I got a fabulous birthday present this year, a three-day vacation to Huatulco, Oaxaca. I was surprised as anything and grateful too, I always wanted to go there but I thought it would be a long time before I'd have a chance. Huatulco is a beach resort much like Cancun, it's fairly new, as it was built by the government about 15 years ago. It's a very clean place that stretches along nine bays and encompasses three small villages. Because it's located on the southern most coast of Mexico, on the Pacific side, it's a little pricey to reach from the U.S. or Canada. But depending on the kind of vacation you're looking for it can be well worth it. The people are friendly, the beaches are clean and safe and if you're not there during Easter or Christmas you'll find the hotel rates cheap and not too many tourists.

Our package included airfare and hotel for three nights plus breakfast. The hotel we stayed in was quite nice, El Castillo de Huatulco. Our mission in Huatulco was to scuba dive. My compañera, Yoko came with substantial diving experience, she has more than 80 dives, which is roughly sufficient to apply for certification as a Master Diver. But for me it was my first time and I was pretty excited. We had searched the Internet before leaving, but had found very little about diving in Huatulco. When we arrived we started searching for dive shop, we asked around the hotel, walked into town, checked with cab drivers, and even walked around the bay. Finally, someone on one of the docks said he could make a call for us while we had dinner. On the way to lunch, we stumbled across one dive shop, but it was closed. On the way back we found the fellow again, but he told us that the scuba tour was full for the next day. We just about gave up the idea of diving at that point.

Giorgio and his sweetie

That evening, we walked into town in search of dinner and finally came across a dive shop that was open. Buseo Soltavento is owned and operated by Hector and Gaby Lara Ocampo.  Hector has some 25 years of diving experience, 15 of those in Huatulco. Hector and Gaby were in the office when we walked in and were happy to book us for the next morning. We chatted with them for almost an hour while Yoko explained her diving experience to Hector, and I talked to Gabby (she's German, he's Mexican), about life in Huatulco and computers. It turns out that she was trying to develop a Web page to help promote the business. As there was no one in Huatulco that she could rely on for advice, she was having a pretty tough time of it.

The next morning, 9 a.m., we were met at the hotel by Hector. We started with about an hour and a half of instruction, video and equipment review in the office. Then he drove us down the coast a little bit to the launch point, there we met Giorgio, who would be our dive instructor. Giorgio is Italian/Peruvian, and has made roughly 800 dives. We were also accompanied by Giorgio's fabulously gorgeous Italian girlfriend. It was her first dive too, so I didn't feel like I was just dead weight among the experts.

We took off in a three-meter launch for a small bay called La Entregada. When we arrived, we had another quick review of the equipment and on how to enter the water properly and we all dove in. It was a little chilly in the water, but being a Canadian I couldn't admit to feeling the cold. The water was pretty clear and we made our way on the surface, a little closer to the shore. There, we practiced some exercises in buoyancy control and breathing. Over the next hour we worked our way down to about 4 m of depth and wandered probably 300 meters along the bottom. When the hour was up the cold was starting to get to the others (but not me, Canadian, you know) and our tanks were empty anyways.

Once back on the beach, Gaby drove us back to the hotel and I asked her if she'd like some help with her web page. We arranged to meet later that evening after dinner. She recommended that we eat at the Sabor de Oaxaca. It was a great recommendation, I recommend it too. First, back to the hotel to relax, shower and change, then into town for something to eat.

After dinner, we went shopping in the market across the street. I picked up an image of the Virgin de Guadalupe in barro negro. We met Gabby at the ice cream shop on the corner of the zocalo. We talked for about an hour about her Web page then headed up to the office to book our dive for the next day.

Hector checks the water
in the Bahia Violin.

Waves crash on the rocky coast between the bays.

Bright and early the next morning, Hector picked us up again and drove us back to the boat launch. This time we headed much further up the coasts to a bay called Maguey. This place was much more interesting, the water was deeper, clearer and warmer than the day before. Hector took us down to about five meters and we worked their way along the sand and coral bottom until we reached about 14 meters of depth. We were 55 minutes underwater but it seemed like 15. We saw loads of fish of course but also octopus, sting ray and other underwater life but I have no idea what they are called.

Like the day before, once back on land, we headed for the hotel to wash up, change and rest. Then it was off to the beach for some normal surface swimming, and of course to eat. That evening, we went back to the dive shop to watch the video on buoyancy control. There, we met up with Gaby again and she took us back to the house for another session on the computer. By the time we finished I was worn out physically and mentally so I slept like a rock that night.

Sadly, that was our last night in Huatulco. The next morning Gaby joined us for breakfast and drove us around for some sightseeing and final photo ops. At 12 we boarded the plane for Mexico. I hope I can get back to Huatulco soon. I really enjoyed the rest, the scuba and meeting Hector and Gabby. If you plan ongoing to Huatulco too, plan on scuba diving with Hector, Giorgio and Gabby.