Am I being silly?

[FishOutUvH2O]

Am I being silly? I’m going on a cruise at the end of the month and had originally planed to dive in Cozumel, but as it gets closer I’m Terrified at the thought of drift diving. I just got certified over the summer and all my dives have been fresh water quarries. What should I do? I’m almost to the point of just taking a discover scuba in Cozumel so that I can get my feet wet so to speak…I’m not afraid of diving in fact I’m very excited to be diving in Ft Lauderdale post cruise, I’ll be there for 3 days and plan to dive day 2 and 3. I just can’t over come this fear, not to mention the fact that I know they will push me beyond my training (i.e. go to deep)

HELP!!!!

Sean

Your experience will depend greatly on who you choose as a dive op. If you book through the cruise ship, chances are you're going to be put on a cattle boat with 25-30 new buddies. Not good for a new diver. If you dive with a dive op that uses go fast boats with 6-8 ppl, and tell them you're a new diver, I think you'd have a good time with a more attentive DM. Cozumel diving is pretty friendly diving. And my guess is that once you hit the water, you'll wonder why you were ever apprehensive.

Also check-out the Cozumel Forum if you haven't already.

 

[Road Guy]

let us know how it turns out, were doing a family cruise this winter and the wife and I are going to do a dive in either Cozumel or Grand Cayman, always wanted to do a drift dive, but curious how it works via a crusie ship, does the cruise staff act as the dive shop or do they charter that out with the locals???

 

[spectrum]

hartl0602

This is supposed to be fun right?

Logic says don't do it. Plenty of divers make dives beyond their comfort zone and are fine but then there are the others stories. Do you really want to spend the time until then wondering?

As a practical matter you need to make a candid self assesment. (I have never made a drift dive BTW) While you will be guided and in visbility that until now you have only seen in your dreams it's not nescesarilly a free ride. There is always the posibilty that you will find yourself making a solo free ascent in open blue water. You could then be faced with getting the boats attention, hence the personal sausage suggestions. As you recognized you wil probably also be taken deeper than you consider yourself prepared for. Depth in blue water can be decievingly benign. A good regulator makes the water above you disapear but your coumption will rise and the surface is farther away any way you slice it.

If your self assesment tells you this is what you are up for then consider doing it. If you land in between get a personal guide or scratch the dive. At 0-24 dives you may be pushing it but if you had good training and are a "natural" then it might be fun. Whatever you do don't make it a stretch goal.

Pete

 

[HateCheese]

Here is the best advise I can give - call ahead and make arrangements to have a DM to dive with you. This would be an additional DM in the water, and one that is not working with the whole group. This will cost a few extra bucks, but you have already travelled X thousand miles from home and you have the chance to dive a great area in conditions that are new to you.

You have identified what is new for you - diving in salt water, drift diving, and possibly deeper dives. One new variable is usually enough on any dive. A private DM will be able to show you the ropes, carry extra lead in case you aren't weighted right, and stick with you at shallower depths if needed.

Kind of sounds like you are a bit apprehensive, and a private DM should help ease that. At the same time, make sure to view yourself as the person most responsible for your safety. Making this decision is safer, and you can reevaluate afterwards and determine if you need a private DM any further.

No shame in doing this at all. Actually it is pretty considerate to everyone else in case you burn thru air faster, or need to surface sooner for any other reason. Give it a shot and let us know how it went.

 

[Papa_Bear]

It is scarier getting on the Subway in a major city! Old folks do it, young folks do it, and it is the easiest diving that you will ever do! In most cases you can just hang with the group and drift along in 80* Plus water and look at the window you call your mask and watch the sites go by! Don't miss it you will be sorry if you do! The only thing to fear is fear its self and as soon as you see two hundred feet viz you will go this is so cool! They do all levels and you can tell the DM it is your first and they will watch you and for a big tip they will hold your hand! Have a great time and don't let anyone scare you or talk you out of it! "I would rather regret the things I have done than those I didn't"!

 

[Papa_Bear]

Here is the "Wreck" dive in Cozumel and as you can see the diver is smiling as we drift down and towards the ship. It is not out of control willy nilly diving but controlled ride! Your buoyancy will be the most important part and ask the DM he has seen 10 of thousands of people just like you!

BTW I took a number of brand new divers here and everyone of them loved it! It was there first time without an instructor after being certified! All came back and all had big smiles!

 

[TSandM]

not to mention the fact that I know they will push me beyond my training (i.e. go to deep)

This is one of those places where you have to take responsibility for your own diving. Don't EVER let someone push you into doing a dive you don't want to do. If you tell the dive op ahead of time that you don't want to go deeper than "x", they can tell you whether that's compatible with the plans for the boat. If the site permits that kind of dive (and most sites on Coz will permit a shallow dive) they may ask you to hire a DM to go with you, because the rest of the divers on the boat are going deeper. That's a perfectly good option.

When we dove Coz, we set a hard deck of 100 fsw for our entire group, and stuck to it. You don't have to be unpleasant, but recognize that is your absolute RIGHT to do the dive you feel safe with.

Drifting is a different experience -- In mild current, it's actually quite fun, as you do no work but just comfortably cruise by and watch. In high current, you have to use the terrain for shelter and it gets a little more complicated to stay with your buddy, but I doubt they would intentionally take a cruise ship group to a high current site.

 

[billsreef]

let us know how it turns out, were doing a family cruise this winter and the wife and I are going to do a dive in either Cozumel or Grand Cayman, always wanted to do a drift dive, but curious how it works via a crusie ship, does the cruise staff act as the dive shop or do they charter that out with the locals???

Any cruise I've been on, they've chartered one of the local dive ops.

 

[dmoore19]

My first ocean dive was Cozumel. I was aprehensive too. The boat being there to pick me up afterwards was my greatest fear. For every dive I did, the boat was right where it was supposed to be. The dive ops in Cozumel specialize in drift diving. They do it every day, they know what it takes. The divemaster we had had been doing it for 27 years. As far as training goes, I too questioned if I had adequate training, I found out that I had!! Some aprehension is normal, I think everyone experiences that on their first dive in the ocean. Cozumel is a wonderful place to dive. Ask the DM any question you have during the dive briefing, they can answer all your questions. Above all, remember your training, you can do it! I was certified in a freshwater lake, once you experience the ocean and all it's beauty you will be hooked forever.

Columbia Shallows was my favorite. 45 fsw, more fish and sea life than I could have imagined. I can say for me it was an experience that I will NEVER forget. When you get on vacation you will relax, then consider if you want to do it. If you feel you need a personal DM to make the dive, pay for one, you won't regret it. What ever decision you make, have a great trip and enjoy yourself. Think of how lucky you are to get the chance to even go on a cruise, let alone how lucky you are to be trained and able to participate in one of the most exciting and enjoyable sports ever.

 

[FishOutUvH2O]

. . . I doubt they would intentionally take a cruise ship group to a high current site.

I'm not sure who Norwegian contracts with, but Carnival and Disney both contract with Sand Dollar. This is a cattle boat operation. While they won't take cruise ship divers to the known "advanced" sites (to much travel time and fuel costs), they have no problem dropping their loads on sites that have a ripping current going on. When they plan a dive day, they stick to it, regardless of the site's current conditions.