Jillapalooza

IM IN UR OCEAN. EATIN UR CARDZ.

Cozumel – Thursday 12/1

Nothing could have put us in a better mood than seeing boats on the water Thursday morning! The port was finally open and we were able to go diving. When we returned, we had lunch and then chilled for the afternoon. I brought my laptop down to the lobby and worked on color correcting some dive photos, all while sitting in the cool shade with a spectacular view of the ocean. A nice gentleman who was walking behind me even complimented my mad photo skillz, especially one of double queen angelfish (they’re shy little bastards).

Curtis and Kristen did a night dive from shore. I fully intended on going, but I was just too fatigued and opted for a hardcore nap instead. Hopefully I’ll have another chance before the trip is over. I woke up just as they were returning and captured a few pics that totally do not do the sight justice.

For dinner we went to La Choza. Of course Nick just happened to go there solo the night before. Fortunately he was willing to go again despite his less than stellar fajita experience. I’m so glad we went, because it’s the best meal I’ve had while here. I ordered the tropical shrimp, which came in a delicious sweet mustard sauce. They sold the sauce in bottles as well. I was tempted to buy it just so I could drink it. Kristen and I also indulged in noodle soup, which was tasty. We were also serenaded by a Mexican band!

For dessert, we stopped at El Postre Cito. Nick and I shared a chocolate cake. Kristen and Curtis had some pudding thingy with ice cream. Also, I had my first ever cafe latté. It was good. Now I know what all the fuss is about.

Cozumel – Wednesday 11/30

The ports were closed today again. Honestly, it wasn’t that windy nor did it look that rough on the water. The dive shop guy said he was surprised that they hadn’t opened them yesterday (it really had turned out beautiful). We decided, instead of scheduling a dive on Playa del Carmen again, to wait in case the ports opened later in the morning/afternoon.

They didn’t.

Nick went rogue in the afternoon, leaving Curtis, Kristen, and I to have lunch at the Blue Angel restaurant. We indulged in a few Dirty Monkeys (piña colada mix, Kahlua, rum, and bananas). After we ate, Kristen and I headed to the pool (with Dirty Monkeys to go, of course). We sunned and got our drink on. Also, there was planking and pool jumping.

For a very brief period of time, we were going to be responsible and sober up so we could do a shore dive, but then we found out that if the ports are closed, they don’t allow shore dives either. BRK was getting antsy, so we decided to walk to the Oxxo for something to do.

We never made it.

There were some shops Kristen wanted to stop at, so we did a little browsing. Then we came to the resort where MSD stays when they come here. Kristen said there was a drink called the Pink Flamingo (which we later found out from Curtis was actually called a Sea Horse (I can totally see how she could confuse the two. /sarcasm)). The bartender said he didn’t know of a Pink Flamingo, but he did have a drink that was pink. It was blended and contained a bunch of different liquors including rum, spiced rum, Malibu, and brandy. From what I can remember, we were feeling pretty good after that. We made it back to the hotel. Kristen was worried that I’d fall off the sidewalk. It’s a good thing she planked on the way there and not the way back.

Nick informed us that he had lunch at Palmeras while he was in town, which was the place Kristen wanted to try. Because he had a late lunch, the three of us went to town and ate at Palmeras. I was craving American food, so I ordered a cheeseburger. Actually, mostly I just wanted to order un hamburguesa con queso. I can’t help it. When I drink, I want to speak the Spanish. Also, I recall boring the Lahrs with talk about proper grammar. I SWEAR I’M A FUN DRUNK!

After dinner I was fading pretty fast. I crashed (passed out) immediately upon returning to the hotel room. Wait! No, that’s a lie. I tackled Kristen on the bed first. I don’t think she liked my advances. I mean, come on, it wasn’t even naked tackling! Whatever. #awkward

Chac Mool, Dive 59

Dive: 59
Cozumel Dive: 4
Date: 11/29/11
Site: Chac Mool, Playa del Carmen
Avg/Max Depth: 28/42
Temp: 75
TBT/CBT: 0:41/48:10
Buddies: Nick, Curtis, Kristen

I was very concerned about my ears going into the second dive. Delphine told us we were going to surface in one of the caves where there was an air pocket to have a look around. My first descent went well, but I started having serious problems after that. After hanging out at 25 feet for longer than I had patience for with no ear improvement, I gave the up signal for the first time in my diving career. I could see the entry point from where we were and I completely threw in the proverbial towel. Delphine brought me up to about 10 feet and had me descend again very slowly. All was good after that. Well, all except my mask, which decided it was going to leak like a geiser the entire dive.

Overall, it was a great diving experience. I’m really glad we made the trip to the mainland to do them. Words can’t do the cenotes justice, so have a look at one of Curtis’s videos:

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:

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