PDC Hotel recommendations for two young (and new) divers

[annlaur]

What hotel have you settled for ?
Regarding gear, beyond the LDS vs. Internet shopping, another debate is buying gear now so you're trained in your own equipment that fits well vs. renting first so you have more experience and knowledge about the type of gear YOU want.
Many people who buy gear right away end up either not using it because they decide scuba is not for them after all, or investing in a new set after a while because they realize what they bought in the first place didn't fit their personal needs and preferences.

The only items you really need to buy right now is a mask (it needs to fit you perfectly, unlikely you find one that does in a rental shop). Unless you have an unusual body type, you should be able to rent everything else at first. Try as much gear as you can so you can make an informed decision. Theorical knowledge is important, but not sufficient. You won't know for sure what feels right until you've actually tried it underwater.

4°C is VERY COLD, if you plan on doing local diving you will likely end up buying a dry suit.
Regarding thermal protection in Cozumel, to each their own. I've seen people in swimsuits as well as people in a 7 mm semi-dry. Most go for a 3 mm. (I prefer a 5 mm and still get cold at times).
December can be windy and a bit chilly on the boat, regardless of water temps, so a bit more protection never hurts.

Another common debate is vest style BCD (which is usually what you get in rental recreational gear) vs. back-plate and wing. The latter is more versatile. Considering you will dive in very cold water locally and might end up using a dry suit, I would consider the latter. A BP&W will fit you no matter what type of exposure suit you wear, and can be used with double-tanks should you go that route, which is not the case with vest style BCDs.

Not all regulators are meant to dive in cold water, your class must have covered that.

You'll find lots of info in the equipment section of the board. Also look in the Canada section, you might find divers in your area that can help you.

Bonnes plongées and thanks for keeping us posted.

 

[phantom divers]

Hello there Francis...
Well my friend let me make some recomendations if you guys want to combine hotel and diving i think you should take a look at our web page Buceo en Playa del Carmen - Phantom Divers we work with diferent hotels in playa del carmen with rates starting at 40 usd and there is some other ones with more expensives rates,all it depends of what you are looking for...and if you need anything just let us know...hope this information work for you and we are looking forward to hear from you guys....

Regards from the phantom divers staff

 

[FrancisK7]

What hotel have you settled for ?

We reserved a 1500sqt 2BR penthouse condo with terrace through VRBO.com in Mamitas' Village. We're close to two of the best beach clubs and a 5min walk from the best breakfasts in town at La Cueva Del Chango. Close to 5th but not too close that we won't be able to get a good night's sleep.

We booked 3 x 2 tank Ocean dives, 1 x 2 tank Cenote and 1 x 2 tank direct-to-Cozumel dives with Tank-Ha. If bull sharks are around, we'll go too.

We're very excited

Do you still suggest we hire a private DM?

 

[annlaur]

I'd be excited too, sounds like a great vacation ! (Wish I had a big brother&#8230

I don't know the dive conditions in Playa. So no matter what I write below, better to follow DandyDon's advice as I'm sure he will answer too. (BTW, I don't see the resemblance between DD's photo and the Breaking Bad actor - have yet to meet either of them in person.)

Assuming Playa del Carmen is drift diving (current) and considering you will have trained in a different environment, I'd advise you to hire a private DM for the first day. Among other things, he will help you find the right amount of weight you need for the set up you will use, be available during surface interval to answer your questions, give you advice to help you improve your diving, and you won't have to feel self-conscious underwater about "spoiling" other people's dive should you need/want to surface early.
Another perk of hiring a private DM is he will be more available to answer dive-unrelated questions such as the best places to hang out, good local restaurants, places to avoid…

If you feel confident in your skills after the first fews days of diving in Playa (and provided you got to experience a bit of a current there), then you shouldn't need a private DM to go to Cozumel.

It is my understanding that cenote dives are lead by instructors with a maximum of 4 divers. So again, no need for a private DM. Should you feel unsure after a few days of diving about your skills and your mind, consider saving the cenotes for another trip. It's a different environment that can be impressive.
Try to make the cenote dives the last ones on your trip, as you will have more experience, plus the freshwater will give your gear a nice rinse.

Enjoy your trip, hope you'll write a trip report when you come back.

 

[DandyDon]

I've only dived PDC one day/3 tanks so I am no authority. I was hoping to take my bud to dive with the turtles but they weren't on Tortugas reef that day in August. Later (not when I asked around in advance), I got various reasons. Who knows?

I don't think that currents are common on PDC, but the Cozumel channel current* varies so it could happen. Remember that we are talking December here. If a hard norther blows in, the possibilities are varied. PDC is fairly sheltered from due north winds but a northeastern blow could make it interesting, as well as ferry rides rough and boat rides non-existent. Weather is always a large part of adventure travel & sports. If you take a laptop with you, wunderground.com is my favorite weather site, and of course Skype.com for calling home - even better Skype to Skype with webcam so you can show live video of the bikinis on the beach to friends taking a break from snow. :laugh:

We reserved a 1500sqt 2BR penthouse condo with terrace through VRBO.com in Mamitas' Village. We're close to two of the best beach clubs and a 5min walk from the best breakfasts in town at La Cueva Del Chango. Close to 5th but not too close that we won't be able to get a good night's sleep.

We booked 3 x 2 tank Ocean dives, 1 x 2 tank Cenote and 1 x 2 tank direct-to-Cozumel dives with Tank-Ha. If bull sharks are around, we'll go too.

We're very excited

Do you still suggest we hire a private DM?

As long as weather doesn't stop you from the channel crossing, diving with the same Op on botgh sides will have some benefit. If winds are expected to make for a rough crossing, but not expected to cancel diving in Coz (always a winter risk), they may have a backup plan involving ferry crossing and local boat diving with their own DMs as guides all the way? Cenote diving is a popular backup for experienced divers during weather dive closings, but for you - if you really want to plan on it, yeah - last day is preferable to have that much experience and further rinse your gear. ADD A NIGHT DIVE after a couple of days so you'll have some dark diving experience before Cenotes. If you shop for dive lights, I wish all mine were LED, and my favorite is my 4C battery model.

Why would I change my mind about hiring a private DM the first day?

So you are planning on 5 days of diving after all huh? I guess just one day of ruins. Save that for the sixth day, then if weather blows in - you can move it up. I gave you the link to Can-Do maps didn't I?

 

[FrancisK7]

@Annlaur, I guess they don't look THAT much alike, but the very first time I saw DandyDon's avatar I IMMEDIATELY made the connection. Perhaps you need a big monitor at 2560x1600 like mine to see all the magnificent details in the face to see a resemblance? Who knows I was told drift diving isn't as common in PDC as in Cozumel and I should expect to use my legs quite often, which I am fine with, since I'm in really good shape. I know we don't use the same muscles at the gym or in sports than when diving, but the basics are there. What I'd be most interested to see are sharks... they terrify me, so it would be an amazing adrenaline rush. Tank Ha said they usually arrive in late november, so we MIGHT see them.

@DandyDon, when I mentioned PDC you once said something along the lines that a private DM becomes less important. I'm not sure what you were referring to? 50USD for a first day private DM is very affordable and comes highly recommended so we'll give it a go. I was under the impression that people could dive both in the AM (2 tanks) and again in the PM (another 2 tanks), making our last diving day a more intensive one.

I did buy a compact dive light and it is indeed LED equipped. I also had to buy a knife because it is mandatory for all divers where I reside. I remember you mentioning gloves are not allowed in Coz - why is that?

 

[DandyDon]

I was told drift diving isn't as common in PDC as in Cozumel and I should expect to use my legs quite often, which I am fine with, since I'm in really good shape. I know we don't use the same muscles at the gym or in sports than when diving, but the basics are there. What I'd be most interested to see are sharks... they terrify me, so it would be an amazing adrenaline rush. Tank Ha said they usually arrive in late november, so we MIGHT see them.

Divers avoid hard fining for several reasons, primary because you use up your air faster. While you may fin more, take it easy and look closer at the reef. The sharks are disappearing from Mexican waters and Mexican fishermen have even been busted in Texas waters with illegal nets, saying there are none left in their waters close to the border. I hope you see some.

@DandyDon, when I mentioned PDC you once said something along the lines that a private DM becomes less important. I'm not sure what you were referring to? 50USD for a first day private DM is very affordable and comes highly recommended so we'll give it a go. I was under the impression that people could dive both in the AM (2 tanks) and again in the PM (another 2 tanks), making our last diving day a more intensive one.

Ok, maybe I did. Not as important, but still - a good idea. $50 is more than I expected, but not a big expense. Expect to tip $5/tank or more for good service all week.

If you do 4 tanks a day, you are pushing your Nitrogen loading - depending on depths. If shallower, no problem - but for deeper dives, stay on your Safety Stop until you are back in the green on your computer, then ascend slowly.

I did buy a compact dive light and it is indeed LED equipped. I also had to buy a knife because it is mandatory for all divers where I reside. I remember you mentioning gloves are not allowed in Coz - why is that?

Compact? I hope it doesn't use AAA batteries. I talked to a diver who bought 3 of those. :silly: Manufacturers avoid disclosing actual power on alkaline batteries, but in NiMH low drain batteries for example, AAAs commonly have 800 mAh each, AAs 3 times that, and Cs 4500 mAh each so I guess Alkaline batteries compare similarly. Going on a night dive, more so on a couple of Cenote dives, I want a lot of backup power just in case. 4 Cs in an LED might seem like overkill in that it'll burn the light for a day or two, but I like to have a lot of reserved there in case I need to be found or something. I screwed that up once, failing to replace batteries for a Cenote dive, ran out, had to switch to my other 4C - and that story even got dumber, but when I don't screw up - I like a lot of reserve.

Most of my lights are from before LED, but since yours is LED and does not overheat - test it for duration. Leave it on when you can check it every few hours and see how long it lasts on a new set. Light does not travel nearly as far in water, but take it outside and see how far it works?

Your dive Op may well supply night & Cenote dive lights. If so, your compact will still be handy for peeking in reef holes on day dives and as backup on dark dives.

Oh, knives and gloves are not allowed in Mexican marine parks to discourage tourists from stabbing creatures or grabbing coral. PDC may not have such rules, and - I'd want my knife there in case of fishing line. Other locations often have rules against gloves, but they're nice to have on permanent mooring lines which grow barnacles, and essential on wreck dives.

 

[FrancisK7]

It's 4:55PM. I'm in my pajamas sipping a cappuccino. Laundry is done. Cleaning is done. Everything is done. IT'S FRIDAY!!!

Yesterday was the 4th diving lesson for our OWD course. Next week will be the last two, and I'll miss it -- those diving lessons are the highlight of my week. It's incredibly fun. On the 18th we'll be diving in the Olympic pool at the Olympic Stadium. The pool's 50 feet deep -- it'll allow to practice most maneuvers that are difficult to practice in the 6 feet deep pool we usually have our lessons in. It'll also be good practice before our certification on October 22nd and 23rd. The water will be 4C degrees on cert day... the school will loan us all the equipment, including the 14mm wetsuit. October 22nd will be done in some muddy lake 45min outside Montreal. On Sunday the 23rd we'll be driving to Ontario and dive in a lake inhabited by a shipwreck... the ship burned and its roof collapsed, so we'll be able to visit the bridge without having done the special course for diving through closed shipwrecks. Pretty excited about that!

My brother has opted to rent his equipment in Mexico (he'll bring his mask, snorkel and fins, which we had to buy for the course) since he's broke, but I've decided to buy mine. Our instructor emphasized how nearly indispensable a diving computer is (he even suggested he'd rather dive in short boxers with a computer than with a wetsuit without a computer), so I've made arrangements to make sure little bro gets his for Christmas before we leave (we'll both get the Suunto Zoop following multiple recommendations). If it were Cuba, I'd loan him the money to equip himself, but from a reputable dive shop in PDC, I feel confident he'll get something safe.

Unfortunately, my university made last minute adjustments to the final exams schedule, pushing two finals fowards, so we had to cancel the initial trip. We'll be going after Xmas instead, from January 5-12th. There'll be a music festival at the time in PDC (BPM), which looks to be a little wild, but oh so fun We had to book a different condo (we'll end up going to Arena Blanca after all) too, but it all worked out in the end.

I. Cannot. Wait.

 

[DandyDon]

The water will be 4C degrees on cert day.

​

 

[FrancisK7]

I've been looking around SCUBA kits and I am at an impasse... my diving shop sells "kits" (BCD, Regulator, Octopus in one package) of various prices. It seems worth it as you end up getting one of the item for free, rather than buying them separately. I'm just puzzled because there are so many choices and I really don't know which option would be best, and I don't usually rely on the salesperson's advice because they aren't exactly objective.

For instance, there's a 1600$ kit with this BCD:
Zuma Veste Compensatrice - Aqualung - La Boutique du Plongeur

It's supposedly a great BCD if you dive in warm conditions (basically any diving trips in the Caribbeans, Mexico, Florida, etc.) and it's light, but I was told I couldn't dive locally here in Quebec with it. Then there's another kit for 800$ with this BCD, but it's not a back-plate type.
Veste Compensatrice PRO LT - Aqualung - La Boutique du Plongeur

Is it worth investing in two different kits (one for warm conditions, one for home where diving in 4C water is basically the norm)?