New divers with a toddler... and questions.

No, we are absolutely not taking our 2 year old diving

But we are about to go on our first dive-focused trip, spending the week after next on a family cruise to Grand Cayman, Roatan, and Cozumel. We just completed our OW certification in the chilly Puget Sound a couple weeks ago, and are spending this weekend doing AOW so we are prepared to drift and wall dive. Our only diving prior to OW training was May in Hawaii, where I was chilly in a 3/2 rental wetsuit that was probably a little big on me, and a hood.

Dive questions:

Preparation:
Will having done a drift dive in moderate current here prepare us adequately for Cozumel?

Gear:
My husband insisted that we get our own gear (wetsuits, BCDs, regulators, etc.) Is there anything (besides weights and tanks of course) that we should be renting instead of bringing? I am wondering if, since we'll be in West Palm Beach for a couple days prior to the trip, if anyone can recommend a local LDS so we can do a quick OW dive to get more familiar with our equipment, adjust weighting, etc.

Weight: I'm 5'5", 125 lbs, and dive in a drysuit with 32 lbs of weight in the Puget Sound. Any advice on how much less weight to try in the Caribbean?

Warmth:
I get cold easily, teeth chattering in the pool in under 10 minutes. Heck, my hands and feet are freezing now, and I'm in a 70 degree office. I've done our training in a drysuit (of course). I got an Xcel 5 mil suit (the one with the bamboo inside, sooo comfortable) and am wondering if that's overkill, or if I should perhaps bring a hood as well. Go ahead, mock me. I'll be warm.

Endurance:
Doing 4 OW dives (and they were short!) over a weekend in the Puget Sound exhausted me--maybe it was all the skills we were doing, and the fact that things didn't go so well--understatement--with my first try at the fully flooded mask and clear in the 44 degree water. (I did it just fine on my 2nd try.) Is it madness to have booked a 3 tank dive in Cozumel?

Swimming:
I'm not a strong swimmer. Had a year of swim lessons when I was ten, and swam during summer camp. I've been considering taking adult swim lessons and am wondering how much that will help, and what I should focus on if my goal in being a stronger swimmer is to be a more comfortable and skilled diver. Thoughts?

Toddler in the Caribbean:
Alexander, our 2 1/2 year old, is very, very skinny (1st percentile). He gets cold incredibly easily, even in slightly-under-body-temp bathwater. We'd like to spend as much time as possible playing in the ocean and the pools with him--as do my parents and brother who'll be watching him while we dive. We are about to order him a 3/2 fullsuit. Are we nuts? How much warmth would a rashguard provide? Should we have gone with a 2 mil shorty instead? My clever idea was to get a rashguard for beach play and sun protection, and a 2 mil shorty to put on over that, but the husband vetoed the idea, saying it was twice the cost for half the job.

Snorkeling--how old is old enough to start using a snorkel? He is very happy to blow bubbles in the water, but I'm wondering about the risk of accidentally flooding the snorkel and not being able to clear it. My guess is we should wait another couple years at least, but maybe I'm overcautious.

Swimming--he loves being in the water, but insists on either having some part of his body in contact with land, or being held. And we did waterbabies classes for about 6 months. Any suggestions for getting him more comfortable? (I know this is veering far, far afield from scuba, but hey, worth a try.)

Many, many thanks in advance for your help. I'm very much looking forward to learning more and becoming a diver instead of a newbie.

Come visit us and we will be happy to get you out on the water on one of our 3-tank dive trips to the coral reefs or wrecks. Great conditions similar to Cayman.
Get the hood, if you don't need it no big deal, if you need it you will be glad you have it.

hi! I have not been to Cozumel, but I am going to Playa del Carmen soon and I've done some research. I have a 3 year old, so I can answer some of your questions on that topic as well.

I've read that this time of year, a 3mm wetsuit is recommended. If you get cold easily, I'd say go for a 5mm cause Cozumel does deeper shelf diving. You definitely don't need a drysuit for the Caribbean. Just rent a wetsuit when you are there.

kid snorkeling - he's too young. My daughter can swim 10' underwater and I still don't trust that she will know what to do if she swallows a mouthfull of water through a snorkel. I'd say at least 5 or 6 years old before they can do that.

swimming - your kid isn't comfortable swimming yet, which is why he's got to hold on. He just needs more time to get used to the idea of swimming alone. Enjoy!

Great advice so far.

Go ahead and contact your certifying OW instructor or the dive instructor on the cruise ship. He/she should be be a good resource for you.

Mike

I am wondering if, since we'll be in West Palm Beach for a couple days prior to the trip, if anyone can recommend a local LDS so we can do a quick OW dive to get more familiar with our equipment, adjust weighting, etc.

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Contact Jeff Nelson @ "Force-E" in Riveria Beach/West Palm Beach at 561-386-7300.

Jeff is an awesome instructor that won't dissappoint you!

waterfaerygrrl:

Preparation:
Will having done a drift dive in moderate current here prepare us adequately for Cozumel?

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Any diving you do is experience you can build on but conditions are very different and a drift dive in the Caribbean is not the same as a drift dive in the PNW. In my experience diving in Mexico you may be making safety stops after some of these dives while free floating or using a blob. I would suggest buying a DSMB and a finger spool and practicing with deploying it before you go. That would be relevant practice.

Gear:
My husband insisted that we get our own gear (wetsuits, BCDs, regulators, etc.) Is there anything (besides weights and tanks of course) that we should be renting instead of bringing?

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If you don't have computers then either buy them pre-trip or rent them for the *entire* time you're diving, even on off days. Teh reason is because a computer takes several days to "clear" and will only keep track of multiple dives on multiple days if you use the same one every time. Also each diver needs their own computer. No sharing.

Weight: I'm 5'5", 125 lbs, and dive in a drysuit with 32 lbs of weight in the Puget Sound. Any advice on how much less weight to try in the Caribbean?

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Apples and oranges. You have to do a buoyancy check. It's the only way.

Incidentally, given your size, using 32lbs of weight, even with a drysuit and an aluminium tank gives me raised eyebrows. I'd recommend doing a buoyancy check for your drysuit too the next time you're out. You should do them frequently as you gain experience. The amount of weight you need WILL change as you get more experience.

Warmth:
I get cold easily, teeth chattering in the pool in under 10 minutes. Heck, my hands and feet are freezing now, and I'm in a 70 degree office. I've done our training in a drysuit (of course). I got an Xcel 5 mil suit (the one with the bamboo inside, sooo comfortable) and am wondering if that's overkill, or if I should perhaps bring a hood as well. Go ahead, mock me. I'll be warm.

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I won't mock you. I hate the cold too. Heck I even take my drysuit with me to Egypt! (that's the truth.... LOL). I made one or two dives in the middle of summer in Cozumel many moons ago with no suit at all and I recall using a 5mm shorty the last time I was there and I was comfortable. That was also in the summer. If I were to go now I'd probably use a 5mm full body semi-dry with a hood. Different people have different tolerances for cold. Mine is low (and getting lower as I age). Do what makes you comfortable and forget the critics.

Endurance:
Doing 4 OW dives (and they were short!) over a weekend in the Puget Sound exhausted me--maybe it was all the skills we were doing, and the fact that things didn't go so well--understatement--with my first try at the fully flooded mask and clear in the 44 degree water. (I did it just fine on my 2nd try.) Is it madness to have booked a 3 tank dive in Cozumel?

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I don't think so. At home you're lugging stuff around making shore entries with 32lbs of weight on your hips and swimming all that stuff around under water. In Cozumel you jump off a boat and drift using comparatively light gear. If you're normally fit you'll be fine.

Swimming:
I'm not a strong swimmer. Had a year of swim lessons when I was ten, and swam during summer camp. I've been considering taking adult swim lessons and am wondering how much that will help, and what I should focus on if my goal in being a stronger swimmer is to be a more comfortable and skilled diver. Thoughts?

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There are different schools of thought about this. My thinking is that if you want to be a strong diver you have to dive a lot. You can't become a marathon runner by playing squash and you won't become a good diver by swimming. Specificity of training. If you want to become a better swimmer then go swimming but don't have any expectations about your diving improving as a result.

now *comfort* in the water, is another matter. If you feel uncomfortable because you're not a strong swimmer then you may improve your comfort by improving your watermanship but you'll have to judge for yourself if that applies.

Toddler in the Caribbean:
....snip....

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No problem. Go for the wetsuit. It's a built in bouyancy device as well as good protection from the sun. The floors/ground (for example in restaurants) is bound to be filthy and your kid is bound to want to play on the floor/ground. Prepare some contingencies for that.

Snorkeling--how old is old enough to start using a snorkel? He is very happy to blow bubbles in the water, but I'm wondering about the risk of accidentally flooding the snorkel and not being able to clear it. My guess is we should wait another couple years at least, but maybe I'm overcautious.

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I wouldn't go snorkeling with him if he can't swim. Start with swimming or just playing around in the waves.

Swimming--he loves being in the water, but insists on either having some part of his body in contact with land, or being held. And we did waterbabies classes for about 6 months. Any suggestions for getting him more comfortable? (I know this is veering far, far afield from scuba, but hey, worth a try.)

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Play with him. Don't necessarily compliment or reward him for his bravery every time he gets in the water (that might be the source of his discomfort if he's gotten the impression that it's somehow dangerous) just go about it as if playing in the water is completely normal and fun. Tell him how much fun you had playing in the waves with him and not how brave you thought he was. See the difference? Focus on the activity, not the process. (I don't know how you actually do it but I'm just saying).

Also.... he's two eh... Don't get all in a knot about it. If he's a waterbaby it will come in time.

R..

waterfaerygrrl:

Preparation:
Will having done a drift dive in moderate current here prepare us adequately for Cozumel?

since we'll be in West Palm Beach for a couple days prior to the trip, if anyone can recommend a local LDS so we can do a quick OW dive to get more familiar with our equipment, adjust weighting, etc.

Click to expand...

Force-E will take care of you. You might also want to check with ScubakevDM who runs UW Explorers. Both of them should be able to help out and also give you some good drift diving experience as well.

Warmth:
I get cold easily, teeth chattering in the pool in under 10 minutes. Heck, my hands and feet are freezing now, and I'm in a 70 degree office. I've done our training in a drysuit (of course). I got an Xcel 5 mil suit (the one with the bamboo inside, sooo comfortable) and am wondering if that's overkill, or if I should perhaps bring a hood as well. Go ahead, mock me. I'll be warm.

Click to expand...

Better safe than sorry

Swimming:
I'm not a strong swimmer. Had a year of swim lessons when I was ten, and swam during summer camp. I've been considering taking adult swim lessons and am wondering how much that will help, and what I should focus on if my goal in being a stronger swimmer is to be a more comfortable and skilled diver. Thoughts?

Click to expand...

Unless you want to improve your strokes, it won't make a difference for diving. I am a strong swimmer (swam competitively from 6-18). The only advantage I have is that I kick a little harder than most (not really a good thing IMHO) and definitely have an easier time on our long surface swims when shore diving. Nothing that a few swim lessons will help with. Also, any "swimming" you do while diving is completely different than what you would learn from swim classes. Although as a breaststroker, I tend to like a frog kick more than flutter.

Toddler in the Caribbean:
He gets cold incredibly easily, even in slightly-under-body-temp bathwater. We'd like to spend as much time as possible playing in the ocean and the pools with him--as do my parents and brother who'll be watching him while we dive. We are about to order him a 3/2 fullsuit.

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Again, better safe than sorry. He is going to dictate what you do as far as ocean and pool time is concerned. Warmer=happier. Rash guards provide no thermal protection. Get a fullsuit and a rashguard top for when playing in the sand.

Snorkeling--how old is old enough to start using a snorkel? He is very happy to blow bubbles in the water, but I'm wondering about the risk of accidentally flooding the snorkel and not being able to clear it. My guess is we should wait another couple years at least, but maybe I'm overcautious.

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I had my daughter snorkeling at 2, before she could swim on her own. We used a cheap innertube (think dollar store) and goggles while i would hold her hand. She LOVED it, but attention span at that age is not very long. We would only do about 10 minutes at a time. At three, I bought her a mask, snorkel and fins. She still likes to use the innertube. Attention span hasn't changed much.

Buy regular swim goggles that fit well, a cheap innertube and he will love looking at all the pretty fish! Guaranteed to be a highlight for him!

Captain Larry:

Come visit us and we will be happy to get you out on the water on one of our 3-tank dive trips to the coral reefs or wrecks. Great conditions similar to Cayman.
Get the hood, if you don't need it no big deal, if you need it you will be glad you have it.

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????????------KL=GC????

run that one by me again, please.....

Re, Alexander - my younger son is 3, and I'd offer this advice:

- Wetsuit? No, I'd probably just go with a rashie. He is not actually going to spend that much time in the water, and he will be less "in" than you expect (as in, his level of immersion will be less than you expect - he 'aint scuba diving, he is going to be splashing around up to his waist).

- Snorkelling. Bit much for someone at 2.5. I am sure some kids can do it, but mask snorkel and fins on someone that young? Asking for trouble in most cases.

- Water comfort. I tend to eschew formal swimming lessons (work great for some kids, not for others). With both my kids, plonking them at the edge in a calm beach works wonders. They can crawl around and sit up in shallow water and have a blast getting comfortable without being at risk (nb. goes without saying you need to supervise this!). Make sure you pick nice calm beaches - raging surf and/or steep dropoffs are not recommended.

Let your toddler progress at his own speed. DO NOT make him do anything he doesn't want to do. It can make your vacation difficult if he is completely afraid of the water. Which he will become if you scare him.

B.