Cozumel this Friday/ getting nervous

[divekim]

Okay, I still consider myself a beginner. Only a dozen dives in since being certified 2 years ago. I live in San Diego so the majority of my dives have taken me between 60-100 feet each dive, so the depths don't concern me.

The drift diving though, have not done this before and am wanting some of the expert advise I always get here on how to handle the first time. Do I just need to voice my concerns to the DM's when we get there? We will be staying at Scuba Club and I've only brief discussion when booking but was told this would be taken into account. Is this correct? I purchased safety sausage and whistle just for the trip.

Any further advise would be greatly appreciated as I am now getting a little nervous rather than excited. The thought of being swept away is starting to take over.

Kim

 

[Lisa0825]

Hey! I just got back from Cozumel last week! I only have 10 dives total, and the last 5 were in Coz. Definitely express your concern to the DM. Make sure he/she knows you want to stick close by. Make sure you know what colors he/she is wearing so you can easily tell who is who underwater. It's fun to stick near the DM anyway, because they usually do a great job of finding and pointing out creatures you might have missed on your own.

The drift diving was quite easy. The DM will explain how drift diving works when he/she goes over the dive plan. They call it "lazy diving" because the current does most of the work for you. I didn't expend much energy finning except when I wanted to fight the current for a few moments to get a better look at something. Otherwise, you should all be drifting in relatively close proximity to your group, and the boat crew will watch for your bubbles and meet you pretty quickly when you come up. I usually saw my boat within 2 minutes and was picked up within 5-7.

I was nervous at first because I've had a rocky time trying to get my first post-cert dives in, so I had lost confidence. But it was really fun and easy in Cozumel. You'll do fine.

 

[jlyle]

Big Grin! Are you going to be surprised! Drift diving is a piece of cake compared to the California diving you are used to.

The drift dives are live-boat. When the DM tells you, you don your fins and do either a giant stide or a back roll into the water. After a quick surface OK, the group descends and begins the dive. Stay behind the DM and watch what he/she does. If the current is mild, you can swim around a little. Stay buoyant and avoid contact with the reef. If the current is strong, relax and fly the reef - to slow down or stop, drop behind a coral head. At the end of the reef, the DM will signal everyone to go up. Slowly ascend and hang at 15 feet for at least 3 minutes doing a safety stop - don't forget to enjoy the drift and look down to watch the fish/reef go by. The DM will deploy a surface marker. At the end of the safety stop, slowly go up and wait for the boat - the boat captain will bring the boat to you - do not swim towards the boat unless the deckhands signal you to do so. Hand up your fins (weight belt if you want) and climb the ladder back into the boat.

No surface swims, hardly any kicking, a slow ride along the reef...what can be any easier.

If you do come up without the DM, don't forget the safety stop, deploy your sausage if needed. A boat will be along shortly - if it isn't your boat, tell them the name of your boat and Channel 10 (Canal diez), they'll get your boat for you.

FWIW, we've done hundreds of drift dives in Cozumel. Just follow the DM and watch what he/she does if you want to become an expert drift diver.

One suggestion: Take Advanced Open Water while you are there. You will probably be the only student(s) and get private lessons for group rates. That way you will have your own DM who will take you on most of your dives. Tell William or Raymundo I said, "hello."

PS I love SCC.

 

[divingjd]

Drift diving is not difficult, just different. In many ways it's easier. You know which way you are going (downcurrent), and most of the time you can just let the current do the work. I always say it is lazy man's diving, just sit back and watch the reef go by. More seriously, just watch your buoyancy control and don't fight the current. Drifting along the walls you will have to be careful to watch your depth - it is easy to loose track and get deeper than you have planned. It is difficult to made headway swimming against the current. Usually, you can hold position by heading back into the current and kicking. For your first few drift dives, just let the current take you and try to avoid swimming against the current. If you are on top of the reef (rather than down a wall), the current is not as strong close to the bottom. You can also get out of the current by ducking behind a coral head.

My wife had trouble with drift diving at first because she kicked constantly. It was like a roller-coaster ride. She was just flying along. Once I got her to be still and go with the current, she has been much more comfortable with drift diving. Just go with the flow and keep a fair distance from the reef. As you get more used to the current, you can experiment more.

For the typical Coz drift dive, the boat will follow the divers' bubbles and pick you up when you surface. If the whole group does not surface at once, you may have to wait for the boat to recover other divers before it comes to get you. Just inflate your BC and watch the scenery. The vast majority of Coz dive ops are very good at keeping track of their divers. You are unlikely to need to use the safety sausage and whistle. I never have, but I always have them for insurance.

For many people, the free ascent (no line) and hanging safety stop are the most difficult part. If you haven't done them before, they can be unnerving. You might try doing your safety stop at 20 ft. instead of 15 ft. It's a little easier to hold that depth and you have a little more room overhead to work with. Try to relax and be still in the water. If you can initiate and control your ascent by controlling your breathing, that may be better than ascending by finning.

In general, try to relax and don't fight it. People who try to fight the current are the ones who really have issues with drift diving. Let your dive staff know that you are new to drift diving and they should help you out.

 

[scubasherry]

As a newbie... and first dive in the ocean in Cozumel I found drift diving to be a piece of cake. I had other issues... but the drift diving was pure heaven... Not having to kick your but off to get somewhere was the best thing in the world.

 

[halocline]

Hopefully, the first dive you do will be in a gentle current, which I suspect will immediately relieve your concerns. Some of the dive sites are known for gentle currents and others are usually pretty kicking. One thing for sure, they're all filled with newbie divers having a good time, so enjoy yourself and try to not worry about it. Drift diving in Coz is easy and fun.

 

[divekim]

Thanks everyone, I'm gonna write down the pointers and go over them on the flight down.

jlyle, I'm gonna look into the AOW course and see if it would fit into our diving schedule or something. I'll try to remember to mention you when I ask.

I know once I get there and into the water this will all just melt away with the warm 84 degree water. If I can do 55 degree, 105 ft depth, with 15 ft vis, I can do anything!!

 

[ggunn]

Thanks everyone, I'm gonna write down the pointers and go over them on the flight down.

jlyle, I'm gonna look into the AOW course and see if it would fit into our diving schedule or something. I'll try to remember to mention you when I ask.

I know once I get there and into the water this will all just melt away with the warm 84 degree water. If I can do 55 degree, 105 ft depth, with 15 ft vis, I can do anything!!

Yeah, you're not going to have a problem. One thing I'd add to list of pointers - stay well behind the DM. That way if he spots something to look at, you can leisurely fin over to a point upcurrent of him and drift down to him instead of having to kick like crazy cross-current or upcurrent.

 

[EvaL]

Hi, I'm echoing what others above have already said. Drift diving is lazy person sport, you jump in with the group, stick close together behind the DM while the currents push you and surface when one of the group is low on air. If the boat captain is good (they almost always are on Cozumel), the boat will be there when you surface. The currents typically run from south to north and I'd say are usually 1-2 knots (just a guess), not the kind that rip your masks out in horror stories. You'll find that you'll hardly need to kick for more than a few seconds, just make periodic corrections during the dive to stay close to the dive group. Very little worries. I seldom hear divers getting separated in Cozumel. When that happens it's usually because the divers were irresponsible and did not make any effort to stay behind the DM and drifted away from the group.
It's always good to carry a safety sausage and maye a dive horn (such as DiveAlert) or a waterproof whistle. Be sure you know how to operate them.
If you are extra nervous, talk to the DM about it, letting him/her know you want to stick closeby or have the DM keep an eye on you during the dive.
You'll do fine after one drift dive.
Dive safely.

 

[jmps]

I will second doing an AOW there. I went there to do that and really enjoyed the drift diving. When it is strong it is like flying. An AOW insures you will get a night dive in on Paradise. The crab, lobster and other life on the reef at night is amazing. I was the only student on the boat and I got GREAT instruction. I came away a much better diver.

Please give us a trip report on your return. I am going to go to SCC in November with a local LDS group and would like to see how you like it. Enjoy!