The connecting flight to Cancun didn't have the same efficiency. As soon as we boarded the captain announced a traffic congestion delay and we would be leaving in an hour and 15 minutes (I never saw traffic congestion in the air before but I couldn't fly the plane). So we did what anyone would do. Deplaned and went to have a couple glasses of wine and Bloody Mary's.
Once back on the plane (2 hours later) we were on our way to Cancun. We were only 1 1/2 hours behind schedule and the driver I had reserved was still there waiting for us. 45 minutes later we reached the ferry terminal in Playa del Carmen. This is where our party split up and Cole and I walked through the busy, narrow cobblestone streets to catch the ferry. It was already 4:40 and the ferry leaves every hour on the hour so we had to rush. The girls continued on another 20 minutes south to Playa Aventura and the Barcelo Maya Grand Palace Hotel where we would join them later in the week.
We made the ferry on time and sat down (again) for the 50 minute ride over to Cozumel. The water was as blue as I remembered and the ride was quite smooth. The main city of Cozumel was bustling with energy as we arrived a midst cruise ships and hundreds of tourists. It was easy to grab a taxi at the end of the pier and another 20 minute ride to our hotel, Iberostar Cancun.
We arrived (finally) at 6:30 pm at which point the dive shop had already closed so no chance to make the 8:00 am first dive of the day.
No worries, the many all inclusive restaurants were still open and the tequila was flowing freely! A great dinner and a fabulous night time snorkel under the pier with hundreds of fish was just what we needed for a good night's sleep in our authentic bungalow.
The next morning we were at the dive shop by 7:30. Cole hadn't dove in over a year so needed a pool check with a guide to refresh him on all the safety instructions and hand signals. I tried out my new Go Pro Hero 3 camera underwater to make sure I could operate it properly 50+ feet underwater.
Our first dive was on a fabulous reef called Palancar Horseshoe. It was only 20 minutes from the hotel dock and spectacular! The site is in the shape of an amphitheater and goes down to 85 feet with the top of the reef at 25 feet below the water. You can see all the way to the bottom from the boat, the water is so clear and a deep turquoise blue. Our guide was Sophie :) from France who Cole stubbornly refused to engage in French with despite my egging.
The first jump in and descent is always a little nervous but ours was very easy, no current at all and the sun light rays shined through to the bottom like we were in a spotlight. Visibility was at least 50 yards and I spotted a 4 foot barracuda swimming non nonchalantly past us about 20 yards away.
This site wasn't so much about the marine life (though there was plenty) as it is about the coral which was spectacular! It was as if you were swimming through Manhattan, along the 5th story of all the sky scrapers. There were ledges, and pillars and monuments sticking up from the floor at every turn! Every time we swam over a ledge that we were 5 feet above, the other side would drop off 30+ feet to the bottom to a whole other world of sea life and foliage. It was just as if you were flying over a roof top to a massive drop below and a whole new world. The feeling was as exhilarating as it was alarming
With no current, we basically drifted and were able to stay down for 50 minutes (Cole's longest dive ever) and stay in our play ground marveling at all the beautiful colors and tropical fish who didn't seem to mind us being there. It's so quiet down there, only the sound of your breathing and bubbles. You feel very small as you marvel at the world all around you, even above you.
Our descent back up was also a piece of cake. The hardest part of the dive is always getting back in the boat with a heavy tank on your back and the boat bouncing all over the place and drifting rapidly away. Again we had no problem and once on board sped off 20 minutes to our next dive site, Paso de Cedral which was about 2 miles off shore right in front of our hotel.
This site was more about the sea life with a flat reef and mostly sandy bottom. Current here was stronger (no coral pillars to slow it down) but we only went in 1 direction. We drifted along the bottom for another 50 minutes and went about 3 miles from where we jumped in based on where the boat picked us up
and on where the hotel was when we came up)
Unfortunately my camera battery died midway through this dive but I did get some great shots. We saw 5 sand sharks on this one and some huge grouper, parrot fish, lobsters, and a large sea turtle on the bottom.
A great day for me to share with Cole. The day took it's toll on him though but I know he enjoyed it just as much and has the Scuba bug like I do. Almost couldn't stay awake for dinner!
Tomorrow brings 2 more dives to even deeper more impressive sites!
