Cozumel dive 6, 7, and 8.

Ok, so they come and pick us up Wednesday morning, and there are 6 of us, with four of us squished in the back seat of Noe's truck. Noe and Jen in the front. Me and Ron and Eric and Javi in the back.

Off we go! I met Javi on my first dive because he was there to manage equipment for Noe. I've known Eric for a whole week. I've known Noe for 2 whole weeks. Jen is new, but she is a friend of Laura (the friend who enticed me to come experience Mexico and Puerto Morelos), Noe, and also Eric. So Javi also, I'm guessing. We drive to the ferry in good spirits, talking about all kinds of things. It is a big bright yellow and bright blue ferry. We were the very last vehicle allowed on. The ferry ride was a bit wavy, I think I started to get a bit queasy. But everyone is so excited and so charming, you know? We arrive at our destination and there are 2 things that catch my eye. One is the gigantically massive cruise ships that are tall in the water and then also have 6 stories of balconies that tower into the sky. They are like skyscrapers of the sea. The other is the incredible color of the water. The kind of breathtaking blue that captures a girl's heart. I call it Gasping Blue. There are all kinds of blue names like cerulean, aquamarine, teal. The color of the water where the ferry docks is unlike anything Crayola has ever come up with. Gasping Blue describes the effect the water has on the person seeing it. It just makes you take in a sharp little breath of awe.

Then we drive off the boat to a place where Eric's girlfriend lives. It's like a kind of complex. One unit behind the outdoor kitchen, and 3 stories of big units with their own kitchens and big rooms. The front wall of the building is painted in a beautifully done jungle scene, very artistic, with the scene tumbling onto the sidewalk. Ron is saying how much he loves Cozumel the minute we walk into our room. We are in a unit on the second floor. There is a big room with 2 bunk beds, and that's where Jen and Noe and Javi sleep. With a good sized kitchen area between the two sleeping rooms. There is a big room with 2 queen beds for Ron and I. The backyard is landscaped with many kinds of palm trees, and has a lovely pool. It's a beautiful set up. Eric's girlfriend Jacquie is a lovely wisp of a girl in maybe her 20's. She has 4 super small dogs and one itty bitty puppy. The dogs are yappy and they bit both Noe and Javi! Good thing they have miniature teeth. We dropped off things and then all 7 of us piled into the truck to go on the first dive. (After going out for some lunch at a lovely restaurant.) The dive area wasn't far from one of the cruise ships. It was cloudy and sunny. The water didn't look as pretty right there, but it was great to get in. I wore a full wet suit so it was hot getting ready and awesome to finally get in the cool water after we carried equipment and did all the assembly. We just had to go down some steps and then wade out about 20 feet. Javi stayed behind and Jacquie snorkeled.
This dive was pretty cool, I was still feeling way too new to it all. Dive number 5 for me. The fish were cool, the currents weren't bad. It would have been better with more sunshine, though. I was trying so hard to figure out how to be neutrally buoyant, and my breathing, and my mask felt a bit loose, and I had to keep defogging my mask. It was still more stress than anything. It was one second of looking around, and then 10 seconds of analyzing where everyone was compared to me, and then 10 seconds of clearing my mask, and 1 second of looking around. It was a 45 minute blur of activity and sensations and making calculations. It was such an amazing feeling though, to set off with a group of friends and dive together. Like we were our own little family of mer-people. When we got back to the steps my back was killing me. They changed tanks and did another dive, but I sat it out.
I just floated with Jacquie in my suit, borrowing her snorkel a bit, but mostly just looking around and stretching out my back. The area was really cool, the fish were pretty neat. It was wonderfully relaxing and my back felt better by the time they got back.
Diving is unique. Five of us dive for about an hour in silence, 0nly doing a couple of hand signals. Then we come back up and once the regulators are out we each have our own story to tell. Without fail each of us saw something that the others didn't. Or saw things in a different way. Or there is so much to see down there, and we each have a different focus as we gaze around. I like that afterwards part where everyone compares stories and talks about the over-all experience. It can really connect people, because it's such a magical kind of adventure. Noe and Jen have done this many many times, but it's still fun to feed off of the enthusiasm of others. It's also like playing Monopoly. It depends who you are playing with, who's house you are playing at, and which board version is being used. (Who brought the food)So it's still feels different even though it's all Monopoly.
Then we went back and dinner magically appeared, and it was delicious. Ron and I stayed up until about midnight, and we were the first ones to go to bed. It was great fun, just relaxed people laughing a lot. Around 10pm Noe says he thinks we should level up in our dive training and tries to go over a book with us for an hour. I was going cross eyed, it was about navigation and search patterns and dives to 100 feet depth. Eric and I humored Noe, but in the morning we both said: look, let's just relax and dive.
Ron and I don't drink, but everyone else does. We still all had fun. It wasn't fair that I woke up at 7am with a wicked headache and upset stomach. I was just miserable. I drank water. I had a bottle of electrolyte drink. I tried to meditate. I gave my heart to Jesus. It was the kind of pain that feels so bad that my only consolation was how lovely it was going to feel when it ended. Thankfully there was no morning dive planned. I was feeling functional again by lunch. Was it nerves from diving and diving in a new place with people I barely new? I guess, along with dehydration.
And then we went on 2 more dives! The first one was kind of cool, we pulled up in a space 10 feet from the water and got geared up. It was a lovely piece of beach/sea with few people, but quite a few boats. So it was weird because the water wasn't that deep, only about 40 feet with boats going over us. I was really glad that I didn't have any more buoyancy issues. Boats sound loud and threatening when they go over top. The view was pretty cool down there. We swam straight out, then across, and then down a bit of a drop. I was starting to get the hang of things. I enjoyed seeing my dive buddy Ron do his thing next me. It was exciting, Noe would ask if I was ok, and I was always ok. I was relieved to be able see so much improvement already on dive number 7. Everyone is always more relaxed than me. Or maybe I'm also just that more jazzed to be doing this new thing.
Noe told us that the 100th dive is a snuba dive. Diving naked. I laughed so hard I almost choked. I can not imagine me doing that. He says he did, and people took pictures. Um, ok, that's special. I bet Eric will do it. Hahahaha. Not me. I'll stop diving at number 99, I guess.
This dive was pretty cool. Walking far out into pretty green-blue water and still being in waist deep water is amazing. I was starting to feel more comfortable in my new aquatic environment. The reef plants were unreal. I was not expecting shades of purple. So many curves and angles, plants and coral, all competing for my attention.
Getting out of the water is the trickiest part, anything lower than my hips and it's about keeping balance while navigating rocks. I was jazzed up by the end of the dive. It was getting easier and I just love diving with a group of people.
Then we went down the beach a ways and the next dive was totally amazing. Everything a dive should be. It was so scenic! It was magical, so many different kinds of coral of every shape and color. There was a series of caves, probably connected. Noe brought a dive camera and took pictures while we explored. It was a fantastic world down there. A delightful variety of smaller fish. We saw lobsters and eels and sea cucumbers. The catch is to look at things, but not for long. Keeping track of my buddy is the number one thing. I think the perfect dive is holding hands, so I don't have to be like Jen, she says she was looking at something and lost us for a second and had to go looking for us. There was one moment when I lost everyone in front of me, but I was pretty sure they were just over a ridge. And they were. It is that pivotal moment when I realize that I'm no longer being babysat, and Noe was busy with the camera and the caves.
There was this one cave that Noe went into, and then he swam back out and grabbed my hand and took me in there. It was wild. It was dark, but we could still see enough. We went in about 10-15 feet and then turned around to come back out. It was a short cave, not very tall at all. It was very cool. Afterwards my friend asked if I was scared, and really, I wasn't even nervous. I trust Noe. It's interesting how twice now he's literally taken me by the hand and asked for my trust.
Then we went back to the shoreline, but we were down from our exit point. We had a long way to swim and had to be back by 5pm when the place closed where we started from.
The guys were hanging back for something, so I followed calm and capable Jen. It was a long way, and there was a current too. The water was shallow, we stayed at the surface to swim back. There was a lot of cool coral, but I just had to swim. I kept looking up and thinking I was never going to make it. By the time I could stand up to start walking out, I was breathing hard. It was a perfect cardio workout. I was just happy I made it. Then the trick of wading out with the big bulky tank and getting used to gravity again, while feeling tired.
Good old Javi was there waiting and I was so very happy to have him help me take off my BCD and tank. Then I sat on a ledge and caught my breath waiting for the guys. Jen (my hero) was not even out of breath. That's the pure gold of experience though. She could do different kicks. I was trying the frog kick like her, but it didn't seem to be working so I flutter kicked the entire way back. Once again I was elated when we were done. It was epic down there. I rejoiced in the sensation of: "I did it!" I was so happy. Then there was the huge task of getting my gear off. Man, taking my boots off is always very taxing for me. Jen helped me take my wet suit off. I was thinking: look at me! I'm one of the cool kids. A tired cool kid, to be sure. Diving uses a lot of energy.
Then back to the place with the lovely yard for more music, talking and laughing and very tasty food prepared by other people. We had a snack and then a taco dinner was made in the outdoor kitchen, ready at about midnight. A full moon had come up, it was all very magical to me. Then Jacquie gave us all cool matching necklaces made from coral/fossils. She has the best laugh! Then we headed to bed after eating. The others stayed up, and good luck to them. They had more late night fun and I slept through it.
I was up early the next morning but I felt good. I was ready to dive. They wanted to rent a boat and go to 'the wall' where the sea floor drops down. I was a bit nervous, but ready. But it was Good Friday and there were no cheap boats to rent, so we just lazed around the pool and more food was made. Then it started to rain, and we all sat around a picnic table talking until it was time to go. I didn't mind that we didn't dive, I was very happy that I would have been ready if we did. I was happy to save the money of renting a boat, too, I'm not going to lie.
Then it was a ferry ride home going into the sunset. We were at the back of the boat up on the second floor. The weather was perfect, the sunset was artistic, and the rain was left behind us. Once in a while we could see flying fish, flashing silver sparkle as the low rays of the sun caught their bodies. They can stay up out of the water for a long way. I was impressed, it was very cool to watch them.
The sun dipped below the trees at the same moment that the ship was docking. Then the quiet ride home with tired people. As we drove to the beach to drop off Jen we saw a big yellow moon just rising up. Then we all had burgers. Ron and I didn't get home until around 8pm. What an adventure!
We totally didn't have much in common with those people, but we connected very well because everyone was open to it. We made it all work. The joy of diving can really bring people together.
And that is the story of how Nana Suzette had a wild adventure at the age of 48 years old in Mexico. I was just going along living my fairly normal life, and all of sudden wham, Eric is my fellow dive student and we were invited to do more diving. Life can change so quickly. Friends can be made so fast. I did 8 dives in 19 days. And all I'm thinking is: now what? After the incredible things that have been happening so far this year, what should I expect to happen next??
I told Laura that having all of my dreams come true is a bit exhausting. I need a break. I think I have mild stomach bug, actually. My digestion hasn't been right for a week and a half. I'm glad I went anyway. I was glad to be back though. I do not have the energy that others do. It was a crazy trip, lots of memories.
There were many outstanding moments. One was sitting around the pool with Eric and Noe and talking about the Book of Mormon as it supposedly relates to the Mayan people.
One was finding myself crammed into the truck with 7 people, none of us wearing seat-belts, it's just not a thing here, and most travel is at a slow speed. But still, how did I find myself in this predicament? Everyone was laughing a lot, talking half in Spanish and half in English. Javi and Jacquie have limited English, and unlimited laughter. It was all so funny.
I'm glad I survived. I made some memories with the people and the dives and the scenery. A lot of people say that Cozumel is ranked among the world's top scuba diving destinations. Looking back, I can't believe we did that. It's been a dream for so long to do incredibly amazing things like jump in a truck full of new friends and scuba dive off of an island in Mexico.

This picture doesn't even do justice to the shiny liquid colorfulness that greets us as we arrive. You can see clear down to the bottom, as you wait to walk to the car.

Yes, this picture is me! Under the sea. I'm a terrific bubble maker. I know it's unavoidable, but I still think I pretty much aced that part of scuba diving.

Hey, there is Eric!

Nope, I wasn't afraid of him. Yes, I got pretty close to his polka dotted self.

Allll the dive gear is rinsed and hanging up to dry.

Jen and Jacquie

(sp?) and moi.

Awesome fun in a great place with wonderful people. Ron and I are so different from the others (starting but not ending with our age), but it's the similarities that bind.

Ferry ride laughs. There is my necklace! There is a picture of Javi and Eric. Other pictures were not the best shots or focus, so I am improvising with what I have.