| There's no question, after viewing some of the | | | | with clear, turquoise water. There was an open bar |
| creations of the Mayans, that they were an intelligent | | | | here, so that entertained most of the guests quite |
| group of people. And once you've seen the beauty | | | | well. But my wife and I are avid snorkelers, and after |
| along the coastline of the Yucatan Peninsula, you'll | | | | eyeing the long, broad pier jutting into the Caribbean, |
| also have an appreciation for their taste in real | | | | we knew that another world awaited us underneath |
| estate. | | | | this structure. |
| Puerto Costa Maya is farther south than the area | | | | We hurriedly donned our snorkeling gear and slipped |
| that is commonly referred to as the Mayan Riviera. | | | | into the water. Immediately we were met by the |
| Situated just north of the town of Majahual, Puerto | | | | residents of this forgotten coast, who took the form |
| Costa Maya is in one of the southernmost areas of | | | | of every tropical fish in every color imaginable, set |
| Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. | | | | against a backdrop of coral-crusted pier legs. The |
| There is little around here in the way of modern | | | | visibility underwater here had to be in the |
| development, but when Costa Maya opened its | | | | neighborhood of 100 feet. |
| doors to the cruise lines in 2001, it quickly became | | | | Although there was plenty to see while floating |
| one of the most popular cruise ship destinations in | | | | around on the surface, I often found myself diving |
| the Caribbean. A trip here is almost like traveling to a | | | | down for a closer look, on the deeper end of the |
| desert island, ripe with natural beauty, and without an | | | | pier. My wife made a comment that I must have |
| overabundance of tourist hype. | | | | grown gills, because I stayed underwater more than I |
| On our trip here, we chose the 'Jungle Beach Break' | | | | surfaced. I am a certified scuba diver, and I must say |
| excursion. We were loaded onto a comfortable, | | | | that the marine life under this pier beat anything I've |
| air-conditioned bus for the trip north to a private | | | | seen on any one scuba dive. And this was accessible |
| beach. If you're a habitual reader of my articles, you'll | | | | from shore, with only a mask, snorkel, and fins. |
| know that, for me, one of the greatest treats of an | | | | We ended up spending the entire day under that |
| excursion is the road trip there. This one was no | | | | pier, amazed at the technicolor treasure of marine life |
| different - it afforded us the opportunity to see a | | | | that resided there. When we returned to the sandy |
| very primitive area of southern Mexico while enroute. | | | | beach, we found that our cruisemates, having taken |
| Nearing our destination, a small road torn through | | | | full advantage of the free bar, were more jovial than |
| thick jungle gave way to a forgotten white beach | | | | usual. |