Diving Question Beginner C-Card

[kerrycorcoran]

I second CVChief.

You can't go wrong in Cozumel. Yes, diving there is 'drift' diving, however you will be able to handle this. With a solid OP and honest expression of your 'freshness' to the sport you'll be fine. Depth is something newbies get caught up in as well, it goes back to the OP. Bottom line is you understand the very basics of the sport and the OP will have his/her eye on you, you need to be accountable to utilize your training.

You're going to love it!

---------- Post added November 6th, 2014 at 02:59 PM ----------

Oh, forgot, Santa Rosa Wall is AWESOME!!! That was our first dive after being certified (this past November). since we have been to Roatan, Honduras and will be landing in Cozumel (again) in about 1.5 weeks. Cant wait!

 

[Ron Lee]

I just scanned the previous posts and may have missed the suggestion to hire a private divemaster your first day.

There are skills to learn with drift diving and having your own divemaster for a couple of dives should help you gain that experience quicker.

 

[mediumone]

I have a hard limit at 75 feet,

How quickly you use your air is still effected. Why go so low if your dive time is going to be so short (and as a beginner it likely isn't going to be super long to begin with).

Good to see you contributing to cvchiefs continuing education. Rumor has it, that he really needs it.

There are other things that make a difference between 60 and 90 too. Visibility isn't the only issue. Really- that it doesn't seem any different at 40 than it does at 100 can get a beginner into trouble. You need to pay attention to your depth.

As a matter of fact, it does seem different at 100 than at 40. Really? You need to pay attention to your depth? :lol:

Maybe that's why I ------ oh never mind.

 

[ggunn]

How quickly you use your air is still effected. Why go so low if your dive time is going to be so short (and as a beginner it likely isn't going to be super long to begin with).

There are other things that make a difference between 60 and 90 too. Visibility isn't the only issue. Really- that it doesn't seem any different at 40 than it does at 100 can get a beginner into trouble. You need to pay attention to your depth.

FWIW, any OW cert class worth its salt is going to thoroughly pound checking your air and depth frequently into your head. Also FWIW, not every agency's OW class is going to limit your depth as an OW diver. Mine didn't.

 

[Skittl1321]

As a matter of fact, it does seem different at 100 than at 40. Really? You need to pay attention to your depth? :lol:

Maybe that's why I ------ oh never mind.

Not sure why you quoted my depth limit. That limit is based on medical reasons. Still when a beginner asks how deep dives go- the answer is "it varies". My 75 foot limit put me above the group on a few occasions.

I haven't been to 100, I was extrapolating from Jefe's 60 is no different from 100: 60 is not different from 40, maybe something in the water drastically changes past 75 to make it look different, but 45 fsw and 75 fsw in Cozumel look identical to me. I saw our DM go into bullet dives to pull up divers who weren't paying attention to their depth and were down below 100, when she told us not to go below 85. (I believe the her words after those divers left the boat was "It was like a f***ing circus down there"). IT is easy to go deeper than you meant to when there is so much other visual stimulus. I personally watch my gauges like a hawk, because I'm paranoid, but not everyone does.

FWIW, any OW cert class worth its salt is going to thoroughly pound checking your air and depth frequently into your head.

And yet tons and tons of divers go through their air way faster than they thought they would...
My OW cert class we didn't go below 25 feet (you'd need a shovel); it was difficult to get the reality of how air consumption ACTUALLY changes with depth, despite being told over and over. Just because a dive op will take a beginner below 80 feet doesn't mean they should go. Divers need to decide that for themselves.

Also FWIW, not every agency's OW class is going to limit your depth as an OW diver. Mine didn't.

It's a suggested limit. But many OW divers think they shouldn't go below it; those divers should probably not come to Cozumel, as it would be pretty difficult to stay above 60 feet. Some ops might work with you, especially if you have a junior diver, hire a private DM, or can just stay above the group, but most dives don't stay up that high- so a beginner who may want a bit of babysitting is probably going to find themselves deeper.

 

[sealskin98]

Looks like this may turn into a peeing match.

Can we get back to the OP's original question?

It's ALL good as far as the reefs are concerned. As has been mentioned, just make sure you make the dive op. aware that it's your first time there. It should be covered on the sheet that the dive shop gives you to ask about your experience, and also the DM may ask you when you go out. Make sure you tell the DM.

As far as depth goes...they usually start the first dive of a 2 tank at about 85 fsw, then slowly go up from there, following the terrain. Second dive is usually about 30-40-60 fsw or so to start...after your SIT time. But do watch your depth gauge...I've been guilty of not watching it myself. Stay with the group, and especially the DM.

They don't want people to get hurt...they want you to come back and visit again.

FWIW, any OW cert class worth its salt is going to thoroughly pound checking your air and depth frequently into your head. Also FWIW, not every agency's OW class is going to limit your depth as an OW diver. Mine didn't.

Hi Gordan! Been awhile since I've been on here and talked to ya.

Oh, and to the OP....like has been said before...YOU'RE GONNA LOVE IT!

 

[cvchief]

Ok, I am confused. I am not sure if Medium is agreeing with me or disagreeing with me. Having dove with a lot of beginners, as a group their usual main problem is worrying about everything. If I had a dollar for every time I have heard" Can I have a pound more... No wait a pound less... no give me that pound back again." I would... well, have more dollars. Relax is the name of the game. Better air consumption, clear head should a real problem arise, and way more enjoyable. Of course I get it. I still sometimes think, "You know maybe a pound more would really tighten up my trim...." but I catch myself and shut up and dive.

As to what I have heard:

1. Air consumption is different. That applies to newbies and old salts. If you are new or old, you should check your air gauge and not run out of air. It will suck alot at either 40 or 100. And you probably hoover enough as a newbie that it will not be that big a deal. And the way we dive, Alison will be making you check your gauge and report if you are new.

2. Watch your depth. Again, applies to everyone. Newbies can as easily drop from any depth and screw the pooch. 60 vs 90 is just a 30 foot head start. And I said 60 vs 90 is relatively not that different. In Coz you can easily not notice a visible change from 60 to 90.

Me? 90 is my usual cut off as I am always on Nitrox and usually 36 and my computer tags my 1.4 limits at like 99 feet. Usually we aren't that deep anyway. I just am really careful if I am going for a photo or something that a don't drop below that.
However, every newbie on the boat has a preconceived idea on depth and where they are comfortable. I watch them start there and as the week rolls on, they lose concern for artificial limits.

My missus' nephro who is a very casual diver told her to limit to like 60 feet or something way back when we started diving. Since then he admitted he really didn't have a firm medical basis for that specific depth. It was more of a 'well, I guess I should give some limit' kind of thing.

And Ron suggestion of a private DM can be a good idea. Diving with Alison, if she has newbies, they do get more attention, because they need it. If she recognized she will have an excess of newbies, she brings another DM.

 

[stevep4444]

Roatan, Honduras

this is very good advice for a new diver IMO.There are good dive ops in Coz but overall Roatan has far superior instruction and DM's for new divers.

 

[kerrycorcoran]

this is very good advice for a new diver IMO.There are good dive ops in Coz but overall Roatan has far superior instruction and DM's for new divers.

I dove in Roatan this past April and feel, although the Dive Op was great, that the DM's were more attentive in Cozumel.

 

[DjDiverDan]

While I have been diving for about 24 years now, my first Ocean dives were in Cozumel, and I have never understood those who claim that "Cozumel isn't for beginners." In my opinion, Cozumel is GREAT for beginners, with only the following caveats: (1) there ARE some dive sites on Cozumel that are more advanced, and a good Dive Op will typically NOT take a first time diver there - Devil's Throat, Punta Sur, Barracuda, Santa Rosa Wall, etc.; (2) Depth DOES matter, but I wouldn't get too concerned about an 80 or 85 foot dive, AS LONG AS the diver is aware of depth and aware of air consumption; as CVChief quite correctly pointed out, visibility is so great in Cozumel that you can be at 80 feet, 100 feet, even 130 feet, and never feel the fear of not being able to see your DM, your group, or the surface; I'm not suggesting a planned dive to 100 feet for a brand new diver, and a new diver needs enough dives to get comfortable with all his or her skills before being taken to a site like Santa Rosa Wall with no hard bottom at all; (3) Drift Diving is, in my opinion, the easiest, most relaxing diving in the world as long as you accept that the current is your friend, it does most of the work for you, and you don't try to fight it; once you learn the basics - stay behind your DM, you don't want to have to swim against the current to get back to the group, learn to get horizontal, present a small cross-section to the current, and learn the tricks to get out of the current, like ducking behind a coral head or outcropping or getting very close to the bottom - then drift diving is great; and (4) there are times and places when the current gets too strong or too unpredictable for a rank beginner; flying over the reef at 3 or 4 knots might be great fun for an advanced diver confident in his or her skills, but it can be really frightening for a rank beginner; make certain your DM knows you are a newbie, and trust his judgment. But even with all that, I'd feel a lot more comfortable about a newbie diving a small group with a good DM in Cozumel than I would letting that diver go out on his or her own with even easy, shallow shore dives in Bonaire. A diver who panics in 25 feet of water can still kill himself. There's a lot to be said for the extra safety provided by a guided dive.