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Dive Review of Papa Hogs/Reef Residencias - At Home in Cozml in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan

Papa Hogs/Reef Residencias - At Home in Cozml, Sep, 2006,

by Bob Sugarman, Fl, USA . Report 2885.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 4 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 3 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments Papa Hogs is a first class operation. Each morning, a small six-pack, with a captain & divemaster, would pick us up at the dock about a quarter mile from our condo. For 5 of the 6 days, only the 4 of us in our group were on the boat. Our nitrox tanks, BCs, and regs were all set up, having been rinsed and stored from the day before. We asked that Sergio be our divemaster all week and the request was cheerully honored. Sergio asked where we wanted to dive each day and if we didn't have a preference, he suggested a nice variety of sites. Not much in the way of briefings but he led us on each drift, looking out for us and showing us things of interest. We could dive our own profiles or follow him and the captain was always quick to spot us and pick us up, asking us to doff our BCs in the water and hoisting them up before we climbed the ladder. Surface intervals were on the beach and lasted about an hour. The reefs below 30 feet are still covered with sand from 2005 Hurricane Wilma but the color and fish life at shallow depths were plentiful. Saw several tutles, lots of cudas, a few nurse sharks, plentiful rays, and a few sightings, thanks to Sergio, of the endemic splendid toadfish. I would definitely return to Papa Hogs in a few years after the currents sweep the sand off the reefs. Residencias Reef is a fairly isolated but luxurious condo 10 minute drive from town -- definintely need to rent a car. The condos are large, equipped with everything (ours #5240 even had golf clubs, beach rafts, and bottled water) with great beach views, but ask for one with English rather than Spanish satellite TV. Also inquire about any construction or power outages planned, as we had one day without power and hadn't been advised in advance (altho our rent for that day was refunded.) The beach and grounds are groomed each day and the pool large. Each evening we drove into town and ate tasty grilled fresh seafood at restaurants receommended by Divemaster Sergio. It was offseason when we went in September, so it wasn't crowded although the town fills up when the mega cruise ships dock, but they were gone by dinner time. A nice week of attractive, pleasant but unexciting diving (except for one day when Sergio took us for an exhilirating drift in a strong current that was as exciting as a theme park roller coaster -- we were all smiles afterwards) with full service and comfortable accomodations.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 501-1000 dives
Where else diving Cancun, Riviera Maya, Great Barrier Reef, Hawaii, Bahamas, Caymans, Grand Turk, Florida Keys, Miami & Ft. Lauderdale
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather cloudy Seas calm, surge
Water Temp 83-84°F / 28-29°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 0-0 Ft/ 0-0 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions 700 psi upon ascent
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 2 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 3 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter N/A Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's N/A Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments [None]
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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