Cozumel

[sellis_414]

Has anyone ever went on a vacation to Cozumel and went fishing? In November I am planning a trip down to a resort south of cancun (Playa Del Carmen area) and was thinking about hopping on a ferry to Cozumel to do some fishing. If anyone has is it worth it?

[Bodofish]

You'll have a great time!!!!! I spent a month with a friend in Cancun and bummed all over the Yucatán Peninsula. The diving, spear fishing is incredible. Don't take a canned tour/dive in a boat. If you have the time just find someone in the harbor to take you out for the day. Swim for a while do a little fishing for baracudas, toss back a few. We hired a guy with a boat to take us out for five days, we brought lunch and the beer and for 5 days it was $100. What a time!!!!!! Cozumel is a very small island just off Cancun, I would have a hard time being trapped there, knowing what was on the mainland and shore. The ferry only takes like 30 min if I remember right. Swimming around Cozumel is sort of a scuba affair as the water gets real deep, real fast. If you have a boat you can come in to the main reef and snorkel. Having a boat drift with you is awesome! The tide pulls you down the reef then it pushes you back gently. We got a guy to take us lobstering in the Cancun lagoon at night. Wow! Up to 10 pound spiney's are a tasty treat! I just love that part of Mexico, it's totally different from the west coast. The people are super friendly once you get out of the city. We had a jeep and did a lot Indiana Jones 'ing all over the jungle. We'd pull into town, crack a can of pringles and give pesos to the little kids who in turn would get their older siblings and off we'd go through the jungle looking for ruins. The people were so friendly it was so cool! Normally after a day in the jungle the families would invite us to dinner. Oh my god!!!! The food was to die for, the sauces....mole'.......yummmmmmm. You'll have a great time, don't do the turist crap find a guy that wants to make some money and you'll really have a great time! Remember they're Mayans and not Aztecs, totally different culture, great people!

[Anonymous]

Hey sellis_414,
My wife & I were married on the beach at Cozumel. It is incredible. You will have a fantastic time. Bodo called that one 100% right.
I didn’t have much opportunity to go fishing other than spear fishing a little while scuba diving and you can’t fish/spear fish close to Cozumel because a lot of the area around Cozumel is a nature preserve. Most of the fishing takes place off shore away from the preserve or closer to the main land.

Hurricane season is Oct, Nov and Dec and if you can get in between storms you’ll have a great time. We found that February is the best time because it gives the locals time to rebuild the beaches after the hurricanes.

As far as taking the ferry from the main land...Bodo is correct, it's a quick trip out to the island (About 12 miles) or you could take a small plane. It will run you about $100.00 on the plane for the round trip out to Cozumel

I could go on and on but instead I will give you a little Cozumel & Chichen Itza photo essay.

Looking out to sea from our hotel balcony:


Beach Bar at our hotel:


Chichen Itza from the air:


Pyramid at Chichen Itza from the ground (Back side):


Inside the Pyramid at Chichen Itza:


Top of the Pyramid at Chichen Itza:


Temple of the Sun at Chichen Itza. Photo taken from the top of the Pyramid looking down:


Mayan Basketball court. They sacrificed the loosing team back in the day:


Other side of the Basketball court:


Closeup of the hoop:


The shopping:


The Dining(Price is in Pesos):


I couldn't get my wife to go scuba diving but I was able to teach her how to use a snorkel...Baby Steps.

[fishnislife]

WOW Big D, those are some amazing photos.




fishnislife

[Anonymous]

WOW Big D, those are some amazing photos. fishnislife

Thanks Jeremiah,
Cozumel is truly an incredible place...Especially in the evenings after the cruse ships pull out.
You can hear the whole town breath one huge sigh of relief as the last ship pulls away from the pier.

Waving Bon Voyage


It's great because that's when the locals and their families come out and the night life really begins.
My wife and I are planning another trip soon.

Bands, Parties, Dancing and Mucho Tequila after the Cruse ships pull out.
The night time island population consists of locals, their famlies and people staying on the island.
The photo below is of a party/concert in the city plaza at about midnight.

[Gringo Pescador]

Sellis,

I've spent some time in that region too, not so much on Cozumel, but in Playa Del Carmen (where the mainland ferry to Cozumel is) and points south. There are miles of Cenotes (caves) you can dive/snorkel/swim through that are pretty cool. There is the pyramids at Tulum which are right on the water and pretty amazing. There is also the flats in Ascension Bay. GREAT fly and light tackle fishing (where my avatar was taken) - Bonefish, Snook, Baracuda to name a few.
One warning I give to all that go down south anywhere - if you book a charter, make sure you know what you are booking. My 1st time down there I jumped on a fishing charter boat out of Cancun. I was alone so I got on a share boat. Literally the whole trip you sat in the cabin and the crew called you out one by one to reel in fish they had hooked. I even asked if I could cast for baitfish and they wouldn't let me touch a rod (I don't blame them, they don't know if I know what I am doing or will just destroy their gear). Some people might like this kind of fishing, but it definitely wasn't for me. I am much more of a hands on guy.

I have a bunch of links on my work computer, I will post them on Monday. In the mean time here are a few more pics to get you going..

pic #1 - The view from one of our hotels in Playa Del Carmen, looking towards Cozumel
pic #2 - Me on the deck of the Panga site fishing in the flats.
pic #3 - One of the structures and the beach at Tulum
pic #4 - Inside one of the Cenotes

[Bodofish]

Gringo,
That beach at Tulum is very cool. Had a great swim there! The ruins that were cleaned up for the turists are cool but if you ever go back, searching the jungle for the real deal is just unbelievable. I did like the alter at Tulum, it looked like it had seen a lot of use....... Whack! chop, chop, slice, slice..... I liked the little groves to carry the blood off.
A wonderful place to swim was off the point in Cancun and swim back and forth between the Gulf and Caribbean, just because you could. Another place was off the point at the Club Med beach, it was close enough to swim to the reef. It was very handy to have befriended the local Federaly's one evening on the beach. The Club Med guy's gave us a ration once telling us it was a private beach, our new friends tuned them up and we never had any problems anywhere. =)

I've been thinking of fishing after my last post and I think it would be very doable at many places along the coast with a big surf rig and some bait or some chrome spoons. Even some big top waters or mid divers would drive them nuts. There were baracuda every where we went and we were cautioned to not wear anything shiny as in chrome or polished stainless as it will attract them. It was not uncommon to see 4'ers. If a guy had a good pair of bino's you could spot the schools if you got a bit above the beach. We were told they were voracious eaters so I don't think it would be hard to get them to bite on about anything.

I'd love to take another trip down there but I think it would end up being too short. =(

[sellis_414]

Great pics! Thanks for the info about everything. We (my future wife and I) are going down there in Nov. for our honeymoon! We figured it would be a waste to leave Wenatchee in June when its nice here and go some place to equal temps... So a winter time Honeymoon sounded more appealing to us! There is a ton of things I want to see down there and seeing photos from you guys just engraves it more into my head that there is so much to see! I'll only have 10 days to catch it all! Thanks for the great info and pics again!


Seth

[Mike Carey]

Neat thread! We did Cancun/Cozemel years ago when my boys were younger. At that time they allowed people to walk to the top of the Pyramid - was that an amazing experience!

Cozumel is beautiful. Since we went as a family we did the tourest stuff, but did do snorkeling. Lots of fun. I'd love to go back some day.

[Anonymous]

Chichen Itza you can still climb, but everything at Tulum is roped off now. Like Bodo Said though, if you are a little adventurous you can go off the beaten path and see some pretty cool stuff, and if you are friendly and speak a little spanish (it helps that my wife is Mexican) you can start asking locals questions and get behind the scenes/non tourista experieces.

I also think Bodo is right - you take the farthest casting rod & reel you can get down there pack and some silver & brass crocodiles (or any other casting lure/spoon between 3 & 6" long) and start casting, you will probably pick up something. You can also take some hooks & weights, buy some camarone (prawns) and still fish, this will definitely catch you something, you just never know what. What I do each time I go down, is take a bunch of fishing stuff that I find on sale (hooks, spinners, spoons, weights, etc.). Then when I go down to fish, and run into locals fishing, start asking questions, show them what I have and ask what to use. Then when leaving I give them the stuff I brought. Tackle down there is expensive and hard to come by and it is a great way to make friends - Oh and if you don't know the language, charades and finger pointing goes a long way!:cheers:

Here are a few more pics...

Pic #1 The main pyramid at Chichen Itza - looking up
Pic #2 The same pyramid - looking down
Pic #3 Me jumping into a Cenote near Chichen Itza (about 50' below ground level and they said the water was 200' deep)
Pic #4 More structures at Tulum
Pic #5 They said Tulum was originally surrounded on 3 sides by a protective wall (4th side was ocean). So my wife & I went and found the wall - the pic is the wall disappearing into the jungle.

[Gringo Pescador]

Here are some links to some other stuff to do in and around Playa Del Carmen / Cozumel.

Kind of pricey, but if you like fly fishing (or hanging out on the boat in the sun while somebody else fishes - my wife) [url=http://]http://www.pescamaya.com/[/url]

I thought the snorkle trip was worth the $30 (unless you are claustrophobic), right off the highway and easy to find http://www.hiddenworlds.com/

Breakfast on 5th avenue - this is our favorite place - the smoothies/juices were awsome http://www.100natural.com.mx/

Evening coffee or chocolate - http://ahcacao.com/en/stores/#ahcacaoplaya

Xcaret - You could spend a whole day here and not see everything. They have lockers and showers and changing areas. Snorkle, walk, take a nap in the hammocks, eat, watch the show... The show is a history of the region from the Maya to present day - it is pretty good. http://www.xcaret.com/

XelHa - Similer to Xcaret - But where Xcaret is more towards cultural, Xelha is more towards ecological and a little smaller http://www.xelha.com/

We haven't been here yet, but heard is is really cool. Alux lounge/restaurant http://www.aluxlounge.net/eng/facilities.html

[Mike Carey]

I thought I had heard the government was going to close Chichen Itza from ascending it due to damage to the structure. It was SO COOL to get to climb. My son James and I also climbed the interior stairwell to the top sacrifice? area. Incredibly HOT inside, but again, what an experinence.

I'll post a few more pics when I have the time to shrink them for the web.

[Anonymous]

My son James and I also climbed the interior stairwell to the top sacrifice? area. Incredibly HOT inside, but again, what an experinence.

Hey Mike, Remember this:
Inside the Pyramid at Chichen Itza:
I was able to poke my camera lens through a hole in the wire mesh and that's how I got this photo.

[Anonymous]

yes, I do indeed. Wasn't that a cool experience? Reminds me of the Mel Gibson movie (which I thought was an amazing movie) OK all, if you hate family vacation pictures these AREN'T for you! BTW, don't love when your kids show their ENTHUSIASM for pictures, LOL.

[Anonymous]

I thought I had heard the government was going to close Chichen Itza from ascending it due to damage to the structure. It was SO COOL to get to climb. My son James and I also climbed the interior stairwell to the top sacrifice? area. Incredibly HOT inside, but again, what an experinence.

If you compare your pic of Tulum to mine, you can see they have pathways and everything is roped off now. Even the beach you could get to when you went is off limits now. They actually built a wooden deck and stairs down the cliff to another beach just south of the original one (see pic).

They are starting to do that to some of the pyramids now in Mexico, so I wouldn't be surprised if they did it in Chichen Itza - though it could be as much for falling touristas as structure damage.

Some of the experiences I've had there:

Talking to a local who said a woman was coming down the pyramid the day before, slipped 1/2 way and tumbled all the way to the ground (bet that left a mark).

At the top of the pyramid there was a wild dog sleeping inside in the shade. I had to explain to a gringa who was trying to "make friends" with it why her plan to pick up the dog and try to take it back down wasn't such a good idea.

Watching (from the ground) as people stood at the top and watched in wonder at the thunder cell approaching. I was sure I was going to see a human lightening rod or two.

Going up the inside people who couldn't stand the heat, got claustrophobic started freaking out and pushing their way back out, then a woman actually passed out about 3/4 the way up and those around her were carrying her back down.

They are also trying to make it harder for people to walk off with souvenirs.

Big D - nice pic, my camera didn't do so well with the lack of light.

[sellis_414]

Gringo... Wow thanks for all the infomation and websites to check out.

The pics make me want to go now!

[Gringo Pescador]

Gringo... Wow thanks for all the infomation and websites to check out.

The pics make me want to go now!

No problem, makes me want to go again too... If you have more (or more specific) questions before you go, post em up.

Congratulations and have a great trip!

[Mike Carey]

ditto on going again - in a heart beat!

The pyramid is quite steep and I can imagine people falling from time to time. My wife didn't do the climb, too scary for her. I loved it. What an amzing view at the top.

I know there were also concerns about not closing off all access to the native people as the site has such a deep historical significance to them.

[Rich McVey]

Sweet Pics

I would love to go there and see the temples and such. That clear blue water sure looks inviting!

Thanks for sharing!

[racfish]

Nice pics all of you. Wow!! I never been to nice Mexico. I did Tijuana as a teenager but that was in the 70's.