[Captain Calamity]

For anyone considering a trip to Cozumel here is a trip report following a couple of weeks diving there in February with Dressel Divers Club, operating out of the Iberostar Cozumel.

Flights were with First Choice, landing on the mainland at Cancun. The two hour transfer by taxi and ferry was straightforward and we were in the sunny Mexican water for our first dive having left the freezing cold UK less just a day before.

The accommodation consists of a number small of thatched buildings with eight guest rooms per building, each with a balcony and hammock (usually covered in drying out dive gear – many of the residents were divers). Mrs Calamity tells me I should report that there is a convenient kids club to leave the little darlings whilst off diving – apparently those of you with children cannot leave them in kennels as we did with our hound.

It is no more than five minutes walk to the dive jetty from anywhere in the resort. There is secure kit storage right next to the jetty (remember to take a medium sized padlock). Iberostar Cozumel is to the south of the island, right next to the best dive sites of Palancar Reef. Although we did not rent any kit, the available equipment seemed to be good quality and well maintained. The tanks are all international A clamp, so either take a DIN adaptor or hire one from Dressel.

Mrs Calamity and I were impressed with Dressel. The resort was full of divers, including a group of forty Canadians that pitched up one day – it wasn’t unusual for sixty divers to turn up for the morning dives. Despite this we were efficiently loaded onto the dive boats and away within half an hour to begin diving. In addition to the large number of divers from our resort alone, the reef is usually crowded with dozens of dive boats from elsewhere on the island. Despite this, on only one of twenty or so dives did we come across another group underwater. The large number of divers from Iberostar was actually a good thing – it meant that the groups (usually six to eight of us) were matched in ability and air consumption, allowing everyone to dive at their own pace, and allowing us to do some more challenging diving when we wished.

Dive briefings were clear, and the divemasters did a good job pointing out the best bits of the sites without being too intrusive. Nitrox was free for certified divers. There was plenty of cold fresh water on each boat, and fresh fruit after each dive. The boats actually return to the jetty between dives for just long enough to grab coffee and a plate of donuts between dives if you hurry. We were there two weeks, and the dive team made the effort to get to know us and make sure that we never did the same thing twice.

Water temperature is 26-28C. Mrs C and I were fine in 5mm full wetsuits, although we are both creatures of comfort and usually not seen diving wet if at all possible. More hardy souls reported that both 3mm shorties and full wetsuits were fine (although the shortie brigade were frequently found cursing and dousing themselves in vinegar post dive, so some sort of stinger suit is advisable).

Highlights of the trip included the turtles, which often swam casually between the divers, completely unfazed by our presence, and the barracuda and eagle rays. The reefs were amazing, with very pretty sponge formations and usual teeming array of tropical fish. The night dive we did was probably our best ever, drifting in a moderate current and seeing huge morays and octopus out feeding on the reef. Rumours of a whale sighting were sadly dispelled when it was discovered that the whale was, in fact, a rather large lady celebrating her hundredth dive in the buff.

Another highlight of the fortnight was cavern diving on the mainland in the Cenotes. This was also organised by Dressel, and any apprehension about venturing underground into an overhead environment was quickly dispelled by the excellent pre dive training, professional dive leading, and the absolutely stunning clear water (it was like swimming through air at times). I can now understand why cave divers get bitten so hard by the bug.

All in all I would say that this was the best diving we have seen in the Caribbean, rivalling the Barrier Reef (and we are told that the diving here is nowhere near as good as it was before hurricane Wilma tore the reef up and smothered it in sand). Generally Mrs Calamity and I never return to the same place twice as there are far too many places we want to dive, but this one I definitely could return to.

Finally, I should pass on some advice from a mainland dive guide we met during our Cenotes dive - the diving from the mainland is not nearly so good as Cozumel. If the main objective of your trip is diving then choose Cozumel, on the other hand if it is a mixed sightseeing and diving trip the mainland would be the better choice.

CC