Top of the Morning - Cozumel

Catch a rare and glorious predawn glimpse of the underwater realm in Cozumel
It's 5:15 a.m. and a steady rain is falling as our boat cruises along the western shore of Cozumel. Judging from the facial expressions of the other four divers on board, I am not the only one experiencing misgivings about the wisdom of getting up so early. The squall soon passes, and a sliver moon and twinkling stars emerge as we gear up in the dark. My attitude improves markedly as I descend into a ripping current at a shallow site called Paso El Cedral (Cedar Pass). The beam from my dive light follows a southern stingray that seems to be in a big hurry to get somewhere. The ray sails over a squadron of large lobsters scurrying with equal alacrity across the sand. A spotted moray eel pokes his head out of his hole as several brilliantly colored queen angels dart by with surprising speed. We are witnessing the aquatic equivalent of morning rush hour, and the frenzy of marine life activity is truly astounding. The notable exception is a splendid toadfish that has apparently decided to sleep in this morning in a crevice under the reef. Above us the darkness on the surface is starting to melt away. Before the dive is half over, we no longer need assistance from dive lights to see thick schools of bluestriped grunts hovering over the reef. As I break the surface after completing a safety stop, the first rays of sunlight are peeking over the island. An hour later, as most divers are enjoying the morning's first cup of coffee, we're passing through clouds of glassy sweepers in the cavernous swim-throughs at Santa Rosa Wall. The first dive boats are materializing on the horizon when we climb back aboard to enjoy a surface interval breakfast of assorted fruits and cheeses. While passengers on the other boats begin assembling equipment for their first dive, we're ready to get in the water for the third time. The current has switched direction and now carries to the south over Paradise Reef, which sits in front of the El Presidente resort. After watching a juvenile spotted drum flit about, I spend the final portion of the dive shadowing a lovely pair of scrawled filefish. Something for Everyone The Cock-A-Doodle Dive is a special outing offered only by Dive Paradise, one of the most popular dive operations on Cozumel. It's a great opportunity to see the reefs in a way that you have never seen them before, says Renee Applewood (nicknamed Apple), the owner of Dive Paradise. Almost everyone who goes out on this trip loves it. She'll get no argument from me. Clearly there are many divers who wouldn't relish the prospect of getting to the dock for a 5 a.m. pickup. That's OK because Dive Paradise, which boasts five locations on the island and a fleet of 13 boats, has an array of morning, afternoon and twilight trips to suit the needs of every diver, regardless of their experience level. Apple is something of a living dive legend in Cozumel. Her 30-year dive career began in California. She then moved to Saudi Arabia, where she worked as a head nurse and taught diving in the Red Sea. Her dreams of putting away enough money to open her own dive operation were dashed, however, when the international bank she was using closed and her savings were lost. So Apple headed to Cozumel and eventually got a job as an office manager for Dive Paradise. When the shop's previous owner, Thomas Hartdegen, passed away in 1994, the entire operation was bequeathed to Apple. Visiting divers will usually find her in the downtown waterfront office that she shares with two dogs. Most of Dive Paradise's 90 employees have worked for Apple at least several years. Earlier in the week we met Orlando, an affable dive master who started out toiling in the operation's stock room 10 years ago. The loyalty of Apple's staff is surpassed only by the unwavering commitment from legions of loyal customers who return to Cozumel year after year and would never consider diving with another shop. It's like they are part of the family, Apple says. They have watched our staff grow up and we've watched a lot of the customers grow up, get married and start families. I think it's that bond that keeps them coming back. For More Information:Dive ParadiseToll Free: 800-308-5125Tel: 011-52-987-872-5161E-mail: scuba@diveparadise.comWeb: http://www.diveparadise.com