Ok, we have all been at home too long! Spring and summer are finally arriving and it is time to start thinking about getting back in the water. I know that the Twilight Zone episode is continuing and its effects can still be seen and most of the islands are not open to tourists right now. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t start dreaming of being underwater!
One of my favorite spots to dream about is Cozumel. Because of its relative location to Houston, it seems more like a local dive spot than a foreign destination. In two hours, I can be there and in four hours I can be checked it, changed into dive equipment, and jump in the crystal blue water just off the beach at the El Presidenté Intercontinental. Or better yet, I can be racing off in a boat with our friends at Scuba Du to do a dive further down the reefs.
Diving in Cozumel is a real treat. No matter what you are looking for, they have it. The reefs offer a wide variety of marine life and formations. There are vertical walls at Palacar and coral bommies in twenty feet of water nearby at Columbia. There are gently sloping walls at Chankanauub and fast-moving fun at Passo Cedral. For snorkelers, there are sites up and down the coast with beautiful fish and healthy corals just out of reach but easy enough to swim over. For the hard-core diver, you can do four dives a day plus a night dive right off the beach or off a boat with your own guide.
I have been going to Cozumel for over thirty years and I never tire of the diving or the island. My home away from home is now the El Presidenté. The staff at the hotel make me feel so welcome when I arrive and they are truly happy I am there. But it is not just me; they go out of their way to make everyone who visits feel welcome. Last December, Ann and I spent our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary with a group of divers at the hotel and it was a very memorable experience.
Another of the things I love about the island is the food. I know, I am supposed to be there for the diving but you have to eat. Cozumel is fast becoming a foodie destination with a number of well-known restaurants serving creative dishes that draw on all of the senses. But there are also some hidden gems serving very traditional Mexican and Yucatecan dishes.
Because things are still a little in flux, I can’t hop on a plane right now but we can sit back and dream. I can also try and recreate a little magic myself by making a special dish or two from my favorite hotel. Chef Sergio Turriza, the Executive Chef for El Presidenté sent me a couple of suggestions that I could make to bring Cozumel to Houston.
So my suggestion is to make one or both of these recipes and sit back and imagine yourself having just completed a beautiful dive and relaxing at the Palapa bar and watching the sun slip slowly under the horizon with its vivid reds and yellows dancing across the blue sky. Think of the day dives and the joy of anticipating more diving soon…
