Week 9 in Pez Maya-monitoring, dive masters, Cozumel wall and Chichen itza visit!

Well, only one week left and we’re all very aware that our time here in Pez Maya is coming to a close. All of us have started to count down how many days we have left of diving. It makes us sad to be going home soon (back to cold weather and no palm trees), but at the same time, we are eagerly counting down how many days left doing certain duties, such as kitchen duty, or the number of boat pushes we have left. Although, the end is near, at the same time, we are working harder than ever. Many people have reached the monitoring stage and we are now busy counting algae, sizing fish and measuring coral.

While monitoring and science is our priority we also have a number of divemasters in training who are working harder than they have ever worked at Pez Maya: between late night lectures, stamina and knowledge tests, planning and leading dives, and teaching open water skills to “student divers” who have been purposely instructed to do them wrong and behave like complete muppets - I don’t know how they find the time!

Even on our days off, we always seem to be busy. This past weekend, we split up as a group of us went back to Cozumel for the amazing reef wall dive some of us did a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, some of the equipment wasn’t quite up to par and a lot of them opted out of their second dive due to safety concerns even though their first dive was amazing despite the gear. Another group of us made a trip to Chichen-Itza, one of the seven wonders of the world, to learn about ancient Mayans and their architecture, gods, culture and rituals.

Our last week will likely be a roller coaster ride of emotions as we complete our final dives, have our last party, themed “what I want to be when I grow up”, and say goodbye to some unforgettable friends. We don’t wanna leave!

Week 9 in Pez Maya-monitoring, dive masters, Cozumel wall and Chichen itza visit!