First 2 weeks in Pez Maya; Advance open water, Mangroves tour, Earth Day in Punta Allen and a lot more happening!

The second group of volunteers for 2010 have now completed two weeks at Pez Maya, Mexico.

Despite being washed out of the ocean by bad weather and spending a couple of days on base ´´dive free´´ (a situation which is now regarded as an unusual way for us to pass the time) we volunteers have managed to master a number of new and highly valuable skills.

Some of our newly acquired expertise includes: the memorization of 51 coral species (this meant Latin name memorization for our coral monitors), the memorization of 70 fish species for our fish monitors, how to make bread for over 20 people (and how not to make beans…) and that the secret to a fast boat push into the ocean might just be rain – who knew??

On the diving front: By now all of us are qualified open water divers and have almost completed our advanced open water certifications. A life that includes two dives a day has become the norm. We are slowly getting to know the reef and all of its inhabitants, big and small as the days pass.

Many divers have become quick fans of the Peak Performance Buoyancy dive in the Advanced Open Water course which involves such skills as hovering as extra weights are handed to you, swimming and flipping through hoops, as well as underwater races without our fins. Many of us also learned that laughing under water and keeping water out of your mouth at the same time can be a bit tricky. But we were able to overcome this challenge quickly enough.

Our first party night (Saturday night) was certainly eventful, encompassing what proved to be our rather eclectic music tastes and cultural backgrounds – from Latin to Trance. Yes we did somehow end up having a mini rave at Pez Maya on Saturday night…..at least you don’t have to worry about neighbors complaining about the noise out here! It’s basically just us and the beautiful ocean. Oh yeah, and a whole bunch of sand!

Other things we have been up to: We went on tour of the mangroves- an amazing ecosystem that just so happens to be situated five minutes walk up the beach. Here you will find crocodiles, manatees, cenotes (where you could see the entrance to the massive underwater cave through the crystal clear water) and a myriad of bird species. A favorite - the roseate spoonbill!

Sharks have been sited literally right on our doorstep (picture a bull shark jumping out of the ocean) and divers have spotted sting rays, nurse sharks, barracudas, green moray eels, evil lion fish (an invasive species here in Caribbean and therefore despite being kinda pretty to look at they’re not so cool to find) and turtles- just to name a few.

Lately we have been spending time organizing our punta allen project for this coming Earth Day. This is an initiative that GVI started to help improve the waste management system of the Punta Allen community, south of Pez Maya. We´ll all be heading there next week to take part in Dia de la Tierra (Earth Day) where we will present Punta Allen Verde which is an initiative focused on thinking globally and acting locally. During Earth Day we will be unveiling our new recycling program that we are hoping to start in Punta Allen. The day will consist of a beach clean, games for the children and a contest where children can be awarded the Policia Ambiental (Environmental Police) badge. We also will be setting up an information booth to inform tourists coming into Punta Allen of our goals and the goals of the community. We will also be selling snacks and treats to raise money for the project. All donations will be going towards Punta Allen Verde and the recycling program.

With our Earth Day preparations under way and diving temporarily on hold due to stormy and windy weather we have also started our Emergency First Responder course and have had the privilege to be introduced to Dave and Anne who although they are made of plastic and are missing their arms and legs, they have graciously allowed us to practice our first aid and CPR on them.

Despite the weather being unfriendly to our diving plans, the past two weeks have been non-stop fun as we have all already become fast friends and its nearly impossible to walk around our camp without hearing laughter or seeing someone smiling, whether it be over sweeping the communal area, playing volleyball, enjoying some creative and delicious vegetarian meals, or just relaxing in our hammocks that each of us earned by passing our first monitoring tests. Although some of us are missing running water and meals containing meat, no one would rather be anywhere else right now than enjoying life in this paradise that is Pez Maya. We are all looking forward to the weeks to come.

First 2 weeks in Pez Maya; Advance open water, Mangroves tour, Earth Day in Punta Allen and a lot more happening!