« June 2017 | Main | August 2017 »
Tulum, Mexico, Cenote Dos Ojos greeter-person in period native costume. Liked being around him. Dos Ojos is about 10 minutes north of Tulum and 35 minutes south of Playa del Carmen driving 80-100 k/h speed limits (roughly k/h x .6 is mph).
On the bright side of things, Malena Sharkey and Robert Minnick found a small jewel of a hotel in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, the Hotel Luna Sol. Ashley Soltis lent her body to show the scale of the pool/breakfast area. -- with Ashley Soltis.
Nice to be able to do an overview flight of the jungle surrounding part of the Dos Ojos Cenote without the constant harangue of the more typical Yucatan Peninsula cenote people when they see a camera or drone. We shot a lot of stuff in gin-clear Dos Ojos II. No crud in the water like others to the North.
After a couple of weeks of checking Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula's cenotes, it my considered opinion that Dos Ojos is the one to do business with. Here's some of the Mini Mermaid Portfolio Workshop crew pose at the Dos Ojos entrance with the Dos Ojos greeter. Not pictured are Victoria Kicha (who had to miss the workshop last minute), Robert Minnick and me. Pictured are Susan Knight,Malena Sharkey,Iara Mandyn,Caroline Nelson,Emily Weston Hearne, Ashley Soltis, Erin St Blaine and Corinna Herden. -- with Susan Knight, Caroline Nelson, Erin St Blaine, Emily Weston Hearne, Ashley Soltis, Malena Sharkey and Iara Mandyn.
Day before yesterday while I was in the water at Chac Mool Cenote on the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula not far from Playa del Carmen, someone liberated my ZenDome 230mm dome port cover. At just under US$2,000 each (32,000 pesos) for a new dome with color-coated glass, transporting the housing without dome protection is not a good idea. Fortunately, I had a new Scubapro hooded vest, cut the hood off and it became the temporary protection. Not good to need a new vest and dome cover, but cheaper than the cost of a scratched dome. -- with Reef Photo & Video, Nauticam, Scubapro and Nauticam USA.
The more common ground-level image from a Mescalido's Bar & Grill visit on the east side of Cozumel. Always good for harmless creative humor. -- with Ashley Soltis.
Also on the east side of Cozumel there are hundreds of buried turtle egg sites along the dune line. When they hatch, scores of hatchlings scurry for the water and their new life. This one got washed sideways by a wave, but instantly corrected course for the water.
Not your typical view of Mescalido's Bar & Grill on the east side of Cozumel, but also have the typical shots. Now on to the mainland Yucatan Peninsula shooting a variety of things in cenotes with some very special creatives from San Francisco, Vancouver, San Jose, North Carolina and Virginia.
Tech: About 100' AGL, DJI Inspire 2 X5S 12mm f2.0 -- with Ashley Soltis, Erin St Blaine, Malena Sharkey, Iara Mandyn, Robert Minnick, Susan Knight, Caroline Nelson, Emily Weston Hearne and FlyHighUSA.
A little ferry running around my front yard this morning; Cozumel Mexico, Hotel Cozumel.
Every time I say the hotel name, throwback music from Hotel California runs through my mind.
Talking about tough accomplished skilled go-getter scuba divers and you have to include Malena Sharkey in the conversation. Here she's with me this morning checking out the survivability of the Type 2 Apple Watch at 86' underwater on one of the Palencar sections off the west coast of Cozumel, Mexico (it took a licking and kept on ticking).
Tech: Nauticam underwater housing with 230mm Zendome from Reef Photo & Video in Ft Lauderdale. A Canon EOS-5D Mk IV and 16-35mm f2.8 II inside. Lighting by my trusty dual Ikelite DS-161 Movie/Strobe lights. -- with Nauticam, Nauticam USA and Malena Sharkey.
"Home" for a few days. Hotel Cozumel in Mexico. Under the water tomorrow.
Tech: Inspire 2 X5S 12mm f2.0 at about 100' AGL
Wilma Puentes, balletto Teatro di Torino dancer (Torino, Italy) underwater in blue sparkly dress, Lakeside Studio Pool, June 30, 2017
