Recent Expedition, GVI Mexico Mahahual Marine Conservation Expedition

Contributed by James Whiteley

We've just come back from the weekend; we just can't get enough of this diving, so a group of us headed off to Tulum to check out the cenotes - awesome!! I did Dos Ojos and The Gran Cenote and they were absolutely beautiful. It's good buoyancy practice too, meandering through the amazing stalactites and stalagmites formations, that have been there for thousands and thousands of years, a whole world submerged, unseen and untouched.

On the Saturday night we all met up for a good feed before heading to a roof top bar for much drinking and dancing. Sunday was a chilled day (recovering), wandering around the shops before heading back to Mahahual. It's nice coming home to Mahahual and as we wonder through the town on our way back to base our English students call out to us, making us feel like this is really home and that we are part of their community, and I must say what a good job we are doing, their English is getting really good, much better than our Spanish! We got back home just in time for a swim in the Caribbean before a shower and dinner. Sunday night is the night we generally head into town for food and last night was 'Cat's Meow' for their excellent chicken and cheese quesadillas - yum! They are also well known for their homemade chocolate cheesecake.

Today was back to the usual routine and our usual dives. The first dive out saw 2 turtles, I love watching them glide through the water, but unfortunately I wasn't on that dive, but that doesn't matter because you can't have a bad dive here, there are too many beautiful things to see in the Caribbean for that to happen! Its great doing the surveying and feeling like you are doing something worthwhile with the diving. I wasn't sure if I would ever get this coral surveying down pat but it feels quite natural now diving with your nose down and feet up while writing at the same time!

This afternoon we also have Rescue Diver and Dive Master training. I wonder what scenarios Ben has dreamt up for us today? Whatever it is I know it won't be boring! One of the main reasons I came here was to get more experience in diving and I definitely have. I arrived as an Open Water diver and I am now half way through my Dive Master training! I enjoy diving much more than when I arrived here; I am getting so much more out of it now that I know all about the corals and sponges and a bit more about the fish too. But I also feel so much more relaxed and confident in the water now and I feel I could respond to am emergency if needed or even better prevent an emergency from happening!

I have met some really great people here and it was good to have a weekend away together. I am really going to miss some of my new friends but I know we will keep in touch and I hope to meet up with some of them for some diving somewhere in the world! I would definitely recommend a GVI expedition to anyone who wants to meet some great people and also to anyone who wants to feel that they have done something worthwhile while generally just having a fantastic time!

Andrea Cannon, GVI Mahahual, Estacion Costa Maya, Jan-March 2007