It’s always sunny in Puerto Vallarta- By Brady

Since my brother Brian and Erin’s wedding in August I have been slowly preparing for this trip to Mexico. For example, I saved spending money, bought sunglasses, explained to my job that I was going to be in Mexico for about a month, and bought a waterproof camera and housing (to make my waterproof camera even more waterproof) for scuba diving. The most important thing: I bought the ideal plane ticket. I found a great ticket for a great price and couldn’t wait to go cruising. So after four months of planning and saving what happens? I miss my flight due to an intense game of bingo at a bar the night before. This wasn’t all bad because I did win a free bar tab for that night and ended up getting put on an even better flight that had just one layover instead of three. I guess everything happens for a reason.

As I flew over Puerto Vallarta I was amazed at the lush green mountains. I looked online and researched Puerto Vallarta enough to know that it wasn’t the Mexico I knew or remembered from my trip to Cancun. This place was much more beautiful and inviting. When I got off the plane, I hailed a taxi to go Paradise Village Marina. I was eager to try out my horrible high school Spanish on the driver. The sentences that I formed out loud didn’t make as much sense as they did in my head but I assumed the driver knew where I needed to go and what I was saying. To my surprise when he dropped me off he said “Ok, Paradise Village Marina. Is there anything else I can help you with? Would you like information on tours or activities amigo?” This was all in perfect English, of course.

Paradise Village Resort from the beach.

After being on Delos for a few weeks it feels like home. I have even changed my flight to use up every last day before I return to UCF for my spring semester. Like Erin said in her last blog post, the best plan is to make no plans. We’ve told each other we were setting sail the next morning to get out of “Little America” 100 times only to find ourselves the next day at the pool for happy hour, using one of the two alligator slides or body surfing at the beach.

Alligator slide at the pool.

One of the main things I was looking forward to for this visit was scuba diving and surfing. Now, I have heard about DIN and Yoke regulators for scuba diving, but I am confused about choosing one, as I have no idea how they work. Differences between DIN valve and Yoke valve regulators tend to be confusing for beginners. So, information regarding scuba diving gear from DeepBlueDiving.org or similar blogs could prove helpful for selecting the right regulator or other diving related breathing apparatus. I know there are some fantastic Mexican surf spots which I really wanted to check out. I read and researched basically everything there was online relating to Bahia de Banderas and its underwater world. We have gone to two amazing diving locations, both of which were a new world from what I knew of diving in the Florida Keys. Las Tres Marietas are three small uninhabited islands that lay just outside the bay. Jacque Cousteau even spent some time here. The area is filled with caves cut out by wind and water and an abundance of marine life including some large Moray Eels. The second dive spot was called Los Arcos and was also an amazing dive. This site has walls of rock that drop from the surface to 50 feet and then again from 60 to 1800 feet. Things like that don’t exist in Florida. The surge from the waves was so powerful that you would swim into a cave fighting the current then get shot out the other side when the surge reversed. Although we haven’t done any surfing yet we are planning, or should I say hoping, to leave tomorrow and find some surf and a place to spend New Year. Maybe I should wax my surfboard (you can learn how to wax a surfboard, if interested) as it can improve my surfing experience and I can enjoy the session as well. Additionally, waxing the surfboard can be a relaxing activity and can help me bond with the board.