Cozumel

The following is an article written by Mark Tesoro for his local newspaper following one of our Cozumel trips...The Deep Blue of Cozumel as seen through the eyes of a “first-time diver”......... ........Evanston resident enjoys scuba diving experience at Mexican mecca....... I went sailing last, week. Sailing over the greens and light blues, dark blues and oranges, blacks, browns, whites, purples and hundreds of other hues that make up the underwater reefs of Cozumel, Mexico. Cozumel lies about 20 miles off mainland Mexico on the Yucatan Peninsula. The island, some 300 square miles, is a mecca for tourists, especially scuba divers. My wife Sherie and I traveled there with two other couples from Evanston, Wyoming for a week of diving and relaxation. My wife and her good friend, Amanda Linford, were the “non-divers”, while Rich and Corrie Carver, Darin Linford and I were the divers. We met up with Randy Beckmann, their good friend from Austin, Texas, and Deb and John Trotter, also from Austin. Deb was working on becoming a NAUI Master Diver. Divemaster Rich, and Master Divers Corrie and Darin, had been trained by Randy, who teaches scuba diving at the University of Texas in Austin. I was fortunate to get on board for this trip with this bunch of dive “junkies”. I call them dive junkies because they eat, breathe and sleep scuba diving. They’ve traveled around the world scuba diving, from Florida to Honduras, and from the Galapagos Islands to Palau. I assured my wife I would be in good hands, particularly since the divers from Evanston were all medical professionals. Joining us was “Pingo”, our Mexican divemaster and guide, and long-time friend of Randy and the dive “junkies”. Pingo, a 20-year veteran diving guide on the reef, started out as a dock boy, loading and unloading scuba tanks from boats. He worked his way up to captain and eventually became a scuba guide. This small, jolly fellow is one of the premier guides on the island, and routinely spends more time under water each year than on land. Randy, having dived with Pingo for many years, has developed a great relationship with him. Pingo and Randy were the life of the party – you’ll need to bring your comedy “A-game” to fit in with this crowd. I had to step up my sense of humor just to keep up....... ......The first dive...... Our first dive started off a little rough. When we came to the surface, our boat was being towed back to port, the whole back half of it under water. Remnants from the tropical depression had churned up the seas and the captain had taken a large swell over the side and began to sink. Another dive boat soon picked us up and dropped us at the beach house. Pingo quickly lined up another boat and we were back to diving by 2 p.m. When under water, the sea life and its many colors were no match for my senses, as I drank in every single second of it. Sighting my first sea turtle was a real treat. As I kicked over to it as it munched on some coral, I sat in awe and seriously had to restrain myself to keep from trying to hug it. Our group, having dived in Cozumel many times, said the visibility was off. I myself was astonished with the visibility at more than 100 feet. The fish inhabiting the reef were amazing. Over 250 types of tropical fish can be seen on the reef, including the Splendid Toadfish, which is found nowhere else in the world. This fish, the face of which looks like a toad, has a purple body and purple whiskers under its chin, accented with yellow fins, and loves to hide under the rocks. Pingo and Corrie were great at pointing them out. The caves and swim-throughs were incredible. This labyrinth of passageways is at a perfect depth for divers to explore. Known as Palancar Caves, the section is very popular with dive shops on the island. Some of the swim-throughs take you deep inside the reef only to turn and pop you out in shallower water. The tunnels harbor many types of fish, and sometimes creatures like moray eels. One giant green eel we saw was at least 10 feet long and more than a foot in diameter. After stretching out underneath an overhanging reef, it was a little nerve-wracking coming face-to-face with one of those. Rich took the lead and shot some great video of the creature. .......Sailing underwater......... Sailing is a term the dive junkies refer to as flying over the reef while diving in a strong current. The current, unusually strong for this time of year in Cozumel, was strong enough to drift us more than a couple miles on a 45-minute dive. We were able to see huge amounts of the ocean bottom on those dives. That first drift dive was a little intimidating but I soon got the hang of it. It was as if I were flying over the reef, sailing in thin air. We would drop down behind rocks or coral heads to check out stuff, and then ascend back up into the current and sail on to the next thing to look at. One thing I tried that Darin showed me was floating upside down in the current with the reef rushing past my head. It was better than any IMAX 3D movie could ever be. The wall of the reef is where the island’s land mass drops off to the depths of the ocean. We dived several walls during the week and it was, to say the least, amazing. The only thing I can draw a comparison to is perhaps to be at the Grand Canyon, run to the edge and jump off – and then just float there. And when you’re just floating there, every square inch below is covered with some type of life, whether it’s fish, coral, anemones, sponges, sharks or turtles. Looking down, you’re looking into a thousand or more feet of the deep blue, a deeper blue than you’re ever seen before. ........Protecting the sea life........ The marine life on the reefs grow to exceptional sizes. The reefs, protected as a national marine park sanctuaries, allow the coral, fish and other sea life to grow relatively undisturbed. In the marine park, fishing and spear gunning is prohibited, and nothing can be touched or removed. This approach to protecting the reef has paid off in a big way. The creatures of the reef have grown to be giants. I was fortunate to see many of them. I saw large groupers as big as a loveseat and lobsters that put any lobster in a restaurant to shame. One specimen had a tail as large as a football and stretched to over six feet, including its antennae. ........A turtle in the soup.............. The highlight of my trip was a giant sea turtle asleep under the reef. On our night dive Rich dropped down to an overhanging section of the reef. There, wedged up under the reef, was an enormous sea turtle, maybe larger than a king size bed, its head as large as a giant pumpkin. Rich signaled all of us over to him, and we took turns shining our lights under the reef. The turtle opened one eye just for a moment, looked at all of us, closed its eye and went back to sleep. Pingo estimated the turtle to be nearly a century old, the second largest he’d ever seen. It would be hard to imagine the size of the bigger one he’d seen. The trip was so incredible for me, it’s hard to describe in words. Columbia Deep, Casa Blanca, Palancar Caves, Cedral Wall, and Chankanab are all incredible places under the sea I can’t wait to get back to. As far as being hooked on scuba diving, it’s hook, line and sinker for me. I’m working on becoming a dive junkie. Until next time, see you on the bottom.

Bonaire

Our second trip in less than a year proved to be just as enjoyable as the last. We stayed at the Bel Mar Apartments again and I can now say for certain this is the “location of choice” if you’re a “no frills” diver that wants one of the easiest and best shore dives right out your front door while also providing a reasonable location to both the north and south reefs. My favorite sites include Karpata (I like deep walls) and 1000 Steps (actually it’s only 64, I counted them) for an easy shore entry. Invisibles, however, seems to be the local’s choice (probably because of its double reef system). Now, having put back to back trips to this location and having met the local restaurant critic I feel I can provide some worthwhile recommendations if Bonaire is going to be your next dive trip. Feel free to email me if you’re interested in my 2 cents.

Road Trip 2010

Returned from Bonaire, unpacked, did wash, repacked and head off to the

BOONE TERRE MINE

located in Missouri just south of St. Louis. This year I decided to step out of my comfort zone and package some out of the way dive destinations with training in Colorado and Wyoming. First stop Branson, MO. No real diving (unless you count a tour of the Titanic museum. Does education count?) but I needed a break before heading to Boone Terre. I’d read and heard too much about this location to not at least put it on my bucket list of dive destinations. I have to say it didn’t disappoint. While it’s a bit far for those of you in Texas (roughly 1000 miles or so), unless you make it a stop en route to another area, it is worth the experience. Just like the advertisement says divers do come from all over. I met and was a buddy with a young man from Washington on his Army leave. Our group of ten also included a couple from Chicago, two men from New York, and a couple from Arkansas. That was it. We had the entire mine to ourselves. I suppose because summer is low season. Water temp was 58 degrees and each dive was at least an hour or more. Nothing less than a 7mm or dry suit is doable. While there is no way you could dive the entire mine in a day or even a week, you can sign up for two to three dives a day. They are, however, only open on the weekend. Each dive must be guided and also includes at least two safety divers. While their safety record is impeccable this adds a bit of reassurance for those divers unsure of overhead environments or the ability to have the air consumption needed to make it back to the start of each trail. The trails are almost endless but you must do trails 1 and 2 and pass mask clearing and out of air skills before being allowed to dive any of the other trails. There are no cave lines. In fact to qualify as a guide or safety diver you must pass the Boone Terre Mine test. Each prospective guide is taken into one of the many trails with their mask blacked. The cover is then removed and they must recognize landmarks and find their way back to the start with no errors. I must say this adds a whole new definition to navigation and gave me a great deal of respect for the guides. The mine entrance is right on site next to the dive shop in an old red metal building. As soon as you enter through the door the temperature drops to the low 50’s and you proceed down just like they did years ago when it was a workable mine. Lights have been added and there is a dive platform at the bottom along with fill stations. No need to carry tanks. Giant strides in, a quick buoyancy check and you’re off. It’s hard to describe. Like caves, yet not. The caverns are huge and the water clarity is so good it almost seems fake. In fact, because it is so clear and there is overhead lighting throughout, you do not need a light. Most diving is done in depths in the 50’or less range but some areas the depths reach well past recreational limits. It is a major technical training area for most of this area. You’re allowed an hour or so between dive 1 and 2 for lunch and again between dives 2 and 3 to go to the surface and warm up. Highly recommended since, as I said, the water temperature is 58 degrees. I’m not ashamed to admit I got cold even in my 7mm. Old tools, mining cars, etc are still in some of the trails. If you want to see some photos go to........ www.picasaweb.google.com/beckmannscuba........ If you’re uncomfortable with close quarters no worries. The mine trails are huge. Keep in mind this was an old working mine with many trails and lots of space. Since I did not know anything about where to stay, I went with the web site recommendation and stayed at the Depot. They have bunk type accommodations and individual train cars here. It’s advertised as a bed and breakfast. Not really. A bottle of juice and 4 muffins were left in my room. I stayed in one of the old converted train cars. Pretty cool though. You can, however, stay at any one of the motels in the area for a lot less. Places to eat are scarce. I recommend Mario’s for dinner and the Subway or DQ for lunch. In conclusion if you want to dive something different and will be in the area, it’s a dive destination you should not miss. It’s worth it.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIIONAL PARK

A couple days hiking here before moving on to do some dive training in Wyoming. For those that have not been, the drive west on 34 is almost worth the trip by itself. Bear Lake is a good beginner short hike but to truly experience the park move on to some of the more challenging trails.

Evanston, Wyoming

After a couple days hiking I headed out to Evanston, Wyoming for some dive training. I used “The Crater” for the open water check outs. (New junior divers, Grace Kennedy and Noah Linford finished their training here.) “The Crater” was featured on the Discovery channel and is worth the time and experience if you’re in the area. An old crater turned diving training center and warm water tourist attraction in the Heber/Midway, Utah area. Water exceeds 90 degrees so wet suits are not needed. Stay at the Homestead and make a weekend get-a-way of it.

SAN DIEGO.......Diving with Waterhorse Charters

Off to San Diego for some west coast diving. For those that have not been diving in this area La Jolla Cove is better than La Jolla Shores (skip diving at the shores). But a day to the Coronados with Waterhorse Charters is well worth it if you want to dive with the sea lions. They are very professional and run a first rate operation at a very affordable price. Their dive boat is large and can easily accommodate 22 divers. Fill stations, galley, hot shower, and head on board. Meals, consisting of hot soup and salad were provided after each dive. You can contact them at www.waterhorsecharters.com. Pics on www.picasaweb.google.com/beckmannscuba.

My thanks to:

Rich and Corrie Carver for putting up with me, sharing their home, and taking care of all the dive training logistics.

Amanda and Darin Linford for their thoughtfulness. Their “care” package saved me while driving through the mountains and especially on the final leg from Lubbock to Austin.

Grace Kennedy and Noah Linford for reminding me why I enjoy teaching scuba.