Thanks for the responses guys. I am excited about the trip, partly because of the 36 hours of “life decompression” I can experience on the trip out there. I know a few of the folks going and really looking forward to the new experience. I must admit, I am a little apprehensive about the dives, but I love new experiences and look forward to the opportunity to have some adrenaline rushes.
Preparedness
I read the preparation info on the sites and will review them when I get closer. Having hiked many multi-day backpack trips on the Appalachian Trail and a 9 day western breach summit of Kilimanjaro under my belt, I know all about not having what you need in the wilderness. I used to way over pack when I would go on dive trips and then realized I could buy whatever I needed at my destination so I have weaned away from taking everything. I am glad I had practice all of those years taking a lot of stuff. It will come in handy for this trip!
Seasick
I am thinking of trying a few different preventative remedies before the trip to see what effect they have on me. I am not prone to seasickness but would hate to have a miserable crossing. Through three NC Gulfstream dive trips and a couple of hundred Cozumel fast boat dives I have only been sea sick twice. The first was on a 3+ hour trip into the Atlantic from the SC coast with 4-6’ swells. That will teach me to stay at the House of Blues doing tequila shots until 2 the night before a dive (I knew better than to do that). The 2
nd time was a halibut fishing trip into the Cook Inlet / Gulf of Alaska. It was pretty rough fishing and only blew chunks for a few minutes and right back to fishing.
Wetsuit
I wear my 3 mil full suit in 77-82°F water temps and a 3 mil shorty if it is warmer. With 2-4 dives per day, probable rain and thermoclines I will wonder if the 3 mil and a hooded vest would work. I get free checked bags so I may buy the 5 mil and hooded vest, take my 3 mil also. That should cover any combination I would need. I doubt Leisure Pro delivers to Coco’s.
Gloves
I have heard different opinions about armored or Kevlar gloves. I bought
these 2mm gloves for the trip. They are not armored or Kevlar. Is Kevlar necessary?
Nitrox
I am Nitrox certified and usually dive it on my 2
nd tank when the planned depth is less. It seems to allow me to feel better through a week of repetitive diving. I wonder if folks bump up to deco doing so many dives to depth. I have only bumped it a few times after a few days of diving and going to 100-130’ and it goes away soon after ascending 10-20’ feet through the dive.
Air
Sorry to keep comparing to Cozumel but other than about 80 cold dark lake dives, that is where the bulk of my diving has occurred. On an “average” dive to 70’ I am down between 45 minutes to an hour. I haven’t calculated my surface air consumption in quite a while. I would consider myself average to slightly above average in the air consumption department.
SMB
I have practiced with my SMB a few times. I will let my divemaster know that I want to practice and learn from her when I go for my 7 day trip to CZM in March. I have seen firsthand that is not nearly as easy as the DM’s make it look. I usually use a thumb reel and remember to not let it drag me up. Mine is one that you blow up through a nozzle but I have seen the ones that have a Velcro opening at the bottom which allows you to purge your regulator into it. I like those because you can keep the primary in your mouth while inflating it.
Urchin stings
Can I assume that if I am wearing the leather palmed gloves I mentioned the spines will penetrate?
Can I assume that if I wear the Kevlar gloves the spines will not?
Are the spines visible if they are in your skin?
Am I correct in I remembering that they are pretty brittle?
Hiking
I am looking forward to hiking on the island. Do you think well cushioned and soled running shoes would work or do I need to bring my heavy leather hiking boots? Those are my only choices because I am not going to go buy Gortex boots just for this!
Cell service
It would be nice to be able to check in with my company (I am a small business owner) and wife while I am out there, but not super critical. I plan to use the sat phone for about $10 for about 3 minutes of conversation with the wife daily. Other than that I should be good. If I really need to call, I can just pay for the sat phone. Having said that, I have heard that there is some cell service around the island. Should I rent a cell from Costa Rica before leaving or see if Verizon roams there?
Waterfalls
Wow. IS there really a such thing as a bad waterfall/ That is going to be nice.