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Tag Archives: Ocean

Lionfish + Spearguns = a Recipe

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I’m going to start this post off by saying… Not all Caribbean islands rules/laws are the same so make sure before you do anything, you check with their regulations. Okay, with that said…

What is a Lionfish?

Lionfish in Cozumel

A lionfish is a native Indo-Pacific fish that has become an invasive species in the Atlantic Ocean waters. In the Indo-Pacific waters, these fish are an uncommon and beautiful sight. They are in balance with the ecosystem and the rest of nature. But in the Atlantic and Southeast Caribbean waters, these fish are a bit of a nuisance.

In the Caribbean/Atlantic waters, these fish have become invasive and a potential harm to the reef ecosystem life. It is a carnivorous predator that fights for their food and space with the overfished native stocks such as snapper and grouper. Scientists fear that they will kill off the useful species of algae-eating fish such as the parrotfish, allowing seaweed to overtake the reefs.

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10 Tips for Foreign Dive Travel

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Do you ever make lists and wonder where on earth you put them? I’m currently in that process right now of finding a list that seems to be non-existent. But I am one of those people who like lists to help me remember those things I need to remember. That’s kind of a funny sentence.

Anyway, moving on…. So did you know that we have a trip getting ready to leave the good ol’ United States and heading to Curaçao? I thought now would be the perfect time to a) learn how to spell Curaçao, b) keep reminding myself how to pronounce it, and c) Write a list on Foreign Travel Preparations.

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Cozumel Mother’s Day Trip – May 6-13, 2017

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The Mother’s Day trip took place at O’Dark 30. You think I’m kidding… I believe we were up around 3:30 to be at the airport by 4:30 for our 6:50 departure time or something like that. See, we were awake at O’Dark 30! After we made it through check in and airport security, it was time to find the coffee. I’m pretty sure some of us had our coffee before we got to that point. Wow! It was early. Our youngest passenger on this trip was 2. She was the brightest, sunshineyest, most awakest person of us all (yes, yes, I was an English Major… I did that all on purpose to prove a point….). The thing is, you didn’t hear any complaints from anyone because we were on vacation.

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Señor Frogs {Cozumel, Mexico}

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One thing I thoroughly enjoy on vacations is eating the local cuisine. That means trying to find local restaurants where the “locals” eat just to see what they enjoy. Every once in a while though, it’s fun to eat at a chain restaurant. One restaurant that is a load of fun to eat at is a place called Señor Frogs. Mark and I ate at our first one in Honolulu, Hawaii, our second one in Las Vegas, Nevada, and now we’ve tried the one in Cozumel, Mexico. If you are looking for a load of fun, definitely check this place out.

Señor Frogs

Señor Frogs is definitely some place you want to go if you want to have fun. Seriously out of all the ones we’ve tried, they are all very similar. Very much a party place. Heck, their quote is “Have fun, let yourself go, and unleash your fiesta!” What does that tell you?

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The Ferry from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen (and back again!)

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Normally if you come to Cozumel with one of our group trips, you’re here to dive. You dive, eat, dive, eat, sleep, repeat or something like that… Hey, the diving here is fantastic, totally worth it! But, what else does Cozumel or Mexico have to offer you? Good question. If you are standing at the west ocean line you can see shoreline off in the distance. That is Playa del Carmen and it’s about 14 miles away. How do you get there? I’m so glad you asked.

Since they haven’t perfected the Scuba car yet, you’ll have to use the ferry. The ferry terminal is located right in downtown Cozumel, at the extension of Av. Lic. Benito Juarez, across from Palmeras Restaurant. It’s easily within walking distance from most places in downtown, or else tell your cab driver. They know exactly where it is and the cab fair is reasonable!

There are two ferry companies that travel back and forth from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen. One is Ultramar and the other is Mexico Water Jets. Some days they are both running while on the down times they take turns.

Tip from our cab driver: Only buy a one-way ferry ticket.  There are two ferry companies, and they don’t accept each other’s tickets.  Doing only one-way leaves you flexibility to ride one ferry on the way there and the other on the way back.

From the schedule online, the ferry runs every hour on the hour and it takes about 45 minutes to cross the distance between the two ferry stations. Not bad, right?

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Taqueria Chilangos {Cozumel, Mexico}

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Buenos días, Buenos Tardes, or Buenos Noches. (translation, Good Morning, Good Afternoon, or Good Night.)

I know I keep giving you bits and pieces of a recent trip to Cozumel, Mexico and I promise a long post to explain all the fun and shenanigans had will be coming shortly, but for now I’m going to tease you with another small bit.

On the May Cozumel (2017) trip, the story as I heard it, Scott happened to be riding around in a taxi and asked the driver if he were to eat at a local restaurant, what one would it be? The cab driver brought him to this restaurant, Taqueria Chilangos. Scott came back to the hotel raving about the food so the last night on the island we all hopped into a cab and took off to find this restaurant.

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Le Chef {Cozumel, Mexico}

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So if you happen to be the adventurous type when it comes to eating (I tend to think of myself as a foodie, not going to lie), do I have the place for you today! Sadly, you’re going to have to book a trip to Cozumel, Mexico and while you’re at it, book a second seat for me too :).

In February when the group was down there, one day Clemente was telling Grady about this restaurant they needed to try that was famous for their Lobster and Bacon Sandwiches. When they came back from Cozumel the group was bragging about how fabulous this restaurant was and more so this sandwich, so that was added to the list of “things to do” while we were on the trip in May.

The restaurant you ask?

Le Chef

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Rolandi’s Restaurant Bar & Pizzeria {Cozumel, Mexico}

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If and when you go on a trip to Cozumel, Mexico, and I highly suggest you should at some point in your life, I have a restaurant here that you definitely need to try! Now, I know, if you are staying at Hotel Cozumel and Resort, it is an all inclusive resort where meals are included, but if you are interested in trying some of the local cuisine, check this place out. It’s within walking distance of the hotel and it’s called Rolandi’s Restaurant Bar & Pizzeria.

One other thing I need to point out at this point in time… I am not a restaurant critic (but how much fun would that be?!?!), I’m just sharing some of the places we’ve eaten at in Cozumel and how much we enjoyed their cuisine.

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Cozumel – February 18-25, 2017

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February 18 a group of 20 set off on a grand adventure for Cozumel Mexico. What am I talking about… this is the yearly, get out of the fly over states crummy weather! The funny part of the whole thing was, they didn’t leave us in snow this year. We were only about 10 degrees cooler in Missouri than they were in Cozumel. The big difference was the evenings.

This year on the dive boat we had 3 dive masters. This is George. We’ve had him before… he’s not new.

This Jimi. He was new for us. I’m sure we left him scratching his head a few times but we sure liked him. He’s welcome back on our boat anytime!!

Finally we had Jeremiah. He said he remembers us. Is that a good thing or a bad thing… you be the judge! Remember a few years ago there was a cab driver that recognized Deb. Just saying. Anyway, we liked him really well also so he’s welcome aboard our boat again too.

This is Jimi again. Doesn’t he have gorgeous hair? He told us it was for the girls.

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Cayman Brac – Summer Trip – July 2016

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Our summer trip this year headed for Cayman Brac with 13 divers for a week long excursion. Cayman Brac is part of the Cayman Islands and is located in the Caribbean Sea north-east of Grand Cayman and east of Little Cayman. The island itself is about 12 miles long with an average width of 1.2 miles. The island is named

This crab was found while diving. The crab is dead… Scott Peters Continue reading→