MEXICO

Cozumel

Ithink it’s safe to say that many of us in the diving

community are feeling the travel pinch like never before. Quarantines have turned our colorful world into a black and white environment with one day bleeding into the next, shifting plans, shifting policies - all of this sitting around is exhausting!

One place that hasn’t closed its borders though, and is welcoming guests from all over the globe is Mexico. So if you’re ready to exchange your face mask for a dive mask and overdue to get wet, than pack your gear, book your trip and ‘go go go’!

Cozumel is a tiny island in the Caribbean Sea that sits off the eastern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, just across from mainland Mexico, in the state of Quintana Roo. Getting there is easy to do with a small on-island airport that has regular flights arriving and departing daily from all over the US. The seaside resort town has an active and thriving dive community full of ex-pats, great restaurants, all-inclusive dive resorts and private hire lodging like condos, apartments and houses. In addition, many of the ocean-front accommodations are also serviced by private hire dive operations which makes Cozumel an even easier choice for diver/non-diver travel. While shore diving is an easy entry from almost anywhere, accessing the reefs and protected dive parks will require a boat for several reasons, the main being the current. Cozumel is synonymous with drift diving, which attracts divers of all skill levels of course, but also plays a significant roll in the ecology of the marine life found. From the tip of Maracaibo, Punta Sur, where the prevailing current first moves

The current plays a through the Cozumel channel, all the way to Barracuda Reef, the magic of key role in keeping the the moving waters are evident. The underwater habitat current plays a key role in keeping the underwater habitat colorful and colourful and thriving thriving by transporting nutrients and by transporting refreshing the reefs with fresh, cool water. One of the things I enjoyed nutrients and refreshing the reefs the most was the abundance of unusual sponges and the cavernous topography shaped by centuries of with fresh, cool water. One of the things I water movement. At first, the reefs seem featureless and the colors dull, but as the current enjoyed the most was the abundance of carries you closer, the colors begin to emerge and the details of what’s at work here come directly into focus. unusual sponges Jutting pinnacles, cuts, swim-throughs, massive sponges, Gorgonian sea fans, with greens, oranges, yellows and of course the piercing blues - to say I wasn’t ready for this would be a huge understatement. Gratefully, our dive operation supplied us with large (100/120cf) steel tanks jammed with nitrox to ensure that we could soak up as much of the beauty as we could on each dive.

A few weeks ago, Mike Bartick answered a call which had him quickly booking a flight and packing his gear. What happened after that was surprising, reviving and nothing short of inspiring as he escaped to Cozumel, Mexico, in search of fun and freedom

Photographs by Mike Bartick

Canary blennies (also known as the canary fang blenny) are one of the few blenny species that possess enlarged fangs with associated venom sacs which are primarily used as a retaliatory defense and serve as a deterrent to predators.

Most depths ranged above the 90ft mark, averaging around 60ft-65ft, longer dives were easy to do and well appreciated. For some reason though, even with the extended bottom times, the dives passed by way too quickly and had me thirsting for more.

I suppose when folks hear the words ‘drift diving’, they think of flying by the reefs without the ability to slow down or stop. Despite the moving water, we found the reefs offer respite in many places that are easy to tuck into, relax and explore.

My favorite reefs to explore, like the Palancar Reef network, always included a deeper area and a shallow section with a sandy bottom, which are two totally different dives. The sandy area with small bommies tend to be a bit more fishy and usually hid more macro subjects but once the current was moving, hard to stop and shoot photos. The deeper, ocean-facing sections offer a kaleidoscope of colors and dramatic vertical relief with the trademarked Caribbean blue water as a backdrop - it’s easy to get spoiled here. Reef systems like Palancar Bricks, Garden and Horseshoe, Cedral Deep and Columbia Deep are breathtaking and beg for exploring.

I was also surprised at the amount of macro life that can be found around the island. Nudibranchs, interesting crustaceans, and if you like blennies, then you’re in for a treat! The corals, rocks, sponges and seagrass beds are filled with tiny photogenic critters that help to balance out the trip’s portfolio. Some of my favorites are certainly the sailfin blennies. These guys are fast and very challenging to shoot but the

Its all in the name...

The name Cozumel was derived from the Mayan name for the island, ‘Ah Cuzamil Peten’. Translated to English, this means ‘island of the swallows’. Because of this, the swallow is an important symbol to Cozumel’s identity and can be spotted in many motifs, from imprints on sidewalks to artwork originating on the island.

Cozumel is home to three of the seven remaining species of sea turtles, including the loggerhead turtle, the hawksbill, and the green sea turtle.

Cozumel is home to some stunning beaches, including Playa Bonita, Playa El Mirador and Playa de San Martin. One particular beach that deserves a visit is Punta Molas on the northeastern tip of the island. This beach can only be reached with the aid of a 4x4 vehicle, and is also home to the island’s lighthouse.

rewards are high. Take your time and be sure not to crowd them as they can be very shy and will only become active once they feel they are safe.

I prefer a longer lens for the greatest resolution and detail of the sailfins. There are a couple of different varieties here so move slow, watch ahead and look for rapid movements. In addition to the sailfins, I was easily charmed with the bulging eyes and erratic movements of the rough head and spiny head blennies. Nearing the end on one of the dives, the guide called me over pointing ahead in the seagrass, signaling me to get low.

Watching ahead, we spied a pike blenny extending itself up and bobbing its head, aggressively posturing by flaring its gills and flushing with color. I find most blennies to be photogenic and entertaining but this little guy also had a major attitude, especially when it came to other pike blennies.

In the downtown area of Cozumel, the dive site which is aptly named ‘2-boats’ sits just offshore. Although they aren’t the type of wreck that would attract tech divers, they are fantastic to polish up your wreck photography skills. The two-boats or wrecks rest in about 40ft of water on a sandy seabed surrounded by eel grass and concrete blocks adorned with coral and sponge growth.

The colorful blocks lay in daisy chain fashion allowing divers to move from one to the next eventually arriving at the first wreck. The sand around the boats also provides some of the best night diving on the island. The wrecks are relatively small vessels which makes them a snap to navigate and on most days, a diver can see from stern to bow unhampered.

A main goal of the trip was to explore the Cozumel channel for blackwater diving locations and to train one of the dive operations on how to conduct blackwater dives safely. Blackwater diving, which involves drift diving in open ocean at night, enables divers and photographers to get a glimpse of the area’s most-hidden secrets while providing an overview of the ecology in the area.

During blackwater dives, most of the subject matter encountered are gelatinous planktons like salp chains, various types of jellyfish, cephalopods and larval fish which will eventually settle to the

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Up close and personal with a canary blenny

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You can find three species of turtle in Cozumel waters

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Blue skies, calm seas, white sands and palm trees - perfection!

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Dive boat at anchor

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Cozumel is a great location for blackwater diving

There are various tales that Jacques Cousteau filmed a documentary in Cozumel in the 1950s and 1960s, helping usher in scuba tourism to the island, but it appears there is no evidence this actually happened. However, the legend persists to this day.

Created in 1996, the Cozumel Reefs National Marine Park protects a part of the Meso-American reef system – at 700 miles in length, the world’s second largest barrier reef - and its waters host more than 26 species of coral and more than 500 species of fish.

One of the ‘can’t miss’ opportunities to take advantage of while visiting the state of Quintana Roo is diving in the vast networks of the Cenotes

substrate either in deeper water, on the reef or remain nektonic. Our team managed multiple dives and encountered some really promising subjects, from male argonauts and diamond squid and some deepwater subjects like dragonfish too. The blackwater diving in Cozumel shows promise and should be added to every diver’s plan while visiting there.

One of the ‘can’t miss’ opportunities to take advantage of while visiting the state of Quintana Roo is diving in the vast networks of the Cenotes. Cenotes are natural sink holes that dot the landscape interconnected by a slow-moving river of water. While most of the diving is done ‘cavern style’ and being able to see light from almost anywhere throughout the dive, some of these can be true caves, leading divers through a maze of incredible limestone formations. Most of these natural sink holes have been well developed with stairs and dive platforms that locals and visitors use to escape the heat with a cool dip in the gin-clear pools of fresh water.

While many divers visit this area primarily for cave diving in Tulum, staying for days or longer, we wanted to make a single day of it. The ferry system runs people back and forth between Cozumel and Playa Del Carmen every hour, making the adventure possible with the right dive operation. We co-ordinated with the manager at Scuba Playa, who supplied us with everything we needed including being picked up at the ferry port, lunch, tanks, transportation and, of course, a great dive guide, Davide. After a little paperwork, Davide described the cave system that we would visit while considering our skill levels and timing, The Dos Ojos cave system.

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Cozumel also boasts a few shipwrecks

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Arrow crab in case sponge

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The cenotes are a must-dive location

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Cozumel’s reefs are vibrant and colorful

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Pike blennies face off

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Sailfin striking a pose

Toadily true

The splendid toadfish (Sanopus splendidus) is entirely endemic to the island of Cozumel. Unlike other toadfish, the splendid toadfish is known for its bright colors – its head is patterned with black and white stripes, and its fins are a vivid yellow.

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Expect crystal-clear waters in Cozumel

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Topside scenery is stunning Dos Ojos which means ‘two eyes’ offered two separate circuits for us, with each dive lasting 60-70 minutes, The Barbie Line and The Bat Cave. After Davide gave us a solid on-site briefing we prepared our gear and before long we were cruising through crystal-clear, 74 degrees F water among towering stalactites, stalagmites and formations that appeared as melting rock. Both trails lead us through a series of small swim-throughs, huge cavernous rooms, canyons and even a cavern inhabited by bats where we surfaced, had a look and a quick chat before continuing our journey.

For a neophyte to this kind of diving, I found the experience to be remarkable, the photography challenging and the guided dive in this particular system to be totally safe. My only regret was not planning this as a three-day trip so we could explore even more of what the area’s cave systems offer. n

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Cozumel, Mexico

Getting there Numerous daily flights fly directly into Cozumel from Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, Charlotte and Miami, or connect through nearby Cancun.

When to visit You can dive in Cozumel all year round, but be conscious of the hurricane season in September and October and keep an eye on the weather forecast.

Currency The Mexican peso - (US$1 = 21.95MXN), but the US dollar is widely accepted across the island.

Entry Requirements You must have a valid passport, but only need a tourist visa if you are going to be in-country more than 180 days.

Electricity The standard voltage is 127V - all US appliances and devices should work without a power converter.

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