Safety Equipment

I'm a very novice diver (8 dives total) and I am going drift diving for my first time in Cozumel in November, actually it will be my first boat dive and salt-water dive. I own my own basic equipment (BC/Regs/Fins/Mask/Computer/etc) but I don't own any safety equipment which may be required for this type of diving.

I was talking to a friend who has done this dive a few times and he said that once I am ready to surface, I may be surfacing by myself (if I use up my air before anyone else). The dive master will be watching me from below but I will be essentially on my own and this scares me.

My imagination runs wild with images of the boat not seeing me, losing my group in the currents, shark attack....

Can anybody recommend the essential safety equipment I should be taking with me, just in case?

Safety sausage

Will you be doing any night diving? If so, you will need a primary and backup light.
Carrie

For diving in the open ocean in a drift situation away from shore I would reccomend you have a surface signal device like what is refered to as a safety sossage, a signal mirror and a storm whistle. Divers Alert Network sells a kit that includes all of these items in a small mesh bag.

If you plan to night dive, dive carry two underwater lights. I also have a white strobe light that I can turn on to be seen better at night.

To make a safety stop at the 15' to 20' foot range a lot of experienced divers either carry an inflatable float or a safety sossage that can be clipped to a rope (line on a reel or small spool) that can be partially inflated and sent to the surface while you do your stop. Mark the line at the depth you want to do your stop and you now have a verticel reference to help you stay at that depth.

A buddy is also a very good safety device to carry along.

I would second these comments. Drift diving is fun and easy for the most part. As a new diver you should start out on some of the easier reefs to get a good feel, get your buoyancy and breathing down.

Don't try and fight the current go with it. Get horizontal and try to use your fins and arms as little as possible. Pretend you're skydiving and add or subtract air as you need to for proper buoyancy.

Having your own safety sausage and a finger spool just makes good sense. The divmasters in Cozumel normally deploy their safety sausage near the end of the dive in about 25 to 30 feet of water.

While you are doing your safety stop at 15-20 feet the boat can get close and either drift into you or throw out a current line when you surface. Sure makes getting back to the boat easy.

WIth your own sausage. I have three Halycon 4.5 models. DAN and others have good SMB's. Nice and wide and plenty tall at 4 feet 6 inches. If you get separated from your group or you need to go up early you can deploy your own sauage do your hang and surface without any problems. Makes it much easier to maintain your depth. Mark 20 feet on on your line. Black maker makes it easy.

If the boat is not around once on the surface fully inflate the SMB and wrap the line and spool up and get it out of the way.

Ideally it's good to practice deploying your SMB and line prior to your trip. Don't ever hold onto your SMB or spool as it unrolls. If the line gets wrapped around you it will take you to the surface.

If you get ahead of the group. Here's a simple tip. Drop below a coral head(mound) and wait in the sand. Your group will catch up. It's that easy.

Don't worry about the sharks. Can't ever remember hearing about someone getting attacked by a shark while scuba diving in Cozumel.

Have you contacted the dive op you intend to use, to ask them if this is their policy? It would be unacceptable to me. I dive with a buddy, and we surface together. If no one on the boat is willing to buddy with a new diver because of gas consumption issues, I'd suggest hiring a DM to dive with you.

If you are going to surface before the group, you should have a signaling device like a safety sausage. It is better to deploy this on ascent, but this is a skill that requires practice, and if you are a brand new diver, it's probably best not to try it for the first time in midwater after a relatively deep dive. You can still inflate one and wave it on the surface, though.

Definitely recommend a safety sausage and either finger spool or reel. Also, practice deploying it before your dive, if possible. Doing it for the first time by yourself on an ascent during a dive you're uncomfortable about is not a good idea.

Most importantly, make sure the DM knows of your concern and your experience level. They may have an additional crew member that could escort you up, or failing that, get with a dive buddy that will commit to staying with you. Finally, if you are still not comfortable with it, there is nothing wrong with skipping the dive until you have the appropriate experience and training. You have a lifetime of diving ahead of you! Don't ever let yourself be shamed into doing something you're not ready for. That applies to every skill level of diving.

Yeah sausage deployment should be left for the surface. I took me at least 5 dives to get it right , and I had around 40 dives when I first tried it , but I like to learn everything nice and slow in SCUBA. Trying to do it the first time after a more or less serious dive would be risky.

But in any case. Do not worry, just relax and do not fin. just get yourself neutrally buoyant and watch the fish. I see many people do fining in a drift dive, but they forget that the key point of doing drift is being just lazy. It's a flight with no effort. The water does your job for you. When you do not move your air consumption will drop so it's a chance you will not run out of gas at all. And if they have bigger tanks ask them for a bigger tank like Al100.

switzke:

My imagination runs wild with images of the boat not seeing me, losing my group in the currents, shark attack....

Click to expand...

First, probably best if you don't watch certain movies before going. Jaws (any of them), Open Water (1 or 2), Discovery Channel's "Shark Week," etc.

Second, you'll be diving in a high-traffic area, so get the safety-sausage, the bigger the better. In Cozumel, just about all of the boats, regardless of shop, will stop if they see a lone diver, or a group with no nearby boat. So, when you first get on your dive boat ask what radio frequency the boat uses and remember it and your dive shops name.

Third, stop worrying so much. Cozumel is a great dive location for all skill levels. Like others said, just let the dive shop and DM know your skill level. The fact is, you actually have to put effort into having a bad time in Cozumel. Having a good time there is just natural.

Cozumel is a great place to dive for several reasons:

1. They have amazing reefs and life - the dives will be superb and you will never forget them.

2. The DiveMasters (in my experience) are superb and will take great care of you. I dove with Dive Paradise, but heard the other dive ops were just as good.

3. The boat handlers/captains are used to seeing divers - they will be the only boats near you, so don't worry, they are constantly on the look out for early risers.....

A safety sausage of your own is a good idea - talking to your DM prior is also a good idea. The main point will be to relax and have a great time. Given the large number of small dive boats over the popular reefs, a slate would also be a good idea - write down the name of your boat, so if you come up away from the group (with your buddy of course), you can call out to the closest boat and tell them the name of your boat, which will then come over to pick you up

Have a great time!