Jillapalooza

IM IN UR OCEAN. EATIN UR CARDZ.

Kukulkan, Dive 58

Dive: 58
Cozumel Dive: 3
Date: 11/29/11
Site: Kukulkan, Playa del Carmen
Avg/Max Depth: 29/47
Temp: 77
TBT/CBT: 0:41/47:29
Buddies: Nick, Curtis, Kristen

On Tuesday, we were really sick of this no diving business, so we decided to head over to Playa del Carmen to dive the cenotes. Cenotes are basically naturally made caverns and caves. There are stalactites and stalagmites; it’s basically like swimming under ground. The water is fresh and crystal clear. At times it didn’t even feel like we were underwater at all. It got dark, so we all had to carry lights. Our Divemaster, Delphine, instructed us on different signals to use with the lights before we took the plunge. As disappointing as it was, I decided not to bring my camera along. I didn’t want to juggle the camera and the light, and I figured the photos wouldn’t turn out well in the low (and sometimes lack of) lighting.

We weren’t completely in a cave. For the most part there was always light from somewhere, and we could usually see the surface, even if it was off in the distance and around a corner. I was a bit nervous going into it, but as usual, once underwater, I was fine.

Although we were never very deep, there were lots of ups and downs as we swam over the landscaping, and my ears started giving me problems right away. Typically with my ear issues, it’s only on the second dive, and that’s after diving for a couple of days and descending to 60 or so feet. Not on the first dive at 20 feet. It was very frustrating, especially knowing I was holding up the group. Granted, the group was just the four of us and Delphine, so I didn’t feel too badly. Still, it’s not fun to be that person. But it comes with the territory of diving, and I think everyone has been there at some point. Hopefully it’s something other people are patient about.

The water felt chilly, and I was glad that Delphine convinced me to wear a shorty wet suit or I would have been freezing. There were only a few little fishies here and there. The coolest thing for me to see was the halocline. When the salt and fresh water meet, it creates this oily layer that we could see. When we descended into it, everything became blurry. It was a head trip, that’s for sure.

Here’s a fancy little video Curtis put together:

Cozumel/Playa del Carmen – Tuesday 11/29

The morning wasn’t looking much better for us as far as diving went, and without knowing whether the port would be open, we decided to go with the option that guaranteed us two dives: Playa del Carmen.

We had breakfast before signing up for some cenote dives, then hung out in the rooms until ten. We hauled our dive gear down to the street to hail a cab. No one bothered bringing a large mesh bag from home, so the hauling was quite tricky. We caught the eleven o’clock ferry, which was late, and arrived at Playa del Carmen at noon.

The Blue Angel dive shop arranged for us to be picked up by Mexican Blue Dream dive shop. The driver was holding a sign that read “Jill,Nick, Kristen & Curtin.” [sic] I’m pretty sure it’s the first time I’ve read my name on a sign. (It’s also the first time I’ve gotten to use [sic].) At first I was like, I’m finally one of those important people!… then I realized those people really aren’t that important after all. We were whisked away to the dive shop, where we met our Divemaster, Delphine, and filled out paperwork. She talked me into wearing a shorty wetsuit since the water temps were in the low 70s. I wasn’t thrilled, but I’d rather deal with the inconvenience of wearing a suit than be cold for two dives.

Delphine was awesome. Probably the most enjoyable DM I’ve had the pleasure of diving with. She was energetic, funny, able to deflect all Nick’s crap, and from France so she had an awesome accent.

The van ride to the cenotes was about 20 minutes; it was nice to travel on dry land for a change. On the way, we stopped and picked up sandwiches to eat during our surface interval. Kristen had half of hers right away. I was tempted to do the same, but I knew if I did, I’d just be disappointed both times that it wasn’t a whole sandwich. I might have caved had I not already mooched a granola bar off her on the ride to the dive shop.

When we were done with our dives, it was a mad dash to get back to the ferry so we could catch the 6:00 out as opposed to the 8:00. We would have had dinner in Playa del Carmen if we weren’t hauling our gear and looking like wet divers.

I’m really disappointed that I didn’t get any pictures while there. It was a really neat looking little place with beautiful beaches, and it would be nice to hang out there for the day without rushing to the dive shop then rushing back to the ferry. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to go back, especially if the ports keep closing.

For dinner, we went to El Moro, the restaurant with the MSD sticker. I was looking forward to seeing the shriveled up shark in person, but it must have seen its last days because it wasn’t there. Curtis, Kristen, and I enjoyed a variety seafood platter, while Nick played it safe with chicken fajitas. And Coca-Cola, of course. Who can resist an ice cold bottle of Mexican Coke?

Nick chatted up the cab driver on the way home. At Nick’s not-so-subtle hints, she was kind enough to stop at an Oxxo so we could get snacks. He even gave her a choice of candy bar when we arrived at the hotel! #whataguy

Cozumel – Monday 11/28

The winds picked up overnight, and the morning wasn’t looking good for diving. Nick slept in while Curtis, BRK, and I went to breakfast. We found out from a friendly couple that the port was closed, so none of the diving boats could go out. I was disappointed, mostly because my camera was all ready and raring to go.

Kristen and I decided to make the most of the blustery day and took a trip into town. We hit up some stores and ate lunch at Tiki Tok Restaurant Bar. We enjoyed fish ceviche and shrimps. And some drinks, two of which were on the house. Afterward we stopped for gelato.

It was still windy on the oceanfront when we got back to the hotel, but I wasn’t going to let that deter me from catching some rays. I lubed up with sunscreen and headed out to the pool. The sun was hot, and between that and the wind, the temperature was perfect. Not so much when the sun went behind the clouds though. Nick joined me for a little while, but it was short lived. I fell into the pleasant state of half-sleep for a while. Little did I know at the time that it was actually a dehydration coma. When there was no break in the clouds for the foreseeable future, I ventured back into the room to nap. I woke up a couple of hours later with a terrible headache. I pounded a bunch of water and mooched some drugs off of Kristen.

By the time we were ready to eat my headache was almost gone, but my stomach was a little iffy. Nick stayed back again because he had just begun a riveting game of League. The rest of us ventured to get food. We decided to eat at La Hach, a restaurant Nick and I passed on the first night. I ordered chicken quesadillas because cheese cures everything. Kristen got a burger. When Curtis ordered the sea donkey, all of us (including the waiter) had a WTF moment. The sea donkey was in fact on the menu—some sort of burrito type dish. The food and another bottle of water was just what I needed to put me back in tip top shape.

La Hach didn’t have a dessert menu, so we decided to get some at the hotel. I tried flan for the first time. Not so good. Kristen assured me there’s much better flan out there, though. Nick joined us there for dinner as well. Two musicians were there playing live music. It was very soothing and romantic, much different than the pop fest we have the pleasure of listening to during the day.

Hopefully we’ll be able to dive tomorrow. If not, we’re going to take the ferry to a nearby island and do a bit of diving elsewhere.

Delilah, Dive 57

Dive: 57
Cozumel Dive: 2
Date: 11/27/11
Site: Delilah
Avg/Max Depth: 44/58
Temp: 81
TBT/CBT: 0:57/46:48
Buddies: Nick, Curtis, Kristen

For our surface interval we stopped on a deserted island. Think washed-ashore-after-a-shipwreck deserted island. There wasn’t any shade, which was unfortunate, but there was a nice sandy beach. It made me wish I had a towel so I could lie down and nap. There were large shells everywhere, even strung from a tree. I really wanted my camera then, but not as much as I did during our next dive at Delilah.

There were so many fun creatures on the dive. The biggest parrotfish I had ever seen, barracudas (I would have had the perfect shot of one’s teeth), a turtle, a giant moray eel that chased Josué, huge angelfish that did not seem camera shy, a meaty looking lobster that was out scurrying around (I’ve only ever seen them tucked away in the coral), and a toadfish, which was interesting. There were tons more, of course. Hopefully the upcoming dives will be just as exciting (and include pictures).

Palancar Caves, Dive 56

Dive: 56
Cozumel Dive: 1
Date: 11/27/11
Site: Palancar Caves
Avg/Max Depth: 51/84
Temp: 81
TBT/CBT: 0:49/45:51
Buddies: Nick, Curtis, Kristen

On Saturday morning, we did our first set of Cozumel dives. Divemaster Josué brought us to Palancar Caves for the first dive. There were lots of fish, a turtle, barracuda, etc. Due to technical difficulties (a.k.a. operator error), I didn’t have my camera. There wasn’t anything I really wanted a picture of until the end. Josué did the signal for shark, then he started giving the okay sign. I thought it was a little strange until I saw them. I didn’t know what they were, but I knew they weren’t the friendly nurse sharks that like their bellies rubbed. They were still small, providing me with a false sense of comfort. Curtis told me after the dive that they were blacktip reef sharks. It was the first time I’ve seen a different species while diving, so that was pretty cool.

Here’s one of Curtis’s videos to add a little visual interest.

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