My diving was way down. Seems I was healthy when the weather was bad and had major conjestion when the weather was good.
Poll : Dive more or less in 2010
- Thread starter Johan Broere
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dry heat diver
Contributor
We live in the Phoenix area and have visited San Carlos only once. We initially signed up with our LDS for trips to San Carlos two months in a row in May and June of 2008. We returned a day early cancelled the second trip because we experienced a number of unpleasant conditions. The hotel was uncomfortable and poorly maintained with management that was totally indifferent to the guests needs. The dive boat could have reasonably accommodated 8 or maybe 10 divers but had 22 on board trampling all over one another. Other than one octopus and a couple of small eels, the dive sites were pretty sterile and disappointing. And, to top it all off, the dining venues were just pretty much disgusting and we both came down with an intestinal bug that lasted several days. Add to that the nearly 10 hour drive through remote areas of Mexico and it just isn't an experience we want to repeat any time soon.
For about the same money and half the drive time we can dive Catalina or elsewhere on the California coast and enjoy a much more pleasant (if colder) experience.
We have to budget our time more than our dollars so we look for the places where we can get the best diving experience in friendly and comfortable surroundings in the time we have available. Investing our limited free time on a bad experience is the ultimate rip off for us. We don't expect luxurious accommodations, the diving rustic conditions at Cocoview Resort on Roatan are great. We've also had great experiences in Cozumel and Playa Del Carmen. San Carlos just fell short on all counts. Our bad experience may just have been a case of "stuff happens", but once can be enough to leave a lasting negative impression. If the local diving venues are concerned about their economic survival, I would suggest that they work together to foster an environment where their guests will be reasonably comfortable, feel somewhat safe and secure, and have a fun diving experience. After all, that is what it is all about. When you take care of the customers, they take care of you.
Well, I dove as much in 2009 as I did in 2008, but I think more of my dives were made on the various trips we did, and I did less at home.
For 2010, Peter and I decided it is the "Year of the West Coast". We keep haring off to exotic destinations to dive, when there is so much wonderful diving up in BC we haven't seen, and so much in Monterey and LA we have seen but would love to do again, with the good friends we have made in those places. We've already scheduled a week in Browning Pass (BC) in March, and a 3 day liveaboard in the Channel Islands in June.
And of course, we WILL go to Mexico, because, after all, that's where the caves are
For 2010, Peter and I decided it is the "Year of the West Coast". We keep haring off to exotic destinations to dive, when there is so much wonderful diving up in BC we haven't seen, and so much in Monterey and LA we have seen but would love to do again, with the good friends we have made in those places. We've already scheduled a week in Browning Pass (BC) in March, and a 3 day liveaboard in the Channel Islands in June.
And of course, we WILL go to Mexico, because, after all, that's where the caves are
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If I dive more in 2010 than I did in 2009 my boss may decide to replace me with someone who can be at the office every once in a while ...
My goals almost exactly mirror Lynne's (not surprising since we'll be on the same trips to Browning Pass and Channel Islands) ... and I need to get back to Florida to finish my cave training, then schedule a trip to Mexico to see what the caves down there are like.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
My goals almost exactly mirror Lynne's (not surprising since we'll be on the same trips to Browning Pass and Channel Islands) ... and I need to get back to Florida to finish my cave training, then schedule a trip to Mexico to see what the caves down there are like.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
Buoyant1
Contributor
Less...but only by about 6 dives...
I expect to do more next year...circumstances are changing!
I expect to do more next year...circumstances are changing!
Well, since we just got certified in October of 2008, it was easy to get more diving done in 2009 than we did in 2008.
We live in Tucson, so our LDS does a number of trips to Mexico. The ones we've taken so far have been to Playa Himalaya, just a little ways north of San Carlos/Guaymas. The bay is primitive camping, but our LDS hauls their trailers down with tanks and compressors, and a bathroom trailer for dive shop guests. This doesn't do much for the local economy in Mexico, but it is a nice, budget friendly option with plenty of opportunity for diving in a weekend (unlimited shore dives, and Zodiaks to more distant, deeper sites).
We're considering one of the trips to San Carlos in 2010, just for the different options it presents. Were I just to decide on Dry Heat's report, I'd probably pass, but I know a lot of local divers that regularly go to San Carlos and enjoy the daylights out of it.
Our LDS is The Dive Shop here in Tucson. The Scuba Store in Mesa also has a fair number of trips to San Carlos scheduled next year, and I'm pretty sure Desert Divers here in Tucson also has a number of trips planned.
For those interested in trips to Mexico, The Dive Shop needs to update their trip calendar, as I know they have trips already scheduled for 2010. You can find Desert Divers' calendar here, and The Scuba Store has their 2010 San Carlos travel dates posted here.
We've driven down from Tucson through Nogales and down the 15 through Hermosillo for three trips now, and have not encountered any problems. If you take the truck route across the border from Nogales, Arizona, it will put you directly onto the 15, which is a well-maintained, well-patrolled toll road. About the worst part of the trip is the wait for crossing the border on the way back, as even the Federales and Mexican Army checkpoints haven't been much of a hassle. So long as we can afford them, we're planning to make more trips for diving in Mexico this coming year.
We live in Tucson, so our LDS does a number of trips to Mexico. The ones we've taken so far have been to Playa Himalaya, just a little ways north of San Carlos/Guaymas. The bay is primitive camping, but our LDS hauls their trailers down with tanks and compressors, and a bathroom trailer for dive shop guests. This doesn't do much for the local economy in Mexico, but it is a nice, budget friendly option with plenty of opportunity for diving in a weekend (unlimited shore dives, and Zodiaks to more distant, deeper sites).
We're considering one of the trips to San Carlos in 2010, just for the different options it presents. Were I just to decide on Dry Heat's report, I'd probably pass, but I know a lot of local divers that regularly go to San Carlos and enjoy the daylights out of it.
Our LDS is The Dive Shop here in Tucson. The Scuba Store in Mesa also has a fair number of trips to San Carlos scheduled next year, and I'm pretty sure Desert Divers here in Tucson also has a number of trips planned.
For those interested in trips to Mexico, The Dive Shop needs to update their trip calendar, as I know they have trips already scheduled for 2010. You can find Desert Divers' calendar here, and The Scuba Store has their 2010 San Carlos travel dates posted here.
We've driven down from Tucson through Nogales and down the 15 through Hermosillo for three trips now, and have not encountered any problems. If you take the truck route across the border from Nogales, Arizona, it will put you directly onto the 15, which is a well-maintained, well-patrolled toll road. About the worst part of the trip is the wait for crossing the border on the way back, as even the Federales and Mexican Army checkpoints haven't been much of a hassle. So long as we can afford them, we're planning to make more trips for diving in Mexico this coming year.
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