sand all over and all the large sponges and coral are gone. The swim through that everyone likes are much bigger bye about 30 foot or so. There are even more then before.
We got back to the dock and this time I was waiting for Diego and we dove Cocodrilo to see what kind of changes have been made. Got back and did like the rest of the evenings, a few more drinks and some shine also.

Diego had not been in a cave since the storms because he has been busy doing construction since his Hotel he was a Dive Master at is gone and not on the map. If you all want to know more about the cave dives you will have to wait. There will be an article in the UWS. Witch one, well after I get it wrote up and sent in and they let me know what one, I will tell you all. Everyone will just have to wait. If you are not a member of the NSS-CDS, what a bummer that will be.

The trip was so much fun even with all the problems we had coming back and there. I thought it was kind of fascinating to see the reefs after the storms. I have been going to Coz for over 10 years and to me this was just as exciting as seeing a new place. There was a lot of damage but I just wonder how long it will take to recover. The marine life was there and we saw all kinds of stuff. Isn’t it funny how we teach to keep your buoyancy and to not touch the coral but Mother Nature comes out and does in just a few hours what it would take man to do in a hundred years or more.

SLIM

PS. oh and TS, you konw that you are welcomed anytime to come take a trip with us.

[steve2281]

Sounds like a nice trip. Thanks for the reports.

[theskull]

. . . PS. oh and TS, you konw that you are welcomed anytime to come take a trip with us.

Perhaps next year. Get the dates to me as soon as you have them planned for sure and I'll try to get it into my calendar!

theskull

[juls64]

It sounds like a good trip. Good to hear about the conditions under the water too. Sounds like its a little different, but not too bad.

[scububa]

Skull,
I have to tell you, if you can't have fun with this group, you just can't have fun. This is the second year for us and both times the group has been great. It is a big enough group that everyone can find someone to gravitate to and no one gets left out. And FUNNY, jeesh, bring extra panties, you'll be laughing so hard.

And, on top of that, as big as the group is, most everyone is a competent diver. There are youngsters in the group and the most annoying thing about them is that their air lasts so long, they are the last ones out of the water!

It really is a great group to travel with and Dick and SLIM and others do a great job of putting it together.

Jim

Sounds like a great trip.

I'd like to tag along one of these years.

theskull

[Captain Caveman]

Sounds like you had fun. I enjoyed the wall dive too back in Jan.. could you belive the damage of the hotels on the S. side of the Island.

Are you going to get your Pic's up for us to see and for me to cry over because i miss heaven so much.. :(

[theskull]

Skull,
I have to tell you, if you can't have fun with this group, you just can't have fun. This is the second year for us and both times the group has been great. It is a big enough group that everyone can find someone to gravitate to and no one gets left out. And FUNNY, jeesh, bring extra panties, you'll be laughing so hard.

And, on top of that, as big as the group is, most everyone is a competent diver. There are youngsters in the group and the most annoying thing about them is that their air lasts so long, they are the last ones out of the water!

It really is a great group to travel with and Dick and SLIM and others do a great job of putting it together.

Jim

I can have fun. And I have laughed til it hurt. Haven't yet ruined panties, though--but I'm sure willing to try. Don't be surprised to see me along next year.

I have had the pleasure many times of diving with Dick and SLIM--2 of my favorite people, and they happen to frequent my favorite local lake.

theskull

[SLIM]

TS

I thought you were the one that would frequent my local lake, LOL.

Now for a true story that happend on this trip to me. So there I was opps that makes it sound like a joke. LOL

It was our first dive of our last day when Scububa was on the other boat so he did not get to experiance it. Our group was dving Santa Rosa Wall, our group was getting ready to go into a swim through and I was going to go over and get photos of them comming out. Well as I get to the top of the coral head I see a diver alone with his knees on the coral looking kind of strange. I ask if he is ok and as i get closer the larger I see his eyes are. I grab him and aks were his buddy is and he does not know. I then decide to grab him and start looing for his group. We pas many groups and he says they are not his. I keep and eye on mine and we just go from the wall side to the sand side looking then finnaly he finds his group and it just happen to be the first group we say when I took him looking at first. Guess he just did not recocnize anyone yet. I hook him back up with his group and can not find mine but I know that they will be up front and I get above the coral head and make a beeline with the current and swim as hard as I can to get back and then I am with my group. Here I have use dthe most amount of air and we notice that there are groups all over that can not stay togather so we all decided to go up. When I got back with the group I wrote on a slate (have I got a story to tell you) they can't read it so I write (helped a lost diver) that htey could read. Back on the boat Dick says he kept telling our DM not to worry I would be alright. When we get back on the boat I am looing around to see if I can spot the diver I helped sence there were so many groups getting out of the water. Well, that is my story and I am sticking to it. It was not fun. I did save a life. Dang it, it did screw up my dive that morning but I guess I can't sayanything, better then reading about a diver dieing when we are down there.

SLIM