Cozumel or I'm on a Boat!

On the second day of our Mexication, we got up early and caught a ferry to the island of Cozumel, which is about twelve miles from Playa Del Carmen.  Our activity of the day was a SCUBA and snorkel trip off the coast of the island.  Since I grew up in a land-locked state and am not what one would call aquatically inclined, I always opt to snorkel over SCUBA.  It’s cheaper and seems like much less work.  All you need is a mask, snorkel, and fins and you’re good to go!  No need to worry about air in your tank or pressurizing, and you can fly and drink as much as you want the day before you do it.  To me, that's a much better deal.  Also, fish creep me out and I don’t want to get too close.  I’m perfectly content to admire them from a distance.  They stay on their side of the ocean, I stay on mine and we’re good.

Once we docked and dismebarked, we ran (literally- we were late!) down a few blocks to meet our dive master at Deep Blue. We joined another small group, four guys who happened to be doctors from Australia (we were not mad about that), and our tiny boat sped off into the sea!

 I managed to avoid coming in contact with any sea life, but I had a few close calls!  With all the hours I've spent watching Sponge Bob Square Pants, I don’t understand why I feel so out of place in open water.

Oh heyyyy, Patrick!

Then I saw a mermaid...

Gotcha!  It's just my friend, Meniza.  Girl can swim!   

In all seriousness, the SCUBA/snorkel trip was ah-MAY-zing.  I visited Australia in 2009 and my group went on a similar excursion in the Great Barrier Reef.  The coral in the Gulf of Mexico was a lot less… dead.  Which is good.  And I promise I didn’t touch any!  Even though I could have.  I resisted.  Gold starfish for me.

Bonus: Snorkeling is a great opportunity to practice underwater selfies.  (Note to self: Waterproof mascara is available at most stores.  Buy some.)

We went to three different sites to snorkel, which took over four hours dock-to-dock.  By the time we got back to dry land we were craving food and refreshments.  Since Laura was done with her SCUBA, the three of us were able to imbibe in solidarity for the first time on our vaca!

Playa is the place to catch the sunrise and Cozumel is the place to watch it set.  Once the sun was down, we headed back to catch the last ferry to PDC.  We considered the day a success in different ways.  Laura remembered how to dive, Meniza saw a spotted sting ray, and I didn't come into physical contact with any fish.  And of course, we ended our day with this. 

L.I.V.I.N.