Vallarta Adventures in Nuevo Vallarta is a class act. First we have to fill out the obligatory paper work, during which we are given a bracelet to wear identifying us a divers. Next it’s on to the locker room to get fitted for our equipment. Then we are directed to their snack bar to wait for our departure time. Snacks, in our case a continental breakfast, are included in the price of the tour/dive purchased.

By 8:30 am we’re on the dive boat. Half way out to Las Marietas, the boat stops for crew introductions (sure beats the crew yelling over the engine noise that we’ve experience with other operators). There are a total of 18 divers on board, that will be broken into groups of 6 each with their own dive leader. Our leader is Angel. Just before arriving at Las Marietas, Angel gives us a dive briefing on the bow of the boat. He verifies that everyone has a dive buddy and then goes over a few hand signals.

Once we arrive at Las Marietas, divers are quickly in the water and descending in their groups. We were the last participants in the water. And had no time to check our buoyancy… something that Mary needed to do since she was wearing a new wetsuit. Mary tries but is unable to get below the surface (the new suit is much more buoyant than her old one). With the dive boat far out of reach, Angel gives her more weight. All the while, Pete waits patiently for her at 20 feet, finally, and with effort, Mary is able to descend. By this time, the other four divers in our group had decided not to wait and joined up with another dive leader. So, we again find ourselves with our own privately guided dive.

Angel takes us around pointing out some fish, then pointing to the id card that he was carrying, so we would know what we were looking at. We saw lots of starfish, some angels, butterflies, morish idols (think Scar in the movie “Finding Nemo”), & an unidentified “blue” fish guarding her nest.

Pete took several photos. And Mary was video taping. The water is very silty, so viz is not that great. And in several of Pete's photos the cameras flash, lights up more of the silt than the actual target of his shot. Angel checks our air/gauges often. Just before Mary reaches 1,000 psi, Angel directs us to a tunnel to swim through. Soon after that, we ascend to our 15 foot safety stop. Mary was reading her gauge while ascending to the 15 foot level and missed the marker on the line (around 18-20 feet), which is where Angel wanted us to stop. When Mary's gauge read 15 feet she stopped and looked down to see what was holding up Pete & Angel. Angel signaled for her to descend to where they were doing their safety stop. Well, considering the problems Mary had descending, Angel thought she was having problems staying down… so he held onto her tank until the 3 minute safety stop is completed. Then we ascended to the surface together.

Mary’s troubles weren’t over yet. The dive boat maneuvers to pick us up. Angel swims to one ladder while Pete & Mary go to the other ladder. A crew member instructs us to hand him our fins and without even thinking about it Mary removes her fins, but there is just one little problem. For safety reasons, one diver should climb the ladder while everyone else is well clear of that ladder. So, Angel climbs his ladder, and then the crew instructs Mary to switch ladders (after she has removed her fins). Well, she can’t quite reach the other ladder without letting go of the first ladder… and between the two ladders is the wash from the props/jets. So, Mary get’s pushed away from the boat and into an area that is too shallow for the boat to maneuver into. At first Mary, tries to swim to get closer to the boat, but without fins it’s just about impossible, then one of her legs gets a bit of a cramp while trying. The crew yells, “don’t worry”, and they throw her a rope to tow her back to the boat.

Mary's leg still is tense after cramping earlier, so Mary decides not to go this dive. Instead she naps on the boat while Pete buddy's up with another diver.

Pete did a lot of swimming through small tunnels on this dive. On this dive, Pete saw several eels and pretty much had the same fish sightings as the last dive. He didn't even take a camera this time.

While everyone, except Mary, is diving the chef/captain prepares a tasty lunch. After the last dive, everyone enjoys the lunch & beverages, while we motor back to the dock. Beer was available after the last dive, but we choose to stick with water.