Old newbies should go with ??

[Wayknow]

My wife and I (59 & 56 y/old) are certified but inexperienced. We seek recommendations on who to dive with. I am very comfortable in the water and have being diving off and on since 1976. She is a true newbie who has some reservations about the sport but really wants to learn and enjoy it. We arrive Coz Jan 27 for seven days. Any recomendations, tips etc appreciated.

Thanks to all in advance.

Wayne

[grumpymedic]

I had never dove in the ocean until my trip to Coz in Dec. I dove with Blue XT-Sea. The boats are fast and they only take 6-7 divers on each boat. I told them I was a new diver and they took us to some easier spots until I got comfortable. It was an awesome experience,in fact I am going back in Feb and have scheduled those dives with Blue Xt-sea as well. Christi runs the operation and is on here answering questions all the time..she can answer any questions you may have. I hope you have an excellent time in Coz..

Rex

[MMM]

I'd suggest going with an op that had multiple boats...thereby enabling them to group you as per your ability. Fast boats shouldn't be the criteria upon which you select and you don't want to be on a boat with a bunch of gung-ho divers that want to do Maracaibo Deep for their first dive. Nor do you want to be preventing them from doing so.

Safe, individual attention with like-minded divers would be my criterial. Although I've not dived with them, I've heard Aqua Safari is very, very good for relatively new divers and they have a number of boats. Blue Angel has several boats most of which are around 6-8 divers (one exception), and they are very good at sorting based on ability. Plus lots of different departure times.

I think one of the pertinent questions you want to be asking of a dive op is "what happens if my wife wants to ascend - for whatever reason before other divers are out of air/deco time". Does the dive end then for all divers or do you ascend together (alone, w/o DM and maybe w/ a sausage) while others continue your diver. Nothing wrong with either scenario but the comfort level of your wife and yourself may well dictate who you end up choosing to dive with based on those two scenarios.

[New Moons]

I have a similar situation; certified but haven't made a dive in 3 plus years, and not much experience before that. Someone suggested a private DM for the first day, especially since we've never done drift diving. So I finally booked our trip with Blue XT and will definitely hire the private DM. We don't head down there until early March, but this plan has eased my anxieties already. New Moons

[Peter_C]

Fast boats are important. Less time spent getting to where you are going, and they are willing to go further. Fast boats are usually smaller and carry only 6 divers. That is very important because with a smaller group you will get more attention from the crew and more importantly the DM.

I would recommend anyone diving open water carry an SMB (Signal marker bouy), at the least, along with a surface noise making device, and a mirror can never hurt.

Blue XT Sea did an excellent job of working with the divers and their varied experience. Someday after years of other travels, I will return to Coz and be giving Christi a call. One of the things I really liked was the DM sent an SMB to the surface, and as the divers ran low on air they could ascend, allowing those with more air to stay down longer (It would suck to be the one to bring everyone to the surface). The boat will be ready to pick you up when you hit the surface (Might be a problem on a larger boat with more divers needing to be picked up at once).

[Debbie O]

Your comfort level should be an important concern to yourself and your dive operation. Aqua Connection will give you the individual service that you need to become acquainted with your equipment,safety procedures, the boat, entering and exiting procedures as well as the underwater world. Check the website at www.aquaconnection.com (http://www.aquaconnection.com)
There is room on the boat for you on the dates listed. After a week with Allen the only thing you will regret is that you didn't start diving sooner. Operation owned by baby-boomers!

[Mawg]

My wife and I (59 & 56 y/old) are certified but inexperienced. We seek recommendations on who to dive with. I am very comfortable in the water and have being diving off and on since 1976. She is a true newbie who has some reservations about the sport but really wants to learn and enjoy it. We arrive Coz Jan 27 for seven days. Any recomendations, tips etc appreciated.

Thanks to all in advance


I am constantly amazed by some of the things I read on these threads. Here's the str8 poop.

I am 58 and my wife is 52. We've been diving Cozumel every year , once or twice, since 1992.Been out with 8 operators. Been on every kind of boat you can think of. We now dive exclusively with Careyitos, Careyitos.com. I wrote a description of their operation called My Favorite Dive Op, which is now back on page 5 of these threads.

They will take VERY GOOD care of your wife. You couldn't possibly be safer. Ricardo and Tony are the best. They have a 38 foot Bertram WITH A BATHROOM. Small boats beat you to death and get you soaking wet. I could go on but, I'll be more than happy to reply to specific questions you might have.

[MMM]

Fast boats are important. Less time spent getting to where you are going, and they are willing to go further. Fast boats are usually smaller and carry only 6 divers. That is very important because with a smaller group you will get more attention from the crew and more importantly the DM.



You may have misinterpreted my suggestion so let me clarify. Fast boats are an important consideration to many people (me being one of them). However they TEND (and this is far from a categorical statement) to attract a more experienced group. When you are dealing with someone who is less experienced (as per this poster's wife), a more paramount consideration is finding an op whose procedures will fit her diving needs. Being able to go far and get there fast isn't right up there (unless one of the divers suffers from ADD;) .)

[Scuba Brian]

Dive with Mike is an excellent dive op in cozumel. Have a great trip.

[betsyinczm]

Peter C----------I have to respectfully disagree with you as far as the fast boats being able to go farther..............sorry but not true. There are many of us who use slower boats and we can go wherever we want...........and for someone wanting a more relaxing trip to the reefs, without getting soaked and bouncing over the waves AND being able to walk around, relax, use the head, and have plenty of time for a very personal briefing and time to get to know other divers...........well, you get it. IF you are referring to the cattle boats, I'm with you!!............but please know that there are many ops who use slower boats but will go out with even four divers............I guess it depends how much of a hurry you are in??

Also the concept of sending up the sausage when a diver needs to go up is practiced by many and should be!!............diving is too expensive to make the folks who can stay down longer suffer by going up early, not to mention just plain general safety...(and the sausage should be used even if the cattle boats call your dive after 30 minutes!!).......so this was not unique to Christi's op..........(she's a bud and I don't think she will mind my saying that)......and a larger boat has no problem being right where the sausage is when it first shows up........no problem at all.

MMM------I don't think the fast boat issue was meant for you and it was nice to meet you at the SB dinner.

Again, everyone has his or her preferences, fast or slow, head or no head, etc...........it's all good..............Betsy

[DandyDon]

I see you already got lots of good advice here, and I have only a little bit to add. Shooting the sausage up as Betsy suggested should only be done by those experienced in doing so, but then - the DM usually does that for you. Just stay close to him/her.

I would recommend anyone diving open water carry an SMB (Signal marker bouy), at the least, along with a surface noise making device, and a mirror can never hurt.
Totally agree!! Carry the sausage still, so you'll have it on the surface if needed. And a Storm Whistle (by that brand only) is my preference for noise, even tho some suggest that a whistle is not effective on water - I always have that clipped next to my sausage, signal mirror inside my suit hung from my neck, and a dive light on every dive. ;)

[betsyinczm]

Hi Don.........let's even make this a little clearer........the sausages that the average diver has doesn't have 100 feet of line.............that is what we have as DM's/Instructors which we shoot up when the first diver is ascending..........the ones you are referring to are for use on the surface only in the "sad" event that your boat is not close..........AND it was also nice putting a face to you at dinner!........Betsy

[Peter_C]

Peter C----------I have to respectfully disagree with you as far as the fast boats being able to go farther..............sorry but not true. There are many of us who use slower boats and we can go wherever we want...........and for someone wanting a more relaxing trip to the reefs, without getting soaked and bouncing over the waves AND being able to walk around, relax, use the head, and have plenty of time for a very personal briefing and time to get to know other divers...........well, you get it. IF you are referring to the cattle boats, I'm with you!!............but please know that there are many ops who use slower boats but will go out with even four divers............I guess it depends how much of a hurry you are in??

Also the concept of sending up the sausage when a diver needs to go up is practiced by many and should be!!............diving is too expensive to make the folks who can stay down longer suffer by going up early, not to mention just plain general safety...(and the sausage should be used even if the cattle boats call your dive after 30 minutes!!).......so this was not unique to Christi's op..........(she's a bud and I don't think she will mind my saying that)......and a larger boat has no problem being right where the sausage is when it first shows up........no problem at all.

MMM------I don't think the fast boat issue was meant for you and it was nice to meet you at the SB dinner.

Again, everyone has his or her preferences, fast or slow, head or no head, etc...........it's all good..............Betsy

Fair enough. There are some good points made for a larger boat, of which I would never need them, but maybe someone else thinks it is important. No where did I say using an SMB is unique to Christi's outfit. My point was not about the fact that they used it as much as the fact that you can stay down as long as you want, or head up and not cause the entire group to abort the dive. Many of us have a decent bottom time and would be very upset to continually call a dive at 30 minutes. Cattle boats are not a safe environment in so many ways. Too many people around gets confusing underwater. The DM's have a harder time keeping track of everyone, etc. You already know more reasons though than I though.

Sounds like we are pretty close to agreeing on a few things at least :)

What do I know though...we take my 76 year old dad backpacking at over 10,000 feet every year :14:

FWIW Betsy we have never met, but it is a small world so ya neva know what the future holds.

[DandyDon]

Hi Don.........let's even make this a little clearer........the sausages that the average diver has doesn't have 100 feet of line.............that is what we have as DM's/Instructors which we shoot up when the first diver is ascending..........the ones you are referring to are for use on the surface only in the "sad" event that your boat is not close..........AND it was also nice putting a face to you at dinner!........Betsy
Very nice meeting you, too. ;)

I carried my 100 ft spool in my bag but I don't think I ever took it in the water. The captains watch our bubbles so well, I just did not feel the need - even if I drifted away from the DM. Just kept my sausage, whiste and mirror handy on me for the unlikely even that the skipper may lose track of where I am - and it's happened to me, which probly says more about me than the skippers. :blush:

I am experienced at shooting it, perhaps I should more?

[ggunn]

No where did I say using an SMB is unique to Christi's outfit. My point was not about the fact that they used it as much as the fact that you can stay down as long as you want, or head up and not cause the entire group to abort the dive.

That is also typical of many Cozumel dive ops.

[betsyinczm]

Peter C............looks like we pretty much agree on EVERYTHING now.........hahhaa..........it just sounded to me that you thought the sausage thing was unique..........and I DO like going on fast boats too...........gets me home quicker but I am a fan of the relaxed program as well, which may or may not suit the original poster and is mostly what my experience is........and I totally agree with you about the cattle boats.......how often does one person have a problem with the DM helping them and ALL eyes are watching that transpire up above while amazing creatures are passing by unnoticed!!.......hahha.........and yeah--the air thing--it's just not right.

Don......so you've never taken your 100 foot line in the water?..........that's funny (but a tribute to your captain)........I guess you could always use it as a clothesline?

Respectfully to you both........Betsy

[Peter_C]

I am experienced at shooting it, perhaps I should more?

I like to practice deploying mine. Plus it makes hanging at 15 feet a breeze so the reef passing underneath can be focused on instead of the depth gauge. We hung onto kelp over the weekend on our deco stops, while swaying in the current.

[DandyDon]

Don......so you've never taken your 100 foot line in the water?..........that's funny (but a tribute to your captain)........I guess you could always use it as a clothesline?
I don't think I did last week. I have before many times, freshwater practice and ocean dives. I don't know why I don't use it more, perhaps I should?

[Christi]

Dive with Mike is an excellent dive op in cozumel. Have a great trip.

Dive with Mike is actually an operation in Playa del Carmen, not Cozumel.

[Christi]

No disagreement from me :)

Actually, shooting the surface marker for ascending divers is something that all DM's SHOULD do, whether for the group or for a couple of early ascenders. I concur that this is not something that should be attempted by those without experience doing so.

Also true, that there are several ops that don't make all divers ascend together when the first is low on air. There are also many with predetermined bottom times or those that make everyone surface together, so this is a question to ask any potential operation you plan to dive with.

Big boats vs. small boats/fast boats vs. slow boats - also a personal preference that needs to be considered.

And yes, Betsy is a bud and very cool!

[waynel]

I don't understand this fascination with the fast boat. No matter how fast you get to the site, it won't increase your bottom time, unless you're trying to get three or more dives in during daylight hours. A 2 tank dive is a 2 tank dive no matter how fast you get to the site. My wife and I are 47 and 51 respectively and we will take the comfort of a smooth ride, good facilities and a giant stride entry over how fast we get to the site. Also, re "cattle boats". Just like any cattle ranch, it's only as good as the rancher. I've been on some I hated and some that were 5 star. Same with "small boats."

[Shepman]

For the OP,

Don't ignore the "cattle boat" ops. They are fine if you are starting out and may be more support for your wife. Going with a bigger group, you're more likely to find more divers that match your ability.

You go a little slow, but it's nice to spread out on the way home and bag some rays.

You need the fast boats for the Southern sites, but you may not dive down there this trip.

[Christi]

I don't understand this fascination with the fast boat. No matter how fast you get to the site, it won't increase your bottom time, unless you're trying to get three or more dives in during daylight hours. A 2 tank dive is a 2 tank dive no matter how fast you get to the site. My wife and I are 47 and 51 respectively and we will take the comfort of a smooth ride, good facilities and a giant stride entry over how fast we get to the site. Also, re "cattle boats". Just like any cattle ranch, it's only as good as the rancher. I've been on some I hated and some that were 5 star. Same with "small boats."


Exactly...this is all a matter of personal preference. However, one thing with the "cattle boats" that also happen to be slow is that due to the longer travel time, they will limit the dive times. This is not true of the smaller more personalized opertions however.

A couple of really great big slow boat trips that are personalized would be Careyitos and Anita Divers. Both have been around forever and allow maximum bottom times. Both are very nice boats with big sun decks and great crews.

Betsy also very often takes her divers out on big boats, but offers a very personal service with a nice lunch on board with no rush to get back for the afternoon dives.

So don't just consider what kind of boat you want, but the service that the operator provides.

You won't go wrong with Betsy http://www.geocities.com/scubabetsy/
Careyitos, or Anita Divers

[waynel]

You nailed it Christi. Ask questions, ask questions...before you book. We have more than enough Dive Operators to choose from. If you only have two days on the island and speed and max dive time is priority, that tells you what you need. If you have 14 dives planned over 7 days that might be more than enough dive time during a vacation. For example: if it were a buddy and I making the trip, we'd go with fast boat/max bottom time, no need for a head or galley. We're not there to sightsee or shop. We are there to dive. If I'm going with my wife, while she loves diving, there are some "creature comforts" she's going to want. In other words, diving is part of her vacation, not the whole thing. Excellent advice from Christi.

[Mawg]

So don't just consider what kind of boat you want, but the service that the operator provides.

You won't go wrong with Betsy http://www.geocities.com/scubabetsy/
Careyitos, or Anita Divers


Quite admirable and generous of you Christi. I wont forget it.

[Wayknow]

Thank you all for your input. Frankly I was surprised by the number of really good responses that were posted. I enjoyed and learned something from each one of them. If I could make it happen, I would get you all together around a beach fire some night, beers in hand to continue this discussion. Maybe someday. Until then, thanks lots.
Wayne & Sherry

[Mawg]

Thank you all for your input. Frankly I was surprised by the number of really good responses that were posted. I enjoyed and learned something from each one of them. If I could make it happen, I would get you all together around a beach fire some night, beers in hand to continue this discussion. Maybe someday. Until then, thanks lots.
Wayne & Sherry




I'll presume to say this for all of us, You are very welcome.

[Garrobo]

I'm 67 with around 20 dives this year and all the operators who I have dived with have been very accomodating. Before I reserve anything I explain to them that I have just started this year and that I will need to be placed with an experienced, reliable diver or one of their people. On my last trip this week to Key Largo the operator, Horizon Divers, did just that as has eveyone who I have dived with so far. I'm sure that they don't want some old fogie floating out to sea because he made a wrong turn. On my first ocean dives around Fort Lauderdale I hired a lady instructor to dive with me for a week. A little expensive but it got me going in the right direction and I felt very safe and gained a lot of confidence.

[Shepman]

Thank you all for your input. Frankly I was surprised by the number of really good responses that were posted. I enjoyed and learned something from each one of them. If I could make it happen, I would get you all together around a beach fire some night, beers in hand to continue this discussion. Maybe someday. Until then, thanks lots.
Wayne & Sherry

Sure, sure.

You got a lot of great advice, you should be able to put together a nice dive vacation with all this input.

I'll take two extra cold Tecate's.

Those beach fires tend to warm the beer, ya know.

[Wayknow]

All
Thanks again for your help. We hooked up with Betsy, she was fab. A week ago my wife was pretty nervous about the whole dive thing, just before our first jump, she almost said "**** it, I ain't going" Today after four dives with Betsy my wife is planning our next dive trip and can not wait to go. I have to give all the credit to Betsy, her patience, knowledge,instructions, and technique were more than I could have asked for. She made a diver out of my wife, and a better diver out of me. And she made a couple of new friends as well. On the star rating system, I give her all the stars in the sky.

¡Srta. Betsy era fabulosa!

Wayne y Sherry

[diver 85]

contact Aldora.com.........not sure if they handle newbies, but they are good for the experienced ones......