Date:
Thursday
May 8, 2008
Dive Site:
San Francisco/Las Palmas
Palancar Gardens/Francesa
Profile:
80ft:70min/50ft:40min
80ft:55min/50ft:50min
Surface Conditions:
Sunny and beautiful
Water temperature:
78 F
Current:
Wild and Crazy!
Visibility:
60 feet
Highlights:
Currientes Locos season is in full swing! Las Palmas provided a roller coaster ride leaving divers grabbing the bottom to regroup, literally. We're glad that Heather and Arturo survived their head bumps with the turtle and hoping the currents calm down soon!
The staff and crew wishes a very happy birthday to Walt! Hope you had a fabulous day and thanks for sharing it with us...even if you were swished around a bit :)!
More Reef Reports
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Goose |
ScubaDiving.com - February 2008 |
| I can't say enough how impressed we were with Christi's dive operation Blue XT Seadiving and her crew, especially Pedro and Hector (Mago). Two of the four days, we were the only ones on the boat!! The other two days each had only two more divers! That's it!! No crowds here!!! They picked us up at the dock across the street from Casa Del Mar. They had our tanks set up before we got onto the boat. After handing our gear up to them from our first dive of the day, they had our gear switched over to the second tank even before we were out of the water!! They had water and fresh fruit and crackers for us on our surface interval. I learned of Blue XT Seadiving from many people who have posted on this board-I can honestly say I'm not sure there was anything else more they could have done to make our stay more enjoyable. Everyone is right on when they say it is a first rate operation!!! |
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Tom Hafke |
ScubaDiving.com - November 2007 |
First time to Cozumel and Christi and her crew excited our expectations!!
We had some of the best dives of our travels in cozumel. Palancar caves and gardens delivered big time. Beautiful swim thrus and coral formation along with lots of critters. Pedro Pablo and all the crew at bluextsea went out of their way to make sure we had the best experience possible. Stayed at the ElCid went all inclusive. The room, food and service was all exceptional. We will be back, next time for more then 5 days!! |
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Bob a/k/a TexBob |
Scubaboard - December 2007 |
I have been wanting to write this for a while because our trip actually took place in mid October so here goes.
In mid October, my wife and I took a trip with a few friends out of the Houston area. This time we wanted to do Cozumel on the cheap. That is, we decided to stay in a hotel that isnt so fancy because we found on previous trips that all the Scubaing takes away from desire to enjoy the benefits of full service resorts. We decided to save our money for the thing that matters most: Diving!
We picked Villa Blanca and we were very pleasantly surprised especially considering we paid somewhere around $60 a night. The rooms were very clean and quiet which was basically all we wanted. I would highly recommend this place if all you are looking for is a place to sleep your off your overnight surface interval.
However, one thing we didnt skimp on was the diving and the dive operator: Blue XT Sea. This is the 3rd operator that we have used in Cozumel but so far it is the best. Christis attention to detail and her employees knowledge and service were top notch. In Pedro, our divemaster, I dont know if you can find someone with more enthusiasm and knowledge of the local area.
The small fast boats of Blue XT Sea made for a much more personal experience, and the fact that they take our gear and rinse and store every night was a very nice touch.
This was the trip of medical problems with 3 out of the party of 5 having something go wrong: a migraine headache, and a sinus infection (didnt know it until we got back) resulting in an underwater nose bleed. The 3rd and final was a case of conjunctivitis resulting in a call to DAN and a trip to the clinic where the hyperbaric chamber is located. In each case, Christi made calls to us checking up on our conditions. I am not sure if other operators would have shown that type of personal concern.
Anyway, the diving was fantastic as usual. Everything was typical Cozumel stuff with trips to Palancar Caves, La Francesca, Paso del Cedral, Santa Rosa, Yucab, Dalila, Palancar Gardens, Paradise, Dalila Wall, and San Francisco Wall. Eleven dives in 2.5 days. The best part was Pedro guaranteeing a sea horse sighting at Paradise Reef and delivering. Nice job. |
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Scott & Roseanne |
Scubaboard - November 2007 |
The diving:
The weather was not very cooperative for this trip. The wind was blowing pretty strong from the North /NE each day. Almost every morning we would get the call at our hotel. The port is closed. Do you want to dive at Cenotes or wait for the 10:30 report.. cant complain we would wait and the big pool was opened at 10:30. Most mornings we left from the Caleta marina. More importantly--- We got a phone call every morning. We would watch with some level of jealousy as a few divers left the hotel in the morning with their gear and we wondered for a brief moment. Why do they get to go? Only to see them trudging back through the lobby about 40 minutes later. Because their dive operation didnt call or they missed the call? Hee hee.
We dove with Blue XT Sea. Pedro was our DM and Mago and Adan our boat captains. Pedro finds everything from eels to nurse sharks and sea horses. Why I love blue XT sea diving. Im on vacation and they are a full service dive operation. From the moment we arrive at the boat my gear is taken care of by the crew. Im on VACATION. I personally enjoy having this operation set up my gear (and Yes of course I double check everything before I hit the water.) Bottled Water is distributed constantly throughout the dive trip. Towels and REALLY nice windbreaker jackets are distributed to anyone who wants on the surface interval. There were only 5-6 divers on each of our trips (never more on these size boats.) During our surface interval there is ample amounts of fresh cut fruit usually watermelon and cantaloupe, juice and muffins/pastries or loaf cake (yum yum yum). The dive operation takes care of rinsing all my gear (with the exception of my wet suit and my wrist mounted computer) and has it back on the boat the next morning! Again Im on VACATION! This helps make it more relaxing for me. I am not a very tall or strong woman (only 5 2) and although I can carry my gear if necessary.. um.. Id rather not The boats are faster than the larger operations (we went to a number of dive sites in abut 15 minutes.) And you cant help but grin when passing larger boats slowly traveling to and from .
The crew even helps me get up onto the boat side wallsI am about 2 inches too short to get good leverage to do this easily. Short legs are great for plane flights not so great for pushing up onto a boat ledge. Its a very easy backwards roll into the water and down we go. We dove Palancar Gardens, Bricks and Caves, Pasa cedral, chankanab, Paradise, Dalialah,, Yucab and Columbia. The most turtles I have ever seen on any dive trip! 1-3 on every other dive! My husband and I went on our first night dive. It was incredible. Multiple octopuses (even two entangled Why didnt I bring the camera for this money shot!) crabs, eels, electric rays and puffer fish! |
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Maria & Stephen |
TripAdvisor - October 2007 |
I just wanted to let you all know out there that I just got back from Cozumel and dived with this company. They were excellent and worked with experienced and new, nervous divers alike (I was the latter!).
I would recommend them very highly. It is a very professional company and Christi's staff are of the very highest standard.
I had Blanca as my divemaster, and Arturo with the other, better divers, and we could not have had a better time!
I was so impressed!!! Believe me, as a nervous diver, feeling comfortable is of the utmost importance, and they made me feel like I was a world champion.
They obviously love their job and the reef and its inhabitants.
You could not do better, as far as I am concerned. Anyone with questions is welcome to send me a private message.
Maria |
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Turk 9 |
Scubaboard - November 2007 |
Just back last night from a week at the Cozumel Palace and six days of diving with BlueXTsea dive shop.
The Cozumel Palace was a pleasant and pampering experience. Good food, better drinks, nice pool area, spacious room, and great service. Wouldn't hesitate to book it again. The wife loved it.
With all the raves that BlueXTsea gets in these forums, I had booked to dive with them long prior to the 100% customer satisfaction rating they recently received from Scuba Diving magazine. Now I am not from Texas, so I am not biased one way or another, but, these guys really lived up to the great reputation they have built up. So during the week I was not only pampered on land, but also on the water. DM Pedro and boat captain Mago were excellent. Not just in the water, but on the boat also. They took care of everything. They set-up and packed-up all the equipment, which they took to the shop each night for rinsing and drying. It was relaxing not having to deal with the gear. They always took an hour break between dives where they would dock and provide fresh fruit, fruit juices, and a couple of kinds of snacks. They provided dive site reccommendations, but, let the divers choose the sites for the day. As far as in the water, they both performed like the experts they are.
Oh, by the way, the diving was great. Saw more big groupers, puffer fish, turtles, and large schools of fish, than I had seen in three previous trips in the last year. The reefs also seemed more colorful than in previous visits.
Bye,
turk9 |
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Chuck & Barbara |
Scubaboard - October 2007 |
This is a quick trip report on my trip to Coz. We arrived on Thursday, but the luggage (with all my gear) didn't. It arrived late on Friday. We were divinig with Christi and she was great, she offered to lend us gear for Friday, but my wife was worried she would be cold ( she gets cold in 86 degree water) and she wanted to wait for her full 4/3 wetsuit (and a 2 mil core warmer!!). So we didn't get to dive until Sat. The Harbor was closed on Sat., but we were scheduled to do a Cenote dive sometime during the week, and Christi jumped through all kinds of hoops to change the schedule and we dove the Cenote on Sat. The Cenote dives were great (Dos Ojos, Bat Cave), I recommend them. The rest of the week was great, it rained some (but who cares we were already wet!!). Stayed at the Casa Mexicana, what a great hotel!! (thanks to Christi for suggesting). I will definitely stay there again, the only complaint I have is the TV didn't have a video in port to view my pictures on, but that is minor....
Best dive of the week was the night dive at Paradise Reef. Saw octupus, giant crab, etc. Wonderful.....
All in all, a great trip. Christi (Blue XT Sea) is a top notch operation, the DMs are great, the boats fast and Christi takes good care of you. |
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2007 Reader Ratings |
Scuba Diving Magazine - October 2007 |
Blue XT~Sea is proud to have received a 100% Rating this year!
Most readers commended Blue XT~Sea for offering "true valet diving - they rinse gear for you and have it ready on the boat the next day" and "boutique perks, including muffins on the boat, raincoats, and a staff that goes above and beyond for you." The boat crew "allows divers to choose the dive site." The small groups of four to six divers on fast boats were also appreciated, but a few readers said "the small boat can be uncomfortable in rough seas."
Read the full article in your October issue of ScuabaDiving Magazine on page 43! |
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Larry |
Trip ADvisor - September 2007 |
When I decided to go to Cozumel for Sept 22-29 on a last minute special I had to line up some diving with very little lead time so I contacted ...Blue XT Sea..."cozchristi"
When I emailed her it was late in the evening but she replied the next morning, quoted prices for what I wanted plus policy re payment etc, but due to my schedule I wouldn't be able to get to the shop to finalize things in the usual manner (late flight, early dive pick up on a Sunday). Thankfully she emailed me PDF's of the paperwork that I would need to bring to the boat all filled out, had an on line medical waiver I filled out, and I was able to send scanned copies of my C cards so that everything would be in place for my boat pick up as long as I produced the real C cards then, and paid my deposit by Paypal. With everything done I was told to be on the hotel pier for an 8:15 AM pick up, and what boat to watch for etc.
Well the boat arrived right on time, and all the other divers were ready with their gear set up & all I had to do was produce the C card & paperwork & off we went, setting up my stuff as we traveled south for our first dive. My first impressions with the others was that they all were experienced divers and that was the case, no one needed special attention, we could all dive our full tank and surface individually if we wanted to rather than forcing your buddy to surface because you used up your air first.
Well that day & the next one let us really test our abilities, the currents were very strong, and we had to abort one dive completely due to a current that had divers grabbing onto anything solid to catch their breath. Even after moving to what is normally considered a safe bet for gentle currents we ultimately got caught up by it about 3/4 of the way through the dive.
Things got better each day, but the current this season was considerable faster on some reefs than I have ever experienced before, and that meant silty conditions with lower viability, but the water was warm, especially for a northerner. The photos will tell the story, and in 6 days I emptied 18 tanks most of which were 100's and had one heck of a good time (I used up so much air on the aborted dive they gave me a fresh tank for the make up dive. Fighting a strong current while carrying a camera had me kicking pretty hard since my hands were already busy). Each day of diving was only with experienced divers so I didn't get to see how new divers are treated, but based on what I saw I am sure they would get treated very well, we sure did.
Christi has 2 boats, 2 captains & 2 divemasters and rental gear to suit your needs, and if you want they will clean & dry your gear & have it set up & ready for you each day when they pick you up. For the first time I took advantage of that service, but kept my mask & fins in order to snorkel in the afternoons. The business is run in a professional manner, and the boat was always on time, and on a couple of days when there was only myself & my dive buddy they picked us up in the truck rather than having to go to the marina & drive the boat back to town. Her staff are great guys, fun to be with, and always trying to be of help, and they really love their jobs and it shows.
For anyone looking for some good diving with one of the smaller custom trip operators I can highly recommend Blue XT Sea, and something about them that could prove important that I learned talking to Christi is that as long as she has 1 confirmed diver the boat will go out for the morning trip, even if the cost exceeds the revenue the trip will produce. With a policy like that you are guaranteed to get your diving in even during the quiet times of year when other operations simply say no. |
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Steve & Lisa Summit |
Trip Advisor June 2007 |
My wife Lisa and I spent a week of diving in Cozumel June 9 through the 16th and thoroughly enjoyed our vacation. This was our third trip to Cozumel in as many years, and the more we learn about this diving paradise, the more we love it. This year, we booked our accommodations through our diving provider, Blue XT Sea Diving. Blue XT offers a variety of hotel/diving package deals, or as with us, they customized the package to accommodate combining our hotel, 5 days of diving and Advanced Open Water certification....
This was our second year diving with Blue XT Sea Diving and we love them. Christi Courtney runs a top rate dive service. Christi, all of the divemasters (Arturo, Pedro Pablo and Blanca) and crew (Mago and Adan) are professional, personable and committed to your service and safety. This year we included PADI Advanced Open Water certification as part of our dive package. We highly recommend this certification in combination with any dive trip to Cozumel. Combining the course dives reduces the cost of your dive package, and the training dives dont disrupt your diving, but significantly enhance it. Christi sent us the study materials in advance. We reviewed the materials, filled out and submitted the required course work and the rest was diving no testing, just pre-dive briefings and underwater skills instruction. Arturo was our AOW dive master and is an excellent and attentive divemaster. Blue XT also provides equipment valet service easily our favorite service. They keep our equipment (except wet suits, or anything you may want to keep that day like snorkeling gear), rinse it, store it and have rigged and ready to go whey they pick you up for the next mornings dive. On your last day of diving, you take your equipment with you. We cant say enough good things about the Blue XT dive team well definitely be back. |
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Tom Witte |
Undercurrent - May 2007 |
Our first trip to Cozumel in 8 years, but our 7th trip overall. Diving conditions were excellent - gentle current and light waves. Only subtle down current in a few breaks in the Palancar chain that were anageable by all divers.
First time diving with BlueXTSea divers on Cozumel and it will not be the last. They were great in all respects. Small operator with two boats that run fast with small groups. Briefings and surface interval dialogue with Divemaster Arturo were extremely informative. Other divers on the boat - who were diving after a two year break - commented on how
comfortable they felt following his predive briefings. Pedro also did a great job as DM and has a knack for finding the small interesting animals. Seahorses are his specialty.
Dives are well paced - meaning you let the Cozumel current do the work and maximize your bottom time. The boats get to the reefs early enough that you are among the first on the dive sites. Only once in two weeks did we encounter another dive group while down on a dive. When you see how many boats line up on the Cozumel dive sites, this is great separation.
My buddy has a camera rig, and once the divemasters saw we were comfortable on the dives, we had plenty of independence to drag back a bit and focus on photos of interest.
During one surface interval, Hector - our boat captain - did a 20 minute magic show with sleight of hand coin and rope tricks. He was very very good.
We had scheduled dives over a two week period with BlueXTSea. Christi, the owner of BlueXTSea was great to deal with. She contacted us at our unit mid trip to check in and see how we were doing and how the dives were going. She even extended her home phone number to help us work to reschedule one morning dive that we missed due to a late night mopping up
water from a big storm that blew into our condo unit.
Christi's philosophy is evident in the way the operations runs. Safe, fun, informative diving for divers of all levels who are passionate and focused on the enjoyment of bottom time. Partiers and 'maverick' divers who don't follow general established dive briefing limits will probably best look elsewhere. I respect Christi and her team for the way they run
the operation and will look forward to diving with BlueXTSea again.
TW
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Tom Carlson |
Undercurrent - March 2007 |
This was our first trip to Cozumel and we booked our diving with Blue XT
Sea Diving. They offer a personal service that many of the larger
operators cannot match. They have two boats, a six-pac and an eight-pac.
They have wonderful dive masters and boat captains that are all very
attentitive to the divers.
Our first day with them was a shore dive at Sunset Beach with Arturo, who
was a scuba instructor. We asked for this because we wanted to check out
weights and figure buoyancy. Arturo proved to be an excellent
instructor/dive master. We received excellent site briefing and dive plan.
Excellent viz (80+ft). Max depth we hit was 35 feet. We saw Yellow Sting
Rays, Rainbow Parrot Fish, Blue Parrot Fish, Glasseye Snapper, Blue
Chromis, Clown Wrasse, Yellowhead Wrasse, Reef Butterfly Fish and Sergeant
Majors to name a few. Sunset Beach is about a mile from where we stayed at
the Hotel Barracuda and has facilities for showering, changing, rinsing
and a restaurant/bar for hanging out and enjoying some sun.
The next day we did two-tank morning boat dives on the Shamu, a small and
fast six-pac but it was only us and one other diver besides the dive
master, Juan. Juan was also a great dive master, pointing out many
interesting creatures and letting us dive our own profiles. Our first dive
was a drift dive at Palancar Gardens, Viz 80-100+ feet, 70 max depth for a
bottom time of 55minutes. We saw Hawksbill turtles, Palometta, king crab,
black grouper, lobster, many of the same tropicals as the day before and
many more. Wonderful corals and sponges. Following this was a surface
interval at a beach by the lagoon and fresh pastries and fruit for snacks
and fruit juice and water to drink. They provided dry towels and had a
thermal shower like you would bring camping. We spent a nice interval on
the beach hanging out while the other diver and boat captain waded into
the lagoon to look for crocodiles, which live there. Our second dive of
the day was at Columbia Shallows and was incredible. Excellent viz, 100+,
almost no current and many tropicals and wonderful corals and sponges. We
also found several sleeping Nurse Sharks, Squirrel Fish, Yellow Stingrays,
more King Crabs, and Barracudas. Note to photographers: No rinse tanks on
these boats!
Our Second day diving we were on Shamu again with Fernando as the dive
master. Not as good a site briefing or dive plan as the previous day with
Juan. With Fernando we really couldnt dive our own profiles to the extent
that we wanted. We did a dive at Palancar Caves; max depth was 90ft and viz
was 100+feet. There was definitely a current that move us along. Bottom
time was 45minutes. If I dive below 80feet I also do a one-minute safety
stop halfway up in addition to the three minute one at 15 ft and this was
not a problem for the dive master or two other divers in the group. This
dive was through towering coral formations and full of caves and swim
throughs. The colors, even at that depth are simply astounding and before
coming to Cozumel something I didnt think possible. There was definitely
current at this site and literally pushed us through these canyon like
formations of coral that were loaded with sponges, Hawksbill Turtles,
lobsters, Spotted Morays, Blue and Rainbow Parrot Fish, many Blue Chromis,
many different types of Wrasses, Reef Butterfly fish and many other
colorful tropicals. We then did a surface interval at another local beach,
no facilities and had excellent fresh pastries and fruit for snacks. Then
for our second dive of the day, we went to Palancar Bricks. Max depth we
hit here was 60 feet for a 50-minute bottom time. The dive master had us
surface earlier than I had wanted as I had 1100 psi when I got back on the
boat. I think there was an issue with the DM getting cold. We saw many more
incredible corals and sponges, lobsters, Palometta, Barracuda and many,
many tropicals.
Our third day of diving was on the Bandida II, which is an 8-pac and had
six total divers on it. We had Arturo again as our DM and Andy as the boat
captain. Both were of course, excellent. Arturo lets you dive your own
profile. We hit Paradise Reef first, 88ft max depth,55-minute bottom time.
We saw a couple king-size Black Grouper. Water temp was 76 and little
current. We did a surface interval at a beach, no facilities, more fresh
pastries and fruit for snacks. Our second dive was at Santa Rosa Reef.
This was a shallow site with a max depth of 44ft for a bottom time of 60
minutes. Nice and easy drift along a finger reef. Sand on either side of
the reef. Saw squid, Black Grouper, Morays and many beautiful tropicals. |
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Don & Carol |
Scubaboard - April - 2007 |
Cozumel Diving with Blue-TX~Sea. 4/12 thru 4/22
We arrived in Cozumel Wed 4/11. Checked into El Cid and leisurely dropped off our gear with Christi at Blue-XT~Sea that afternoon. It was not to be handled by us again until we picked it up today, rinsed and dry, ready to be packed for the flight home.
Blue-XT~Sea packs the gear up each day and rinses it every night. When they pick you up at your dock in the morning, it's set up and ready for inspection.
Thursday morning at 8:15a, prompt as usual, Shamu was there to pick us up at El Cids dock. We made the next pickup and then with 6 divers aboard (capacidad) we did our first dive at Palancar Caves.
Surface intervals are an hour or so and always at shore. BXTSea provides homemade cupcakes or finger sandwiches along with various fruits and fruit drinks and more water then you can drink. Mago provided salsa, guacamole and chips on a few occasions. They have towels aboard and hooded windbreakers if you get chilled. They always offer fresh water rinses after every dive.
BXTSeas consummate Professional Dive Master and Guide is Pedro Pablo. He has over 7,000 dives on Cozs reefs and walls. In the grassy area near shore, he found two seahorses on one of the Paradise night dives. We also enjoyed diving with Juan, Arturo and Blanca.
Now the important stuff:
The Diving. I did 23 dives and spent 22 hours underwater. My wife and dive buddy did 26 dives and 25 hours underwater. Not bad considering we were using those puny little AL80s.
This was our first trip to Coz since Wilma. Is it obvious Wilma spent 2 days sitting on Coz some 18 months ago? Yes. Is the diving still great? Yes. Some sites were more affected than others yet everywhere you looked you could see the soft corals and fans recovering and that was fun.
Marine life is abundant, as usual, and we saw all the usual suspects. Lots of turtles, Nurse Sharks (one was really big) and then there were the Pipefish and Garden eels. On Punta Tunich, the fish were so plentiful we had to dodge huge Scrawled Filefish, Midnight Blue and Rainbow Parrots just to keep from running right into them. Regardless of where you dive, you don't see the huge Rainbow Parrots too often either. It was amazing how close they let you get to them. That dive usually has strong current so of course I didnt take my camera on that one. Damn.
Cozs reef structures are amazing. The variety ranges from flat-topped rolling reefs to huge structures rising 50 or more out of the sand. Swim throughs everywhere. Of course, there are the walls and some have sheer drop offs to 2,000 or 3,000 feet into the abyss. We did two night dives on Paradise. We know how it got its name. Octopus, Squid, King Crab, Coral Crab, Spiny Lobster, Splendid Toadfish and free swimming Green Morays and, of course, those seahorses.
We did Maracaibo, Columbia Deep, and all the Palancars and, of course, Devils Throat. Devils Throat isnt what she used to be. Wilma opened it up pretty wide. You could drive a Hummer through what was once a long and narrow tube leading into the mini Cathedral. Still its an exciting dive.
We met really great people from Wisconsin, Michigan, Washington, Colorado and California. All in all, it couldnt have been better.
Wilma or no Wilma, Coz remains one of the top Caribbean dive locations. You can believe well be going back!!! ...and, thanks Christi, you have a great team. |
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Sapien |
Diver to Diver - April - 2007 |
| The diving was as fabulous as ever. I was grouped with various people who for the most part were accomplished divers. Up to now Ive only dove Cozumel with good friends, most from D2D, and have behaved accordingly (i.e. safely but not particularly responsibly). What happens in Coz, stays in Coz Diving with strangers requires some adjustment and restraint. A few times, it was just me and DM Juan for awhile when others ascended after reaching 700psi. Viz the day before we arrived was reportedly low but all my dives had viz in the 100-150-foot range. Temps were consistently between 80 and 82f. I ended up doing Columbia Deep and Shallow twice and would have been happy to do them a 3rd time. Tunich and Dalilah were joyous. Palancar was, well, unassailably magnificent. In addition to Juan, it was great to see DM Pedro and Capn Mago again as well as Adan. Awesome crew performance as always. My nitrox was consistently within a point of 32%, fills within a hundred pounds of 2800. Juan said he thought my computer was reading 200 pounds low, which might be true. |
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Carole & Mac |
Scubaboard - March 2007 |
| We dove with BlueXTSea for the second time. They are a first class operation. Safe, accomodating, friendly, and on-time pickups. We dove with Blanca, Arturo and Pedro as dive guides. Boat captions were Pedro, Adan, and Mago. Mago entertained us with slight-of-hand magic on our interval. Pedro found a sea horse for us on the first day. The water temp was 79/80 degrees and we got a little cold on the first day because of the wind. The visibility was good to very good. We enjoyed diving with all of the other guests, who were skilled and considerate divers. Other than the seahorse, notable life we saw: turtles,eels, juvenile drum, HUGE crab, lobster, HUGE nurse shark, reef sharks, sting rays, leaf fish, sailfin blenny, garden eels, large grouper, lemon(?) rays, peacock flounder..... |
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Craig & Helen |
Trip Advisor - March 2007 |
March 21-27, 2007
Blue XT Sea Diving/Cozumel Palace HotelTrip Report
We returned home late last night from a fantastic week diving Cozumel. We stayed at the all-inclusive Cozumel Palace Hotel and dove 6 days with Blue XT Sea Diving.
The Cozumel Palace is an excellent place to stay and exceeded our expectations. The rooms are very, very nice and the service of the hotel staff was unbelievable. Waiters/waitresses bringing cold drinks and snacks (bar and otherwise) to people laying at the pool, etc. all day. Flaming dinner drinks at dinner. The enormous staff was unbelievably friendly & accommodating, and never had their hands out for tips.
We previously stayed at the Intercontinental El Presidente on Cozumel and the Palace far exceeded the El Prez in every category. The location is excellent and you can walk right to the shopping/restaurant area if you want to do the tourist thing as well.
We dove all week with Blue XT Sea Diving. This is a terrific operation with very fast boats and a "valet" style dive service. Both of Blue XT Sea's boats are 6-packs, well equipped, and comfortable. The diving was exquisite. We had the pleasure of diving with Blue XT Sea dive guides/instructors Blanca, Arturo and Pedro, all of whom are top notch. I highly recommend Blue XT Sea. We were picked up at Cozumel Palace pier at 8:15 each morning. The valet service permitted us to leave all dive gear except for our wetsuits on the boat and it was all ready to go the next morning. What a pleasure.
Thank you Christi, Blanca, Arturo, Pedro, Mago and Adan for a great week of diving. See you next year!
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Beth & George |
ScubaBoard - March 2007 |
| We dove with Blue XT~Sea. I just cannot say enough about what a great operation start to finish this was. We dropped off our equipment and signed forms our first day in town. We never touched our equipment again, except to put it on and then pick it up from the shop on our last day. The divemaster, Blanca, was wonderful in personality and skill. Pedro the captain was terrific as well. The boat was very comfortable and fast. Snacks, juice and water were served during the surface interval. Bottled water was available at all times. Warm, dry towels (definitely needed them our first day as it was pretty overcast and a bit chilly) were very welcomed and appreciated. We dove Palancar Horseshoe, Delila, San Francisco and Paradise. By far our two favorites were San Francisco and Delila the first for the incredible wall and swim thrus and the second for the abundance of sea life saw two nurse sharks, turtles, and eagle ray, and a ton of other things. Awesome! I wish I had a picture of Blanca she had an incredible smile! Oh, and I adored her even more when on our last dive there were so many divers at this one site (Paradise) for some reason (our first time running into other divers). One of the divers in the other group(s) saw something and was trying to motion to others to take a look, all the while holding onto the reef as he was doing so. Blanca was trying to motion for him to take his hand off the reef, and when he couldnt understand what she was trying to tell him (duh?!), she grabbed his hand, promptly removed it from the reef, and pointed for him to get back with his group. You go girl! Kuddos to Christi and her great staff! Also met some other great divers from Alaska, Florida, California and Texas it was a pleasure guys! |
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Rex |
ScubaBoard - February 2007 |
Diving with Blue XT Sea
Ya ! I finally got to meet ChristiI dove 2 days with Blue XT Sea. My D.M. was Blanca both days and Adan was our captain on the Bandida II. As usual I was not disappointed. They picked me up right in front of the Reef Club and it was just a short ride to the reefs. We dove the Santa Rosa Wall, San Francisco, Palancar bricks and La Francesca. I got to see my first shark at Santa Rosa Wall and a huge 6-7 foot green Moray eel at La Francesca. Blanca was awesome, showing us all the big animals and a bunch of very small animals. One thing that impressed me the most is when she went out of her way to pick up trash that was on the sea floor not once but twice. You can tell she really loves to dive and wants to take care of the reefs. I had a great time and would like to thank the whole group at Blue XT Sea Diving. |
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Judy G |
Diver to Diver - December/January 2007 |
Cozumel Mini Report
Here is all the news that is fit to print, in no particular order:
1. Christi and Blue XTSea continue to rock. Christi oversaw the certification (referral dives) of P2 and P3 - made it fun and interesting for them.
2. Shamu and her crew rocks. We had 10 glorious days of diving (only one day blown out and we were able to make it up during our two week stay) with a variety of crew - mostly Mago (Hector, the magician) doing the driving, Arturo and Pedro as DMs and Ms Christi as Dive Instructor and 6th wheel a couple of days.
3. Our kids rock. Even with our newbie divers on board, we clocked an average of 70 mins per dive (they were killing their Mama on air consumption by the second day of diving).
4. Did I mention Christi rocks? Christi has become a friend of mine over the years, but my review of her op is not biased by our friendship. I would not hesitate to recommend her to any and all who are looking for a fine, non-cattleclass Coz diving experience. The little extras like snacks, seemingly unlimited bottled water, rain jackets, towels, not to mention Christi's care and commitment to communication and good service are what sets hers and very few other ops apart from the armada of dive boats on the island.
Cozumel diving rocks. Yes, the effects from last year's storms are evident on some sites (I could have cried at Columbia where the effects at depth were most evident to me), but there is still lots of healthy reef (can you say Palancar?) to enjoy, and wonderful signs of comeback everywhere we dove. We saw a great variety of critters, including numerous sightings of eagle rays, variety of eels, splendid toadfish (I found 3 on our first dive!), juvy drums, two sharks, numerous turtles, large groupers, octopus, the usual reef fish suspects, including large schools of grunts and jacks, and to Pedro's glee, a juvy frogfish that he found sitting just so in the sand at 69 feet in Palancar gardens.
We dove all of Palancar, several times as the Ps were grooving on the amazing terrain - bommies, swim thrus, tunnels etc etc. We dove Columbia (Shallows and moderate Deep), Tormentos (love those sand dunes), Chankunaab Ballones (where we had a surreal encounter with the submarine and its occupants), Paradise, La Franscesa (several times - love that healthy reef and its swim thrus), Santa Rosa wall, Las Palmas (killer current dive) and a couple of others that now escape me. 20 dives and we didn't see it all. Need to go back :^)...
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Jarrett & Lisa |
Scubaboard - October 2006 |
The Trip
Not sure what to say other than wow! My girlfriend Lisa and I just got back from a great weekend trip to Cozumel.
First I wanted to thank Christi for making this my best trip to Cozumel and one of my best trips anywhere. I emailed her about doing the AOW course with her and she recommended a plan that turned into a great trip.
Secondly, I wanted to thank all of Christi's crew and folks that were involved well. Thank you Mago, Adan, Jackie(sp?), Santos, Sandra and Jake (I still need the link ) Everyone involved were great to deal with and made the trip that much better...The Dive Op
The Hotel
Christi suggested Casa Mexicana as a nice place to stay in town that was close to her shop and the pier for daily pickups. This worked out great for us. The hotel is very nice, so nice that we felt a little bad about coming back dripping from the boat everyday, but they did not seem to mind The breakfast buffet was outstanding. Everyday it was something different and very good.
The Dive Op
Blue XTSea - What else can I say? Granted I'm a newbie with less than 50 dives and I've only done dives with a few dive ops in Cozumel, but I love Christi's op. Great people, great service, everything I would look for in an op. She will be my first call anytime I think of heading to Cozumel going forward.
Read full report on Scubaboard. |
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Tom and Angie |
Scubaboard - September 2006 |
Blue XT-Sea, what can you say but WOW!!! Christy runs a great dive operation. Boats run well are on time or early, never late to pick you up. Have never had boat captians that were so helpful and always smilling. If I didn't know any better I think they like their job and enjoy meeting people. I have always have had DM's that enjoy diving but Adan and Mago (the boat captains) were above and beyond. As for the DM's we had Arturo (4 days) and Jackie(sp) (2 days). Both are excellent DM's always trying to find what you request to see as well as the smallest critters. Both were excited to dive every day. Both wanted all the divers input as to where we were to dive that day. Blue XT-Sea is most defenitely worth diving with.
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AggieDad |
Scubaboard - August 2006 |
Just finished three days of diving with Christi and Blue XT Sea Diving. Great time and great people. We stayed at the Casa Mexicana and due to it's location, free breakfast etc. we only took one taxi all the time here. Definitely saved us a little money. This was only my second time in Cozumel and I now have a total of seven dives here. We dove Plancar Breaks on the first dive this morning and I have never experienced current like it was there. Sand was blowing off the hills between the coral and sometimes little tornados would form. It was also going down and I lost control for a minute and went down to 94 feet after Arturo set a limit of 80. I hate aluminum tanks but this was my problem. Vis was down to 50 feet or so but we saw the biggest turtle I have ever seen but he was smart and hunkered down behind a coral head. My buddy took a video just floating along and it looks like he is riding a scooter he is going so fast. Currents were weird all three days but I was told that it is somewhat normal this time of year.
All the reports I have seen here about Christi and her operation were true. She is moving into her new shop and pulling a lot of hours but she had a smile on her face and was very accomodating to a couple of crazy old pilots.
BTW, there is a little white building across the street and I think there is a small sign on it somewhere. Absolute best food I have eaten there. We didn't do breakfast but supposedly the pancakes and crepes are fantastic.
We offered to take the new kitten swimming with us - neither of us are cat people. |
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Karen Guthrie |
Undercurrent - July 2006 |
Had read reports of Coz being destroyed after the hurricane. Not true. While soft corals did suffer compared the southern tip and there was some sand on the reef, there were TONS of neat things to see. Had read that the beds at Casa Mexicana were too hard, also not true. The hotel was wonderful and so central you could walk anywhere or for 3 to 5 dollars
take a cab. Pickup was a three minute walk from the hotel which included a buffet breakfast with everything from made to order omletts to bagels.
The diving was easily the best we have found in the Carribean including Little Cayman before their hurricanes. Although we only dived 5 days we saw loads of tropicals including smooth trunkfish by the bunches, queen triggers and queen angels, french angels, grey angels, sleeping nurse sharks, 14 turtles on one dive called Tortugas near Playa Del Carmen, two hunting octopi and some hunting lobsters on our night dive and an eagle ray and red liped batfish on other days. Usually Queen Angels are shy but here they are used to divers as are many fish and don't run away. Dive op grouped us by skill level most days allowing us to get in one 75 minute dive and many over an hour.
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CrazyDuck (Andrew) |
Scubaboard - July 2006 |
Diving was planned through Blue XT Diving-
The night before diving we had a phone call to check on us for gear and a reminder of pickup time for tomorrow- cool beans.
8:20am- at our concrete pier here pulls up Shamu. Arturo says welcome and the boat captain helps with all the gear.
They handled the gear, prepped the gear, hauled weights, and provided towels and fresh water after each dive. Totally spoiled us dog rotten!
Before each dive Arturo provided a complete briefing on where we were, our profile, estimated time of dive, confirming our computers, and on the first dive reviewed all hand signs and dive procedures. Very professional and competent!
One of his first questions before talking about the dive profile was to ask about Austin our son and his dive experience. I was very pleased that he asked and then asked us what ‘we’ felt comfortable with him diving. We did one day of diving with (two dives) for Austin and we had a great snack in between. He had a great time and asked if we can return next year.
The next day was just Heather and Myself. The seas were a bit calmer, and the diving was great. We pulled some 45-50 minutes dives and the scenery was incredible. We floated a little ahead and spotted creatures for the three folks on board with cameras. Drifting in the current was a little strange but by the end of the first day- no worries we had this down pat. Yep- I am buying a digital camera and housing- that is the way to go. There was so much… you could take photos of it is just amazing. The density of the life and the size of the creatures was just unbelievable.
We saw while diving- yellow fin tuna, multiple turtles, jacks, beanies, octopus, anemones, moray ells, stingrays, lobster, BIG nurse shark, great coral formations-hard and soft, barracudas, hogfish, you name it we saw it. It was just so intense. Please keep in mind I am usually a Texas Mud Diver.
Thank you again to Christi her crew and the bounty of life that they shared with us. I would recommend them to anyone heading down to Cozumel....
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Michael & Kim |
Scubaboard - July 2006 |
We dove with Blue XT Sea based on the excellent feedback Christi’s company has received on this board and had no complaints. One of her two boats would pick us promptly at 8am each day for a morning of diving. The DM Pedro did a fantastic job of guiding and spotting marine life and the captains were helpful and friendly. One captain named Mago entertained us with magic tricks during surface intervals.
The procedure for diving was when you got to 700 PSI, signal the DM and he would inflate a marker and shoot it to the surface on a reel. You would then do a hovering safety stop in the current without a line to hang on to. Upon surfacing the boat is usually right there to pick you up. Hand the captain your weight belt, BC, and fins. SITs are done at random beach clubs; you can choose stay on the boat, dock or visit the snack bar if you choose. The DM and Captain serve snacks and drinks (usually muffins and mango juice).
The vis was always great and in late July the water temp were around 83F. You may want to cover your arms and legs whilst diving in a shorty as jellyfish stung my wife several times....... |
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Chuck |
Travelnotes/Scubaboard- June 2006 |
After the room fiasco was cleared then everything turned out great. The diving (with Christi) was great the DMs were fantastic and the whole ordeal was as pleasant as I have ever had on the island. Christi’s operation seems to be better every time I go down there and I certainly don’t know how she continues to improve on perfection but somehow she always does.
I made 11 dives in three days and did not have a bad dive. To compare the reef conditions to when I was last there. (February of this year) I would say that everywhere I went they were better. The current is cleaning the sand away and the sea life is even better than it was before.
I was really impressed with Arturo’s (Christi’s DM) description of the pier being destroyed. He told some of the newer divers on the boat that the construction company took out some of Paradise reef to make the pier. It was a shame that they had to do that, but you don’t mess with Mother Nature. She sent Wilma here and took back what they blew up. That pier is now becoming part of Paradise reef. The part that they took away, she is taking back.
I must say that I enjoyed this trip as much as any I have taken to the Island, about 16 trips in the last 3 years.
Read more...
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Sue & Mike |
Scubaboard - June 2006 |
DIVING: Blue XT SEA. The name says it all. This dive operation is in a league of its own. Two very well maintained boats, small and fast. Personalized service. Very professional and experienced dive masters and captains. In addition to the diving I will mention below, I do want to note that my husband and I were Nitrox certified on this trip, and my oldest son and his girlfriend completed their Basic Open Water. The staff at Blue XT Sea addressed these needs with upmost care and expertise. Very special and heartfelt thanks to the entire staff at Blue XT SEA.....
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Martha & Dan |
Scubaboard - June 2006 |
We got settled in and made a run to Chedraui. Dan (my husband) and I were diving with Blue XT~Sea all week and we were both getting Nitrox and AOW certified, so we had made arrangements to meet Christi at her office to do our Nitrox testing Sat. evening. Woohoo, we both passed. I didn’t know if I would, since I was completely exhausted by then (after waking up at 2:30 AM) and I tend to get a little brain dead when I’m tired. Christi was really nice about having to explain things to me numerous times prior to me taking the test. She’s the BEST! Ate at the condo since it was getting late by the time we finished.
1st dive: (Shamu) Christi’s “Happy Place”. Christi was our AOW instructor and we were doing fish ID on this dive. I was terrible at it, that’s for sure. I did enjoy the dive site though. Saw my first nurse shark, a turtle, a peacock flounder, that I actually spotted all by myself (which I was very proud of) and many other varieties of fish (that I couldn’t identify).
2nd dive: (Shamu) Columbia Shallows. I loved this place! Completed the navigation portion of my AOW cert. We saw another nurse shark. Of course Dan didn’t have his camera on any of the dives we saw nurse sharks. Maybe next time. Also saw turtles, two large barracuda, large schools of grunts. Tons of fish everywhere......
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James Goddard |
Midwest Dive - June 2006 |
I dove with Chrisi at Blue XT Sea. Here operation is top notch. They picked me up each morning at the Palace pier and kept my gear so I never had to lug it again until the end of the week. First day was on her new boat Bandida II and the rest was on Shamu. I know Christi's proud of her new boat, but I liked Shamu a lot better. Both are great boats though. Mago's a great captain and very helpfull. Arturo and Pedro are great DM's. Arturo let's you dive your air to 500. Pedro is a little more safety minded and sets a time limit and a 700psi air limit. As a DM/Instructor, hats off to Christi for allowing her DM's to set their own rules, but I do prefer to dive my air. In Pedro's defence, however, his time limit was long enough to never be a factor, except on the last dive. Rita had a big enough leak from the tank that we had Mago make a quick adjustment and we got down a few minutes later than the rest. This was the only dive were we were stopped on time.
Christi is all about customer service and she excells. She even managed to do some rearranging with two full boats to get us to Punta Sur on Thursday. I'd highly recomend her to anyone going to Cozumel.
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Jeff & Mia |
Cozumel My Cozumel - May 2006 |
| Diving was with Blue XT~Sea who we always use. Christi once again showed us a great time and reconfirmed why we use her operation exclusively when in Coz. She made sure that we got to do an assortment of dives, half of which we had never done before. Considering we have over 100 dives in Cozumel, finding 5 sites we haven’t done is a trick! Having a larger boat helped get us to a few spots that would have been tough in Shamu... |
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Chris & Mario |
Scubaboard - May 2006 |
This was our 6th trip diving with Christi. Another great experience! A boat from Christi’s fleet picked us up at our pier at 8:30 each morning. As usual, her captains and dive masters were very professional and attentive. We dove all of the sites requested, including Punta Sur. The surface intervals were on the beach, lasted about an hour and a half. And as usual, Christi provided yummy snacks and juice. Oh, and towels too! There were never more than 6 total divers on the boat, and all of the people we dove with were great! It goes without saying, we highly recommend Christi’s operation to anyone.
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Karen D. |
Undercurrent - May 2006 |
Dive Operator: BlueXTSea Diving
Boats: Fast boats. One 6 pax & one 8 pax. The most divers we ever had was 6; the majority of the time it was only 4. Absolutely awesome considering we dive in California and are used to 24+ divers on a boat.
Incidentally, the other divers we met while diving with Blue XT were all very nice, funny, and accomplished divers. Both boats are covered, have
lights for night diving and the larger one(Bandito II) has a private bathroom/changing area (if needed).
Crew: Outstanding! We had the pleasure of both Adan and Mago as our Captains. Their accuracy at hitting the reefs was perfect. But most of all their assistance and patience helping us with our gear was wonderful. Our dive masters (DM) were above excellent-Pedro Pablo, Alan, and Arturo. These guys are amazing at spotting animals 100 feet away. Words cannot explain the comfort we felt knowing that we were diving with some of the islands safest and best DMs. And let me not forget to mention how handsome
the entire crew is!
Surface Interval (SI): Well timed, always on a beach with snacks, H2O, and juice. My favorite was the abandoned house-lots of interesting spiders and
a caved in bottom floor. What one would call a real fixer upper! Maybe we can get it for a good price and open a SI Club {what do you think Christi?}
Diving: Truly one of our best dive trips ever! We have dove Cozumel previously but only as day trips from the Playa Del Carmen/Riveria Maya side. I thought the wall dives were breath taking, the swim thoroughs were fun, and the drifts thrilling. Outside of the night dives, Maricaibo Fingers and Santa Rosa Walls were our favorites and least affected by the
hurricane. Most of the shallow dives had quite a bit of sand and damage, but we always saw a lot of creatures. Best of all each dive buddy team is
allowed to dive their computer. Most if not all dives lasted 60-70 minutes. Dry towels were provided after each dive and the sunshine was free!
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Liz and John |
Cozumel My Cozumel - April 2006 |
MARCH 27 - DIVING WITH BLUE XTSEA. Although it hardly needs to be said on this website, I’ll reiterate that Christi Courtney’s Blue XTSea is one of the best dive operations on the island. While the rest of our traveling group headed to town for shopping and a trip to the museum, I met captain Adam and divemaster Pedro Pablo at the Caleta for a two-tank dive. The first was Palancar Bricks. I was glad to see that the beautiful canyons are still there, though some of the spectacular color still doesn’t seem to be back yet. All the critters were in evidence though, including huge lobster, permits and barracuda. The second dive was Dalila, one of my absolute favorites. I love the fish life on this reef! Queen triggers, barracuda, big groups of cowfish and trunkfish (more than any other site, in my limited experience), grouper, turtles and a Splendid Toadfish! Afternoon at the villa. Our own Chef Carlos grilled chicken kabobs with onions, peppers and some kind of squash that looked vaguely like zucchini but tasted lots better. Can days get any better than this? I don’t see how!
MARCH 28 - DIVING WITH BLUE XTSEA. I met the crew at Aldora pier for another two-tank dive. The first dive was at Maricaibo. I can’t compare it to pre-Wilma, as this was my first time at this site, but I can say it looks great. Turtles, lobster, huge nurse shark, southern sting ray and spotted moray eels all stopped by for a visit. The highlight for me, though, was the nudibranch that Pedro Pablo found for us. He was beautiful. I don’t ever recall seeing one in Coz before. The second dive was Columbia Shallows, and illustrates one of the many reasons Blue XTSea is such a first-class operation. When Pedro Pablo gave the dive briefing and said “maximum dive time 90 minutes,” we thought he was kidding. He wasn’t. With a maximum depth of 35 feet, we could basically dive ‘til we couldn’t stand it anymore. I lasted 72 minutes, but others in the group, who are apparently equipped with auxiliary gills, got the full 90 minute dive. In the afternoon, I met up with my husband John and the rest of the group, and we headed for the East Side. We were happy to see that the road around the island is completely open now, as are most of the restaurants and beach clubs. We had a late lunch at Coconuts, where we donated T-shirts. Hope to see them hanging from the rafters next time we come! Too tired, sunburned and salty to eat dinner in town, we sent Rachel and John in search of carry-out for dinner. They found a place on Avenida 30 that sells great barbequed pork and pineapple sandwiches. The meat is sliced from a huge slab of pork on a spit in the front window. I believe the place is called TIO MEMO, but we just call it The Place of Spinning Meat. Yum....
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Karen |
Scubaboard - May 2006 |
Same as Undercurrent report above, but with a link to original report for non-members.
Overall:
Blue XT Sea Diving earned our (and our kids) business for life on this trip. |
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Pamela |
Scubaboard - May 2006 |
Christi's operation is just the best. So far superior to the op we used on our first trip in January that they can't even be compared. Her crew of merry men are such fun and so attentive! The boat (Bandito II) was so nice and so fast, and Adan the captain kept the disco going with a fun music selection. One of the many things I liked about Christi is, even though she has nice big boats, she won't send more than 6 divers out at a time, even if you are waving money in her face!!!!
I told Christi that I wanted to get "lessons" (a nebulous term at best) so she sent us out with Javier as a private Dive Master. He is a wonderful, patient teacher, who broke concepts down into easy digestable bites, and watched and corrected our diving form. For our first dive he took us in shallower, manageable water to correct our weighting, buoyancy and form, then he took is into ripping current so we'd learn to go with the current and not fight it. He is an elegant, well spoken, intensely handsome man who wears his wetsuit like an Armani. I would recommend him to any new diver; it's well worth the extra cost for a private DM to improve your skills!!!!
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Matt |
Scubaboard - April 2006 |
We just returned on Easter Sunday from 10 days in Cozumel. This was our fourth trip in 3 years. Rather than break down the trip report into a daily format, I’ll just summarize some of the points of the trip.
Unless there is at least a $300 difference in plane fare, I will never again fly into Cancun, take the bus to Playa del Carmen, and take the ferry into Cozumel. What a waste of two days! I know for some traveling in a family the savings can be significant. I have been used to flying from Charlotte, NC to Cozumel in 2 ½ hours and be diving in early afternoon. It just wears you out.
We dove with Blue XT Sea for 8 days. Christi was great, sent us to the sites we requested, and let us dive three tanks per day whenever possible. We very much enjoyed both Shamu and her new boat, Bandida II. Both are fast 6-pack boats with 200 hp outboards. Mago and Adan were captains, and Pedro and Javier were divemasters. Everyone was helpful and professional. Christi had Nitrox ready when requested, and even with aluminum 80s, we had no problem doing 60 minute dives. Most of the time we would dive air on the first dive, 32% EAN on the second dive, and 36% EAN on the third. Christi’s crew took very good care of our equipment and had it set-up when they picked us up at our hotel pier....
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Doug H. |
Scubaboard - April 2006 |
...This was my third trip diving with Blue XT Sea. I know it sounds like a broken record on this board but I can't say enough good things about Christi and crew. Just an extremely professional class act with small fast boats, diving to individual computer and air consumption limits, and wonderful DMs. I did not get to dive from the new boat (Bandida II) but was invited to the christening ceremony and got to go on an evening "champagne" cruise which was really special. It is a beautiful boat and should be wonderful to dive from...
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Greg A. |
Scubaboard - March 2006 |
So we are back from our week and wedding in Cozumel, and I have to say that I am having a hard time staying focused on work at the moment.
First off, I have to say a HUGE thank you to everyone at Blue XT Sea Diving. You all made not only the diving, but the whole experience for our wedding guests quite special. An "extra special thanks" especially goes out to Christi. She went far out of her way to not only make the diving great, but also helped us pull together an amazing rehearsal dinner for our wedding group as well (24 people). Everything you read about her customer service here on ScubaBoards is totally true - and both Marie and I consider ourselves truly lucky to have met her. It was hard saying goodbye on Friday - though I can guarantee we will come back to dive with her again.
Now a little about the diving....
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Jeff & Mia |
Diver to Diver/scubadiving.com, February 2006 |
Dive OP:
Blue XT~Sea OK, what else can I say about Christi and her crew? The attention to detail, diver experience and general needs and wants is superb.The service is second to none... I am a customer for life (ha ha Christi, you’re stuck with us!) Absolutely wonderful time diving and just hanging out with them. We now feel part of the “family”. Christi went above and beyond making sure my engagement plans worked out perfectly. We will always be eternally grateful to her for making sure this was a perfect trip. Pedro & Javier are awesome divemasters and Mago is uncanny with his many skills including, but not limited too, captaining a boat.
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Michelle and Rick Hart |
Scubaboard, February 2006 |
Diving: Blue XT Sea - Divemaster: Javier - Captain: Pedro (Mago had the day off): 1st dive was Santa Rosa Wall (75 feet). I won't bore you with what all we saw on our dives...it's all the usual wonderful stuff!!! Our surface interval was VERY COLD!!! I have NEVER been cold while diving in Cozumel so this was a new experience for me. Thank God for Christi's lined windbreakers...they were wonderful. During our surface interval we heard that the diving for the rest of day might get cancelled again so we headed out before they closed it. 2nd dive was Paradise Reef. 39 feet for 1 hour and 6 minutes. I didn't really get warm on the surface interval so I was a little chilled on this second dive. When we came up from the 2nd dive and got on the boat I was freezing!!! The water was very choppy and Pedro took us to the Caletta instead of to our hotel. They got us a taxi (there were 4 of us on the boat) and we got a warm ride back to our hotel (Blue XT Sea paid for the taxi! THANKS CHRISTI!!!).
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J. Jones |
Scubaboard - December 2005 |
A group of 6 of us just got back from Cozumel last week and we dove with BlueXTsea and could not have been happier. Christi went above and beyond to help us out (even taking me to the airport to pickup my son that arrived a day later, to save the taxi fare and make it even more convenient for me)
I concur with what has been said about her op previously, fresh water shower, fresh towels for each diver, homemade chocolate chip muffins, cold water and lemonade, SI at a beach club with great food (one day she made turkey sandwiches for us all), great DM's (pointing out all sorts of stuff) and captains (right there when you surface), thorough dive briefings and all of the 6 in our group dove our computers. A couple in the group are air hogs, so Christi provided 100's for them the next day without us asking so that we could all stay down as long as possible together.
All 6 of us earned our nitrox certification with her, she is also a clear and concise teacher. 2 of us went on and got the AOW certification through her too... |
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Sapien |
Diver to Diver/Scubadiving.com - November 2005 |
The PWIDs (for the record, Post Wilma Inaugural Divers: AngieD, Mike and Boo, Christi and myself) got back this weekend from a week of dives in Post-Wilma Cozumel. I didn’t feel like doing a classic structured TR and these are just some random notes.
• The storm left Blue XT~Sea’s boat Shamu as a convertible. I think of her as permanently topless now. The 200HP engine works just fine.
• Because so many of the piers were damaged, many dive ops use the Caletta as the place where trips start and end. The Caletta is not a bad place exactly, but clearly it was not intended as a primary connection point for divers and their boats. Hanging out at the Caletta is a little like hanging out in the netherworld beneath a Disney theme park.
• The deeper cathedral-like coral formations to the south (Punta Sur, all the Palancars) have 2-4 feet of limestone foundation showing that used to be buried in the sand. It reminds me of some of the Florida springs. There are entirely new swim-throughs and many of the existing ones are wider. Columbia Deep is now Columbia Deeper.
• Blue XT~Sea still has the coolest surface intervals on the island, which often but not always included muffin assortments, fruit, cookies, juice, water and sometimes even sandwiches.
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Chris Brame |
Diver to Diver/Scubadiving.com - October 2005 |
Diving
We dove with Christi’s Blue XT Sea and will never dive with anyone else in Cozumel. With all the changes to both the dates and the number of divers Christi always rebooked us without any problems. I looked forward to what seemed to be her almost daily emails. In fact as we were just about to close the aircraft door I got a call on my cell and it was from Christi, she gave me all the information that we need to meet up with Shamu that afternoon at San Francisco Beach along with Pedro the Divemaster’s cell phone number. We meet Pedro (DM) and Hector (Capt) later that afternoon at 2:30. They were right on time; in fact they were right on time or early the entire week and even helped us with the nuances of Spanish grammar. After hoping on board we filled out all the paperwork that we filled out in Dallas, but left it on the desk of course. Through out the week Pedro always gave us the choice of where to go. He also gave us very professional dive briefings and we always felt very safe and comfortable with him. I have come to the conclusion that good Cozumel Divemasters 1. Must have gills 2. Have excellent vision. Pedro was able to locate just about anything we wanted to see.
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Mike & Sue Behm |
Cozumel My Cozumel - September 2005 |
| Very Special thanks go to Christi Courtney /Blue XT Sea Diving. She and her staff, Pedro, Mago and Javier were, as always, very accomodating and professional. We have used the services of Blue XT Sea diving twice before, and again we very pleased. We recieved top notch quality of service that puts this dive operation into a league of it's own. Small fast boat, homemade snacks, fresh towels, fresh water shower and very personalized diving. Pedro and Javier, are exceptional Divemasters. We are constantly amazed at their skill and knowlege of Cozumel's reefs. We not only leave this trip with amazing memories of so many different types of marine life, but also much improved diving skills. Mago, Captain of Blue XT Sea's Shamu, has amazing boating skills. This gentleman can put the boat over a dive location with his eyes closed! He also is able to locate and pick up surfaced divers with pin point accuracy... |
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Smokey Braden |
Scubaboard - August 2005 |
we met christi of blue xtc the afternoon we arrived.
this lady knows her business and knows how to custom fit her guests with the perfect dive package.
she set us up with captain hector and dive master pedro onboard the shamu.
this vessel had a top cover, o2, juices, fruit, sandwiches, dry towels and plenty of tanks (either air or nitrox).
pedro would give a detailed briefing for every dive and then jump in first so he would see what we were to expect.
if the vis was poor or the current unpredictable he would take us to another site.
after every dive as you came up to the vessel, hector was there to help with the gear and change tanks.
they then would take us to a nice spot for our surface interval.
on the 2nd dive pedro would give a good dive briefing and then check the site...
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Oliver Family |
Scubaboard - July 2005 |
| ...Blue XT-My husband and I had booked two days of diving. First day, I had some difficulty clearing my ears, seemed like forever to clear. (Need to dive more often) Anyway, got through it. Dove Tormentos and Dehlia. Alan was our DM and Mago the Captain. We saw the famous seahorses, however, they were not performing this day. They did not try and jump on our fingers. Next, day I did not dive, ear problems. Christi, did fit me and my son on the boat and we snorkeled as my husband dove. Palacar Caves and Columbia Shallows, Javier DM and Javier Captain. Both were great, my eleven year old on had a blast. Palacar, they saw five turtles and many fish. Third day, a great repeat of the first two. Overall, Christi may be a little more expensive than some Dive Ops on Coz, but well worth it. Once you dive with her, you will never look elsewhere... |
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Chris & Gina |
Scubaboard - June 2005 |
...What I'd like to focus on is the superb service we received from Christi and her wonderful company Blue XT-Sea. I'm an experienced diver with hundreds of dives yada yada yada so I have seen many many outfits and I am confident to say that I know what it takes to make a good one. (sorry just wanted to qualify myself before I throw out these remarks)
Boat: Shamu. I'd love to own one just like it. Fast as hell, clean, comfortable and kinda retro. The flooring in boat is superb. I fully dug the boat! It's just perfect for diving.
Captain: Mago. The first words that come to my mind are TOTALLY PRO and next would be FUNNY AS HELL! He is a VERY skilled captain in a place where that REALLY matters. Every time we would surface, there he was. Flawless. Every time I climbed up the latter there he was with a towel, bottled water and a portable shower ready to go. Really folks, amazing service and attention to detail. On a couple occasions Mago couldn't make it so a Captain by the name of Javier took over and I found him to be outstanding as well and a totally cool Guy. Also, Mago is a hell of a magician and he's quick to hit you with a few tricks during the SI. Very entertaining to say the least.
DM: Pedro. Pedro is a first rate DM and really it's safe to say he's as good as it gets. He keeps track of everyone all while finding an astonishing amount critters almost everywhere. Don't hate me but I'm a (gulp) DIR diver so my wife and I did our ascents and profiles a bit differently. After Pedro saw us dive he felt comfortable to let us do "our thing." We never abused his confidence and always kept in contact with him throughout the dive. Honestly his profiles and ascents were damn near DIR anyway. Also, our gear is definitely unusual and a bit complicated if you're unfamiliar with it but after one day he got it...no problem. Our gear was nearly perfect everyday minus a few minor tweaks here and there. I was VERY impressed with Pedro. That Guy is an awesome example of how a DM should be on ALL counts. He's also hilarious, full of energy and a GREAT Guy as well.
Owner: Christi. Cozumels Sweetheart! Christi will no longer be known to my wife and I as "Christi from SB that owns Blue XT-Sea" but rather "our friend" she is the nicest, most attentive dive related person I have ever met. She went waaaaaaay beyond the call of duty without ever being asked. You simply will not find better service from an owner. We shared a great meals with her, laughed, joked and became instant friends. She invited us to see her beautiful home and on that occasion we got to meet her dogs and cat as well. We will greatly miss her and we cannot wait to go back to see her, her pets and that beautiful Island again. Two thumbs way up!!!!...
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