About Blue XT~Sea Diving - Blue XT~Sea Diving

Founder, owner and Texas native Christi Courtney started Blue XT~Sea Diving out of her island home, tooling around on a moped with a “Keep Austin Weird” sticker on the gas tank. With very little advertising and much goodwill, we grew to become one of Cozumel’s best-loved dive operations. It wasn’t just the famous surface-interval muffins and other snacks, it was the personal service that has set us apart from the very beginning. In October 2005, we purchased our second dive boat, Bandida II. Many of you know the story of how Wilma destroyed her before getting her launched – but we persisted and launched her in April 2006 and she has become our pride and joy. Bandida was re-powered with twin Yamaha 115 Four-Stroke engines and completely renovated in October 2014. After a five year hiatus from the water, Shamu (our first boat) was completely refurbished and re-powered with a brand new Yamaha 4 stroke 200HP – she celebrated her maiden voyage in March 2017, and she flies!

Other celebrations include the re-launch of our first boat SHAMU in March 2017 and our 15 year Anniversary in April of 2017! Thanks to all of our old and new diving friends! We look forward to another 15 years as our “tribe” grows!

Wondering about the name? We wanted to find a name that emulates how we feel when we are diving. After several months, hours of debate, and many “focus group” sessions, we decided on Blue XT~Sea Diving. The euphoric connotations give a true illustration of the feelings and emotions that diving brings us. Every time we dive into the crystal blue waters of Cozumel, it is a new experience, a new adventure, but always wonderful and always exhilarating. With this said, our goal is to share this love of diving with you and to provide you with a safe and exceptional experience with personal attention and packages tailored to your needs. With us, your diving will be an experience to remember, not just another dive trip!

Blue XT~Sea Diving services extends beyond the boat. We can also help you with your accommodations, rental cars and we can guide you in the right direction for dining and other non-diving activities.

If there is any information we haven’t covered, please do not hesitate to contact Christi at info@bluextseadiving.com.

Meet the Blue XT~Sea Diving Team

Christi Courtney

DesignerOwner and Operator

Christi fell in love with Cozumel and moved to the island permanently from Austin, Texas to follow her passion and to share her love of diving with others. She worked in several shops as a Photographer, Divemaster, and Instructor until April 2002 when she was granted independent status by the Mexican government.
Shortly thereafter, Blue XT~Sea Diving was born! Christi is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, Emergency First Responder, DAN O2 provider and a volunteer for the Cozumel Marine Park. Christi has also been a member of AMMJE Cozumel (Associacion Mexicana de Mujeres Empresarias, A.C. or Association of Women Business owners of Mexico) and is a member of ANOAAT (Asociación Nacional de Operadores de Actividades Acuáticas y Turísticas). Most recently, Christi became a naturalized Mexican Citizen in November 2016 and now holds dual citizenship between her native country of the United States and her home country of Mexico.

Santos Chel Acosta

Guest Services & Christi's Other Right Hand

Santos is the behind-the-scenes guy who makes sure that your dive trip is comfortable and work free! He is the one who washes your gear, packs it up each day, makes sure the towels are clean and “Downy fresh” and so much more! Santos is also Christi’s office assistant and runner and has been an invaluable member of our team since 2003 – he is the oil that keeps this engine running so smoothly!

Arturo Hernandez-Cortes

Instructor

Arturo has been part of the Blue XT~Sea Diving team on and off going back to even before our beginnings. A little piece of trivia that some of you already know is that Arturo was actually one of Christi’s Instructors when she went through her Dive Master training in 2001 – he was also one of Christi’s favorite DM’s when she was a “tourist” on the island herself! Arturo’s ZEN-like, laid back style of diving is almost enough to think he is in a trance because he barely moves or breathes – but it’s just Arturo’s relaxed style and him enjoying leading you all on some beautiful dives! Stay close to him if you’re into micro sea life – he is a master at finding the tiniest sea creatures that you would never find on your own. Arturo is a NAUI and PADI Instructor and holds a Master’s Degree in Marine Biology from UNAM and The University of Washington. He spent 2 years in the Northwest studying Humpback Whales and other large marine mammals. He is quite interesting and has expansive knowledge of the sea. You’ll see him on the boat as a Dive Master filling in for Pedro on his days off or as the DM when we are running more than one boat. Otherwise, he is one of our Instructors and teaches everything from Discover Scuba up through Dive Master including several specialties!

Martin ``Wech`` Robertos

DiveMaster

WELCOME “WECH” – The Newest HAND PICKED Member of #TeamBlueXTSea Martin Robertos aka ‘Wech’ has called Cozumel home for most of his life. He has been a PADI DM since he was 19 years old and has an absolutely contagious passion for the beautiful reefs of Cozumel, which, after 25 years of experience, he knows like the back of his hand. He truly cares about his divers and loves to have fun and make them happy while keeping their safety a top priority. His diving style isHe i slow and chilled, and he has eagle eyes for finding sea life.

In his spare time, he enjoys spending time working on his farm where he raises a few animals, he loves deep sea fishing, and also traveling when he has the opportunity.

We are very excited to have him as the newest member of the Blue XT~Sea diving family and Martin looks forward to providing top notch service to our divers.

Pedro Pablo Pech

Divemaster and Christi's Right Hand Man

Pedro is also a true Cozemeleño and has been working in the dive industry here since 1989. He worked as a boat captain for seven years while working toward his Divemaster rating and has been a Cozumel Divemaster since 1996 and a key part of our team since 2004. Pedro still logs every single dive and as of this writing, has logged over 10,000 dives in Cozumel. Pedro loves diving…he is addicted to it! He is never happier than when he has a double trip!

Nivardo Betancourt a/k/a NIVO

Captain and Elite Cyclist

Nivo is a Cozemeleño through and through and has been navigating the sea for over 20 years! He previously worked with Dive House, Aldora Divers, individual boat operators and now we are very proud to have him on our team! In his spare time, Nivo is an accomplished cyclist, winning and/or placing in the top 3 in virtually every race he enters! He recently competed in the Cozumel Half Ironman on a relay team, where he completed a 90km (56 mile) bike ride in 2:11, which beat several of the pro times! You’re going to love being on the boat with Nivo at the helm!

Norma Iliana Garcia

Administrative Assistant & Christi's other right arm

Norma joined our team in April 2015 and we would be lost without her! She was born in Sonora and raised in Guadalajara, but has called Cozumel home since 1989. Her education is in Accounting so that is her main role with us, but her experience in the diving industry goes back 20 years. She also manages rental properties and can answer questions regarding availability on our boats and many other Cozumel related things! During her time off, Norma loves gardening, hand crafts and anything creative using her hands. She also speaks 3 languages – Spanish (native), English (as well as most native English speakers) and Italian (80%).

Edwin a/k/a ``Pato``

Captain

Edwin joined our team in March of 2017 to help us re-launch our first boat Shamu. He has been a wonderful asset to our team and has over a decade of experience navigating the Cozumel waters and dropping divers on our beautiful reefs! We are gratful to have Edwin on our team!

Christi’s carefully selected team demonstrates professionalism, a passion for diving and a commitment to reef conservation.
Most of all, her team is committed to safety and providing you with an exceptional diving experience in Cozumel.

All team members are certified DAN O2 providers and Emergency First Responders and are trained in handling emergency situations both on and off the boat.