Page 136 - The Dutch Caribbean Isles

n Cozumel is famous for its drift diving.
I Currents are usually mild (1 -2 Knots)
allowing divers to glide effortlessly along
the reefs. The Gulf Stream runs along the
entire coast of Quintana Roo, flowing from
the south to the north, with the intensity
depending on weather conditions, seasons,
and the moon. The currents are stronger
on the deeper wall dives at the edge of the
shelf. The Big Three start in about 60 feet of
water and the majority of the dive is at 90
feet to 100 feet. You exit from the boat and
descend straight down to the sandy bot-
tom at sixty feet. You then swim over the
edge and descend to 90 feet. Because of the
depth and the result nitrogen load, the dive
Advantages of Bonaire to Provide a Safe and Economical Dive Trip
I dived Bonaire for the first time in August
of 2010 with my wife, Susan, and our
daughter Arielle. The diving was great. The
average dive is not as outstanding as the
Big Three in Cozumel but far exceeds the
second morning dive and afternoon dive
on the Platform Reefs of Cozumel. Our
at the best part is about thirty minutes. Your
nitrogen load is maxed out by the end of the
dive and the second dive is a shallow dive
at depths of 30 feet. The boats are typically
cattle boats, slow moving and comprised
of 16 divers. Cozumel has approximately 15
standard dive sites. Thus in a week a diver
can dive all of the dives sites. A map of the
dive sites is in the included picture.
C ozumel was rated by PADI the Number
2 location to dive based on an overall
experience of restaurants, accommodations,
pricing, shopping and the overall experi-
ence.
overall diving experience was outstanding.
However, as a father planning a dive vaca-
tion, I paid $600 to have three (3) persons
dive 30 tanks and plus a 2-tank boat dive to
Klein Bonaire. The non-ocean side of Klein
Bonaire was no better than any shore dive
on the main island. The ocean facing side
ll dives are boat dives – Cozumel drift
A dives provide some benefits but also
drawbacks. All dives at Cozumel are drift
dives and therefore start and end from a
boat. The harbor where the dive boats leave
from is 30 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes
(depending on the boat) from the famous
Big Three. It is an all day affair to do multiple
tanks from boats. You are stuck on a boat
during the surface intervals and a signifi-
cant time is spent riding a boat to and from
the Big Three dive sites. Diving becomes as
entire day event, out in the sun and you are
tired by the end of the day.
of the Klein Bonaire was a truly amazing
dive. My favorite dives were Karpata and
Thousand Steps and I have ranked the
ocean side of Klein Bonaire, Karpata and
Thousand Steps on par with the Big Three
of Cozumel.