Advice for a newbie : buying tank packages ahead

[Divingblueberry]

Hello everybody

I’ll be flying to Cozumel at the end of July and will be staying at the Occidental. I am a newly OW diver and got 0 dives so far, so it’ll be my first diving trip. Planning to go with Pro Dive as they are the resort’s dive shop (so very convenient) and also because I read pretty good reviews here.

Looking at Pro Dive’s website, I see that there’s a 10% off if you book online. I am interested in saving money (who wouldn’t be ? ) and buy one of their 2 tank dive package. Thing is, I have no clue on how many dives a newbie like me can do in a day. My guess is 2 dives a day (so roughly 8 dives) but I’d like to have your opinion on this. Is it realistic ? Is there anything I should consider before buying the packages ahead of time ?

Thanks very much in advance for your advices and comments.

 

[mstevens]

If you go out on most boats in the morning, they'll do 2 dives before returning to the dock whether you do both dives or not. Some people also do an afternoon or twilight dive or night dive.

Cozumel sites tend to be deep, so you have to watch your accumulated nitrogen load over the course of your diving. That's one factor that limits most people to 3-4 dives per day. The other is the times that boats go out.

I tend to be fairly wiped out after a morning of diving. In fact, I don't dive every day these days and enjoy some time doing other things.

Nothing wrong with ProDive, but any of the smaller boutique shops that most of us here prefer will be equally convenient - they'll pick you up at the dock there, etc. I like small, fast boats.

 

[ReefHound]

Most people do a 2-tank trip in the morning. Some do afternoon trips but those are more subject to availability (which depends on how many want to go). You may be willing to do an afternoon trip as well but they aren't likely to go out if it's just you.

As for booking ahead, see what the policy is if a day gets canceled due to weather. Do you get a refund or credit? A credit may not do much for you if you have no open days to use it and won't be back to Coz for a few years.

 

[Divingblueberry]

If you go out on most boats in the morning, they'll do 2 dives before returning to the dock whether you do both dives or not. Some people also do an afternoon or twilight dive or night dive.

Cozumel sites tend to be deep, so you have to watch your accumulated nitrogen load over the course of your diving. That's one factor that limits most people to 3-4 dives per day. The other is the times that boats go out.

I tend to be fairly wiped out after a morning of diving. In fact, I don't dive every day these days and enjoy some time doing other things.

Nothing wrong with ProDive, but any of the smaller boutique shops that most of us here prefer will be equally convenient - they'll pick you up at the dock there, etc. I like small, fast boats.

Thanks for your great response. It helps me clarify many things. One of them being how the morning and afternoon dives work "they'll do 2 dives before returning to the dock whether you do both dives or not". That is very helpful.

(So many things to learn at once! But it is very exciting !!!)

 

[Divingblueberry]

As for booking ahead, see what the policy is if a day gets canceled due to weather. Do you get a refund or credit? A credit may not do much for you if you have no open days to use it and won't be back to Coz for a few years.

That is a very good point! Thanks for the reminder.

Maybe I could buy a 3x 2Tank Package and add more if need be. I may have to stay on the boat if one of the dives is a deep dive ( 60' + ) or, if lucky, do both in the morning.

 

[Christi]

As a new diver, I would HIGHLY encourage you to start with a shop that runs smaller groups AND hire a private DM for at least your first day. ProDive is a high volume resort operation - so larger groups, more people on the boat and less personal attention - which is no bueno for a brand new diver, particularly for a brand new diver who has never been on a dive boat or logged an ocean drift dive.

It's no less convenient if you go with a shop that doesn't require you to come to town for check-in and it will be a MUCH safer and more enjoyable experience for you to be in a smaller group with more personalized attention. In fact, one of these valet shops will be more convenient because not only will they pick you up at the hotel pier, they will keep your gear for you instead of you having to haul it back and forth, wash it and shove it in a stinky dive locker.

 

[2airishuman]

Looking at Pro Dive’s website, I see that there’s a 10% off if you book online. I am interested in saving money (who wouldn’t be ? ) and buy one of their 2 tank dive package. Thing is, I have no clue on how many dives a newbie like me can do in a day. My guess is 2 dives a day (so roughly 8 dives) but I’d like to have your opinion on this. Is it realistic ? Is there anything I should consider before buying the packages ahead of time ?

Coz has dozens of dive operators, most of them very good. You may want to keep your options open, or at least consider some of the most highly regarded operators, before locking in a week of dives with an operator you do not know.

In most dive destinations, the usual rhythm is that the boats go out for 2 dives in the morning and 2 dives in the afternoon, and sometimes a night dive trip in the evening if they have enough people who want to go. This rhythm varies a little bit from one place to the next depending on depth and distance to the reefs. One prominent operator on Cozumel, for example, runs one-tank dives in the afternoon.

Don't go on a trip with the intention of staying on the boat for one of the dives. Instead, find an operator who will put you on a boat where both of the dives match your abilities and interests.

 

[outofofficebrb]

I took my buddy after he was newly OW certified to Cozumel and we stayed at the Occidental and also dived with Pro Dive. We were staying with them and using the Ultimate Dive package...It was lodging, food, diving all-in. I can't remember exactly what it was called. It basically allowed us to purchase additional dives to the 1 free one we got per day at something like $37 per dive. (Don't quote me on the exact price, it has been a few years and memory does not serve me well.) We did it that way because the package was already a good deal and that allowed us to have the flexibility to add on dives at almost the package price without committing to a package and wasting dives if he felt that he could not handle multiple tanks per day on his first official dive trip and dives after OW.

If the dive package that we bought with all-inclusive full-board is not available, you can see if you can transfer the dives between people if you are going as a couple or a group. For example, if my friend and I bought a 20 tank package and it turns out he doesn't want to dive very much per day, I could use those tanks and dive 4 tanks per day to use the 20 tanks up if he only wants to dive 2 per day. They do 2 tanks in the AM and 2 in the PM and come back between the 2 sets of tanks.

As others have mentioned, nitrox would be beneficial here. When I was there a few years ago, you could do up to 5 dives a day. 4 day dives and night dive.

 

[Divingblueberry]

Coz has dozens of dive operators, most of them very good. You may want to keep your options open, or at least consider some of the most highly regarded operators, before locking in a week of dives with an operator you do not know.

In most dive destinations, the usual rhythm is that the boats go out for 2 dives in the morning and 2 dives in the afternoon, and sometimes a night dive trip in the evening if they have enough people who want to go. This rhythm varies a little bit from one place to the next depending on depth and distance to the reefs. One prominent operator on Cozumel, for example, runs one-tank dives in the afternoon.

Don't go on a trip with the intention of staying on the boat for one of the dives. Instead, find an operator who will put you on a boat where both of the dives match your abilities and interests.

Thanks for your reply. It's quite helpful. The number of operators and (sometimes) lack of information on the websites make it a bit challenging though. I'll continue my research.

 

[Divingblueberry]

It's no less convenient if you go with a shop that doesn't require you to come to town for check-in and it will be a MUCH safer and more enjoyable experience for you to be in a smaller group with more personalized attention. In fact, one of these valet shops will be more convenient because not only will they pick you up at the hotel pier, they will keep your gear for you instead of you having to haul it back and forth, wash it and shove it in a stinky dive locker.

Thanks Christie. Your answer is much appreciated. I would indeed prefer smaller boats for many reasons. That being said, I was under the impression that the pier was solely for the hotel's shop. I was mistaken.