Tips for Coz drift diving?

[baenglish73]

There's nothing to it, it is mucho relaxing.
Just stay off the reef. Don't fight the current, and hire a guide if you're worried.

My very first OW dive was in Cozumel. The current seems to change from trip to trip, but I have only dived (dove?) in the national park. The outer walls seemed to have the strongest currents. Villablanca was the strongest, Cedral and Columbia next, but that changes every time. Palancar reef was negligible the last two times I remember.

 

[ggunn]

I've been diving Cozumel for more than 10 years, and I've never seen or heard of a diver being barred from a "normal" dive (that's excluding Punta Sur, Maracaibo, Barracuda, and the like) for only having an OW cert. Lots of folks routinely diving the normal dives with the normal dive ops are not AOW cert'ed.

Beyond that, before an op will agree to pick you up, you generally have to sit with them and give them info from your C card, some may ask to see your log (though that's never happened to me, thank goodness, because I'm not so good at keeping up with that sort of thing), and you sign the waivers, etc. If there's a problem, that's when you'll find out, not when you're boarding the boat. I've never seen or been subjected to a cert check dockside on Coz; I never carry any documentation other than my DAN card on the boat.

At any rate, I know from personal experience that someone with "only" an OW cert will encounter few if any obstacles from the dive ops to diving most of the sites around Cozumel. I guess it's possible some ops may require an AOW cert, but most do not.

 

[cxg31s]

Splash, I just wanted to clear up something--not a flame at all, I just think we're saying the same thing in different ways. I was responding to the statement in your original post that said: "I'm not trying to discourage you in anyway by saying this, but be informed that a lot of Dive Operators will not allow an OW diver to make Drift Dives." But your second post was more detailed and I agree with a lot of the points you make.

However I don't know of a single dive op in Coz that caters "exclusively" to experienced divers--they'd go out of business. There are dive ops who cater more to advanced divers with larger tanks, more trips to advanced dive sites, etc, and yes, newbies aren't allowed on these trips. But there are many kinds of dive ops in Coz:

The large ones with multiple boats so they can have a boat of experienced and another boat of inexperienced divers.

The smaller ones with only one boat but tailor the dives to meet all experience levels, like the advanced divers do one part of a reef and the beginners another.

Then there are the cattle boats, that lump everyone together, everyone dives the same profile and the same site and that's that.

Notice I'm not naming specific shops on any of these but I'm sure everyone reading this is coming up with their own examples.

The point I was trying to make in my post was that the dive ops down there won't turn away a diver from drift diving just because he only has an open water cert--all the dives down there are drift dives. Yes, a good dive op will not let inexperienced divers dive certain advanced sites, like Punta Sur, Maracaibo or the northern sites, but they won't turn away an open water student for a "drift dive"--they'll just take them to one of the more "beginner" sites. And they can and will negate a dive site based on the currents that day--the currents change as quickly as a rainstorm down there comes and goes, so the DM generally doesn't know if a site is diveable until he jumps in the water to test the current. The dive ops WILL check C-cards, log books and have you fill out paperwork attesting to your experience level before they take you out. Then most dive shops will group divers according to experience level and choose the dive site accordingly. But the dive ops find all this out in advance--it's not like they'll book a dive trip for him without finding out his experience level. Yes I am generalizing, but if they don't check you out before they allow you on the boat you shouldn't be diving with them anyway! Plus, if one dive op doesn't have a trip appropriate for his experience level, then there are over 100 others to choose from.

Basically 2 Bar, Splash has some good advice--talk to the dive op, ask questions and find out all this stuff before you ever step on the dive boat. Your friends are DM's and obviously more experienced divers, so I hope they use some sense and don't try to push you into doing dives that you are not ready for, even if you think you are. Back to your original question, I really don't think you'll have a problem drift diving, but choose your dive op wisely, be honest about your diving experience, voice any concerns and they will work with you. You'll have to make sure to post a trip report when you get back and let us know how it went!

 

[Valwood1]

The vis at Cozumel is great. Thus, even if you're a bit slower equalizing and descending, as long as you make some effort to float above the group, you'll be able to see them and catch up. Plus, all dive ops that I've used will wait on the bottom until you do descend.

Bill

 

[Len]

ktapp once bubbled...
I've seen OW Divers turned away from boats on numerous occasions, and Cozumel is no exception. The currents there can be very dangerous even for the most experienced divers. Not only will some Dive Operators require AOW, or higher for certain trips, but they'll check logbooks, and ask questions to evaluate your knowledge as well. More importantly most all will evaluate your skill level by watching how you dive on the first couple of dives/days in order to asess what your capabilities are. As a rule most operate on the principle that the site will be chosen by considering the capabilities of the weakest diver/divers in the group. Ask any Dive Operator anywhere, and I'm certain that most will attest to that.

My guess is many many Cozumel divers are only OW certified. I have never seen a dive op require AOW nor have I ever been asked for my logbook. Cheque book yes....logbook no. A competent dive op will verify your ability before taking you to the more advanced sites.

 

[plmbrok]

I have been an instructor for 16 yrs. I have taken calsses to Cozumel several times. The #1 concern of any dive operation is the skill level of the divers they are hosting. Please be honest and forthright with your dive operator before boarding the boat; This allows the operator to be sure you are not going to a dive site beyond your experience and comfort level. Most of all , approach the DM of the boat and tell them your skill level, experience and any concerns you have.
Upon arrival in Cozumel, Make a shore dive to adjust your weight needed ( You need 25% more in salt water), familiarize yourself with taste of salt water in regulator and practice mask removal & repalcement in salt water. Salt water will be a new experince to your eyes for first time.

Practice establishing neutral buoyancy on shore dive, but do not get so far away from shore to get caught in currents.

The dive operators in Cozumel are very competent overall and they want your vacation to be comfortable for you.

My fiancee & I will be in Cozumel at Brisas for a week in Dec. Leave a Margarita for us

Blow Bubbles,

Ralph

PS e mail me at RRamsey7@austin.rr.com if you have any questions or concerns

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

Len once bubbled...
Cheque book yes....logbook no.

Yeah mon! Now that's Mexico!

 

[ggunn]

Quoting Len's comment on dive ops wanting to see your cheque book rather than your log book,

Tim Ingersoll once bubbled...


Yeah mon! Now that's Mexico!

And that's different from other resort areas... how? Have you priced diving in Hawaii? Aren't you frequently posting commercials for Aldora, one of the most expensive ops on Cozumel, and which isn't even Mexican owned?

The hotel I stay in on Cozumel is very nice, and much cheaper than the La Quinta down the street from my house. Cozumel is admittedly nowhere nearly as inexpensive to visit as it was in 1978 when I started going there, but (apart from the airfare from Texas, which is another rant entirely) it is still a bargain compared to a lot of other vacation destinations.

 

[Delhi Diver]

I too went to Cozumel late October after certification at Dutch Springs this summer. The dives were wonderful, and it was quite a high to descend to beyond 80 feet in clear tropical water (it felt like flying) after the rather dingy quarry dives I was used to.

I found buoyancy to be the greatest challenge, particulary on fast, shallower reefs like Tormentos, Tunich and Yocab. Buoyancy was not such a problem deeper down, in either direction. As others have pointed out, more often than not I would zip past the safety stop to the surface, leaving me with a funny nitrogenous feeling in my teeth! But I did manage to improve my buoyancy skills in time to enjoy the Tunich dive, and flying over reefs while watching sea turtles and other fish is an incredible experience. I suspect that I will return to Cozumel after visit to other sites once I have improved my bouyancy and will then be able to really enjoy drift diving.

In short, I did enjoy the experience, but I think I will enjoy it even more once I have gained more experience and improved my buoyancy.

 

[2 Bar]

Amazing. Thank you all. Great stuff.