Dive #147 - Rich Torkington's Dive Log

We're glad Johnny joins our last dive in Cozumel.
Videograph by Rich Torkington in Cozumel 2003

Dive Journal: We pick up Johnny and have a slow lunch aboard the Shamu. It is mid afternoon by the time we start preparation for our last dive in Cozumel, for this trip anyway. Julio has selected Paradise as the dive site, and we’re all glad that Johnny will be joining us.

It is a very beautiful afternoon dive – the lighting is gorgeous and so is the reef. In several spots there are cave-like depressions in the bottom, and these depressions are filled with grey grunts and schoolmasters. We also see a pretty gold spotted eel.

On exit, we pass again throught he layers of thimbles and jellies, and we also spot a few baseball-sized jellies here as well.

My video monitor crapped out again this dive, due to inadequate battery power. The monitor operates on 4 AA batteries, which last only about 100 minutes or so. This means replacing them every 2 dives, a problem when we make 3 or more dives during a single boat trip (I try to maintain a policy of not disassembling the camera housing while on an open boat). Since there is plenty of room inside the housing, I’d really like to find a strong 6V rechargeable battery element to take the place of the AAs.

We nap back at the Casa del Mar, then taxi downtown to an Italian place. We’ve invited the Blue XT Sea team to a farewell dinner, and fortunately Ron and Christy are able to make it. The fare is great, and the company is the best. Christy entertains us with many diving stories around the island, and Ron tells us interesting tales of Cuba and his adventures in the Peace Corps.

Cozumel is indeed a divers’ mecca, and we’ve been very lucky to have linked up with Blue XT Sea. In my opinion, they’re certainly one of the best operations among a horde of competitors on the island. Christi combines her team’s strong diving knowledge with a level of personalized service that is exactly right for us. The best part of it is making new friends in the diving community.