in mid December, I made a trip down to Mexico to dive with bull sharks in Playa del Carmen.  These sharks make a migration between about mid-November to mid-February to their birthing grounds.  This seemed like a great opportunity to see them without a cage, up close!

But first, a couple of days in Cozumel.  Since I was flying down to that region, it made sense to spend a couple of days diving in Cozumel.  Staying at the Casa Mexicana, which is right on the malecon was very easy, it is a short walk to many bars, restaurants, even the ferry terminal, the breakfast buffet is included, and service is very good.

Cozumel has never been a favorite of mine to dive.  This is due to the current, which make drift diving common.  However, if you want to stop, or even turn around for a picture of something amazing, you will swim against the current.  Or if you cross from one reef to another, you are also fighting current.  I tend to feel that the variety of scenery underwater is somewhat limited.

Unfortunately, on this trip it looks like there is widespread coral bleaching.  I observed it on every reef.  The previous year, I observed some bleaching, but not as bad as this time.  That of course is going to limit the size and variety of fish that live there as well.

Then on to Playa del Carmen.  The ferry ride across is inexpensive and fast.  I stayed at the Fiesta Inn, which is just a block back from 5th avenue, over a mile of restaurants, shops and other entertainment.

The next day was bull shark day.  You can't wear anything shiny or bright colored, and unfortunately strobes are not allowed for the camera.  We meet at the beach for the pre-dive briefing, and as we are meeting, the rain started coming down.  Get on the boat and the rain is coming down even harder, but that is OK, we are all in wetsuits ready to get wet anyways.

Each operator is given a short window to dive with the sharks, just 30 minutes, and there is even less than that with the time to descend 80 feet to the feeding station, and then time to ascend afterwards, so you really only have about 20 minutes.  But in that time, the action is fast and exciting.  You will have these bull sharks come very close to you, I even had one brush the top of my head.  It is an unforgettable experience!

The day we had out to Dos Ojos, a cenote near Tulum.  I had always wanted to try to dive a cenote, and this was an opportunity to do so.  A cenote is a fresh water cave, and Dos Ojos is not very deep.  The deepest part is about 30 feet, and that is only for a minute or so.  Most of the time you are in about 15 feet of water.  I have to say, this was more of an item to check off my list, but I found that much of the cave looked similar.  I can't say that I would want to do a lot of cave diving.