EMILY UPDATE

So from the looks of the hundreds of emails we are getting, everyone wants to know how the diving is. Could we ever have a bad dive here....I don´t think so but for those who are needing to know we have an update for you. WE ARE BACK DIVING AND LOVING IT...but what else is new..

So the reports are good for Playa Del Carmen and Tulum. Tulum did not get the direct hit as previously thought. With a sigh of relief, the palapà is still standing.

There is sand. Emily seemed to like to bring in the sand, increase the size of the beaches and sprinkle some sand on the reefs. There are some barrel sponges down but the reports are good. The turtles and tarpons are here and they did not seem to realize that there was a huricane. Hmmm...Emily does now seem like a thing of the past.

Reports from Cozumel are not as positive. Some of the southern reefs were damaged. Some of the National Park is closed but it is encouraging to hear that these will open soon. It seems to be they are closed for observation, not for extensive damage, but we need to let you know that some parts are closed for diving and some for snorkelling.

Tulum, is fine...Grand Cenote has some extra tree branches in the entrance but this is adding to the beauty not hindering this exquisite site. Casa Cenote has been unclear due to some heavy rains but it looks like we are back in business for day and night diving there. Dos Ojos took a while but the road is clear and the cenote is fine.

We are thrilled that our playground was unharmed. Emily came in from the north so we experienced less beach damage and underwater damage than other years. This is why Cozumel got hit so hard. The north wind wreaks havoc on the island where a south wind makes us choppy. We really were lucky this time with Emily coming from the North and happy to take anyone diving or assist with courses. Senor Dave and Nicola are back in the water and are joined by Daniella, Roman and Kevin. Andy is still doing kick ass cenote snorkel trips in Tulum and seems to be finding more and more fun places to go...

So it is thumbs up for diving in Playa Del Carmen and Tulum. Just check with the hotels as some resorts are closed for redevelopment. But we have toms of great recommendations for you, so ask away. Your favorite diving location is open for business and ready for your requests.

IT´S ALL ABOUT EMILY

Hurricane Emily 2005, what a ride and what a story....if you did not know, we just brushed with a Category 4 Hurricane here in the Riviera Maya....rumored direct hit on Tulum, though dear Emily landed just to the south at Puerto Adventuras. Little damage has been created, though we can not say that all went away unscathed. Considering the potential damage that could have been done, we think of ourselves as very lucky.

First, before we give you details of the pre-Emily events and now post-Emily events, we would like to thank everyone who sent us emails and prayers during this time. We are still trying to get back to each and every one of you, but as you can imagine, being three to four days without electrical and internet has put us a bit behind. It is great to see that we have so many international friends who were supporting us through this time.

So, Emily, dear Emily....we followed her path and learned that she was increasing strength in the Carribean and heading for us....Tulum directly and maybe Playa Del Carmen...hmmm, either way a dive center was going to have some wind and rain. So all employees rallied together and executed our well known hurricane plan....pack it up, ship all items to Dave´s house and wait....and that we did....the Tulum dive center dove that day and quit finally at 4 p.m. What a team...all students were finished, cert cards provided and sent to their secure hotels. We secured the equipment at Cenote Dive Center and ran for the hills...Monday at 8 pm all electrical was turned off in Playa Del Carmen, at 9:30 p.m. it was off in Tulum...Nicola was baking hurricane cookies and she did not finish the last batch, but the cooked ones were good...I think we may have another item for the dive center, Emily cookies...anyway, cell service was still up and running so information was being exchanged between the cities to see what was happening....we were waiting for the arrival of Emily.

At 10:30 p.m. the wind came in, and the howling....that seemed to be the worst part, the wind was strong but the howling made it seem stronger...many people were already asleep as Emily crept in slowly....but at 1 a.m. she came in with a bang....wind and rain....and again that horrible howling...I don´t thin anyone was sleeping at that point...

So we will skip to the next day as you must have assumed by now that we are alive and well. Monday morning brought some sun and complete quiet. People stirred out of their houses to assess the damage. I have to say that it was surprisingly not as bad as one would think....houses were intact but vegetation was harmed. There were many trees down, their leaves creating a green carpet over all the streets. It was time to get into the cars and see if the palapa at Abyss Tulum was still a palapa or if was now firewood. That as not a fun drive. The second task was to get to Puerto Adventuras to see if the boats survived the hurricane and if so what the potential damage was.

Happily we report that there was no structural damage to any of the dive centers in Playa Del Carmen or Tulum. Nor did we suffer any problems with our boats. It was a little scary getting into Puerto Adventuras that morning as this area did receive a direct hit from Emily. Oddly enough though the hit was to vegetation, not boats or many houses. I cant say that all houses were that lucky but a majority of homes, businesses and all people remain untouched by Emily. Now, the Pemex gas stations were touched , infact one could say chewed and then spit out by this storm, but the clean up crew for the area has done a great job in restoring phone service, electrical and water service, while clearing the area of debris. If you did now know it, one could even say that Emily´s tracks have been covered up very nicely. We are finding that we have to remind visitors that a hurricane has passed through. when they come in looking to resume their regualr holiday activities.

So Monday and Tuesday have been clean up days. Wednesday was a diving day and WE ARE BACK IN BUSINESS! The only remants at this point of Emily are some very tired people who have been up for days trying to get businesses back to normal. I think when you come to visit next you will find that not much has changed...the jungle is a little less dense, there is a new branch in the bottom of Grand Cenote and the Restaurant at Casa Cenote will be closed for a while...for renovations.

We have to admit the wind has been up a little so we have not checked the reefs, but the good news is that the surf was not as big as we thought it would be so we are keeping our fingers crossed that little damage has been suffered to our friends.

SO DON´T CANCEL YOUR NEXT VISIT. We are all fine and ready to receive all of our dive friends. If you are having any difficulty contacting hotels, let us know so we can assist in your planning. If you are thinking of coming to Tulum, we have a great hotel in town that you can stay at in case your favorite beach hotel has suffered some damage and can not accomodate your request. Just ask us on email and we can book this Tulum treasure directly for you. Not beachside but a great place to stay with all services for divers.

Adios Emily...you are now a tropical depression but have not left us in a depression as we are back on track! We will see you all soon and share more stories of Emily and everyone has thier own version of the Night Emily came to town. She left as quickly as she arrived....thank goodness she did not stay for a while.

HOLBOX TRIP

Well the first Holbox trip was on Monday and what a great trip...Jessica, Kelly, Jeff and Richard joined Nicola on the first one day tour to Holbox to see the Whalesharks....I know, the first question on everyone´s mind. How many were seen....over 15 whalesharks were seen, and each person got to snorkel with these great creatures many times.

So the trip details. It was simple. We were all in the truck by 4:30 am, dont worry we did not go in Betsy. Off to Chiquila we went in the new Nissan with food, drinks and hope. It was great to see the sunrise over the jungle as we took the road north to the pier.

Once at Chiquila, the captians and whaleshark guide swept the customers away on the boat and left Nicola to wait patiently for their return. Her time was spent on Isla Holbox investigating new restaurants, hotels and booking future trips to the island. Other trips are booked so missing this tour was not a big deal, or at least did not seem to be at the time. After hearing the excitement on the way home, Nicola was wishing that she was on board...next time...

Now all these customers had made the trip Mexico especially for the Whalesharks. Wow, what a great report when they finally put their feet back on land. Spectacular, beautiful, amazing, a trip of a life time...was just a few of the adjectives that came out of their mouths. The drive back to Playa Del Carmen was full of memories, trip details, and tired excitement, in between small naps and head nods....it was a long day but well worth it. Sun kissed and happy, all members of this trip left happy campers, or should we call them happy snorkelers.

So the next rip is tomorrow, Thursday with a group of 14 snorkelers, lead by Daniella, our insturctor in Tulum. Video Steve is going so maybe, just maybe, we can get some pictures off him for the website.

Till next time....

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

So the Adventure team wins out again...we completed our mission and have a full report. Just so you know, we added a member, as a special guest, and some could not make it. So the official team for this mission was Nicola, Dani, Andy and a special appearance from Jimi, a graduated Divemaster from the Abyss Dive Center in Playa.

Our objective was to check out NIGHT SNORKELING off the beach in Tulum. After our great Adventure in Casa Cenote a few weeks ago, we decided to add to Andy´s repetoire of snorkeling tours and check out night snorkeling. We all met at 7:30 p.m. at Abyss Dive Center Tulum, grabbed our masks, fins, snorkels, lights and wetsuits and headed for the beach. The new moon was out, the stars were in full force and we had a point of reference on the beach, the bar at Pariaso, fully lit and full of cold beers...

We started south and found some great fish and creatures. After swimming around and getting used to the ocean at ight, we decided to head north and found some great stuff...Andy, new to the ocean at night, discovered phosphoresence....he had a great giggle and fell behind due to his first magical moment with the plankton. In case you have not experienced plankton at night, when you turn off your light and move your hands or feet in the water, the plankton light up like little lights...it is quite spectacular.

The next spot had us looking at ghost crabs, white crabs tucked under the reef, and the coolest little blue fish....this was completely found by accident. While waiting for Andy, our lights remained still in the water. What we found was that hundreds of little blue fish loved the light and swam for each of us...as we stayed still, we were surrounded by these little blue fish who loved to dance in the light . This kept us occupied for at least 10 minutes. So after about 1.5 hours we decided to head in. Swiming to the shore, we came across a nice big sting ray....we swam after this magnificent creature as he headed back out to sea...that put the icing on the cake for our latest adventure.

The adventure continued as we kept our wetsuits on, climbed into the Jeep and headed back to the Pueblo. I think the town of Tulum thought we were all crazy...here were four people, at night, wearing wetsuits, while everyone else was dressed up for their evening stroll. We could hear it....crazy gringos...locos gringos...We admitted it must of been a sight, driving down the main drag of Tuum, in Jeep with no doors and all occupants wearing wetsuits...yes we are crazy gringos. And no one took the bet to go out for tacos with their wetsuits on...

So there you have it....night snorkeling in Tulum. It was an experience and a great laugh...and I think a new addition to Andy´s snorkel tours. We are just going to figure out the details and then post for all to read.

Next Adenture is scheduled for Sunday, so wait for Adventure # 3.

ADVENTURE #2 update

Just to give you an update. Adventure #2 will be completed tonight. We had not forgotten, we were waiting for the perfect time. There are some new recruits for the Adventure team....all to be revealed tomorrow....so stay tuned.

LATEST SITINGS

So for fun we are going to give you a report of sitings in the last few days...octopus, big one, in Moc Che, the school of mullets have changed thier spot to after the arch at Moc Che so they are around, just not in Shangra-La. Spotted eagle ray in Tulum at La Roca Grande, a huge school of tarpons at Tortuga in Playa Del Carmen...hmmm what else.....the diving has been so good this week that there is more than we are able to write.....sting rays, oh and the turtle in Gran Cenote is back...

For those of you who are curious, the hurriane sitting in Jamaica is not doing anything to us at all...the ocean in fact is a lake, so quick, grab a flight and come and visit...oh and we had a guest appearance from Diego as he was unable to work at his regular job due to recent surgery...so he has come to watch the shop while we are out diving...it is so nice to have him back..if only for a short time until he can get back to work....because we dont really work at dive center...do we...we just dive all day.....how could that be work...

Until next time....

IT IS THAT TIME OF YEAR Isla Holbox for whalesharks and much, much more

Well, it is that time again....time to come and visit the whalesharks in the Gulf Of Mexico just 3 hours from where we live and you come to dive.

We have been offereing tours now for over three years and the trips are getting more and more popular. Who would not want to reschedule their holiday to see and snorkel with the largest fish in the world? That is right, the 12m plus whalesharks are the largest fish in the world and can be seen with manta rays, pink flamingos and dolphins...whew, that was a mouthful. Last year, it was not unusual to see 40 at one time. This year we will wait to see how many come to the area and bless us with thier presence.

So the itinerary you ask...the trips are being offered every Friday for the summer, from June 26th to August 31st. The main tour is a two day all inclusive trip with hotel, transport, food and refreshments included. You also get a personal guide for the two days who can be any of our great employees. So if you have never snorkeled before, you will get instruction from a certified dive instructor. If you have snorkeled before you will get great stories from your guide and tips if you need them. If you are really stuck for time, a one day tour is being offered but the wake up time is 3 am....it is up to you....

Our clients know that we are flexible so if you have a group of four or more and want to step outside of the Friday schedule, let us know and we will see if we can help in booking a special trip for you. Ample warning will be required for us to be successful in this special planning.

If you want more information or the pricing structure for the trips, please check on the website under Fun Stuff/Isla Holbox. And if you have been before, you know that it is worth a second, third and fourth trip! Once you have seen a whale shark, you just want to see more and more.

Our friends are only here until summers end, so check your schedules and come and see us...and them during the summer months.

New Recruit for Tulum at Cenote Dive Center

No, Senor/Papcito David is not having another child..I think that one will be it...though the thought has crossed our minds that each child he has will be yet another employee for our family fo dive centers.

We have another surprise. Before I introduce our new staff member I have to clarify that this posting is cheating...this posting should be on our other website for Cenote Dive Center, but it is not up and running yet so... as we are busting at the seams to make this announcement, we decided to break the Blog rule...we are using the Abyss Blog to post Cenote Dive Center information.

So who is it? Okay, okay...after a year of many beers, nights at the Rana Cansada, conversations on the cell and text messaging....Roman from Tank Ha Dive Center has moved to Tulum to join the Cenote Dive Center Team. Do I have you confused? It really is very simple...read on.

Roman, orginally from Germany, moved to Playa Del Carmen over 5 years ago. He dedicated his diving expertise to Tank Ha Dive Center where he increased his open water credentials to PADI and SSI Instructor, Cave Certified, various specialties and lots of cave exploring. He is a very patient, knowledgable man who, like us, believes in great customer service.

His credentials fit the mission of Cenote Dive Center to a ´T´so quietly Nicola spoke of the great things that could be accomplished as a team. Roman finally decided that this vision was for him and he has made the crossover to Tulum. For those of you who think Nicola never smiles and is always engrossed in her daily work...she is one happy woman and ,with the team in Tulum, has welcomed Roman with open arms. To top it off, the day Roman began his first day of work was the day that the new Nissan pick up arrived for Cenote Dive Center. How great is that. To give you an idea of Roman´s personality, mix Mitch with Diego and you truly get Roman, the patience of Mitch mixed with Diego´s enthusiasm for the cenotes and caves.

So when you think about your next vacation or if you want a very experienced cave guide, come on down to Cenote Dive Center. If you want to take your cenote diving one step further, consider your cavern specialty or Intro to Cave...Roman would be happy to take you through either of these courses and show you the reason why he made the switch to Tulum and Cenote Dive Center.

Shangra-La Confirmed

So Steve decided that he too would go to Shangra-La and see what Nicola was on about. He needed confirmation that this school of fish existed. AND DID HE GET CONFIRMATION!!! He also admitted that the explanation provided a few days ago is correct....´the school of fish is bigger than the ocean´, yes the stone fish is there and yes...the batfish is still in the sands...

Next stop....Shangra-La with video...Nicola leading, Steve filming....wait for the update