Cozumel

Aqua Safari, La Bahia Hotel, November, 1994. "Hotel noisy due to construction next door. Variety of good food at many restaurants. Good place to go with a nondiver. Lots of places to party in evening. . . . Lots of caverns to go through on first deep dive (depth 85­100 feet). Always a slight to moderate current, making photography a one­shot attempt. Shallow second dives have lots of tropicals, but are all similar backbone reefs with little changes in scenery. Too many divers on the reef. Several dive parties dove through our group, a divemaster from another party started to feed a moray and ruined my shot. 78­81 degrees water, 50­100 foot vis" C. Runnels, W. Richland, WA

Aqua Safari, Plaza Las Glorias, August, 1995 "Nice resort, walking distance to town gave lots of flexibility, big rooms, simply furnished. Lots of hot water and place to store your gear. Food acceptable. Personnel helpful. We had five year old with us and they arranged sitters. Dive operation Aqua Safari on site. They were also accommodating about child. Boats OK, not especially fast. Boats crowded - usually 13-15 divers plus two divemasters make for crowded conditions in boat and in water. You dive with same group and divemasters all week, which has its pluses (don't repeat reefs) and minuses (stuck with inexperienced divers). Couldn't dive own profile; had to stay together as group that was most disappointing especially as little current. . . . Coral: spectacular formations, particularly Columbia Reef very interesting. Few large fish anywhere though saw many angel fish. Night diving good: octopus plentiful. Would return but it takes too damn long to get there." Nancy Cohn, NYC, NY

Argonaut Divers, February, 1995. "Deep dives were good -­ healthy reef and some larger fish shallow 35'-50;' dives were all in strong current. Difficult to see anything small when moving at that speed. Our group was two couples and we were able to get a private boat and dive guide for $50/person for each two-tank dive outing plus no charge tanks for shore dives. This allowed us to dive where and how we wanted to. Anon., Minneapolis, MN

Blue Bubbles, Villa Las Ancias, September, 1994. "Although visibility was more limited than in past due to rains and runoff from shore, diving Cozumel is always a treat. . . . Villa Las Ancias is superb (kitchenette, loft bedroom, spiral staircase, living room, dining area). Only eight units so reservations are a must. Blue Bubbles immediately nearby and boat pickup is one block away. All located in downtown San Miguel. No taxis are necessary. Recommend 'El Pase Cedral' for a good dive site (turtles, large Nassau groupers, crabs, tunnels, caves, barracudas, etc.). Current varies. Palancar Reef continues to be an outstanding site (Palancar Horseshoe particularly so). Blue Bubbles operates small boats (maximum six plus guide)." Jake & Janet Wager, Bakersfield, CA

Caballito del Caribe, Plaza Las Glorias, August, 1995. "Our 4th trip to Cozumel. Spacious clean suites and within easy walk to town. Food at hotel is expensive and of average quality. There are many good restaurants in San Miguel including Pepe's, La Prima, Pancho's Backyard; Morgans and the Mission. Caballito del Caribe is the best dive operator that we have found in Cozumel. It is a small operation that uses three fast boats. Each has ample room for 6-8 divers. We seldom had more than five divers on board. . . . The divemaster, Israel, was excellent. He went out of his way to take us to good dive sites; and he spent the dive locating interesting critters including lots of moray as well as sharks and turtles. We dove sites that we have not been able to visit in three prior trips including Barracuda and San Juan at the north end of the island. This dive operation is excellent, particularly for experienced divers who want to get to some different and exciting dive sites on Cozumel. The only negative was the lack of a rinse tank for cameras on the boats." Frank R. Rudy, Camp Hill, PA

Caribbean Divers, July, 1995. "Cozumel dive operators now enforce strict rules. Must be accompanied by guide, everybody up with first diver up. Must stick together. Impossible to photograph under these circumstances. Can't be recommended any more for other than beginners." Richard Starrett, Los Gatos, CA

Cha Cha Cha, June, 1994. "Divemaster Edmundo Torres the best divemaster I've work with at being adept at the area and quite safety­conscious. He is a veteran of 11,000 dives in the area and made all the dive trips exciting in terms of underwater sea life and the tides and currents and the coral. He is better with the moderate­to­advanced divers and he certainly enjoys doing challenging dives. He also takes beginning divers, but when there is a mix of divers it is not as enjoyable as the solid class of divers. His boat accommodates approximately six divers. He can accommodate larger groups with more planning. A reputable dive operator who can give you a lot of adventure and an enjoyable trip." E.F., Albany, NY

Chino's Dive Shop, Diamond Resort, December, 1994. "Chose Diamond because it had a kids program year round, all inclusive, and near dive sites. We have been to Cozumel three times before and stayed at different locations. . . . Good things: rooms nice, grounds nice, drink and food plentiful and good for buffet. Lots of variety and drinks and snacks available around pool in the afternoon (all drinks included). Staff friendly and helpful, nice sandy beach. . . . Bad things: the roofs of the rooms were thatched and therefore sound traveled easily and rooms had TV's and radios ­­ you heard your neighbor's shoes and voices often. . . . But we did not spend much time in our rooms. We were there off season so there were few kids. The kid's program was not organized. It may be better when they have more kids. Started at 10:00 a.m. and we needed to leave for diving by 8:30 or 9:00. A staff person watched our six year old until the program started (free). You could hire a sitter but they same from town and you had to pay for their transportation both ways ($20). Hotel is far away from town and a taxi ride is $10 each way . . . Diving in Cozumel is always great. Lots of coral, fish, quite a few mantas and two turtles. Dive shop at hotel convenient but not friendly or accommodating. They used the larger, slower boats and came back to the dock between dives. So they would not take you to some nicer southern reefs to dive. So much for being closer to the reefs. They said they had smaller boats but when we asked about them they would not use them. They were also slightly more expensive than places in town. The divemasters that went with us were nice and tried to be accommodating (within their limitations). . . . We changed to Chino's dive shop in town after two days. We have used them before. They picked us up at the hotel dock everyday right on time and used the faster, smaller boats. They took us to the reefs we wanted and knew the unnamed reefs that were great spots. Never had more than five in the boat and they allowed us to dive our own profile. One day some other people that were diving with the shop did not show up so they took us out alone. It was great. We went to Punta Sur and one other unnamed spot that was great." Cindy & Randy Donham, Irvine, CA

Cinpatica Charters, April, 1995. "The most accommodating outfit you will encounter. They will go anywhere that divers are qualified to go. Boats are never crowded with a maximum of eight divers (and usually with less). Relaxed schedule with long surface intervals including stops at beach front restaurants. Divers are allowed to follow computers. Besides typical Cozumel dive delights, (Punta Sur, Columbia Deep, Cedral Wall, Punta Tunich, etc.) this is one of the few shops that will take divers to the Ocean side for a chance to see the pristine reefs that many say no longer exist in Cozumel. Because this is not a large outfit, there sometimes aren't as many dives to choose from as we would like. For example, only a single morning trip or afternoon trip available on certain days." Joel & Mary Anne Kluger, Chapel Hill, NC

Club Cozumel Caribe, April, 1995. "The dive operation was good for those who were satisfied with guided drift dives. The night dive was not the best; our rapid drift made photography difficult. . . . Rooms were adequate - ours, a corner suite, was spacious. Evening activities advertised by Club Cozumel Caribe did not live up to expectations. The quality and selection of food (included in the price) was poor. . . . We visited (and friends stayed at) the Diamond Resort and found it to be a far superior facility - good food, entertainment, rooms, drink, pool, and a wonderful white sand beach." Jim & Marilyn Skelley, San Diego, CA

Cozumel Equalizers, March, 1995. "On our orientation shore dive, dive master/owner Darwin told us to swim with the current until 1500 psi and then return to our entry point. When I questioned the plan he told me my fins were no good. On another dive he had us swim against the current for 20 minutes, until I complained on my slate. After the dive he told us we were in trouble. His briefings never covered overhead environments or contingency plans unless I asked. He was imperious and blamed the divers (his customers) for everything that went wrong." Samuel R. Wheatman, Colorado Springs, CO

Cozumel Equalizers, Plaza Las Glorias, April, 1995. "A great combo, Plaza Las Glorias and Cozumel Equalizers. I was impressed with the hotel, diving and friendliness of the island. Carlos and Charlie's was as wild as the diving." Bill Roe, Rocky Hill, CT

Discover Diving, August, 1995. "Our seventh visit to Cozumel. Discover Diving is our consistent choice because of service we receive. The owner made it clear, early, that if there was something we didn't like, it would be changed. In all our diving, this is the safest, and consistently excellent operation we've used. It's a real treat to be served fresh fruit and sandwiches between dives. Our gear was always prepared for our dives; there was always a place to put dry clothes and a bucket to dunk cameras. . . . Increase in cruise ships has caused an increase in people pushing rental cars, mopeds, and timeshare condominiums. For the first time we also saw children selling goods on the streets." Cynthia Ledbetter, Plano, TX

Dive House, May, 1995. "Cozumel is not for novice divers, yet dive operators must balance their needs with experienced divers. Dive House was terrific (the first Cozumel operator we really liked). Small groups (8-12), professional crew; we booked several days of special diving on their 6-pack, and got to do the dives we wanted, the way we wanted. Hats off to DM Juan Gutierrez, manager, Evelyn, and the rest of Dive House." Harris Friedberg & Mel McCombie, New Haven, CT

Dive House, Fiesta Americana, July, 1995. "Dive House staff friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive. Would pick a different time of year due to humidity. Otherwise was great." Dave Pearsall, Chesapeake, VA

Dive Palancar, Diamond Resort, October, 1994. "All inclusive resort at southern tip of Cozumel. 5-10 minutes to reef. One tank trips - four a day if you want. Nice pool, resort is noisy at night due to activities and fun. If you like to party -OK - if not, hard to sleep. Food is just OK and you are a long way from town." F & V Morabito, Williamsville, NY

Dive Palancar, Diamond Resort, November, 1994. Good stuff: Proximity to dive sites. The southern most dive operation in Cozumel, 5­10 minutes from the most popular dive sites. So close that boats return after each dive (no two tank dives with surface interval on board). This maximizes time for nondiving activities and is ideal for families or groups with nondivers. . . . Dive Palancar is well run and will organize special trips for advanced divers to sites such as Punta Sur and Maracaibo. Despite publicized 85' depth limit, divemasters will take a recognizably experienced diver to 130' if there is something to see. Although some experienced divers regard Cozumel as passe, after many trips this diver finds Cozumel diving consistently good any time of the year. He still ranks Paso del Cedral as his all time favorite shallow site. Dive Palancar offers excellent snorkel trips to Palancar and Santa Rosa. This diver even opted for the snorkel trips rather than dive less favored sites such as Paradiso, Chacanab or Los Colones. . . . Diamond Resort is an all-inclusive 'Club Med' style resort, with organized activities for children, free water sports and nightly entertainment. The food was excellent with great variety. . . . Bad stuff: Small, unimpressive rooms and persistent odor from on-site water treatment plant. For night life enthusiasts, it is an expensive cab ride to town. Jim Parkhill, McAllen, TX

Dive Paradise, Barracuda Hotel, September, 1994."Many more fish than last year; more approachable for photography, less skittish. Saw no pelagics, because there was a major storm the week before we got there." S. Jaqua, Stanton, CA

Dive Paradise, December, 1994. "The coral on dives like Santa Rosa was magnificent. Centuries of growth of coral upon coral of various kinds. Not just acres of brain coral, like Molokini. The pod of 15 dolphins was extra special: it was mating season. I had a wonderful time. The strong currents made for fabulously fast drift diving. Feeding and hugging the eels was cool." Clayton Fuller, Chula Vista, CA

Dive Paradise, Melia Mayan Cozumel, January 1995. "All inclusive plan. Plenty of good, sometimes great food. Never any limit. Unlimited alcohol at beach palapa; good Mexican beers. Indoor bars­anything. People great - will go back." Gary Banas, Leesburg, VA

Dive Paradise, April, 1995. "One of the best run and the largest dive operations on Cozumel with more dive options than anyone else. Choose from sixpack fast boats or larger but lower priced slow boats. Multiple departures of both virtually every morning and afternoon. Three tank packages available. Night dives almost every night. EDP for advanced divers. All dive masters speak English and are sensitive to the health of the reef. Inexpensive air/hotel/dive packages available. Bad stuff: While not a problem that is unique to Dive Paradise, unless you bring 4-6 divers along, you sometimes find yourself on boats with divers of mixed levels of experience. Advanced divers should ask for EDP." Joel & Mary Anne Luger, Chapel Hill, NC

Dive Paradise, Dive House, Aqua Safari, Blue Bubbles, El Presidente Hotel, July, 1995. "El Presidente always clean and nice - no surprises. I believe it to be the nicest hotel on island. Dive Paradise: small boats good. Shop professional. Clear up where you want to dive in shop, not in boat. Deep dives are mandatory to clear before going out. Even if group agrees. Dive House: only did a couple of dives with them but seemed fine. Aqua Safari: nicest fast boat, but is hard to book. Blue Bubbles: most flexible for deeper dives and special requests." Mike Parra, Irving, TX

Dive Paradise, Plaza Las Glorias, August, 1995. "Plaza Las Glorias' excellent service made up for rundown rooms. Ours had a broken phone, toilet and lighting problems, but a great view. Renee 'Apple' Applegate now is owner of Dive Paradise and doing a fantastic and difficult job. Her boats were great, fills 2950­ 3250, good divemasters, especially Herman. 130 foot depth limit, water 82­85, vis 100­200 ft." David Astor, M.D. and Lynn Turner, Berkeley, CA

Fantasia Divers, April, 1995. "People are friendly and nice in Cozumel. You get a lot for your money at the current exchange rate, i.e. a five-mile taxi ride is $2 and there are places to eat cheaply but well. . . . The dive operation was professional, friendly and helpful. If you book a two-tank dive you can get free tanks for shore diving (unlimited). While drift diving is really not for beginners, the reefs and marine life are awesome. Dive boat never crammed. Limited divers are put on all boats but they are slow. Watch the current -­ it can change and get strong." Gregory Lynn, Smyrna, GA

Fiesta Americana, May, 1995. "The water was choppy, so the visibility was not as good as in December '94. Hotel was excellent." Daniel Doris, Tulsa, OK

Galapago Inn, October, 1994. "Every time I go, the Inn gets a little bigger (fifth trip). The Inn was extremely clean, as usual, and the food remains good. Breakfast is buffet (with the hot entrees alternating every other day), which can lead to a long line (get there 5­10 minutes before 7 a.m.). Dinner in two shifts, one at six p.m. the other at eight p.m. Coffee was available at 6:30 a.m.. They have a nice bar downstairs with satellite TV for the sport nuts like me, and a VCR for viewing the day's taping. The staff is friendly and helpful; they seem to love helping the Gringos speak better Spanish (and, of course, they in turn are trying to improve their knowledge of English). All rooms have good air­conditioning as well as a small refrigerator to keep your beer and soda cold. The room was made up at least twice a day (while out on the morning dive and again after return from lunch). . . . The diving operation is topnotch. All boats carried oxygen. We often left before the stated departure time (8:30 a.m.), unless some inconsiderate diver made the boat wait for them. I prefer the older boats (Happy Bubbles being my favorite) because they carry fewer divers. The Reef Cat and Dive Cat (really nice boats with lots of space) go out with usually 20­24 divers, which are broken into two groups. I seemed that somehow, those two groups usually merged somewhere. . . . Dive guides did an admirable job. My only bitch: they seemed not to want us to use our computers at first. However, when they realized that we could take care of ourselves, they usually left us somewhat alone. But they still wouldn't let us extend our dive times too much. There was one dive when I was first in the water, and the last out, and I still had 1,250 psi left (I'm a big guy, 6'5", 250 pounds, and am not the most conservative air user). I hate wasting air like that. . . . Predive briefings were always complete with emphasis placed on safety and not touching anything. The diving was good, with plenty to see. I shot lots of print film and had it developed in town, for $19 per roll (36 exposures) with one hour service. If you wanted to do an extra day of boat diving (always two­tank dives), it cost $40 plus 10% tax. Night dives (one­tank) cost $25 plus tax. . . . We dove Paradise Reef several times (both day and night). This is where the new International Pier is to be built. The locals put signs down there telling us that the next time we return, that dive site will be gone. This island is getting too populated. Too many dive shops, hotels, restaurants, bars. But it's still one of the best deals for the money. I love the island and its people." Bill Knoblauch, Fair Oaks, CA

Galapago Inn, February, 1995. "Good dive spot for the slightly advan-ced diver. My fourth time to this spot." Mark N. Goldstein, Baltimore, MD

Galapago Inn, April 1995. "Great family place for diving teenagers; they can visit Carlos and Charlie's and other fun spots. Experienced divers might get bored by lack of big fish and by repetitiveness of diving - they would enjoy it more if they were photographers. Shallow reefs, particularly 'Tormentos' were full of great photo ops. We all wanted to dive spectacular reefs -­ Palancar, Santa Rosa, Columbia - but by third day most on the boat were bored and we spent the last two days on shallow reefs and enjoyed the aquarium-like conditions and photo ops. Drift diving in modest currents comfortable and obviates need for long swims to boat and concerns about underwater navigation. . . . Convenient and good food but enjoy trying restaurants in town. Recommend motor bike rental and visit the light house south end (2-3 hour trip) and have lunch with family that tends the light. Not a restaurant but at their residence (no signs)." Margo & Lowell Greenberg, Palos Verde Estates, CA

Galapago Inn, April, 1995. "Good drift diving. Lots of big groupers, big turtle. Splendid toadfish. Plenty of macro subjects. Best night dive ever at Paradise Reef. Saw a dozen octopuses, hunting morays, slipper lobster, hermit crabs, shrimp, basket stars. According to tour boat operators this is a dead reef? If they build a pier here it will be a terrible loss. . . . Bad stuff: idiot dive guide from another resort molested friendly turtle. Seemed to think we wanted pictures of him riding it. Our guide had more respect for the sea life. Rides to good sites are fairly long. Only morning two tank boats. Shore diving limited. Shop never open, but there was a store across the street. Can't drink the water even in rooms but safe water available at bar and dining area." Rick & Betsy Agar, Cincinnati, OH

Galapago Inn, July, 1995. "The best just keeps getting better. Our third trip to the Galapago and the first time during the busy season. They have made several changes: They've added an additional dining room downstairs where they serve a buffet breakfast so you can eat as much or as little as you want. You can have a leisurely breakfast or 'wolf it down' in the true early morning diver tradition. They serve lunch both upstairs and downstairs and dinner is served upstairs in two seatings. Still the best waiters I've ever seen. No one can leave there without being taught a little Spanish or, in my case, having my Spanish politely corrected. . . . Rooms are still clean and old air conditioners are being replaced with newer, quieter ones. Try not to get a room on the third floor, the views are great but the climb is a bitch. They've added freshwater showers outside and increased the number of dive lockers. There is expanded shopping across the street, it's a short walk to town, and the food is still the best on the island. The Fiesta is way fun. . . . Dive operation first rate. They've added the new Reef Cat and still have the smaller boats but they don't overcrowd them even when the resort is full. Dive guides stay there season after season. Best briefing I've had in a long time. Firm about safety stops, insisting on them. Said because they depend on them for their living, if we touched the reef or harmed it in any way we'd be fish food. They group divers by experience and keep the groups together with the same guide for the whole week. If you're good boys and girls they reward you by taking you to the guide's favorite spot. . . . Bad stuff: Cozumel is getting too popular. Like Grand Central Station on the reefs, almost went to the wrong boat and picked up extra people on our boat. If you have the time, check out the decompression chamber on the island - professional, made me feel even safer and happy to pay my DAN fees." Mark Caplin, Livermore, CA

Galapago Inn, August, 1995. "Overall a good trip. Good diving. VIS varied as did currents, which at times were strong. Inn well run, as was the diving operation; nothing bad to report." Hank Golchman, LA, CA

Marine Sports, Fiesta Inn, April, 1995. "Marine sports staff friendly and allowed us to computer dive. Boats are slow, reek of diesel fumes and are uncomfortable. Divemasters were great and took us to excellent dive sites. The Fiesta Inn was a mediocre hotel. Great pool, but rooms, though relatively comfortable, were in need of work. All rooms had a musty, rotting carpet odor. Mattresses were hardest I have ever slept on. Food there was good, but service was bad." Anon.

Marina Sports, Fiesta Inn, August, 1995. "Lots of small fish. Some large groupers, eels and huge parrot fish on night dive. Dive operation excellent; they were helpful with gear and knowledge. Let you use computer profile. Mild current (drift dives). Rained off and on for or five days so visibility was down in the 50-70' range. Great trip for our group: two newly certified, five with up to two years diving, one instructor." Alan Taylor, Culver City, CA

Playa Del Carmen, Continental Plaza Playacar, March, 1995. "Drift dives. One one dive saw big barrel sponges, crabs, nurse shark, lobster, eels, pipefish and two huge turtles ­­ one was so old barnacles were all over it." Steve Neal, Fairfield, TX

Plaza Las Glorias, July, 1995. "Cozumel is still a good value. Airfare, hotels, and food are reasonable, and the diving is still pretty good. The dive operation at the Plaza Las Glorias was pretty good, but the boats were too crowded for me. We hired a dive guide named 'Blondie' who was excellent and didn't allow more than eight divers on his boat." Janice Parmelee, New Orleans, LA

Scuba Cozumal, Galapago Inn, November, 1994. "Hotel accommodations very good, dive operation well­run but could be a cattle herd if stuck on large boat with 20+ people. Reefs overdived with a lot of damage, too many boats dive reef at same time, not nearly the number of fish of Roatan or the colors of coral in Bonaire. No beach diving that is worth the effort. Night boat dives expensive and not included in package." Jack Reshatoff, Walnut Creek, CA

Scuba Cozumel, Galapago Inn, April, 1995. "Scuba Cozumel, the resident dive operation, was outstanding. . . . The food service manager was a joy to deal with and set no limits on providing a memorable experience. Water 82­84 degrees." Dallas Kelly, Cincinatti, Ohio.

Scuba Cozumel, Galapago Inn, August, 1995. "Great accommodations. Wonderful food all-inclusive package for food, room and dives. Great service and likable and helpful dive staff and hotel staff. Best dive vacation I've ever been on. Great to see dolphins in schools. Had never done much drift diving before which took some getting used to. Learned lots of new things." Cathi Sumner, Fredonic, KS

Scuba Shack, Casa del Mar, June, 1995. "Air conditioner in first room did not work. Air conditioner in second room was noisy. Did not always have drinking water available. Rooms are small. Staff is nice and appears to be doing the best they can with what they have. Food and drinks excellent. Location good. I will not stay here again. First day I was the only diver on the boat - cool. Second day there were eight divers. Pepe was helpful. Excellent facilities - dip tank, shower and lockers." Norman Ross, Abilene, TX

Yucatan

Akumal

Akumal Dive, January, 1995. "A bad month to go to Akumal - constant wind and surges lower visibility and make diving rough. Dive shop runs short dives only. Shallow dives 50-60 feet for 35 minutes is a norm and I always returned with 1000 or more psi. You have to carry all your stuff across the beach into a bag to the boat. Didn't enjoy their service at all." Mark Schneider, Stony Brook, NY

Akumal Dive, Summer, 1995. "Cenote diving is unique to this area. Akumal Dive Shop is good and will arrange hotel/condo, all diving and instruction through cave certification. Water 85°, visibility 60­150 ft. . . . Nice condo. Would have been a ten if air­conditioned. Three good restaurants; modest prices." Cal Emery, Harker Heights, TX

Cancun

El Dorado Resort, August, 1995. "Looked at all the resorts along Cancun­Tulum Corridor. El Dorado was not the biggest, but by far the best." Burt Hoffpauir, Kaplan, LA.

Club Med Cancun, September, 1995. "Club Med is Club Med. Lot of fun and water sports. The water was warm, didn't wear a wetsuit, but the visibility wasn't great (40­60 feet). However, I enjoyed diving here. Problem. Most of the time you can only do one dive. Their equipment was satisfactory but missing depth gauges. Air was in bars that I'm not used too. Sites not deeper than 70 feet; 83­86 degree water. They had fabulous dive excursions to Cozumel and cave diving, which I didn't take advantage of. (I brought my own diving gear but didn't use it because I would have to walk a half mile with it in 100 degree heat.). The food was so great ­- almost gourmet." K. Caryn Spear, N.Y.C., N.Y.

Manta Divers, Costa Real Hotel, June, 1995. "Fairly new dive operation run by two young couples who work hard to give a quality product. Called us in the states before the trip to set up details and private trip with my party of four (all for regular budget price). . . . Offers surprisingly good diving for a heavily frequented tourist area. Many calm, shallow dive sites, huge schools of grunts. Owner Audrey Barceinas took extra care of two recent open water graduates, performing a free weighting and buoyancy workshop from their beach before we boarded the six pack to the first site. . . Stay away from the Casa Real; caters to drunken college students whose endless screaming, shouting, and partying almost spoiled the vacation for my wife and 10 year old daughter." Patrick Wilstrom, Brasstown, NC

Chinchorro Banks

Adventures Chinchorro, July, 1995 "Could not ask for better dive ­­ service, boats and accommodations. Great out of the way diving. Friendly and knowledgeable dive operators. Water 84­88 degrees." Al Neuhaus, Nokomis, FL

El Placer, May, 1995. "Banco Chinchorro in the Caribbean coast is touted as a pristine dive location with few divers and untouched coral. El Placer, south of Akumal, is a new hotel that has four to five rooms that will sleep doubles or triples, is managed and owned by Tom and Gerri Steddum of Midland, Texas, who also own the Scuba Shack in Cozumel. . . . Rooms are furnished with double beds on platforms. Electricity is furnished by a generator and the rooms are air­cooled by ceiling fans and the tradewinds. The food was delicious. It's a comfortable divers' accommodation. . . . 36' aluminum hull boat made the trip to the Chinchorro Banks fairly comfortable. This is out of the way diving and one must cross 20 miles of ocean before reaching the Banks. . . . The diving at Banco Chinchorro is everything that ads say it is. It is truly 'get away' diving and certainly not cattle boat diving. Depths range from 10' to 100'. Wreck dives and dives similar to the dives in Belize and mainland Mexico are the norm. . . . Our first dive was a 'get acquainted' dive over an unknown reef. The sea whips and the fans wove in the current as we dropped down among them. None of the coral was broken and as far as one could see, were huge formations of brain coral, leaf coral in abundance and almost any other Caribbean coral one could wish to see. . . . The second dive was on the 40 Cannon Wreck of which CEDAM had removed four of the cannons. It was an old galleon scattered across the coral reef in 10' to 12' of water. It was a wonderful dive for macro photographers and those who wanted to look at the odds and ends of an ancient storm-scattered wreck. There were tiny gobies, damsel fish, butterfly fish, squirrel fish and parrot fish everywhere; several queen and French angels poked among the cannons to see what the divers were up to as well as several small grouper, red hinds and other tropicals. The coral was absolutely pristine. There was brain, star, finger, leaf, lettuce and plate coral. Lobsters and conchs were crawling around everywhere. The second day of diving consisted of diving 'the boiler.' It was another unknown wreck in which a triple action condenser from a wreck was sticking above the water. The wreck lay scattered over the reef and was an interesting dive and/or snorkel. There was an anchor approximately 15' long stuck in the coral, in about 25' of water. It was about 100' from the wreck and may not have been involved with this particular wreck as there are over 400 wrecks on the Banco Chinchorro. . . . The third day, we went through the reef to dive the outside. While inside the reef the visibility was between 40' and 60', outside the visibility was 150' plus. There was a mild current running back toward the reef. We dived a wreck that had a pipe cargo scattered throughout and on top of the reef all the way to the surge line. When we dropped down on the wreck it appeared to be an impressionist painting of blue purple fans as far as the eye could see. The area was also littered with the pipe cargo with sponges and fans growing all over them. It was absolutely breathtaking with the tropicals swimming in and out of the wreck that was scattered all over the reef. Throughout the wreck were large schools of blue tangs, blue chromis, large puffers, lobsters and conch. . . . After leaving the wreck we did a drift dive back to the reef when we saw other large schools of tropicals, an occasional shark and ray, many lobsters, conch, turtles and large puffers. . . . While there is quite a bit of fishing by the locals, the coral is absolutely untouched or broken by divers. There were massive Elkhorn and Staghorn forests in several locations. . . . It was truly a joy to dive with El Placer as the owners and crew could not have been more helpful. They would not let you do anything for yourself. If you are truly looking to get away from the crowds, I would highly recommend El Placer." Russell Ramsey, Houston, TX

Puerto Moreles

Enrique Juarez Dive Operation, April, 1995. "Seas choppy; water temperature 78­80°; visibility 50­75 feet; could dive own profile; no restrictions enforced. Locals take you to the reef - you do your own dive. Spearfishing is encouraged and excellent. Optional trips arranged to inland - jungle springs, remote. Our gear was hiked in one mile from where the road ends. Enrique is a fishing guide who takes people diving. He will not take beginners, only expert divers." Dr. Steve Ayers, Aspen, CO

Copyright 1996 by DSDL, Inc., publishers of Undercurrent. All rights reserved. No portions of this report may be reproduced in any way, including photocopying and electronic data storage, without prior written permission from the publisher. For more information, contact DSDL, Inc., P.O. Box 1658, Sausalito, CA 94966.