I was lucky enough to spend Xmas diving in Cozumel, here is a report-
My wife and left for Cozumel on 12/23- 6am flight out of Phila.. Packed all the gear as well as found a suitcase in the thrift shop large enough to fit the monofin, so that went too. Arrived in Coz at 12 in the afternoon and took a cab to our hotel- The Lorena. What a gem this hotel is. Right on the beach, every room has an ocean view, pool, great shop next door, only 22 rooms, and a sweet reef right off the hotel beach. All this for only 85 USD/night. I was in the water within ten minutes of unpacking. Few things compare to sliding into 82 degree, 30 meter viz water teaming with life.
After a great dinner at Casa Dennis, we headed over to Deeper Blue dive shop to check in and see what the intinerary looked like. The owner, Matt, knows I freedive and took me to meet a local expatriot who is a very good hunter named Scott. Scott said sure he would like to get wet the next day and come by at 12.
12/24- I met Scott and we suited up and his girlfriend drove us to our launch site- the beach at the airport intersection. Scott has two scooters so we took those out about 2k to where the wall starts. Scooters make life so much easier. We blew up a bag and tied them off and then drifted. Scott and I took turns going down and checking things out. Being able to watch your partner drop down 30 meters and still be in plain sight was awesome. As we drifted north the currrent was minimal which was atypical for Cozumel. Pretty soon the fun started. Scott pointed down and there in the distance I could see the triangular shadows gliding along the top of the wall- a squadron of huge spotted eagle rays! I did not have time for a huge breathe up but took in a nice lung full and finned down. I had to descend quickly in order to come close as they swam by. Just as I got down, they passed under me, magnificent. Six or seven just cruised beneath me like stealth fighters. As I surfaced, my grin stretched ear to ear. Scott told me to get a good breathe-up because we were in the perfect spot for them. A few minutes later, I saw another group way in the distance. This time I swam farther ahead of their path and then descended. Everything clicked. As I dropped down to 25 meters, I intercepted them perfectly. The largest ones had 5 ft wingspans and there were about ten in this group. Just gliding through the water with these magnificent creatures was pure zen. One of the reasons I freedive is to be able to interact with the aquatic life and for the short time I swam with them in their formation nothing else mattered. They are so large and so docile.
As Scott and I drifted further, the current really started to pick up. It actually felt like being inside a fire hose. We came into a shallow area and Scott speared a large red snapper. As soon as he surfaced, he said we have to get out of here, now. I said why, sharks? He said, no, current. Oh, I said relieved.
By the time we made it to shore, we had drifted over 2 miles from our start point. We decided to catch a cab back to Scott's place and had to lug all our gear, including a 2 ft fish through the lobby of a nice hotel in order to get to the road.....
to be continued...
My wife and left for Cozumel on 12/23- 6am flight out of Phila.. Packed all the gear as well as found a suitcase in the thrift shop large enough to fit the monofin, so that went too. Arrived in Coz at 12 in the afternoon and took a cab to our hotel- The Lorena. What a gem this hotel is. Right on the beach, every room has an ocean view, pool, great shop next door, only 22 rooms, and a sweet reef right off the hotel beach. All this for only 85 USD/night. I was in the water within ten minutes of unpacking. Few things compare to sliding into 82 degree, 30 meter viz water teaming with life.
After a great dinner at Casa Dennis, we headed over to Deeper Blue dive shop to check in and see what the intinerary looked like. The owner, Matt, knows I freedive and took me to meet a local expatriot who is a very good hunter named Scott. Scott said sure he would like to get wet the next day and come by at 12.
12/24- I met Scott and we suited up and his girlfriend drove us to our launch site- the beach at the airport intersection. Scott has two scooters so we took those out about 2k to where the wall starts. Scooters make life so much easier. We blew up a bag and tied them off and then drifted. Scott and I took turns going down and checking things out. Being able to watch your partner drop down 30 meters and still be in plain sight was awesome. As we drifted north the currrent was minimal which was atypical for Cozumel. Pretty soon the fun started. Scott pointed down and there in the distance I could see the triangular shadows gliding along the top of the wall- a squadron of huge spotted eagle rays! I did not have time for a huge breathe up but took in a nice lung full and finned down. I had to descend quickly in order to come close as they swam by. Just as I got down, they passed under me, magnificent. Six or seven just cruised beneath me like stealth fighters. As I surfaced, my grin stretched ear to ear. Scott told me to get a good breathe-up because we were in the perfect spot for them. A few minutes later, I saw another group way in the distance. This time I swam farther ahead of their path and then descended. Everything clicked. As I dropped down to 25 meters, I intercepted them perfectly. The largest ones had 5 ft wingspans and there were about ten in this group. Just gliding through the water with these magnificent creatures was pure zen. One of the reasons I freedive is to be able to interact with the aquatic life and for the short time I swam with them in their formation nothing else mattered. They are so large and so docile.
As Scott and I drifted further, the current really started to pick up. It actually felt like being inside a fire hose. We came into a shallow area and Scott speared a large red snapper. As soon as he surfaced, he said we have to get out of here, now. I said why, sharks? He said, no, current. Oh, I said relieved.
By the time we made it to shore, we had drifted over 2 miles from our start point. We decided to catch a cab back to Scott's place and had to lug all our gear, including a 2 ft fish through the lobby of a nice hotel in order to get to the road.....
to be continued...