Check all your diving equipment. Get your regulator serviced. Keep in hand extra straps, "O" rings, batteries and hard to get parts.

Casual. A pair of shorts and sandals will get you into just about anywhere.

The best US $29 (DAN Membership) plus US $35 (DAN Insurance) investment in case the unexpected happens. There are three chambers operating in Cozumel, two offer secondary medical insurance coverage with no deductible for US $1 per person per day of diving. Premiums must be paid directly at their office in Cozumel BEFORE you start diving. Servicious Subacuticos, ph: 2-23-87, Investigacion Hiperbarica de Cozumel, ph: 2-30-70.

October 12, 1998 - "Dia de la Raza" commemorates the fusion of two races, Spanish people and Mexican natives, with the celebration of the day Columbus discovered America.

You will be diving on one of the most beautiful reef formations in the world. And as you enjoy your dive remember, these reef are very fragile.

Millions of years ago as life evolved on Earth, plant life became the dominant form on land and animal life dominated the oceans. Today as you visit the underwater world, most of what you see is animal like. The sea fans, those large plant like fronds extending from the bottom, the branch like corals reaching upward, the purple sponges, the sea cucumbers and anemones, are all animals, not plants. And they are very fragile!!!

The corals are actually colonies of small animals called polyps. Look closely, but not too close, and you will see six tentacles on each polyp feeding on microscopic zoo plankton. The slightest touch of your hand or fin can kill hundreds of them in one pass. Only the surface of the coral formations is covered with polyps since they grow on top of past generations. Some coral secrete calcium at the polyp's base thus creating the hard coral's skeleton that grows, generation after generation, building up into a coral head. This process is very slow, so when you see a 10 foot column of coral, it can represent 8,000 years of growth.

The coral has two ways of protecting itself. One it is covered with a thin mucous layer that is easily damaged by touch. Once the mucous layer has been damaged, the coral becomes susceptible to increased predation by coral feeding fish and disease. The other way the coral protects itself is through a sting like action. When divers touch some coral that has this defense mechanism they get a "reef rash" that can trouble you for weeks.

BE AWARE of how fragile reefs are. Educate others! Be aware of your body and equipment position at all times. Don't let equipment drag across fragile animal colonies, attach every piece of equpment close to your body with straps, clips or cords.

TRAINING Don't overweight yourself with lead. Practice your buoyancy skills so that you use only the amount of lead necessary for neutral buoyancy at the surface. Practice staying a safe distance from the living corals and controlling your depth with breath control.

COMMON SENSE Photography is a wonderful way to bring back part of your experience but don't sacrifice other animal's lives for that "special shot". Ask yourself where do you think all the "black coral" comes from. Is it worth hundreds of years and thousands of generations of animals for one sample, one look, one touch?