Since Phocea Mexico was closed on 25 December, part of its staff took advantage and went on an expedition to spot a location for you. Destination: “Tres Picos”, some 50 nautical miles North-East from Isla Mujeres, in the direction of Cuba. Obviously we avoided all excesses on the evening of 24 December, but we still waited until midnight to wish each other a merry Christmas and then we went to sleep, since we had an important meeting at the center at 7:30 the following morning.

Julien arrived with his van and we started loading the tanks and all our gear, as well as lunch which included foie gras so we could celebrate such a day different from all others.

From Playa del Carmen it takes us over an hour to get to Punta Sam (North of Cancun); given the fact that the van is fully loaded, we prefer not to speed up. Once in Punta Sam the boat is awaiting for us: a flat-bottomed boat capable of transporting 10 people. Since we are only 5 it is going to be more comfortable, even though we have our tanks, back plates and wings. We load everything onto the boat and we are ready to embark in the four-hour journey. For those who might suffer from dizziness, we brought Dramamine, so if the trip is rocky it does not turn out to be a torture.

A cloud of flying fish accompanies us throughout our voyage, and as an extra, since the season has not started yet, we see some sailfish that seemed to come greet us. We all agree it perfectly embellishes and mitigates the long trip.

We also take the time to check again our diving plans: we foresee we will have to decompress since we are going to be diving in medium, even maximum depth. We each have a bi 2x12L, so there is no danger of lacking oxygen. After this, we prepare the gear and we even manage to have a short siesta before getting to our destination!

The captain, to whom we have given the GPS data, wakes us up to let us know we have arrived. We are excited and get ready with a smile in our face. We check the sonar yet again to study the topography, and then we dive. There is a slight current; we agree to meet at -5m, to make a short “bubble check” and then to go on to -35m, just above the place called Tres Picos. The visibility is good, few suspended particles, an abyssal blue surrounds us and, deep down, there is almost no current. We go down further still, to around -45/50m, then we stabilize ourselves and start to explore. We encounter sea turtles and skipjacks, as usual, but it is only after 12 minutes or so that Julien makes us notice the presence of the fish that made us take this trip: the hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini). Some 30 of those magnificent creatures, no doubt startled by the noise of our bubbles, come to see who dares visit their territory!

The day is truly successful because we achieved what we wanted and we could explore every nook and cranny. We come up to -38m and we spend some 20 minutes surrounded by those magnificent scalloped hammerhead sharks: these are young animals since the adult ones prefer to live alone or in couples. The largest sharks we meet are just 2 meters long, but that does not diminish the wonderful impression of their sight. Their dark grey coat, their peculiar hammer-shaped head with eyes at each end, their white underbelly which we get to see every now and then... these are 20 minutes of true happiness! We would not have exchanged our place in this expedition for anything in the world!

Just before leaving, we saw a shape in the distance but we found it hard to say what other visitor was possibly coming to greet us; it could be a tiger shark that comes shyly to circle our group. It does not make any difference, we will come back and we will try to find out and maybe you will come with us in a dive that a diver would normally not do very often in his lifetime!

Back on the boat, underneath the stars, we had a big endless smile on our face, and some of us were even teary-eyed… Actually, we would like to spend every 25 December like this!

Finally, the warrior rest on the boat after this exceptional dive: we open a very special bottle of Gaillac which we share gladly with the captain and his assistant without whom all this would not have been possible, and we share the foie gras which our Mexican companions discover with the same happiness that we discovered those wonderful marine predators. Some hours later we are back in Punta Sam. Personally I did not see a thing on the way back, since I slept on the deck. We came back very tired but so energized that nobody could have imagined it to be so.

And what about you? What did you do on the 25th of December? Do you have any experience, anecdote or dive you can tell us about? Please share your passion with us, and who knows, we may even discuss it in our next newsletter.

This month we are going to start the year talking about the valves for technical dives and the first stage regulators.

The choice of the valves is obviously more limited than that of the regulators, but we are still going to study them in some detail!

The valves
Valves for technical diving should preferably be DIN valves.

The DIN connection is stronger than that with a yoke, limiting the risk of leaking, and it is far more resistant to shocks, like hitting flotsam.

There are two types of DIN valves available in the market: those with 300 bars and those with 200 bars. It is better to choose the 200 bars, which can be recognized by a shorter screw thread, because they accept all types of DIN regulators. The 300 bars instead, only accept regulators 300. Besides, tanks that accept pressures above the 230 bars are merely anecdotal.

Once you have chosen the pressure, you have to try and get a soft knob that is easier to grasp, including with gloves or cold fingers, and that it is almost unbreakable even when hit hard, which allows the diver to always rely on his oxygen supply. The key aspect of the technical diving is that every vital element has to come in twos, like the tanks, which have to be at least two and each should have its own valve.

There are in fact two schools:
The best known in Europe is to carry two totally independent tanks, which has the advantage that a complete lack of oxygen becomes impossible. The disadvantage here is that the diver has to regularly change the regulator to keep similar pressure in each tank. In America and elsewhere in the world, the standard procedure is to connect both tanks via what is called a connecting bar that has a valve in the middle called an isolation valve. When everything is going smoothly, the isolation valve is totally open and allows the diver to breath from both tanks at the same time, independently of the regulator in his mouth, but when there is a problem, you need some training to follow strict procedures correctly that allow closing the isolation valve and thus ensuring the precious oxygen supply. Even though many European divers criticize this system, it has never been reported as the cause of an accident. As long as the techniques of each system are correctly followed, both systems are equally good.

Nevertheless, it is interesting to note that in this latter configuration the valves open in opposite directions: there is in fact a “right” valve and a “left” valve. These valves are sought after to convert them in simple tank valves used in sidemount, since they allow a lateral configuration that is optimal for the practice.

Once you have chosen the valves, all you have to do is screw the regulator properly.

The regulator (first stages)
Even though all regulators offer reasonable performances at present, when you do technical dives you are looking for exceptional performance. It is therefore advisable to choose the best, whether they have pistons or membranes, but they should ensure a really comfortable breathing at great depths, in currents, in cold water or in all those conditions at the same time, in order to avoid the specter of breathlessness. Still, in cold waters or in waters filled with particles, it is preferable to use a first stage isolated from its surroundings, in order to avoid freezing or free flow problems.

Carrying hoses should also allow a better, hydrodynamic configuration, placed towards the bottom and towards the inside. It is worth noticing that a two-port HP in the same first stage generally allows greater configuration versatility.

Given the fact that sidemount is increasingly common, and not only in cave diving, choose swivel first stages, which allow a configuration of the hoses closer to the body and thus easier to change during the dive. Even though some adaptations are necessary, this will keep you from having to reinvest in a new set of regulators if, one day, you want to try a different dive.

In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions!

We propose five sessions for 2012 so that you can turn your passion into your profession.

Whatever your level or your diving organization, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will give you the solution best adapted to your needs.

You can follow the training sessions on Facebook, on the Blog as well as on Twitter.

The dates of our 2012 training sessions are:

• 21 January - 5 February
• 7 - 22 April
• 16 June - 1 July
• 8 - 23 September
• 23 November - 4 December

Detailed calendar for our 2012 sessions.

Some history
Some centuries ago, the traditional musical instruments in Mexico were flutes and drums made of wood, dry mud and sea snails. Music was then an essential element in all sacred rites. Later, the Christians and the Spaniards brought violins, guitars, harps and wind instruments to many regions. Local musicians not only learnt to play the new instruments, but they also managed to build them and even to make new similar instruments using their imagination.

Also, music and dancing were important elements in Spanish theater productions, which were becoming very popular all over during colonial times. The orchestra was then formed by violins, harps and guitars to accompany the actors. Those groups were at the origin of several types of Mexican music, among which the mariachis.

What does the word mariachi mean?
Many experts have asked the same question. According to the information given to tourists and that on record covers, the word derives from “mariage”, inherited from the French when Maximilian was Mexico’s emperor. According to this hypothesis, the French called mariachis the groups of musicians that played in marriages. This theory was totally abandoned after it was discovered that the word was used in a document that preceded the arrival of the French to Mexico.

At present, most specialists believe that the word mariachi has indigenous origins. According to some experts, the word comes from the name of the wood with which they make the planks on which they dance to accompany the rhythm of the local music. Nevertheless, independently of the true origin of the word, which will probably go on being a mystery, the mariachis are one of the most interesting musical concepts in the world.

The mariachis and dance
It is important to remember that this type of music is not only played and sang, but it has been danced to from the beginning. It is a type of dance traditionally associated with the “jalisciense” sound, the “jarocho” sound and the “zapateado”, a tapping of the feet inherited from Spain. When the dancer taps its feet, he stamps with the boot heel marking a quick and syncopated rhythm which rounds up the dynamism of the orchestra. Often the dancer stamps so hard that he causes slivers of wood to fly off the floor in all directions.
All regional variations of this musical genre have their own style of dance. The huapango or huasteco, which can be added to the jalisciense and the jarocho sound, are also danced on planks. In certain areas (especially in Jalisco), dancers sit on jars made of dry mud. In order to dance the huapango, couples line up in parallel lines, keeping a very straight torso and subtly moving their feet in quick and complex steps. Today, the dancers sometime put a glass of water on their head to show their agility and absolute control of their bodies that allows them to balance the glass.

Clothing
Even though mariachis dress in different ways today, the traditional costume is that of the charro, especially from Jalisco. The mariachis started wearing the charro costume after the Revolution:

• The big and majestic hat is a must. The women generally put flowers or a ribbon in their hair instead of the hat.
• They also wear a bow tie with a nice long-sleeve shirt.
• The ornate buttons of their jackets, called “botonaduras” are the tailor’s signature. Initially those buttons were made in gold or silver.
• The shoe is a short boot especially made for this costume.
• The belt worn by the mariachis is big and made out of leather, often decorated with drawings of horses and charros.