This is my experience from the first salt water dives I ever did, which I completed in Cozumel Mexico. The shop we went with was Scuba Quatic, which is located inside the Bahia Principe Grand Tulum resort. All underwater photography used in this article were taken by the manager of Scuba Quatic, Nacho Vega Simon(check out Nacho’s instagram here!)
Morning of the dives
As the sun made its rise over the rolling ocean below, my Dad and I groggily made our way to the dive shop kiosk. After signing some waivers, we suited up, and began the journey to Cozumel. Our first stop, Playa Del Carmen.
Getting to Playa Del Carmen
On the van ride over to Playa Del Carmen, we became acquainted with the rest of our group: dive master Carlos, Ryan from Dallas Texas, and Shannon from Vancouver BC. Whilst Shannon had been on numerous dives, Ryan was a newly certified diver like myself, and had also never dove in the ocean.
An hour passes quickly as we pick each other’s brains about past dives, and we arrive in Playa Del Carmen. Before departing the van, DM Carlos tells us to stay close, as the streets can be a bit hectic, and he wasn’t lying.
Making our way through the town of Playa Del Carmen felt like pushing through a maze of mall kiosk workers, with nearly every person we passed attempting to sell us something. Once out of the thick of it, we rounded the corner to find our ferry that would serve as our final ride to Cozumel.
Meeting Nacho
Carlos distributed our tickets, and as we waited to board the ferry, we met Nacho, the manager of our dive outfit. Nacho was an avid diver from a small town in Spain, who moved to Mexico to pursue his love of scuba diving. Having lived in the Yucatan peninsula for a few years at this point, and been diving many years more, Nacho had a wealth of information about diving.
Pointing out a pier in the distance, he explained that was where all the Playa Del Carmen bull shark dives took place. He said this was because fishermen have used the pier for decades as a place to gut and clean fish, which effectively serves as chum for the sharks.
My fear of sharks, stowed away to this point, began to tingle when I heard this, as I could make out Cozumel in the distance only some 12 miles away. After asking Nacho if there were any bull sharks where we’d be diving, he claimed he’d never seen one there in the countless dives he’d done, and I felt much more at ease. If that weren’t enough, I was soon distracted by our new task at hand, boarding the ferry.
The Ferry to Cozumel
As we approached the large metal ramp used to board the ferry, we were startled by large waves rolling in that caused the metal to twist and groan whilst it swayed drastically from side to side. We waited as several ferry attendants fought to keep the ramp steady against the lurching of the waves, and when we heard the cue to cross, we rushed aboard.
Having stowed our gear in the luggage room, we staggered our way topdeck and took our seats. Moments later two men came up top carrying guitars, sat in front of us, and began tuning their instruments. My Dad and I looked at each other with uncertainty, thinking to ourselves “Are they about to play right now?”, but much to our surprise the two men got in front of everyone, plugged their instruments into an amplifier, and began playing away.
Pleasantly surprised by our in-flight(or on-ship) entertainment, we soon realized why it was included. As the ship left the dock and proceeded towards Cozumel, the intensity of the ship’s rocking grew immensely. Soon, ferry attendants began making their rounds through the boat, handing out barf bags to those who needed it(which some likely did). My Dad and I concluded that the music was there to distract passengers from the uneasiness of the moving boat, and in our case neither of us got sick, so I guess it worked.
45 minutes later, we officially docked in Cozumel, grabbed our gear, and headed towards our nearby dive boat.
First Dive Preparation
By the time we got onto the dive boat and staged our gear, my anxiety began to rear its ugly head. As we waited for the rest of our group to come from the ferry behind ours, my head began racing a thousand miles a minute with all the different things that could go wrong during our dive. The rest of our group soon arrived though, and we set off to our first dive site, Yukab Reef.
Dive master Carlos called us to the bow of the boat, and we began going through our pre-dive brief. While I knew there would be a possibility of doing a drift dive beforehand, I hadn’t given it much real thought, with depth and sharks being my main concern. When Carlos said we’d be doing one, I became slightly worried, but had to lock in to ensure I knew exactly what to do during the duration of the dive.
At our dive site, the current would really only be strong at the surface, so it would be important to descend the first 6 feet or so quickly to avoid separation from the group. Another thing important with drift dives is to let the current take you rather than fight it. Fighting the current results in a huge unnecessary expenditure of energy. Carlos wrapped up the brief, and we continued on to the site.
The sun blared down on us as we bounced along the clear blue water below. Slight nausea began to set in, either due to the waves or my nervousness, but thankfully it remained at bay. The captain soon announced we had arrived, and my group made our way to the stern, put on our BCs, and were ready to dive.
The First Dive Begins(Yukab Reef)
“GO!!….GO!!…..GO!!!” One by one my group leaped off the boat into the depths below, feeling as if we were paratroopers jumping from a C-17. I quickly waddled to the edge, put my regulator in, grabbed my mask, and jumped into the dark blue water beneath me. As soon as I surfaced it was game time. Carlos quickly gave the signal to go down and we began our descent.
Heart pounding, I frantically looked at my surroundings as I released air from my BC. About 7-8 feet down I began to feel an intense mask squeeze as the pressure around me grew. In my slight panic, I had forgotten to equalize the pressure in my mask. Realizing this, I exhaled lightly through my nose and released the pressure, feeling instantaneous relief. 4-5 minutes into the dive, my pulse began to creep towards baseline, and my awe at the beauty around me rose.
Now out of the current, we gradually descended to the ocean bottom some 65 feet beneath the surface. Despite my worries about the depth of the water beforehand, I did not feel any sense of fear, but rather a palpable excitement about the foreign landscape surrounding me. Whilst floating past corals 10-20 feet tall, with fish and creatures alien to me in every crevice I looked, I couldn’t help but feel like an astronaut in the weightlessness of space, exploring a new planet and its inhabitants.
Exploring Yukab Reef
Vibrant stoplight parrot fish, massive groupers, schools of sergeant majors, and a pair of trumpet fish danced around me, coexisting in harmony. A green moray eel poked out from its lair some 3 and a half feet away, warning me to keep my distance. A deadly scorpion fish just below me, camouflaged against the sandy bottom of the ocean floor.
I was then snapped out of my hypnosis by my dad signaling for me to follow him. He led me to the entrance of a tunnel that cut through a massive formation of hard coral, gave me the okay symbol, and went in. After a brief moment of hesitation, I followed him in. Being only about 3-4 feet wide, the tunnel passage allowed us to get a close look at the many microorganisms thriving on the coral around us. A minute later(feeling slightly longer), we exited the tunnel back into the crystal clear open water.
Shortly after leaving the tunnel, my Dad pointed out a family of lobsters who were hiding in a crack, only visible by their long protruding spines and antennae. We then approached a giant clam-like coral that upon closer examination was housing an angelfish.
Though I had been periodically checking my air reserves, I now noticed that I was getting close to the predetermined minimum of 500 psi, so I allerted Dive Master Carlos. Carlos looked at my gauge and signaled for me to stay with my buddy(my dad) and begin our safety stop. I asked my dad how much air he had left, and he signaled back 1100 psi. Realizing I had gone through air much faster than I should have, I hoped that I did not cut the dive short for everyone.
The First Ascent
With the safety stop almost complete, and my air now at 400 psi, I saw a brownish algae-like smudge enter my peripherals. Sticking my finger into my mask slightly, I managed to clear whatever it was out of my mask. A minute or two later, Carlos activated the inflatable signal tube, and we began our final ascent to the surface, watching a yellow stingray skim across the ocean floor beneath us.
Breaching the surface, I spit out my regulator and began breathing the fresh air around me. As I broke the seal of my mask, I soon realized what the brownish substance in my mask had been. “You okay dude? You’re bleeding” my dad said. Reaching for my nose, I felt a thick, mucusy, dark blood against my finger tips. Blowing through my nose, a large amount of the sludge became dislodged, staining the blue water around me with a dark red hue. As we waited for the boat to pick us up, the rest of our group who were just now surfacing exclaimed, “Did you see that shark?!”
Looking at the red water around me, my heart began to race at the thought of a shark being enticed by my scent. Fortunately, they said it was just a nurse shark, and that it was still slowly gliding along the floor below.
Surface Interval and Lunch
The boat arrived, and we all clambered up the ladder onto the deck. While taking off my gear, I saw that my ending air supply was only 350 psi. Nose still bleeding profusely, I made my way to the head to find something to absorb the flow. Half a roll of toilet paper later, my nose finally cleared up, and I left the bathroom, with the trash can looking like a crime scene from all the blood I’d expelled.
Joining the group again on the main deck, we shared a lunch of fresh fruit, ham and cheese sandwiches, and coca cola. While eating, Nacho asked if he could give me some advice, and I was all ears. He explained to me that during the whole dive, I had been moving way too much, flailing about as I tried to look around, which led to my rapid air consumption. Recollecting, I knew he was right. Amidst my anxiousness I had been constantly turning around to look for members of my group, for fish approaching, and for generally anything behind me for no particular reason.
Nacho told me that on the next dive, I should just let go, focusing solely on my breathing and moving as minimally as possible, and I told him I would. Thanking him, I returned to sit next to my dad and we barrelled along to the next dive site.
The Second Dive Begins(Paradise Reef)
Approaching paradise reef, we did our final gear buddy checks, and prepared to dive in. With the first dive of the day under my belt, and Nacho’s advice in my head, I breathed deeply, feeling much more at ease than I had earlier. As I took my place in line, my group began plunging into the water. My turn came, and I followed them down into the sea. We quickly checked on each other, and began to sink beneath the waves.
Remembering to release the pressure in my mask this time, the first 10 feet of the descent were much more comfortable than the prior dive. Once out of the current, I finally let go.
Paradise reef being much shallower than Yukab(32ft instead of 60ft), we quickly reached the bottom. Focusing on the inhalation and exhalation of my breath, I slowly kicked my fins with my hands crossed at my chest, feeling much more graceful than during the previous dive. As a calming sensation engulfed me, I was able to fully take in the environment around me.
Exploring Paradise Reef
Sponges, coral, and rocks of all different shapes and colors scattered the ocean floor. Lobster peered out from crevices in the rocks as parrotfish, queen angelfish, filefish, and flounder floated by, exhibiting electric blue hues I’d never witnessed before. The patterned bodies of spotted trunkfish, honeycomb cowfish, and others mesmerized me with their complexity. Green and spotted moray eels safeguarded their respected homes while huge snapper and tiger groupers searched for their next meal.
During the dive we were even fortunate enough to witness not one, but two splendid toadfish, who are endemic to Cozumel, and apparently not found anywhere else in the world(although an avid scuba diver friend of mine claims they have been spotted as far down as Honduras).
After about 40 minutes of bottom time, my air was still looking really good. When Dive Master Carlos signaled for us to perform our safety stop I still had 1100 psi in my tank, nearly 3 times more than I had the previous dive’s safety stop. After a few minutes, we completed the rest of our ascent. Thanks to Nacho’s advice, I finished the dive with 1000 psi worth of air, and also had conserved much of my physical energy as well, which was noticeable when I exited the water onto the boat.
Post Dives Reflection
After a round of high-fives, me and my group spent the entire boat ride back to the docks raving about the amazing ecosystem we had just witnessed. Taking a moment to thank Nacho for his advice, I let him know how much it helped me during the dive.
During the music filled ferry trip back to Playa Del Carmen, and the subsequent van ride back to the resort in Tulum, my mind was still processing the sensory overload I had just experienced. Reflecting on the worries and fears I had before the dives, I felt so thankful towards myself for overcoming them, getting out of my comfort zone, and experiencing the true beauty that Cozumel has to offer.
For anyone who is considering pursuing scuba, but is fearful or tense about what to expect, don’t be. If you carry with you open mindedness for new things, a respect for the environment around you, and trustworthy dive buddies, Cozumel will bring you an experience you will never forget.
