Welcome to the 13th edition of The Cozumel Drift, brought to you

by your friends and family here at Blue Bubble Divers, Dive ECO-cozumel, Scuba Shack

& Village Tan Kah on the island of Cozumel. For newbies, a big welcome. For all of the

rest of you, we sure have been busy, thanks to all of you who have come and visited since

the hurricane. So, let's get started - there's lots !

IN THIS EDITION:

Where of where have we been ?!?!?!??!

Island Info... what's news, what's hot, and what's not !

Diving Delights... There has been alot of news - here is how it really is!

Blue Bubble Blurb / Scuba Shack Skinny ...

How everything is coming along !!!

Travel Deals... What great deals you can find and where !!!!

Recipe Request... This is for you Susan !

*Where or where have we been ??

Sorry guys, but thanks to all of our loyal customers, we have been having a very

nice high season for all of us. Here is just a small rundown of what we have been

doing:

1 - Lot's more work. We are currently 2 employees down - Michelle (E-mails -

guess who is back to E-mail duty

) and Eduardo (hotel). When they quit, and

considering that this year was not going to be as busy, we decided not to refill

those positions. IE - Everyone here works a bit more helping out get their jobs

done ! Actually, we are also down an additional 2 captains and 1 divemaster. Just

not enough work and boats yet this year ! So come on down !

2 - Speaking of Michele -

unfortunately, we were very bad judges of character.

After the hurricane, Michelle all of sudden decided to leave the island. Thanks to

the kindness of someone's heart

, we found out that she had stolen our business

checks. BUT, we were able to catch her with them the day of her departure.

Neither she nor Dan are living here on the island. In the process, we also learned

of more schemes and scams - they had taken a copy of our database. So if you

are contacted by them, please beware. We, along with most others on the island

were quite surprised by this turn of events.

3 - As some of you already know, Robert's mom

was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins

Lymphoma in early Jan. Now, before you all have heart attacks of worry, just like

we did, this is the slowest growing of all cancers and she only has tumors right now,

with no spreading. So, the Dr.'s have decided that no treatments is necessary -

just observation with a check up every 3 months. Last week was the check-up and

everything is exactly the same - no growth, nothing.

But it did give us quite a scare.

Robert was able to go to Holland

and be with his mom for 3.5 weeks and do the Dr

thing with her. And really, if you think about it, if this year's workload would have

been as much last year's, there is no way that Robert would have been able to be

with his mom for all that time. So - that was something good.

4 - Vic and Doris came for a visit, which has been a long time in coming. Vic began

kidney dialysis last fall, and that put a curtail into their Cozumel visits. The Dr.'s

finally decided to get him into home dialysis. So, they attempted a trip here to

Cozumel, but Vic ended up here in the hospital with a serious infection. For 6 days !

Quite a scare but he is A-OK.

5 - Is is with very sad

heart that we have to announce the passing of a very dear

friend, diver and customer - Darryl Banks. Many of your know him, from Wisconsin.

He was here on vacation and swimming on the other side of the island and

unfortunately was caught in an undertow. Memorial Service is going to be held May 24th -

so toast him that day where ever you may be. Our condolences to the family - it has

been hard for all of us to take ! And for Darryl, a huge - YEAH BABY !!

6 - Anyone a member of Scubaboard and/or Under Currents?? We are currently

fighting a slander attack,

from an unfortunate incident that occurred in Feb. The

TRUE story is: At Maracaibo the dive plan was to dive as one single group. Anyone

that was unable go down immediately should abort and surface. One diver was unable

to go down, but instead of following

the plan he asked for more weights to see if that would help tried to get down again.

And the captain, instead of following the plan, gave him more weight. By that time, the

group was gone and the current had taken the boat and this 1

diver over the dropoff. When the diver was still unable to descend, the boat

picked him up and ended up even farther from the reef and group. By this time

the captain had lost site of the bubbles, with the divers. He positioned

the boat such that it was down current from the divers. But currents UW took the

dive group out over the blue water. After surfacing had to wait 30 minutes to be

picked up by the boat. End result - neither the diver, nor the captain followed the

original dive plan - thank goodness that no one was hurt. All additions to the story

are not consistent with what happened that day.

7 - The Mexican Legislation has passed a law for charging $4 USD for the

entrance fee of the Marine National Park for Punta Sur and Maracaibo only.

Can you believe that? So, all of the dive operations here on the island have been

working together to fight this. Doesn't seem like the Marine park does anything

extra for those far away reefs. Just another situation of governments trying to get

more of our money - surprised??

8 - Also, we were graced by our parents presence in April ! Robert's mom and aunt,

as well as my dad and mom came down for the first time since our wedding -

yrs

since they have been here. We had so much to show them. We even took them on

the Atlantis Submarine,

so that they could see what we all love so much UW!

For them, the trip was great. For us, well..... let's just say it was OK. But it really

is great for people who can't go diving ! We also did a horse and carriage ride around

the town - which was also quite nice. For $ 25 US for the 4 of us, it was very nice and

we would highly suggest it for new people to the island. So if you bring new friends,

then take them for a ride.

9 - Seems like we have come across some sour gas for the boats. During the months of

Feb and Mar, we must have blown 3 heads on the 200 engines.

The 75's

did not seem to have AS many problems, but it "seems" like we now have the problem

under control (Can you hear the knuckles knocking on wood !).

*Island Info - Hurricane Update

As all of you who have been to visit know, the island is up and running at nearly

100

- that is if you do not count the hotel industry. As of right now, only the

Inter-Continental Presidente and the Park Royal have yet to open. Supposedly,

the Presidente will open around Jun 1, and the Park Royal - in my opinion,

hopefully by Christmas

. The Sol Cabanas del Caribe - there is no plan

to reopen.

Most of the restaurants are open now. There are a few favorites that have closed -

Mexico en los Siglos, Garden of Eatin' and Mesa 17. Manati is now open as well.

Especias has moved locations. They are now on the

corner (OK, 1 store off of the corner) of 3rd St and 5th Ave, just up the street

from Blue Bubble Divers. And it is now upstairs. Ernesto's is hoping to reopen

in 2 weeks

. Casa Mission is still closed as well -they are rebuilding the kitchen

area which was a palapa that was blown away - and this has taken a very long time.

For the rest, things are coming right along. The road all the way around the island

is now open. And so are most of the beach restaurants. Punta Morena is remodeling.

No date set for opening. The island was down to just 1 functioning stop light for

the longest of time -

yipee !!!!! But they have now gotten all of the others

running! All ferries are up and running. So, basically, we are almost done !

One new thing on the island that we are all very happy about is the new plastic

bottle compactor that they have installed at the garbage dump. It will compact

all of the plastic bottles - water, shampoo, cooking oil, soft drinks, engine oil,

gas additives..... the list goes on, into bundles that will be shipped to Merida for

recycling. YEAH !!! So soon we will be recycling plastic bottles, as well as

aluminum cans.

*Diving Delights (written late Jan)

As you know, in the last newsletter it was reported that night diving was suspended,

as was the diving on certain reefs. No sooner had the newsletter gone out, when

Marine Park announced that night dives were on again ! And none of the reefs are

closed either. And divers are going to the shipwreck already. So, everything is

back open. One of the biggest differences that we are seeing after the hurricane

is the amount and variety of marine life.

It is absolutely incredible.

Which is another one of the big differences we have seen between Hurricanes

Wilma and Gilbert. After Gilbert, there was not a lot of life on the reefs. But the

divers are reporting daily sightings of spotted eagle rays, turtles and most days

sharks ! And the night dives... wow. All of the reefs are just teeming with life.

Even right in front of Scuba Shack. Mantis Shrimps, pipe fish, sea hares....

everything is coming back ! Now, if we could just find where all of the pieces of

the plane went, we would be styling !

May Update -

The Marine National Park, along with their counterparts along the mainland

(Sian Ka'an, Puerto Morelos, etc) presented their 2005 Coral Reef System

Monitoring Numbers and results. This is a study that they participate in to keep

track of the eco-systems found along the Meso-American Reef System, which

stretches from Cabo Catoche - the most northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula,

to Cabo Cochinos, off of the coast of Honduras. They keep track on how our

wonderful reef system is doing. Here are some of the highlights that they

reported this past March:

1 - CORALS -

They monitor specific reefs to check: - coverage

percentages for hard and soft corals, sponges, algaes, as well as sand and rock.

- Coral structures - size, bleaching, and diseases that can be affecting the reef

structures. They found that: A - The Leaf and Finger corals, that are the

most fragile, were the corals most affected by Hurricanes Emily and Wilma.

But that the star corals, which are one of the basic building blocks of the reef,

where not removed by these hurricanes. They expect a very speedy recovery

of the damaged corals.

2 - ALGAES - Previously, they had found an excessive amount of algaes on the

monitored reefs, especially Chankanaab, that inhibit reef growth and development.

Post Wilma - the vast majority all of these "bad" algaes have been washed away.

Also, inn May 2005, it was noted that Dalila and Colombia reefs had seen an

increase of sediment on the reefs themsleves. Post Wilma - A substancial

reduction of sand and sediment was found on the reefs.

3 - CORAL BLEACHING - In the summer of 2005, evidence of coral bleaching

was found on most of the reefs here in COzumel. The biggest factor for coral

bleaching is higher water temperatures. Post Wilma - The monitors observed a

recuperation beginning in some of the colonies.

4 - FISH COUNTS -

In comparing the fish counts of 2005 to the previous 2

counts (2000-2002, and again in 2003), they observed in increase in the number

of plant eating fish !

*Blue Bubble Blurb / Scuba Shack Skinny

So, how is the dive shop fairing you might ask? We are certainly coming along.

We have been very busy, thanks to all of our wonderful customers who just could

not stay away for long ! We appreciate all of you coming. And we are looking

forward to seeing more and more of you soon. Even though we are one of the

lucky dive shops that have been diving every single day, 1 or 2 boats a day does

not even meet our daily costs. So, if anyone has some extra time, we know where

you can relax and enjoy yourself !

As for the boats -

all 4 fast boats are up and running. It took a lot of

work - more than we initially anticipated. And a larger chunk of change than we

thought - about $20,000 USD. But the engines are rebuilt, canopies are on, gas

tanks in place, painting redone - we just need more divers so that all of them are going

out on a daily basis ! Nina now needs 2 new engines - another $ 20,000 USD. Our

biggest tragedy is the Blue Bubble big boat.

It was

smashed to pieces in the marina to the month of the island when the pier that

it was tied up to collapsed. When it went down, it took the Blue Bubble, the

Zorro catamaran and another boat down with it, and then the waves came in

and did the rest. So, we will be looking to replace the hull since the engines

and the jets were salvaged.

As for the diveshop, we owe a big round of applause to Danny and Scott

from Colorado. They are the guys who built us our little temporary pier so

that we can load you divers onto the boats. YEAH. The rubble has been

cleaned up - found some tank valves, weights, chains, locks, etc. No tanks.

So Julio is fixing the tanks that we do have. We are now building the foundations

and the walls are well on their way. The locker room should be done soon !

The pier - well, that is taking longer than anticipated. New estimates are due in

soon and we will see what we can come up with. But almost no one has rebuilt

their pier yet. The piers that were partially damaged have been fixed, but

hardly any new piers have been built. If you are at a loss, so are we ! But it

will get done.

*Village Tan Kah

The major damage to the hotel was to the trees, and plants. Thanks to our

friends from Minnesota (The Petersons and Renee), we have a few new

flowers

here. And Vicki

brought some as well. Now that spring is officially

here, we are full of flowers, which means lots of humming birds, and the

resident iguana that LOVES to sit at the top of the tree, right behind the

3 Musicians room.

Cats

It sure has been a long year with the cats. Euro and Patches are

doing great. Patches had her kittens in Sep, with Hurricane

being the

sole survivor. Then in Nov, all of a sudden, Diamond showed up.

And then

again in Feb, Patches got pregnant again and had 6 little kittens.

They were a joy while they were here, and all have found homes. And now, all of

the cats are fixed - no more Cat Farm !

* Travel Deals

Being on the travel lists for you areas are a must for finding great deals.

Depending on your travel agent to find them for you, does not always work.

So sign up for Funjet, Worry Free Vacations, and Apple Specials. This past

week, Worry Free Vacations were offering on their INTERNET ONLY

Specials - $ 99 USD RT direct to Cozumel from Dallas and St. Louis.

Funjet Vacations - Currently has these specials running:

- Chicago O'Hare to CAncun - $ 199 USD - $ 300 with all taxes included.

- Houston - Cozumel direct - $ 149 USD - $ 260 with all taxes.

- San Antonio to Cozumel - $ 199 USD - $ 300 with taxes.

- St. Louis to Cancun - $ 149 - $ 260 with taxes.

Also, there are these other websites that kind of research the web for you and

give you a consolidated list every week: www.TravelZoo.com - sign up for their

weekly "20 Best" newsletter www.BookingBuddy.com - weekly specials, and www.Shermanstravel.com - weekly "25 Best Deals". These can give you the guide

as to where to find more. But, these specials are not something you can sit on

and think about for 5 days or more. These are very quick offers. So when you

see these specials in your inbox, you have to be ready to decide.

Also, here is an example of what to look for when comparing our hotel and diving

prices - to a hotel only special that they saw.

The deal - Just so you know. Worryfree Vacations offers the Casa del Mar with two
packages that include airport transfer to/from 1. Room + breakfast for 3
nights for $236 per couple 2. Room + 3 meals + drinks (alcohol included)
for $374 per couple

The Reply - Yes, but those prices do not include diving. Add on $ 133 per person

for 2 dive trips, and the price is then $ 236 (Casa de Mar hotel) plus $ 266

(2 divers x 133 each) = $502 - or $ 251 per person. Ours is $ 220 per person.

For airport transfers, add on $8 to get to the hotel from the airport, and then

the taxi for 2 to return to the airport is $8 US or $4 per person, and still our

price is then $ 232 per person. Still a better deal by almost $ 20 USD ! You

just have to add in all of the numbers. Of course, for deal #2, we cannot compete.

But Chedraui has all the food

and liquor

that you might

need for your relaxing vacation !

Also, an additional note .....As of this week, there are only 10 - 12 cruise ships

coming into Cozumel PER WEEK - can you believe this?? That means, this summer

is going to be the chance that divers have for taking back the island. It is so nice

to have NO ships here on Tues, Sat and Sun. It reminds us of the good old days.

JUST IN - United special fares - Cancun (Info from Travelzoo)

http://airfare.travelzoo.com/international-airfare/240290

Looks like United is now resuming their flights to Cancun and are offering special

fares - $ 89 - $ 129 each way. But you HAVE to book by May 26!

St. Louis to Cancun - $ 99 USD by MLT Vacations

http://vacations.travelzoo.com/mexico-vacations/240215

MLT VACATIONS MEGA

- www.worryfreevacations.com

Dallas - CUN - $119 - $149 RT - through August !

Denver - CUN - $ 189 RT - certain weeks

Detriot - CUN - $ 119 - $ 159 - Through August !

Oklahoma City - CUN - $ 139 - 169 most weeks through August !

So, come on down for a visit. We will welcome you

and every other diver, friend, or family member with

open arms. The deals are there - so come on down.

*Recipe Request

This is one of the recipes for the breads that we put on the boats every day.

So many of you have requested it that it seemed easier to print it here. A big

thanks to Susan Moses, who gave me this recipe:

Gingerbread

Ingredients:

1 C butter 1 C Sugar

2 eggs 2 C flour

1 C Molasses 1 Tbsp Ground Ginger

1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon 1 Tbsp Ground Cloves

1 C boiling water with 1 tsp baking soda

Cream the butter and Sugar. And the eggs and nix well. Add flour, Molasses

and spices. Then mix the baking soda into the boiling water - it will start to

bubble up. Pour into the batter and nix well. Pour batter into greased and

floured 9x13 pan, and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. The batter will be really

watery, but it bakes up great. And alot darker than the batter. Here, we use

only 3/4 C butter so that the Gingerbread would be a bit more sturdy - to

handle the throwing of the coolers. Serve with home made whip cream !

Final words........

Not to sounds like a broken record or anything, but what we really need

right now is you ! Come on down to see how your favorite scuba location is

doing. And enjoy the magic of Cozumel all over again !

Thanks !

Hasta Luego, Amigos!!!!

Robert and Roberta and All of the staff of Scuba Shack, Blue Bubble Divers and Dive

ECO-cozumel and All of the staff from the Village Tan Kah hotel !

================================================================================

CUBA HACK (011-52-987) 872-4240

www.ScubaShackCozumel.com

robertac@prodigy.net.mx

On the beach between Casa del Mar & Park Royal Hotels

ROBERTA'S IVE CO-COZUMEL (011-52-987) 872-4187

www.RobertasDIVEECOcozumel.com
roberta@RobertasDIVEECOcozumel.com
Calle 3 between the waterfront and 5 Ave.

LUE UBBLE IVERS (011-52-987) 872-1865 and 872-4526

www.bluebubble.com
info@bluebubble.com
Calle 3 between the waterfront and 5 Ave.

ILLAGE AN AH (011-52-987) 872-6142

www.VillageTanKah.com

info@VillageTanKah.com
In the south hotel zone, directly across the street from Scuba Shack

TECHNICAL STUFF:

This newsletter is produced by Roberta Cwiertnia, sponsored by Blue Bubble Divers, Roberta's Dive Eco-Cozumel, Scuba Shack & Village Tan Kah. We welcome all contributors, although we reserve the right to cut and paste. To be removed from this mailing list, simply send an e-mail with "Remove From Mailing List" on the subject line to: roberta@robertasdiveecocozumel.com