Baths of Cozumel
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It’s funny where your mind can wander while your waiting to surface at the end of a long dive. Kneeling in the sand 20 feet underwater, when I should still be concerned with time, depth, and pressure; I found myself watching as the bubbles from my scuba regulator gently ascended to the surface. As the tension mounted, each bubble erupted as it breached the surface. Looking around for my dive buddy, numerous fish, soft coral and sponges swayed in the current as if presented with a stiff wind.
The waters of Cozumel are unlike any you might visit. Hidden in their depth is an abundance of life from the smallest jellies to the largest colonies of coral. You will be astounded as you turn from side to side trying to focus on any one thing. And, as soon as you do, a new wonder will surely pull your attention away.
This was my first trip to Cozumel. Although diving for over 12 years, I had never ventured to this part of Mexico. I had always heard of the large crowds who frequent Cozumel and of their rude behavior. Generally, I like diving in more remote areas. I feel most at home when I can look out onto the horizon and see nothing but clear blue water. Recently however, a friend convinced me to take a chance and head down South. I was assured; everything would take care of itself.
Since I travel quite often, I have learned the value of the Internet when it comes to researching travel destinations. Finding the ins and outs of any location can mean the difference between a good trip and a great adventure. Since my friend had been to Cozumel before, I left the hotel plans to him and concentrated on finding a dive operator. Searching online I came across a company who promised fewer divers onboard than other operators and long bottom times on each dive. Perfect! Dive with Martin has 10 fast boats that each carry only 8 -10 divers so there's no crowd. They also arrive on the best dive sites earlier in the morning before any of the other operators.
During our trip, there was only 1 other diver onboard for 12 of our 15 dives. This meant we were our own and would not have to watch as herds of divers disturbed the marine life or reduced visibility. We had an exclusive opportunity to take great photos and see undisturbed areas before the throngs of other divers hit the scene. Our dive master David was a true professional. He was always careful to fully explain their policies and procedure. He never made us feel rushed or neglected, and as promised, Dive with Martin delivered large capacity scuba tanks giving us long bottom times. On our first day, we were required to make an orientation dive with David so he could evaluate our skills. Although some may consider this an inconvenience, I understand the necessity because of the large volume of divers that pass through this island. We were told this dive would determine what types of dives we would be able to make the coming week. As we headed out on the Ana Marie II, David asked us about our past dive experience quickly determining we were ready for anything he had to offer.
The sites we dived were all along the western side of the island. These included; Palancar Bricks, Palancar Horseshoe, Palancar Gardens, Columbia Deep, Santa Rosa Wall, Las Palmas, Punta Sur, Barracuda, San Juan, and the wreck of the C-53 (Xicotenantl). Many of these sites offered amazingly large coral formations which you can actually swim through. Others offered tall coral pinnacles rising from sandy slopes near shear drop-offs. There were several mini walls that kept us visually entertained as did the many encounters with marine life including hawksbill turtles, eagle rays, sharks, and seahorses.
