Coz 2009

[SLIM]

With this slow board that is almost boring, I thought that now I have the time to get a report down. I will also let Bubba put his in since he did stay a few days extra.

I got down ont the 7th and did a weeks worth of Cave Exploration. The first several days I was to be Safty Diver for the videoographer. I was there with a group that is working on a documentry of a specail cave that is about 200 yards from the beach inland and has no salt water in it. There has not been another entrance found. We not only did the video work but laid out somenew line. Interviewed the Mayor of San Megual and he is invited us to come back next year and help out with some more work and may even comp us some more items. We would use an average of 20 plus tanks a day and did the dives in all SM. We did one day of SW diving and the DM wsa to take us to Devils Throat and as another and I noticed he missed it and he could see we weere unhappy. We also took this day to do some video of the reefs for the hotel since they did comp us the rooms. The night of the 13th I cal DIver DIck and see what the weather is like back home and had to tell him what it was like here and the forcast.

Now jump forward to the 14th. I pack all my stuf up and say bye to the cave group and head over to another place down the road where the SPM stay and we have been to for the last 5 or 6 years maybe more. Well, I get to Fiestamerican and get signed in about 11 or so and they do not have my room ready. All the years I have been there, I have never had a room ready when I get there like may others. As I am getting my dive gear out to get put in a locker at the Dive House, my room becomes ready and I take all stuff up there and get settaled in.

Get my dive gear all taken to the DIve House and as I am siging in and getting papper work all done, one of them says thats not my name. I then put down SLIM, he says thats better. Boy it is good when they all remember you. Even many of the DM's there say hi and Evelen says hi and was glad to see us coem down even if it was a small group. THis year we had a group of about 20, normally we have 35 plus.

Well, I get a drink and it looks close to be time for the rest of the group to get there so I am siting up front with a drink in hand as they all get the punch, LOL

We got some great dives in all week. The weather had picked up and we had showers off an on for the first few days. The last day of diving the wind calmed down. The first 2 days, only the big boats 30 foot andlarger were allowed to go out. I got to meet several new people there just hanging out. As they looked at my gear and as I was just so cool calm and collected and helped a few out with some gear repair they bought me drinks. LOL

I did take my camera and for some reson I never took it on a dive. This is the first time ever to not take it down there. It was nice to just relax. This was the first year I did not have to babby sit anyone and could just DIVE. The group I was with had a great DM, well all on our boat were awsome DM's. We get nothing but the best since one year we did complain about one and thye take care of us down there. The group all had some good air consumption and I would still come up with aobut 1000 psi and did not make anyone on the boat wait for me and the DM this year.

If you all want to read more about he cave trip, you willhave to wait and read about it in the UWS, if you dont get that, then you must wait for it to come out and I wll post it. We are all putting a big artical togather and sicne this is a documentry have to be carfull about what is said.

I hope Bubba will put some goodinsite about the diveshe did and the exrta days on a weather report.

I hope this gets things going and the board is not so slow.

SLIM

[DeepDiverBob]

sounds like it was a good time. you ready to get that nasty salt out of your gear, and get back to diving yet?

[scububa]

Bubba Report

Yes, to follow up on SLIM's report...it was a nice group down there this year. I did not ever dive in SLIM's group (or his air might have been a different story ;-).

Yeah, the first two days were cloudy with some sprinkles and a shower. Funny that it never rains on the reef ;-) It was just windy enough that warming up between dives was not easy and I was in a fleece most of those days. I didn't remember there being a harbor restriction on the boat size those days. My girls did not make this trip, so I was in a group with some different folks. We all did a pretty good job on helping photographers as different photo ops appeared. They really did get some GREAT shots that we previewed at a group happy hour.

Then the weather got better the third day and I had volunteered to dive with one of the folks that needed a little "guidance". I had been talking to him and giving him some advice and told him I would dive with him and what to expect during the dives. They also gave him 100 cuft tanks, so the dives were about the same amount of time as I had been getting. I was almost coming up because I was exhausted. I do have to say I have a whole new appreciation for the effort that instructors and divemasters must have to put out. It can be very taxing work. I am not sure I taught him anything, but I think he really enjoyed the dives. This was the last day of diving with the SPM group, sort of...

The fourth day was the best weather yet. I had already pre-planned to dive a couple of extra days, do a surface day, then a fly day. Well, a couple of SPM guys decided they could easily dive the 4th morning as they had such a late flight the following day and could get 24 hrs in on the surface easily. Well, then another decided, then another. We got on a boat with another group of about the same size. Very nice dives. Maybe 2 of the most relaxing dives I have ever done there. The group was very compatible and we had the same ballet going were a couple of non-photogs would swap off with the photogs in a continous and fluid ballet that happened naturally. The DM would look back and see that we were all way behind him and just go to ground and wait for us to carry to him. The second dive brief was something like, "See you guys in an hour." Both dives we came up the other group was on the boat and laying around. I don't know how long they stayed in the water, but we seemed to get under their skin by being in considerably longer.

The fifth day I was put on a small boat with just six of us. Calgary, Boston, Chicago, California, Mexico, and St. Louis was our mix. A very good group of divers. One buddy pair came up shallower a bit earlier than the others to conserve air, but otherwise pretty well matched group. The weather was a bit windier but there was plenty of sun, so warming up was fine. Our second dive we dove a reef that I had been on 2x already that week. I was point out a few things to the DM and to the guy with the camera.

Splendid Toad fish, Drum fish, Pipe horse, Nurse sharks, Spotted Eagle Rays, Rays, Puffers, Permits, Midnight Parrot Fish, Pipe/Needle Fish, Medium to small Groupers, and of course lots of Hawksbill Turtles, Barracuda and Spiny Lobster come to mind right off the top. Of course I leave out the plethora of reef fish you see everywhere. We saw eels, also, both spotted and green Moray, but it didn't seem like as many as in the past. We did get to a point were we told the DMs, don't bang us over from any more turtles or lobsters :-)

The next day was my surface day. It was plenty sunny, but the wind was strong and out of the west. NO BOATS were out. It was too rough to snorkle. Also, we didn't opt to take the ferry across as rough as it was. Even with all that, it was a nice day to relax by the beach or the pool. Not only was the SPM group smaller this year, but I think the whole hotel was less populated. Business is down and talking with the Dive House, they had few big groups over the rest of Jan or in Feb. Probably some VERY good deals to be had right now. We talked with a group down from Denver that had an incredibily low package price for air, 5 days and all inclusive. You might check around if interested. I'd check myself, but I already have only worked 8 out of the last 35 days (and dove 10), so that might not go over too well here at work.

[theskull]

Excellent report, guys. Scuba Sally and I are finally planning to dive Coz this year--signed up for the Y-Kiki shop trip in October.

theskull

[SLIM]

Well DDB, yes I can't wait to get in and get all the salt off and out of my gear. It was strange to do a 80+ min dives in a cave and have no DECO. I do not have a weekend off until about mid Feb. Guess it will just have to wait unless I get time to just jump in TBL for fun and get it all soaked out.

TS, you will love the place. Wish I could set you up with a cave dive there. Be unlike any you have ever done.

SLIM

[theskull]

We are hoping for a day of diving the Cenotes--needs to be Cavern level diving at the most. No caves on this trip.

theskull

[SLIM]

Skull

You will most likely need to do that on the main land. The few that are on Coz are limited to a cavern and not many on the island take cavern divers out. I bet if you look at Dos ohous, they can hook you up very fast.

SLIM

[scububa]

We are hoping for a day of diving the Cenotes--needs to be Cavern level diving at the most. No caves on this trip.

theskull

The cenote diving is kind of strange. They call it cave diving in a lot of places, but it is rec config with open water access typical. We went over to snorkel and had to wear floatation vests.

I am not sure what the folks that do actual cave diving call it :-)

[Tfriend]

whens the documentary/article supposed to be done?

[SLIM]

Well we had planed for the editing to start when we got back and have it done in many many months. From what we got from the mayor and wanting us to come back, we might wait to make it a better one if we go back we can add to it with so much info.

The edditing takes months to years for it to be done properly.

SLIM

[theskull]

The cenote diving is kind of strange. They call it cave diving in a lot of places, but it is rec config with open water access typical. We went over to snorkel and had to wear floatation vests.

I am not sure what the folks that do actual cave diving call it :-)

Yes, I know -- rec divers with single tanks and rec gear following guides through caves (admittedly with daylight within sight). That could be called "intro to cavern", "Darwin diving", "Stroke diving", or just "Mexico has no liability laws diving"!

theskull

[DeepDiverBob]

Yes, I know -- rec divers with single tanks and rec gear following guides through caves (admittedly with daylight within sight). That could be called "intro to cavern", "Darwin diving", "Stroke diving", or just "Mexico has no liability laws diving"!

theskull

Bonne Terre diving?

[scububa]

Yes, I know -- rec divers with single tanks and rec gear following guides through caves (admittedly with daylight within sight). That could be called "intro to cavern", "Darwin diving", "Stroke diving", or just "Mexico has no liability laws diving"!

theskull

Not an expert on Mexico diving, only done Coz and the one snorkel trip in the Akumal area...and I have only dove with one operation, Dive House. They may not have liability laws, but they run a pretty tight operation. There are no questions on having a C-card. They seem to take anyone they aren't familiar with to a bunny reef to start off. If you are with a well known group, they go with the group leader.

One guy filled out his waiver and answered yes to the blood pressure medication. He did not get to dive the first day and it took several calls between the shop, hotel fax, his doctor and a Mexican doctor. They finally worked it out, but they weren't budging without the proper clearance.

On weather days, the Harbor Master controls if boats can go out and what size are allowed out. The dive shop will assess the group and if there are folks they question they will not load or unload at the pier if it is rough. They have to go to the harbor.

The briefings are ususally pretty thorough, the DM keeps a tight eye on the group, the air and the NDL. (This relaxes if they know they have a capable group they have seen in action.)

I agree with the liability law situation and you see it obvious in many things, but the diving on Coz and in the Akumal area is still the main tourist draw. They seem to be VERY protective of keeping the dive scene safe.

[skdvr]

Sounds awesome...

SLIM, do you do the editing yourself (can definately see year or more doing it on the side), or is someone else doing it more full time? I work for a Video Production company it people are amazed at how long it can take to edit something, and do it right....

Thanks again for the report. Very interested in the cave report...

Phil

[SLIM]

Nope I don't do the editing. It is T.L. Bass Productions out of Fort Smith AR. It is up to him when he has the time. He does have a full time job also at a production company.

When ever I get the info I will pass along. Once I get a ton of photos I will try to post a few. Just need to get the CD from a buddy is all.

SLIM