2004 July - Diving Trip to Cozumel,
Mexico
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With a couple weeks between jobs, a trip to relax and restore seemed
in order.
- 07 july 2004 - 15 july 2004 -
Equipped with a new camera (b&h)
Canon
S60 along with underwater
housing
I was assured of not being too gadgetless (as if diving is not equipment
intensive enough).
The camera is compact and talented - has a white balance setting for
underwater shots built-in !
I had made dive shop contacts and a reservation at the convenient Barracuda
hotel.
I was in a recreation groove. While diving and touring, I took over
900 pics of :
f ishes ( pezes ), people, plants, playas, preserved antiquities.
Except for re-sizing, most of these pics are unadjusted from the camera
- enjoy! L
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I hadn't been SCUBA diving for nine years so
it was time to get wet again. Cozumel gets high marks for the drift
diving of the reefs in the currents between Isla Cozumel and the
Yucatan mainland.
The typical recreational drift dive seems to go to around 60-100
feet (20-30 meters) bottom depth and lasts close to an hour. The
diveboat drops you off at the southern end of your intended dive
site. Along with your dive group the sea currents take you at a
knot or two, North, along the dive site. The boat has been following
you and picks you up at the end.
Diving was comfortable and thrilling - and the camera worked superbly.
There's little else as relaxing as floating along underwater with
the sealife and your own breath for company. There are several shots
of schooling behaviors, and movies. Can you ID any of the fish without
designations? The people you meet diving are always great too. [
greetings to dive pals! ]
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The city of Cozumel is the only major
city on the island of the same name. The seaside section accomodates
the dive tourists and recently the cruise ships' passengers by the
thousands to sweat and buy Mexican liquor and jewelry of all levels
of quality and popular style. It is easy to walk around the compact
tourist section. There seems to be a local passion for large promotional
shop-side sculptural props.
One day off from diving I got a scooter and toured the island of
Cozumel. That includes a visit to SanGervasio (separate
section), and it includes the largely undeveloped eastern coast
of the island.
I took the same shot from the balcony of my room at the Barracuda
Hotel several times over the nine days I was there. They show how
different the weather can be day-to-day. There's probably more to
them than that but that's what often got my attention in them.
The construction pics are there for those who are curious about
that kind of thing. And anyone who thinks I escaped the watermain
construction sounds that are common back home in the mornings can
look for the genetically-engineered-chainsaw trenching machine that
kicked in across the street inland from the Barracuda around 7am
most weekdays. Yes, they were installing water mains with the trencher.
It was almost as loud as the ceiling fan in my room.
It was so hot there that I saw more than one brasero with sandals
on the other end from his hardhat. Sometimes the construction work
proceeds at night and there is a shot of guys building columns on
the cruise ship pier. Guys on the ground are throwing cut pieces
of lumber up to the guys on top who are building casting forms for
the next section of concrete.
Jeanies waffle place is close to the Barracuda and had the best
hash-browns/black beans/bagel combo anywhere. I ate there several
times.
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San Gervasio was the principle preColombian Mayan city on Isla
Cozumel. Mayan ruins have been excavated nicely and it is easy to
stroll through what was once a bustling commercial and political
center - a millenium ago. Stone buildings housed the government
functions and residents. Paved (coral, now worn and eroded) paths
connected the sets of buildings of the complex. Signs are in three
languages : Spanish, Mayan, and English. It was really hot and humid
and I wondered if the some folks back then spent the summer in Tulum
where there is the breeze and beach and a reef. |
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On the day before returning home I took a ferry/bus excursion
to the Mayan ruins on the mainland coast at Tulum. This is the site
of first contact of Spanish with Mayans. Some people say that "Tulum"
is a Mayan word that means "I brake for iguanas". It rained
hard during the last part of ferry back. |
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The charger for the camera battery somehow stayed home so I
made an afternoon ferry/bus trip on my 2nd day to the Mall de Las
Americas in Cancun to get a universal lithium battery charger. That
worked ! |
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Flying home I had a window seat. |
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Shows the look and the sounds of drift diving, schooling fish
behaviors.
Big Files ! AVI movies from the Canon S60, uncut. |
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