Dive op for a Discover Scuba?

[tcmstr]

Hi all,

I was looking into coming down to Cozumel for a week with my girlfriend. I'm OW certified with ~25 dives, she's not.

She wants to try scuba, but her comments early in the relationship (eg. "You mean you purposely go underwater where you can't breathe if something goes wrong? Oh no.") make me worry she may end up being too nervous for it, and I'd hate to ruin the dive for others.

Is there an op on the island that takes DSDers separately from the rest of the boat, perhaps even in a pool for skills and/or from the shore for their first dive? An added bonus would be a shop that would give us the ability to book for the rest of the week if she ends up enjoying it - even if that means paying for her cert.

To put the cherry of a likely impossible situation on top, I'd love to be able to do it this coming week (21-25th or so) since our previous plans fell through. Though if it doesn't happen for this week, the information is still great to have. We work in a very flexible industry

 

[cobra269]

What my step daughter did was take a discover scuba class in the states 2 years ago with a local dive shop to see if she liked it. Then in Cozumel used Dive with Martin and did a 2 tank dive at Paradise Reef with extensive safety briefing. Of course her husband and I both certified came along with me being the official photographer. This last year she took the online class in the states and then did her dives for certification again with DWM.

 

[cicopo]

i'm pretty sure Dive Paradise does what you want at Hotel Cozumel & think Blue Angel may also fit your needs.

 

[nodakdive]

The dive op I use, Deep Blue, takes DSD divers on a shore dive first. After that the diver can do boat dives, with an instructor of course.

I think this is true of many if not most shops on the island. First dive will be from the shore.

Whichever shops you contact, tell them exactly what you're looking for and they should be able to accommodate you.

Have fun!!

 

[Christi]

Hi all,

I was looking into coming down to Cozumel for a week with my girlfriend. I'm OW certified with ~25 dives, she's not.

She wants to try scuba, but her comments early in the relationship (eg. "You mean you purposely go underwater where you can't breathe if something goes wrong? Oh no.") make me worry she may end up being too nervous for it, and I'd hate to ruin the dive for others.

Is there an op on the island that takes DSDers separately from the rest of the boat, perhaps even in a pool for skills and/or from the shore for their first dive? An added bonus would be a shop that would give us the ability to book for the rest of the week if she ends up enjoying it - even if that means paying for her cert.

To put the cherry of a likely impossible situation on top, I'd love to be able to do it this coming week (21-25th or so) since our previous plans fell through. Though if it doesn't happen for this week, the information is still great to have. We work in a very flexible industry

Any operation that is following Standards will not take a DSD Student from the boat without first doing the course with an INSTRUCTOR in shallow "pool like conditions" from the shore or a pool. Once this part is done, a DSD student can go on a boat dive with an Instructor to a maximum of 40 feet.

For those who wish to do a boat dive, i do NOT recommend starting in the pool, but rather with a shore dive which is actually in the ocean. A pool dive does not prepare anyone for the actual conditions they will be diving in.

I sent you a PM as well and look forward to hearing from you.

 

[ScubaTony]

Many dive shops will offer the DSD service like you described for your nervous girlfriend. Be sure and ask them directly about how they run their DSDs. Ask about boat size and number of students per instructor. There should not be more than 4 and usually 2 is better. In your case you might consider paying a little extra to ensure it is more private. Ask if that is an option.
How much experience does she have in the water? Is she a comfortable swimmer? Other water sports?
Many shops will have availability this coming week.
One bit of advice I might offer. Don't push her. Try not to make her feel at all pressured. I know it is hard because she knows how much diving means to you but let her know it is okay to not dive. The instructor should also give her this out. Also you will likely need a very patient instructor. Her success in this experience is completely up to her and her instructor. If he is patient and she trusts him she will have a much higher chance of success.
In my experience these type of DSDs are around 90% success. As long as she really wants to try it a good instructor can help her have a great and SAFE time her first time underwater.

 

[Dogbowl]

I’m going to suggest a DSD with one of the shops in Chankanaab park. I honestly think it is a great place to do DSDs. I did several there before I got certified. The dive is from shore in very benign conditions and there are some fish and coral to see so as to whet your girlfriend’s appetite for more. Big plus is that the Chankanaab park has great facilities onsite that you can use, such as clean washrooms, change rooms, showers, lounge chairs, restaurants, etc. And there’s no travelling between the “class” portion and the actual dive. I think all of this makes it easier for a timid newer diver to accept and begin to like diving, without overwhelming them with a dive off a boat. Only downside is the park charges an entrance fee.

I think pool DSDs aren’t as helpful because the conditions are just too unlike the open ocean.

Note that there are several dive shops in the park. My recommendation for Chankanaab is Gilmer F. Helguera. He is very responsive to messages on Facebook. He does A LOT of DSDs because of his location and he’s super patient. Ask Gilmer if he can get you a discounted entrance fee.

Gilmer F. Helguera

I will be taking my sister to Gilmer for her 2nd attempt at DSD. While her first attempt was successful (as in she completed the dive), she got scared off (so to speak) because the conditions that day were horrible - it was raining hard, so the visibility was not ideal and we had to swim into current for the first half of the dive so as to be able to drift back to the exit point during the 2nd half of the dive. This was at an open cenote on the mainland. There was no fish or coral to see. Needless to say, it was not ideal. And now I’m trying to get her to do a 2nd DSD to try and change her mind!

Once your girlfriend falls in love with diving (and I hope she does) you guys can then later venture out of the park with one of the many fine dive ops on the island!

 

[Norrm]

make me worry she may end up being too nervous for it, and I'd hate to ruin the dive for others.

You also don't want an early negative experience to scar her for life when it comes to scuba diving.

Problem is you can't control many of the variables regardless of the dive Op. If she's already wound up, anything can trigger a panic reaction, from some water in the mask to over breathing a regulator to having buoyancy difficulty and getting into that up and down cycle, to a sudden claustrophobic feeling at depth especially if the water isn't crystal clear .. I think more important than the dive Op is to get a private lesson, don't do the dive if the weather conditions are rough including waves and visibility, and make sure the instructor knows she needs to be treated with extra care to make her first experience a positive one.

 

[ggunn]

You also don't want an early negative experience to scar her for life when it comes to scuba diving.

Problem is you can't control many of the variables regardless of the dive Op. If she's already wound up, anything can trigger a panic reaction, from some water in the mask to over breathing a regulator to having buoyancy difficulty and getting into that up and down cycle, to a sudden claustrophobic feeling at depth especially if the water isn't crystal clear .. I think more important than the dive Op is to get a private lesson, don't do the dive if the weather conditions are rough including waves and visibility, and make sure the instructor knows she needs to be treated with extra care to make her first experience a positive one.

You know, this is why I don't really like the idea of Discover SCUBA dives. In a true certification, you take your time learning all the ways you can die when diving (and very importantly, how not to), and your exposure to the mechanics of diving is likewise staged so that before you move on to the next step you have gotten the chance to be comfortable with all those which have preceded it.

 

[Ron Lee]

As noted above, ask a local (home) dive shop about an intro to diving.