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