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This is a repost of some information Shell wrote a long time ago. For those of you who don't know about Isla De Passion
and how it used to be, before the allmighty cruise ships, this is for you.
I post this for people looking for a trip off the beaten track. Two years ago, Greg and I asked our friend on the island
what we could do that would be out of the ordinary. He immediately said, " Isla de Passion." He proceeded to tell us that
he would ge some fishermen friends to take us out the next morning. You bring the beer, he said, and they'll fish for lunch
-- everything will be taken care of. That sounded good to us, as it would be our first full day on Cozumel. When we asked
what it would cost, he suggested a 100 peso tip at the end of the day -- the equivalent of about $13 then. I'm thoroughly
ashamed to say that's all we gave them.
The next morning, we bought some beer, then drove over to Edgar's house -- he had the cooler, so we iced down the
cervezas. Next stop, a local beach just north of the marina, where his friends would be waiting. Edgar had told us it the
trip would last from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. -- we thought he was exaggerating, as Isla de Passion isn't far from the Paradius.
He wasn't -- we hobbled in right on time.
The first thing we did was motor out a ways and immediately fished. Me being a longtime fisherman since childhood, I let
Greg loose. Funny thing, down in Mexico, they don't necessarily use rods and reels like we're used to in the States --
more like a bare line and hands -- and they tend to fish with bare hooks to start with. The first couple of fish we caught
were used as bait fish to catch fish for the ceviche. As the owners of the boat spoke no English, we left it up to Edgar to
be translator (Shell speaks a good amount of Spanish, but no fishing lingo). Next, we used one of the fish that was meant
to become ceviche to become bait for larger fish...don't ask me what we caught, as it's been two years. They clubbed the
fish to death on the boat, which I always forget that they do. It's not for the squeamish, but then again, we just used to let
our fish die in a cooler, so perhaps it's more humane.
After fishing, we motored down toward Isla de Passion, and they stopped to let us snorkel. There wasn't much to see, as
it was very deep, but it was refreshing. A little while after that, we arrived at Isla, where they let us off the boat, where we
waded onto to the island, shoes held high. This is a deserted island, folks, so don't expect anything spectacular. But for us,
it was paradise. I remember just laying in the water and fish coming up right next to me, between my legs, next to my arms,
etc. While we frolicked, the men from the boat cut up limes, tomatoes, fish for the ceviche, then waded ashore with the
goods. After another hour or so of swimming in the ocean (beware, going through the tall grass to the small island's other
side you will be attacked by huge, biting flies), the men started to barbecue the fish. My husband says it was quite good --
I was too busy laying in the shallow water with a Dos Equis, thinking that this was my best day ever. A little while after
lunch, we took off for Coz again.
On the way back, we picked up two Mexican hitchhikers who swam from well off-shore -- a couple of local kids who
were water-thumbing a way back to town. My jaw dropped as they hoisted them on board, but it was just another
"Mexican moment."
I won't say that Isla de Passion is for everyone, but it made our day, and we'd do it again. Maybe it was the camaraderie
on board, no matter the language....all in all, a good time was had.
I'd hate to see the little isla overrun with day-trippers, but if you can find someone to take you for a reasonable price, the
day is definitely worth it. Just make sure you tip well. :-)
Submitted by: Gringo -- gringo@gringoguide.com
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Pages Updated On: Wed Jan 07 2009 - 00:00:03
