We met with Nestar Zuniga, the shop manager and dive instructor, signed our papers, paid our $1500 pesos (about $115 USD), and got fitted with wet suits. Juan, a young man studying for his Dive Instructor certification, and Sami the boat captain loaded the gear into the boat and we were off.
Our first dive site, Los Escalones, was about a 10 minute boat ride away. While there was some chop on the surface, once we were under the water, there was just a small surge. We dove at a depth of about 70 feet for 40 minutes. We saw a sting ray, an eel, lobster, groupers, a sea turtle, and lion fish, as well as many different varieties of coral.
After a surface interval, we moved to the second dive site, The Gardens. It was located almost directly in front of the Blue Bay where we are camped! This area has a shallow reef – only about 5-10 feet high in water that is about 45 feet deep. The sandy bottom in this area was stirred up a bit from the surge, so the visibility wasn’t as good. We did see lots of coral and colorful reef fish and more lion fish. After 40 minutes, I was cold and started getting leg cramps, so we returned to the surface. The water temperature is between 80-82°F, chillier than I like!
One of the more interesting aspects of these dives involved a new highlight that this shop has recently started. Nestor and Juan had spear guns and caught six lion fish during our dives, which we took back for lunch. Nestor explained that after Hurricane Katrina, lion fish started showing up in the Caribbean and have been destroying the reef marine life here. Divers and fishermen try to catch them to rid the reef of this predator fish. Watching for these fish added a different twist to the dive.
Chikitas Beach Club (Chikitas Beach Club/Facebook) is located directly south of Dive Life. They fileted the lion fish and cooked it up fajita style. We were served beans, rice, tortillas, guacamole, chips, and drinks. There was almost more than the four of us could eat for $145 (just over $10USD) pesos!
It was 5pm by the time we got back to the RV and we are beat. The rain held off until we got back here! YEAH! Sorry no pictures today, no underwater camera. Send money to….
GPS 18.27014°N, 87.83475°W
2 comments:
Toby and Sue. I've been enjoying your posts and living quite vicariously through you. Thanks! Shari just mentioned something to me and I have to ask. How are you going to get back home in time for game night! Bill
We should be on the west coast of Mexico by game night - come join us!
Sue and Tobey
Post a Comment