1st things 1st - BIENVENIDOS - welcome to anyone new to The Drift. We are thrilled that you vacationed with us, and hope that you enjoyed your time here. A big GRACIAS to everyone for coming. We look forward to seeing you all again soon.

We asked and you answered. How often would you like to see this newsletter?

For those new to the Cozumel drift, the newsletter usually comes out once a month. But once the pandemic hit, and everyone was at hOme, we started sending the newsletter once a week. There were great articles about diving, marine life, and much more. You can find the previous newsletters on the Scuba Shack Newsletter Archive.

Here is what you said -

From these responses, it was obvious that we had forgotten to include a response that would apply to everyone. So, for the foreseeable future, we will be sending the newsletter every 2 weeks. Somehow, we forgot to add that as an option. Enjoy !!

Last week, the CDC quietly dropped the mandatory 14 day quarantine period after traveling. Dropped it all together. I did not hear about it really until yesteray. And today I saw it in the news. That is great news. This is the info that other government agencies, and employers, use to create their policy. Below you will find the CDC recommendation. Instead of announcing that they are retracting that, they just updated their recommendations and no longer include it - see below. You can CLICK on the image to go directly to the CDC webpage.

There are so many different entities making so many different rules. And employers seem to be confused as well. Basically, it comes down to this....

So with all of these different agencies coming out with different recommendations, it is easy to see how we and our employers get confued and are overwhelmed by the plethora of information out there. And finding it all is quite the challenge. Thank you to everyone who assits in keeping this updated !!! Do you get the feeling that we are governed by too many different entities?? ha ha

So, the net result is that it is safe to come and travel here. There has not been 1 traveler to the island that has contracted Covid. And our contagious rate is low, as are the number of cases. So if you are feeling cooped up, we are ready and waiting for you !

Ernesto's FINALLY opened. They are ready to serve you your favorite fajitas, or fish, or mango margharita, or bean soup, or key lime pie or... shot of tequila ! Come and visit soon !

Is it just me or do you also hear the 1997 song by the band Heart, "oooooh Barracuda!" when you spot one of these on dive? I hope it's not just me!?!?!?

These magnificent predators are quite prominent on the reefs here in Cozumel. They rely on short bursts of speed (up to 27 mph) to surprise and catch their prey. Barracuda feed on an array of prey including fish such as jacks, grunts, groupers, snappers, etc.

You may be fortunate to see one nab a little snack at some point, but you must stay still and quiet, and of course pay attention cause they are QUICK!!

Well, technically, it is NOT a snake... but it is in the SNAKE eel family. This is a Sharptail eel. And yes, it really does look like a snake. Most people do confuse it. Actually, there are 3 catagories of eels - morray, snake and conger. Morray, we have all seen - spotted, green, viper, goldentail... the list goes on. Conger eels are the guys that live in the sand - garden eels. But the snake eel is a little more unique. You can distinctly see the two tube-like nostrils. Have you seen them on other eels? If not, tkae a closer look. The Sharktail eel's nostrils protrude more than those of their cousins, the green and brown and white spotted. So the next time you see any eel, make sure to look at the tip of their snout - to see if you can find the nostrils !

Thank you Dr Engelbert Buxbaum for a wonderful head shot of the eel !

Even though we are still in the ORANGE , things are improving here. More and more places are open. And Cozumel, is actually one of the places in the entire state with the least amount of Covid. Here is the colors according to municipalities.....

Thanks to our mayor and the entire island's hard work !!! Yes, we do still have a curfew - 10:30 pm to 5 am. I don't know about you, but I am usually headed to bed about that time, especially if I am diving the next day !! Easy peasy.

Check out the Scuba Shack Website (www.scubashackcoz.com). With all this changing news and information, fun articles and interesting updates, sometimes it's hard to keep track of it all. So, we have been working hard to also update the Scuba Shack website. Here you can find our new FAQ page, newsletter archive page, COVID-19 status page, Travel info page, and much, much more.

The Airline Information page has been very popular lately. As folks are planning their return trips to Cozumel, this has been a good starting point to find out what is going on with the airlines. For example, American just changed their flight schedules for August, AGAIN!!. So check this page by clicking the button below.