Spring in Mexico: a Heated Experience

A week of incredible heat has been the setting for Mandy and her cats Mexican orientation.  We have seen the hottest temperatures since we have moved here(over 35 degrees) and it did not rain for 1 month!  That dry spell was broken with rain over the last couple of days and a return to a more comfortable temperature range of 29-33 degrees celsius (+30 almost seems chilly by comparison).  The cats having been loving their new friends and their new location so the interaction between the five cats and the 16 turtles has been priceless.  All the cats have been getting along and that is good because we have been out of the house a lot.  We have been finding apartments with Mandy, introducing her to our friends and preparing for more friends to visit as well as our eventual departure.  We are enjoying our remaining time here as much as possible by diving and taking advantage of  the local food, drink and cheer. It is still hard to believe that we will be returning soon but we are looking forward to another amazing road trip, and our reunion with friends and family.  After all our adventures and with all our amazing friends my roots have been firmly anchored here in Cozumel.  There will always be more adventures in the future but my heart will  reside in this island paradise.

Mandy - 26 years old, Seba tree - 400+ years old.

Homer loves feeding the turtles banana.

Mini Mew exploring the yard.

Roxy, Jessica, Ricky and Pepe at the Money Bar.

Froggy

Homer, Mini Mew, Bill, and Kitty wanting to go into the yard.

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Five Cats and a Birthday.

After arriving last night, Loretta, Mandy and her three cats are waking up to a Mexican sunrise.  For Homer, Froggy, and Mini Mew the sights, sounds, and stress of a 12 hour travel day has melted away and now they are left with tropical paradise to explore.  So far all is well between all five of the cats!  We introduced them last night and there was not much drama at all. The were lucky enough to arrive on Liz’s birthday so after unloading at our place, we had some island cheer and closed down El Moro.  This birthday dinner was the summation of a full day of diving and having birthday fun.  Even though the day was long we still celebrated late and the staff at El Moro was more than accommodating by keeping the restaurant open an extra hour just for us.  Today we will allow our guests to settle in somewhat and the we will have to prepare for Liz’s birthday party tonight.  We have been very busy the last week planning for Liz’s birthday, preparing for Mandy’s arrival, planning our return, finishing our taxes, turning on our services at home, servicing the car, etc.  In between the work we have been visiting friends and diving when we can.  Now that most of the work is done we can enjoy our last month here and spend time with our last few visitors before having to face the frigid spring temperatures in the North once again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hasta Luego Amigos!

It has been a bit quiet the last couple days.  Daryl and Nakita are back in Canada, and probably already back at work.  We had lots of great times their last week here including going to the ruins, a few great dives, fun at cantinas, and goodbye parties. 

On the 17th, we went with Wilberth, Nakita and Daryl on  two boat dives.  It would be there last two dives from a boat so we decided to do reef that we had not yet done.  The first dive was on San Francisco Wall.  The wall starts at around 50 feet of depth, and carries on over 1000 feet to the bottom of the ocean.  We followed Wilberth down, and went to a max depth of 150 feet!  The currents have been a bit odd the last few days which led to cold water from the deep to come into shallower water.  The current changed during the dive, so we ascended a bit and drifted with the current.  It worked out great because we saw some really cool things we would have otherwise missed.  There was a rare sea cucumber that rolls (slowly) away if it feels threatened.  Also we saw another Flying Gunard!  We were lucky this time Daryl and Nakita were able to get pictures and video.  The second dive we went to Yucab Reef.  When descending, we could see the point in the water where the cold and warm water mixes.  The water here is normally about 79F, but on this dive it was a frigid 75F.  Might not sound like a huge difference, but when your deep under water it is like a wall of ice!  The reef loves the cold currents that carry nutrients to them and both reefs were bursting with life.  We still were able to see lobster, eel, lion fish and a splendid toadfish as well as hundreds of various other species.  For Nakita and Daryls last dive, we did a shore dive off of Del Mar and went to the plane wreck.  There is lots of fish life, and since it is spawning season there are little fish everywhere.

Daryl, Nakita, Larry, Charlotte, Tim and I all went to the San Gervasio Ruins one day.  It was hot, and always seems to be hotter in the jungle.  We got a tour guide this trip, and while they don’t take you to all the ruins, they are full of great information.  After the tour was over Tim, Nakita, Daryl and I walked out to the large ruin in the back.  We went back to the area Tim had found on our first trip there to look around.  We took some pictures, and headed for a beer to cool off.

On the 20th everyone got together at El Piques for the going away party.  Lots of people made it out and we all ate, drank and had a great time!  After we headed back to our place for a few more drinks.  It was a great night with friends!  The next day, we made it to Primas for breakfast before dropping Daryl and Nakita off at the ferry.  See you guys in Edmonton soon!

 

Spiky Sea-Cucumber.

 

 

 

Flying Gurnard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Splendid Toadfish.

 

 

 

Two Whitespotted Filefish. They look different because they are male and female. Always traveling in pairs, they feed on sponges and stinging corals.

 

 

 

This Scrawled Filefish has dots and dashes of bright blue colour that stay constant while the rest can change to blend with the environment. These can be up to 3 feet long.

 

 

 

A large Midnight Parrot fish like all parrot fish is an efficient recycling machine. Their beaks turn coral and rock into fine sand as they graze the algae from them.

 

 

 

Whats left of the airplane wreck sits upside-down in 25-35 feet of water. The structure is home to many fish, sponges and corals. A favourite shore dive for us we have been here a total of 9 times.

 

 

 

Nakita and Tim at the giant anchor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Yellow Stingray hiding under a formation of Mustard Hill Coral.

March Update.

The last couple weeks have had a lot of comings and goings and more to come.  Nakitas cousin Denise left, and Daryls father along with his step brother Jeff and his two kids arrived.  Daryl and Nakitas time is also running short.  They are staying at our place for there last week here, and are flying home on the 21st.  Since they have to leave so soon, we have been trying to fit everything left to do in to a short time.  Mandy has booked her flight and is heading down here for a while with her kitties and will be getting her on my birthday (April 2).  Also Adam Broderson is going to visit Cozumel with a few friends on April 18th for a week.  They will be staying at a resort, but we look forward to showing them the island.

Cozumel is home to two world-class sailboats that participated in Americas Cup, and since our friend Matt works there we were able to go as a group (9 people) for free!  We boarded the Canadian boat the True North and were assigned our jobs.  Most of us had pretty active jobs like working the winch to being the ships grinders.  After being shown what to do, the race started.  We worked hard and got in the lead!  Wind was good that day, and the boat got moving really fast.  It was great!!  The True North came across the line first and the ref gave the white flag to indicate that we were the official winners.  After a good winning celebration and a drink, I got to pilot the boat!  Thanks Matt for the awesome day! 

We have still be diving lots and Tim hit his 39 dive yesterday!  Most days we go for a shore dive in the morning for exercise.  Every dive is a unique experience as the current and what you see is always different.  Daryl, Nakita, Tim and Monstro took Jeff out for a dive while he was visiting. They saw the baby eagle ray, and a seahorse which can be hard to find.  Tim and I did see two more Flying Gurnards while doing a shore dive, but once again had no camera!  We spent a bit of time following them and were able to get right up close and examine them.  They are pretty rare fish so it was a treat to see two together.  

On the 13th Daryl, Nakita, Tim, and I went out on an afternoon dive of the boat wreck.   The boat is 184 feet long, 33 feet wide, sits in about 80 feet of water.  It was an old Mexican Navy boat that was donated and sunk to serve as an artificial reef.  We toured the whole boat from propellers to engine room and even made a stop in the bathroom.  It was a great dive.  After the wreck dive and our safety stop we went for a twilight dive at Paradise Reef.  The sun was setting over the ocean as we left the boat.  It was neat to see how the ocean changes as night falls.  As the fish become less active the lobsters, eels, crabs, and octopus all come out.  Thanks again to Darly for the great underwater pictures.

Viva Mexico!

Left to right in front: Larry, Charlotte, Denise and Tim. Back row: Chris, Tati, Daryl and Nakita.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pepe and Tim

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adios February

February came to a close with increasing temperatures and more signs of spring.  During the last few days of February the air temperature was 30-32 degrees celsius and it felt like 38 degrees with the humidity.  The sky was blue and the ocean was warm, the water temperature is already rising and was at 27 degrees celsius (81 degrees F) last time we went for a dive.  We had been enjoying the weather by diving a lot and visiting with friends, that was until March rolled in.  A Norte has blown onto the island again, making the seas too rough to dive (the harbour is closed) and causing the air temperature to plummet into the mid 20’s with a cold wind blowing strong.  Twenty five degrees above freezing may not seem cold to the people suffering through a Canadian winter back home, but the “extreme” temperature swing (for the island) has us wearing pants and light sweaters at night instead of shorts and a t-shirt! 

This week we said our final goodbyes to J.P. and Catherine because their five weeks in paradise have come to an end.  They spent the last week of their time here living at “Dave’s Place”, our old apartment.  That is where they had their farewell party and many friends were in attendance.  While they were here they had attained their “Dive Master” certification so their goodbye party was also an initiation of sorts.  J.P. had completed his 100th dive, so complying with tradition he embarked on a naked night dive on paradise reef earlier that week.  Now that they were certified dive masters they also had to pass the “snorkel test.”  As you will see in the pictures below, the test includes chugging a drink through your snorkel tube and then having your mask filled with beer while having to clear it through the nose.  After that they were thrown in the pool and were spanked by a line of people holding diving fins initiation was complete!  We spent the rest of the night celebrating, socializing and enjoying some good BBQ food.  The next day we exchanged a sad goodbye with them as they boarded their plane to Quebec.  Liz and I hope to see you both again!

We also welcomed Denise, Nakitas cousin, on to the island for a week.  Soon after her arrival we took Denise on her maiden voyage under the sea. We Started by snorkeling with her just off the Love Bar beach.  We found many animals just freediving including a rare Flying Gurnard that none of us had seen or heard of before! Too bad we didn’t have a camera with us but I found some pictures to upload just to show how cool it was. Monstro, Nakita and I took Denise for a dive at the Villablanca peer behind La Hach. Daryl and Liz were not there because they were not feeling good.  I took over camera duties while Nakita recorded our dive on film.  There were many species out for viewing and it was another great dive off the shore.  This was my 32nd dive, a far cry from a hundred, maybe next year will be the time for my naked dive.

 

Party at Dave's Place!

 

 

This guy was enjoying the BBQ as much as us.

 

 

Catherine taking the snorkel test.

 

 

J.P. completing his snorkel test.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One thing I've learned while living here is that no party in Mexico is complete without someone getting cake in the face and then thrown in the pool with all their clothes on. Viva Mexico!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I found this small puffer fish swimming around the dock.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Golden Chain Eel was out hunting under the dock as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

An adult Drum Fish.

 

 

 

 

These small filter feeders that grow out of the coral resemble christmas trees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monstro showing a lion fish to Denise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Goat Fish combs the bottom with its whiskers while two Wrasse pick up the leftovers.

 

 

 

Trunk Fish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The black thing is a Sea Cucumber.

 

 

Sharp Tail Eel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smooth Spotted Trunkfish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yellow Stingray.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A school of Blue-striped Grunt Fish and Cotton-wicks.

   

 

A picture of a Flying Gurnard that we found online. I wish we had a camera that day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Flying Gurnard uses its small front fins as "hands." They are able to lift rocks and dig through sand for food. The colorful "wings" are used to deter predators.

Just Another Week in Paradise!

Another week of good times and fun has come to an end.  With just two months remaining in paradise, the return to Canada seems more real than ever.  Dreading returning to the colder and drier climates we have been making the most out of our time.  We wrapped up Carnival this week on Fat Tuesday with a great party and a sad goodbye to our friends, Jackie, Jeff, Lennon and Raceen. Then we spent the rest of the week enjoying ourselves by relaxing, going for good food and diving.  After Carnival I had to swear off alcohol for a while, hopefully my liver will survive to see another Carnival!   We went on a couple of shore dives and a couple of boats dives since Tuesday, taking advantage of the beautiful weather.  It has been really hot here the last week as “spring” starts.  Everything is flowering, we have two new turtle eggs in the yard and the temperatures have soared to the high 30’s when you factor in the humidex!  Just another week in Paradise!

Eric showing off for the ladies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This float Monstro and friends built from 100% recycled materials.

 

 

Marching in the parade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

All the floats are lined up to enter the parade route.

 

 

 

 

Monstros float was a dragon with moving parts, including legs that walked and a bobbing head. Powered by people and made from garbage and recycled materials this float has zero environmental impact!

 

 

 

More Sponge Bob just for Chantel!

 

 

Even a broken leg wont keep people from the parade!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"No Mames," exclaimed Hugo!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Me Gusta Fiestas!

 

 

The entrance to the new harbor. Notice the guy snorkeling in the sediment pool checking to make sure none of it gets out for the safety of the coral reefs.

 

 

On the way to dive the "Devils Throat"

 

 

Wilberth is giving the "Devils Throat" hand signal as we prepare to enter the mouth of the cave already at 80 feet of depth.

 

 

After swimming from the mouth and straight down through the throat we catch a glimpse of the exit. A deep blue hole at 140 feet under, staring out into the abyss of the open ocean.

 

 

 

Can you spot the lion fish?

 

 

A large Barracuda was waiting for us at the exit of a cave.

 

 

Ascending to our safety stop.

 

Which way is up again?

 

 

Blowing air rings is much better for your health than smoke rings. Only slightly less addictive though...

 

 

This guy was waiting for us as we descended on Columbia Shallows.

 

 

We were lucky to spot this tiny juvenile Drum Fish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Trumpet Fish hiding among the corals.

 

 

 

Those little white spotted things eating the coral are called Flamingo Tongues.

 

 

 

Can you see the Rock Fish?

 

 

 

 

 

More Flamingo Tongues.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just incase you get lost.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were lucky to see a large Eagle Ray as the season for them has passed.

 

 

 

 

 

J.P., Catherine, Liz and I celebrating a couple great dives!

 

 

 

The giant orange Iguanas that live near the entrance of the harbour always mark the end of a great day diving

 

Carnival 2012

 This week comes to an end with Carnival!  It has been a great week with friends and now the party has started.  Lennon and Raccen’s wedding was beautiful and meeting their family and friends has been great.  There were many adventures  this week but there have been a couple mis-haps including missed flights and scooter accidents, but  all in all everybody is alive and most have had the time of their lives.

Lennon and Raceen tied the knot under a beautiful sunset on a nice beach.  It was a great ceremony and the island came through with amazing weather.  We all gathered for the wedding, a dinner and some fun.  Many people were there dressed in their island best but that didn’t stop some wedding shenanigans like crazy dances and throwing the groom in the swimming pool!   We had a great meal and many buckets of beer in celebration for the newly weds, it was a great time!

We have been keeping busy with friends and diving.  We said goodbye to Cathrine and J.P. as they have left the island for a five-day motorcycle trip to all the Yucatans Mayan ruins.  We went to rides downtown that have been set up all week for Carnival and had fun on bumper cars and the rollercoaster with some friends. We held a big mango/pool party for our turtles and our kitties, the pictures are below. We also have been shore diving twice this week and we finally found the airplane wreck on the second dive.  It is a good workout to get to it while you swim against the current but there are many sponges and coral formations along the way.  There is a lot of life to see along the reef and at the plane including eels, rays, puffer fish, trigger fish and dozens of parrot fish including a midnight blue parrot that always hangs around the same coral.  Liz and I are on dive 19 and 23 respectively, we just got P.A.D.I. certified at the end of December so we hope to have over 40 by the time we leave!

Carnival is in full swing and we have been downtown every night for the parades and festivals.  The night is alive with colour and music as everyone parties into the early morning. We have been spending our nights hanging out with friends at the “Blue Zone” (Ricky’s beer tent), watching the parades and nightly entertainment, playing carnival games and riding the rides while enjoying great Mexican food and music. Coming up on Tuesday is the parade we can all join in, everyone is getting their costumes ready for the event!

 

 

Turtle Party!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite float, Giant Pastor!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The Blue Zone"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Island Invasion

The population of the island swelled over the last few days due to the influx of Canadians for Lennon and Raccenes wedding.  Jeff has made it back for eleven days and Jackie is with him this time!  All together there are over 50 people who have arrived in the last couple of days!  We have been spending our time having fun and making friends, and we would like to say hola to all who are joining us!

We continued our new exercise routine by doing another shore dive Saturday morning.  It was a fun dive along a familiar reef and we were able to enjoy the water before the rough weather rolled in during the afternoon. Later that day we said goodbye to Daryls parents for now, as they will be back soon for some more Mexican fun later in the year.   Mezcalitos West was finally open so we had dinner and drinks there on Saturday night.

Sunday the 12th was a day for us to relax and get ready for our boat dives on Monday morning.  We hung out with J.P. and Catherine, our new friends from Quebec, went to Primas and played a game of basketball in the courts next to their apartment.  We spent some time relaxing and enjoying the view from the roof of their apartment building, a bonus due to the fact they live in the upper apartment next to the roof access.  Later on we met many of our friends at the Love Bar for the “Love Fest.”  There were a few live bands and fire dancing so the place was packed.  Once we had worked up an appetite we headed to the Burger House downtown for the best burgers in the universe!  Jeff, Jackie, and Nakita joined Liz and I for the midnight snack. 

Monday was a lot of fun starting off with the two boat dives with Lennon, Raccene, Nakita, Daryl, Liz and I.  We went to Columbia for the first and then we dove Cedar Pass for the second.  Besides some technical difficulties for Lennon we had great dives and saw a lot including many sea turtles grazing on sea grass, giant lobsters out for a stroll and a nurse shark in his cave.  After the dives we met up with Hugo, Pepe, Ricky, Jeff, Jackie, Nakita, and Daryl at the Copa Cabana.  We had a great time and Jeff, Jackie and Nakita hit the dance floor with some lucky locals. Later the party moved to Daryls place and the shenanigans continued into the night.  We had a great time!

P.S.  We finally got those pics of dave diving so here they are.

Liz, Tim and Dave

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JP, Catherine, Liz y Yo arriba!

 

 

 

 

 

Love Bar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Gridlock!

 

Jackie, Jeff, Nakita and I.

 

Liz, Ricky, Pepe and Hugo.

 

 

 

 

Jeffs dance moves are irresistible to all the ladys!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adios Amigos

After a four-week vacation from Canada, Dave and Wanita have left for home.  They caught their flight North on Wednesday morning and we can guess that they are already back to their Canadian routine.  Many of our friends have asked about Dave and when he will return, he has made as much of an impression on Mexico as Mexican living did on him.  We also hope to see you back on the island!

Dave and Wanitas last few days were spent ramming in as much island time as they could.  There were many drives to new places and various trips to the beach.  We were able to drive to the North side of the island to show them the raccoons as well as catch a couple sunsets at La Hach.  We ate at all of our favourites restaurants and cantinas including The Fish for lunch and El Moro for a goodbye dinner.  Pancho, Nakita, Daryl, and his parents joined us for their last supper on the night of the 7th. 

After Dave and Wanita left we have been spending our time getting back into our routine.  We got the house and our lives in order and started seeing more of our friends.  We have been swimming everyday and went for an hour-long shore dive yesterday morning for exercise.  We are looking forward to meeting Daryl and Nakitas guests as they now are having non-stop visitors for the next while.  We also have a couple of boat dives booked for next week and soon will be the opening of our friend Hugo’s new cantina the Mezcalitos West. 

Northern island road.

 

Fun in the Sun

 As Dave and Wanitas last week approaches we have been busy with many fun activities. Over the last few days we have enjoyed many different things in Cozumel from relaxing on the beach to going to a wrestling match and an air show.Thursday the 2nd Liz and I took it easy while Dave and Wanita went to Discover Mexico, a museum/attraction which explains the history of the Mayan and the Mexican people. We took the opportunity to relax and visit some of our friends since it has been hard to find time to “hangout” with them because visitors have been here for the last five weeks.

Last Friday (February 3rd) was the night that professional Mexican wrestling came to town. The tickets sold out fast and the place was crowded even though it rained throughout the night. There were matches between the big name wrestlers, women wrestlers, and midget wrestlers, all being filmed for national T.V.! It was an amazing spectacle of acrobatics, costumes and overacting, coupled with a high energy crowd and good food and beer. They had tag-team matches and even triple tag-team matches but my favourite was the tag match between two woman/midget wrestling teams. Folding chairs were turned into twisted metal over the backs of the wrestlers, tables were smashed with power bombs off the top rope, referees were abused, wrestlers left the ring to pick a fight with the crowd, and all while the spectators chanted various insults or cheers in Spanish usually directed at the wrestlers mothers. Many of our friends where there and we all had an amazing time! Too bad it only comes here once a year!

After working off the late night of wrestling we stirred out of bed Saturday and headed for the beach. Dave and Wanita crammed in as much fun and sun as they could, knowing that their days in paradise were numbered. We cruised around the island some more and took a small tour of El Cidrel, a small village that is located South of San Miguel. We wrapped up the day by watching the sun set and the cruise ships leave while drinking margaritas at La Hach. Later that night we went to El Moros for another amazing meal with the best service on the island. We love El Moro!

Sunday we awoke early, packed up the car and drove to the Southern airstrip. We arrived early but there were already many people there and the highway was filling up fast with parked cars. Inside the airport grounds they had many attractions including planes and helicopters you could go inside of, a car and motor cycle show, a military tent filled with all their gear including grenade launchers, M4’s, M80’s, mortars, night vision goggles, camo, etc. Groups of planes did aerobatics right above the crowds (only in Mexico), bi-planes and stunt planes did smoky loops and barrel rolls just meters over the heads of the spectators, and the military did a exercise on the run way. The military exercise was amazing. A flare was dropped on the runway, and out of nowhere a giant marine helicopter flew in full of soldiers. Over a dozen soldiers descended from the helicopter on ropes and secured the area, then they moved forward onto a faux house that had been set up. They set off a stun grenade and exchanged fully auto gunfire (with blanks), then stormed the house and arrested the suspects. Afterwards they landed the helicopter right next to the crowd and everyone could go check it out and get pictures with the military. Later they raced a new Ferrari against a stunt plane up and down the strip, the plane was sideways and just a meter or two off the ground the whole time! It was a great day under a hot sun, and there were so many people there I could have sworn the entire island showed up.

 

 

Turtles love Mango.

 

Bill loves Turtles.

 

Ready to wrestle!