Spring Fling 2012

COZUMEL, MEXICO        April 21 - 28, 2012 

Hello everyone!  Your roving dive reporter is here with another tale of diving fun in the sun and the many associated adventures during our 21-28 April 2012 trip to Cozumel, Mexico.   

Everyone arrived at the airport on time, got checked in and loaded up for warm water and sun.  Our first flight was on time and we had plenty of time in Charlotte to grab a bit to eat and make the connecting flight.  Departure from Charlotte, however, was delayed almost an hour when one of the crew realized they didn't have their bags, passport, etc.  Her story was the catering crew took it by mistake.  I was born at night, but not last night.  How could they confuse a suitcase for one of the drink carts?  Oh well, we were on our final leg so there was no connection to worry about.  Adding to our "concern" about the crew competency was their confusion about which forms we would need to enter Mexico.  Although not certain, it has been my experience using US entry forms don't normally work when entering Mexico.  We pointed out the mistake and received the correct forms.  This theme was not limited to our airline.  Phil, on a completely different airline didn't receive any forms and had to wait until he arrived in Cozumel.     

 Arrival in Cozumel seemed to continue the organizational standard established by the airlines.  Everyone processed without incident and moved to the luggage claim area...except for Bill and Linda.  Apparently you get special scrutiny if you visit Cozumel 20 times.  A surprising new addition to processing was the scanning of every bag...using one scanner.  The delay was further compounded when an additional two flights arrived before our flight had cleared customs.  Anyone who has visited Mexico knows about the "button."  You push the "button" and see if it lights up "Green" or "Red."  Green is of course good and Red means a physical search of your luggage.  The good news was that no one...less Gordon got the Red light.  Gordon thought the button was random, but we all know there is a camera watching and Gordon just looked guilty.  On the other hand, Linda got a "Green" but was jealous of Gordon and wanted to keep pushing until she got a "Red" too.  Bill didn't think that was a good plan and moved them along. 

The Baltimore Gang headed off to the hotel while I awaited the arrival of Kim and Phil, both arriving on different flights.  It was those excellent t-shirts that made it possible for two strangers to meet in a foreign airport.  There I stood...no sign in hand...when Phil stepped up and introduced himself as "Phil."  I think I've read about this kind of stuff in spy books :-).  After collecting up Kim, we boarded the van and arrived at the hotel about an hour or so after the main party.  Still working with the standard set by the airline and Mexico Customs, check in was a bit on the disorganized side.  Phil and I dropped our luggage at the same place and were sharing a room.  Would it seem odd my luggage was delivered within minutes of checking in and it took another hour for Phil to get his?  The room was nice and included a fully stocked mini-fridge and a balcony overlooking the pool.  Mary and Paul were registered as husband and wife...in two separate rooms.  It only took three days to get this unscrewed.  It was, however, the fodder for many jokes as was the fact Phil and I were registered under the same name. 

 We had intended to do a checkout dive, but the harbor was closed due to wind.  How this included shore diving I'm not sure, but it did. After everyone got their gear ready and completed the necessary paperwork, we linked up for an afternoon adult beverage and snack at the beach restaurant.  As afternoon moved to night, we (the group led by our fearless leader...Big Bill) staked out our spot and refused to move.  The restaurant relented and set us up in the corner for drinks and excellent pizza.  A lot of fun for everyone.  Always hoping for the best, everyone was in bed by 2130 hours, dreaming of creatures of the deep.

 As suspected, we got blown out.  After a long breakfast, the gang moved to the pool for a day in the sun with a good book...or Kindle.  Kim was a bit slow in arriving.  Apparently she had some type of reaction to the pizza :-).  Gordon had his very cool ear buds while I found a vacant seat among the gang.  It was nice of them to save a seat...not really.  One would think that a nice gesture, but right after the Iguana in the tree above the chair relieved itself on me, I doubted their motives.  Needless to say, my fellow travelers were of little assistance as all were laying on the ground laughing.  Fate has a wonderful way of working things out.  Later in the week while we were out diving, an un-named member of the group, believing lightening wouldn't strike twice, chose to sit the same chair and got the same treatment.  I am too much the gentleman to identify the victim.  Following breakfast the next morning, we sent our leader (Big Bill) off to deal with the weather gods.  He returned with two thumbs up and off we went for our first dives of the trip.  Finally what we came for!! 

 I think everyone had a great time diving throughout the week.  The water was warm, the visibility good, and the reefs seemed to be in good shape.  We saw all kinds of wildlife, including sharks, turtles, eagle rays (a first for Phil), sea horses, crabs, lobster, moray eels, big barracudas, huge groupers, and much, much more.  Paul got some great shots of an octopus.  When I saw him, I thought he was moving in with the poor creature.  The currents ran a bit strong on the first couple of days, and the wind was particularly cool during the surface intervals, but settled down later in the week and made for excellent diving conditions.  I thought to use a towel on my shoulders to keep the wind off (a manly solution).  Mary and Anne solved the problem by bringing along their bathrobes to use between dives (a womanly solution).  Very elegant and much more effective than my manly solution.  Of particular note was Big Bill's victorious return to the water after his back surgery...much like a little boy in a candy store.  I don't know if I had more fun looking at the critters or watching Bill.  Linda of course was concerned and stayed close by to ensure he followed all the rules.  I can't imagine that Big Bill would bend, much less break a rule.  As a group we seemed to have the same interests under the water, move along slowly and enjoy the scenery.  It seemed our Dive Master's definition of "move slowly" isn't the same as ours...:-)  By the end of the week we were a well oiled machine.  Folks moved to their station, set up the gear, prepared to dive, and filed off the back of the boat like a squad of paratroopers.  The Dive Master tried to create buddy teams, but we followed the standard set by Mary, buddy groups...same ocean, same day...:-)  There were several cameras at work and I'm sure a number of excellent photographs were taken, all of which will be shared.  The base number was ten dives, but several did 14 or 15 and as always, the end of diving came way too soon.  I won't speak for everyone, but I can't wait until I can get back to Cozumel for another week of great diving. 

 Although we do our research and have the best of intensions, we are sometimes surprised with what we get.  This is such a case.  The resort and dive operation, while highly rated, were a bit of a disappointment.  The physical hotel facility was excellent; however, the service and food did not meet our standards and will not be on our "use again list."  The dive operation wasn't much better and has been moved to our "don't use again list."  Our Dive Master didn't point out critters or things of interest.  Some of this is probably our fault.  We, as a group, proved to be very competent divers more than capable of operating underwater. 

 At the end of the week and with diving behind us, most headed to town for an adult beverage, some souvenirs, and some fun.  The bad girls (Ann, Mary, and Linda) all got henna (fake) tattoos of turtles on various parts of their bodies.  Very cool.  The rest of us stood by holding up the bar stools.  After shopping for this and that, we headed to Carlos and Charlie's for an adult beverage and a snack.  The group was awarded cute balloon hats.  The cutest was of course reserved for Kim...:-)  After replenishing our adult beverage tanks, we headed back to the hotel for group dinner at the hotel.  It was fun, but sad as we all realized the end was nearing.

 Our travel odyssey continued and didn't promise to be any more organized than the trip out.  We loaded about eight hundred pounds of luggage and seven folks in the van.  This was quite the challenge.  Then, as we were leaving the resort, the guard pointed to the soon to be flat tire.  Not to be deterred, we pressed on as the driver called his son (another taxi) for support.  We linked up, did the Chinese Fire Drill routine on the side of the road and continued on with most of the folks in one van and me and the luggage in the other.  Surprisingly, my van, even with a stop for air, got to the airport first.  Everyone eventually got checked in and through security.  The flights were on time and all arrived safely in Baltimore around 2130 hours.  Confusion continued to rein supreme at the luggage claim and precluded a formal group hug.  We'll have to keep that on the to-do list. 

 In the final analysis, I think the trip was a total success and want to express thanks to Bill and Linda for making everything so perfect.  We did some excellent diving, enjoyed warm weather, made new friends, and experienced some less than outstanding resort food ever prepared...:-)  I can't wait to do it again.

 Grumpy