The Cozumel Drift – Feb 2013 - Roberta`s Scuba Shack in Cozumel

The Cozumel Drift
Your E-Newsletter from Scuba Shack,
Blue Bubble Divers, Dive ECO-cozumel, & the Village Tan Kah
Cozumel, Mexico – Feb 2013
Welcome
to
The Cozumel Drift. This is the dive shop and hotel newsletter keeping you up
on what is happening here at
to date
Scuba Shack, Blue Bubble Divers, Dive ECO-
cozumel, & the Village Tan Kah as well as what is happening on your favorite
island, Cozumel. So, we start with a big
GRACIAS
to all of you who have come to visit us in
the last year. We always love seeing everyone's smiling faces. So, from the bottom of our hearts,
THANKS again. To all of our new customers and friends,
BIENVENIDOS
(welcome in
Spanish) !! We are glad that you chose to vacation with us. We hope that you enjoyed your time
here and plan on coming again to visit. And thanks to all of you coming, you have kept us so busy
that quite frankly, there is not enough time in the day to get everything done, much less keep these
newsletters coming. But my New Year’s Resolution for this year is to get back on track with the
newsletters. So look out of our news.
IN THIS ADDITION –
The Scuba Shack Skinny..... here's what's up with us ! We need some contact info.…
Scuba Shack Adaptive Scuba event..... remember the adaptive scuba dive group that
dove with us 2 years ago….They are coming back even bigger and better !!
No more diving ..... are you kidding?? Some thoughts about diving as we get older….
Scuba Shack Wall of Fame ....it’s time to revere some of more famous divers.
Cozumel Capers.....new restaurants, menus, trips….
Closing Captions..... and other technicalities…………
* Scuba Shack Skinny..... PLEASE delete some contact info…..
As many of you have seen in the last few months, there have been some problems with the websites
and E-mail addresses. Recently, a new page went up saying that Scuba Shack / Blue Bubble Divers
have changed owners and location. If you know me, then you know it is not true. I would not just
up and change without letting all of you know…… Customers have been also complaining about how
we are NOT responding to E-mails. Unfortunately, some of the E-mail addresses are still hijacked
and we are NOT receiving your messages. Every E-mail that comes in is answered within 24 – 48
hours. So, if you are not getting a response, then it is not coming to us. It is going to someone
else. Who may or may not answer you, and if they do answer, will direct you to another dive shop.
So, we need to make sure that everyone is on the correct page, so to speak, with how to get
a hold of all of us down here at Scuba Shack. First of all, please check your E-mail addresses that
you have for us. Here is what is working and what is not.
[email protected] – this is still working and has not been hijacked. It has been my E-mail
address for over 10 years now.
[email protected] –
Please Delete
This E-mail address and webpage was still hijacked by Robert and you will be guided to another dive
shop, Albatros Charters. We have not moved, we are still located right across from the Village Tan
Kah and the Casa del Mar hotels.
Please Delete Same as above………
- Please Delete Same as above………
[email protected] [email protected]
And for the new stuff, thanks to Joel Leger, we now have a brand new website –
www.ScubaShackCoz.com
and that gets you directly to us. And of course there is an E-mail
address that goes along with that as well –
[email protected]
Please take the time to update your e-mail addresses and delete the unnecessary ones; we can all
avoid the nuisance of you believing that I am not answering E-mails ☺ Or worse yet being directed
to another dive shop. We really appreciate your assistance with this. It has been quite trying this
past year trying to deal with these attacks.
Don’t forget about our facebook business pages, or what are also known as FAN pages https://www.facebook.com/ScubaShackinCozumel
https://www.facebook.com/VillageTanKah
https://www.facebook.com/BlueBubbleDivers
Here you will find up to date info on flights deals, pictures from the divers of all the cool things
that they have been seen lately, and a whole lot more! Make sure you check it out – you DO NOT
have to be a member of facebook to view those pages. Any person can go to that website – it is
just in the facebook format. If you are in fb, remember, if you are a “friend” of Scuba Shack and
trying to get in touch with me, that will not work. That would be Robert.
- Guess who has made it back to the island? Juan Avila – he came back right around the first of
the year and is planning on staying and diving a while. So come on down if you would like to dive
with him.
- Know what we have right here at our shore dive?? For about 4 months now…… sea horses, 3
huge ones – 1 orange, 1 yellow and 1 reddish brown one. And they are big – measuring about 6
inches long. Bazuka today found a smaller one as well right by us. Actually, we have been seeing
them on all of the reefs!
- The diving here has been fantastic lately, with the highlight being both the spotted eagle rays and
the black tip sharks. The black tips have been as many as 7 at a time. They used to be at Palancar
Gardens but seem to have moved now down to Palancar Caves and Bricks lately .
- Have you seen any of the painted elysia’s lately – that is the little red and blue-green nudibranch
in the pictures above. They have been spotted all over the place, especially at Dalilah. Ask the DM’s
to find them for you – they are only about ¾” long ☺
-Did you see the picture on facebook of the grouper eating the parrotfish
??? That was just a couple of weeks ago. What an amazing shot !
* Adaptive Scuba Event..... They are coming back to Cozumel
– fine tuned !
This summer,
Scuba Shack
is honored to be hosting the LifeWaters and
LifeWaters Vets Adaptive Scuba Dive group, for the 2nd time. What is
adaptive scuba? It is diving that has been modified to accommodate special
physical challenges that would normally prevent someone from diving. Charley
Wright and Jody Paniagua are the founders of this organization. Both work
for the VA in the Spinal Cord Injury Center in St. Louis, Missouri, as special
therapists. You might remember them from the pictures that we posted on
facebook and in the newsletter in Jul of 2011 with the dive group they
brought then.
This year, Charley and Jody will be bringing down 10 adaptive scuba divers, many of whom are
US veterans, each one requiring a team of either 2 or 3 support diver. They are scheduled to be
down here Aug 10 – 17, with dive days scheduled for Aug 11 - 15.
As you can see, these divers require special attention, as each one is afflicted with either a
spinal cord injury, Multiple Sclerosis or limb amputations. Almost all will be in wheel-chairs. A team
of 2-3 non-physically challenged divers will be assigned to each adaptive diver and will have to assist
with EVERYTHING – getting them on and off the boat, in and out of their gear, diving while
underwater, buoyancy, swimming, etc. That means that 20 – 30 additional divers are going to be
needed to assist these brave individuals who have courageously taken up our beloved sport. Anyone
interested in being an assistants for any of these divers? In additional to introducing the divers to
the UW wonders of Cozumel, Scuba Shack would like to make their experience here EXTRA special, by
including an UW video, and a t-shirts for each adaptive as well as support diver for them.
For that reason, we are offering various different options to everyone who would like to help
in any way this adapative scuba group.
- Support Diver - Hotel and diving package @ the Village Tan Kah
Come on down and stay with us and dive with the Life Waters Dive group. 7 nights hotel
accommodations at the Village Tan Kah, double occupancy, and 5 standard 2-tank dive trips with
the adaptive scuba group - $ 579 USD pp, arriving on Sat, Aug 10 – Sat, Aug 17. Contact
[email protected] to set that up and for all of the details. ** Airfare, Marine Park
entrance fee, gear rental is not included. Additional diving and nights at the hotel can be added on
before or after the group, if you would like. Remember, that is whale shark season as well !
- Support Diver - Diving Only package
Already have a place to stay, you can still help out! 5 dive package with the adaptive scuba group
is $379 USD pp.** Please reserve ahead of time – [email protected]
– donations to cover additional expenses
A special PayPal account has been set up for donations that will be used exclusively for expenses of
the Life Waters group – [email protected] . This is a separate account from our regular
PayPal account and will be used exclusively for this dive group. Even though Charley, through
LifeWater Vets, is petitioning for grant money for the vets trip expenses, there are a number of
expenses that are NOT included in their cost. So Scuba Shack/Dive Eco-cozumel will be working on
funding for additional things that will make this trip for the divers even more enjoyable – additional
DM that will be working with the group, along with a group T-shirt for each participant, UW
video… maybe more! It will all depend on how many fun things we can include for them. If you
have an idea of something else that we can add into this package, please let me know and we will
work on it.
So much help is needed for this group, and any and all are welcome. So however you can assist, it
will be a blessing. Charley, Jody and I are hoping/planning on making this an annual event.
* No more diving???.... thoughts about diving as we get older.
Let’s face it, we’re all getting older. We may or may not want to admit it, but it is a fact
of life. And yet, we all still enjoy diving. It seems logical that the average age of scuba divers is
increasing as well. Take a look at yourself. If you have been certified for 30 years or more, you are
part of that first big push that made scuba diving mainstream. It is almost like we are pioneers of
this amazing sport……
But none-the-less, we are all getting older. However, as long as there is no medical reason
that prevents someone from scuba diving, there is absolutely no reason that we can’t dive will into
our 80’s. Are you looking forward to having someone tell you that you should not dive any longer
because you are getting too old? Certainly not ME !!! I can’t even imagine the day when someone
tells me that I should no longer dive. And certainly many of our customers who are finally getting
to retire and have more free time to travel and dive are just on the cusp of spending more of their
free time enjoying their passion of diving.
But we do know, that as we are getting older, some things in life can become… oh, let’s just
say a tad bit more challenging. I no longer decline an offer when someone wants to carry my dive
gear for me!
I have noticed these past few years that there are more and more customers
who have an older diver in their midst, usually a family member or good friend. There seems to be
one person who takes on the role of dive buddy caretaker… and in some way ends up feeling well…
slightly burdened by the fact that they have to take care of their older dive buddy instead of just
enjoying their dive vacation. That is TOTALLY understandable. There is an added stress that goes
along with taking care of someone, making sure that they are OK and enjoying their dive, that
prevents the caretaker from thoroughly enjoying their own time under water. The truth is, this is
BOTH diver’s vacation. They both want to enjoy the dive – they both want to see the underwater
wonders – they both want to feel the thrill of diving!
Yet, I hear it more often around here. “Dad, maybe you shouldn’t dive anymore, it’s getting
harder for you to put your gear on.” “Mom, it’s too hard to get up the ladder, and it’s too hard
for me to help. Maybe this should be your last trip.” When I hear this it breaks my heart, because
so often diving is exactly the activity that keeps our seniors feeling active, alive and engaged.
So, why not get someone who is trained to take care of another diver do this task so that
every single person in the group can enjoy themselves? There seems to be a stigma in either asking
for help or paying for an additional Divemaster to help with the older diver. It seems a bit silly to
think that way. But that extra bit of money will go a long way to increase everyone’s enjoyment.
Dive professionals, both Divemasters and Instructors, are trained to do just that – take care of the
divers, so that all divers can enjoy their dive. Who would NOT love having a private Divemaster who
shows them everything first-hand. Granted, our boats are small as is our diver/DM ratio. But
sometimes that extra set of eyes, that extra set of hands, is well worth it’s weight in gold. So,
don’t be afraid or embarrassed to ask for extra help. That is part of the service that we offer.
* Scuba Shack Wall of Fame..... paying tribute to some special &
divers
Since we are on the topic of older divers, it seems appropriate to start making these diving pioneers
famous – at least in our own realm of Scuba Shack / Dive ECO-cozumel. Each newsletter, special
tribute will be made to one of our divers who is still alive and diving ☺ The Wall of Fame will be in
the Photo Album on facebook pages. If you have an older diver who you believe merits special
attention, please send me the info so that we can introduce them to everyone. So, without further
adieu, let’s welcome out first inductee.
Who do you think that should be? Well, our oldest diver of course. Many of you have been
diving with her before – the lady in pink with the white hair !!
Doris Henderson
She is still diving
with us at the
beautifully young age
of 88.
She started her diving career in Austin, TX when she was Open Water certified at 67, and came
directly to Cozumel for her first dive trip. And she has never looked back. She took her Advanced
class with Scuba Shack. As of today, she has 1402 logged dives over 21 years. Amazing. Most
divers who are unfamiliar with Doris go through the exact same thought process when they first see
her diving. “Oh no, I’ve got the old lady on my boat. We will
probably have to take care of her or will be held up by her…” Boy,
are they wrong. When the dive boat returns, each and every single
one of them comes running up to the dive shop, gushing with
enthusiasm – “do you know how good she dives? She has the best
air consumption rate! She came up with MORE air than the DM !
She is perfectly buoyant. She is my idol !! I hope to be like her
when I get to her age!” Doris has been diving with Scuba Shack since
the beginning of her diving career and we salute her ! Welcome as
the 1st Wall of Fame inductee !
* Cozumel Capers.....
and other fun tidbit about Cozumel and Mexico
- Seems like this last year, there has been a number of new restaurants to report on –
- Pepe’s Grill – on the corner of the main waterfront and Salas, 1 block south of the main square,
has a new look. It is now very modern and there is even an outdoor patio. The menu has changed
although the tableside preparation of their fantastic Cesar salad is still there ☺ Still has great
steaks and great service.
- Buccanos –on the beach in the hotel Club Cozumel Caribe, in the north
hotel zone – open ONLY Friday and Sat night from 6 – 11 pm
They offer an amazing selection of dishes that will tantalize your senses.
Inez, the owner and chef creates combinations that just make your taste
buds jump – lobster macaroni and cheese, lobster tempura, and fresh fish
caught by their own fishing boats. A definite place to visit.
- What a great turtle season the island had in 2012! For those who might not know, each year,
green and loggerhead turtles come up on the east side of
the island to lay their eggs. It starts around May 15 and
ends on Nov 30. This year, there was a total of 5,263
marked nests, much than expected. Of those, 4,825
were green turtles and 438 nests were from the
loggerhead turtles. Remember, turtles come up to nest
2 or 3 times a year but only every other year. So 2012
was the year of the green turtle, where more green
turtles come to lay their eggs than the loggerheads.
Next year, then, will be the loggerheads. We will see what the numbers look like for 2013.
- In July, Cozumel had some interesting visitors – false killer whales –
A pod of an estimated 60 whales swam in the channel between Cozumel andT the mainland. What a
treat for some of the divers. They have not been sited here often but when they are, what a site!
These guys looked like big dolphins – but how often do you see dolphins that are almost 15 feet long
?? Thanks to Bonnie Pelnar of Underwater Colours for these great shots.
- This is just too beautiful of a picture not to share. The Miss Universe contest
was held in December and Miss Mexico took 2nd place with her National Costume.
How beautiful !
- Cozumel is becoming the first digital island in the country. You can now find
free wifi in all of the public parks as well as downtown in front of the City Hall.
* Closing Captions .....
As always, it is due to you guys, our special friends and customers, that give us the reason to go to
work every day ! So thanks so much for coming and visiting and diving with us. We appreciate each
and every one of you ! And again, my sincere apologies for the many problems that have occurred
these last few months. It has been quite busy and I was really hoping that the courts would take
care of this problem a lot quicker than they are….. oh well. We look forward to showing you more
of the underwater wonders of Cozumel soon! Thanks !
Hasta Luego, Amigos!!!!
Roberta and All of the staff of Scuba Shack, Blue Bubble Divers and Dive ECO-cozumel, as well as
and ALL of the staff from the Village Tan Kah hotel !
SCUBA SHACK (011-52-987) 872-4240
www.ScubaShackCoz.com
[email protected]
On the beach between Casa del Mar & Park Royal Hotels - Carr. Costera Sur KM 3.5 # 4
Cozumel, QROO Mexico
77600
ROBERTA'S DIVE ECO-COZUMEL (011-52-987) 872-4187
BLUE BUBBLE DIVERS (011-52-987) 872-1865
VILLAGE TAN KAH (011-52-987) 872-6142
In the south hotel zone, directly across the street from Scuba Shack
Carr. Costera Sur KM 3.5 # 2
Cozumel, QROO Mexico 77600
TECHNICAL STUFF:
This newsletter is produced by Roberta Cwiertnia, and sponsored by Blue Bubble Divers, Roberta's Dive Eco-Cozumel, Scuba Shack & The
Village Tan Kah. We welcome all contributors, although we reserve the right to cut and paste. To be removed from this mailing list, simply
reply to this e-mail and write "Remove From Mailing List" in the body portion of the E-mail and please do not alter the subject line.