by Ginny De Mattei
Cozumel never disappoints. I think that’s why we keep going back year after year. The resort, Iberostar, has everything we want on the property. Buffet dinner every night and specialty restaurants to choose from. Alcohol is included and we are always discovering the latest best drink. Is the food great – no – but it’s very good and the buffet has so many selections that there is something for everyone. Themed dinners include Asian, Italian, Mexican and International.
They didn’t have shows in the evening every night but they did have them on several nights. This resort used to have really great shows, but that hasn’t been the case in the past several years. They usually have live music in the lobby. Everything is open air.
Dressel Divers takes great care of us. We had our own boat and we were divided into two groups with two divemasters.
I only saw one splendid toadfish this year (last year we saw many), but I saw a seahorse and two pipefish, which I had never seen there before. The visibility is 100+ feet on every dive and the current was very gentle this year.
The usually suspects were turtles, shark, lots and lots of reef fish and the biggest lobsters you’ve ever seen in your life.
My personal favorite dive is Punta Sur. The pinnacles are enormous. I liken it to diving the Grand Canyon. But we did dive the C-53, which is the only deep water wreck in the area. The ship was deeming with juvenile sardines, so much so that it made it almost impossible to see what was ahead as we navigated the interior of the ship.
Mexico takes great care in preserving their reefs. Periodically they close reefs for diving to reduce stress on the corals. They used to allow reef-safe sunscreen, but now allow no sunscreen at all on the dive boats. No gloves, pointers or knives.
Topside we cheered on Anthony when he participated in their Olympic pool games. Ravi won an Olympic medal in bocce, which he proudly wore the rest of the week.
Iberostar and Dressel Divers make this is a fun-filled, great diving holiday. On top of that, the price that we get for the week, including 12 dives, is unbeatable at any other resort. I personally am looking forward to going back soon.