Diving Question Beginner C-Card

[aballworth]

I just received my c-card and wondering the best places for a beginner to dive? Does anyone have experiece diving different reefs and reccomend one? My instructor said drift diving there is amazing. Does anyone know where this is done and the max depth?

 

[Kharon]

The absolute best diver I ever met gave me this advice: "Your card is a learners permit. You need to practice all those skills you were introduced to till you have them down to a conditioned reflex. Do only one at a time till you perfect it before you move on the next. First buoyancy, then trim, then ...And always, ALWAYS minimize your task load."

Were I you, I would simply dive my a$$ off and practice. I have yet to dive anywhere that I wasn't awed to be breathing underwater and able to go anywhere I wanted. I still get a kick out of being able to (and I practice this regularly) hang verticle, head down like a trumpet fish. IMNSHO reefs should be protected from beginners who have questionable buoyancy skills, etc.

 

[Skittl1321]

I dove Cozumel as my first "real" dives after certifying in Iowa. I did try to get a number of local dives in (even though they kinda sucked...nothing to see and cold), but with it already being November, that option is mostly out for you now.

I booked with an op who had a good reputation in reviews as being great for beginners. Over the 5 days we dove 10 different sites and every one of them was great. I believe we did Palancar Gardens and Columbia Shallows the first day- and those were fabulous easy sites. They might not be everyday depending on the current, I don't know. Let your DM decide what's best any given day.

Most of the dives in Cozumel go below 60 feet, that your certification recommends as a max depth. It is up to you to decide if you want to do that. I tell the dive ops I have a hard limit at 75 feet, and so far I have not had any problems, but the group was sometimes below my buddy and I.

We never had really swift currents, but the currents we did have were fun. If anything I'm annoyed now when I actually have to swim to get somewhere.

In Cozumel it is very easy to hire a private DM to go with you. They can help teach you the ins and outs on your first day.

 

[shardison]

Roatan, Honduras

 

[sharky60]

Recommending exact dive sites might not be fair to you, as your skills may or may not allow you to dive them.

ALL our dives are drift dives on Cozumel. The Marine Park runs South to North along the island, between the island and the Yucatan, so there is a constant flow of current passing, through the channel allowing us to drift dive. This brings massive amounts of nutrients from the Caribbean Sea to the reef and is why our reefs are so healthy and abundant with life.


Certain times of the year, the currents are tricky and can change directions (sometimes several times during a dive & even flow up and down the reef!), but in general, the current flows South to North and isn't super strong.

Some people get the impression that drift diving is a "fast" process, when USUALLY, the current is at a very slow & mild pace, and it is more of a gentile ride, slowly drifting along the reef at a pace where it is easy to see the reef life. Although there are occasions when the current is strong and it IS more like flying ... which can be fun in it's own right!

a reputable dive operator will take you out the first day or 2 to "easy" dive sites and evaluate your dive efficiency and then take you to dive sites that are appropriate for your level of expertise.

this will not take away anything from your dive experience on Cozumel. All the dive sites are amazing in their own right, shallow or deep, wall or "gardens" & mid-shelf reefs.

Be sure to let your dive op know when you make your reservation that you are a novice AND again when you arrive and check-in with them, just to make sure they know where you are coming from.

If at any point you feel uncomfortable with a dive selection, or profile the DM is giving, don't hesitate to speak up. Making a change so every one can have a good dive should be no problem for a good dive op & dive master. Ultimately your safety is your responsibility as a diver, so don't feel shy about speaking up on the boat or at the dive shop.


Tips on finding a dive op on Cozumel ... A Shark Tank radio show segment made form an independent poll taken here on the ScubaBoard & interviewing people I know who dive on the island.

Sharky's top dive op reco's ... a far from complete list of dive ops on the island, but the list runs the gambit of pricing and services.

...welcome to the family!

 

[MMM]

Hi there. I've probably dived every one of the popular dive sites in Cozumel many, many times over and I like nearly every last one of them. There are, however, lots of debates about whether or not Cozumel is a good place for beginner divers. That said, LOADS of novice divers come here and enjoy themselves and the diving IS awesome. The water is warm, clear, and service is nearly always excellent. I used to do a fair bit of shore diving in front of Blue Angel which is about 15-20 feet. Since that is outside of the Marine Park, you can do that without a guide; it will give you a good taste of what you can see but I would get pretty bored pretty fast if that was all that I dived for my entire diving vacation.

It is, however, not really a shore diving place, and nearly everything is done from a boat. So, as one single person on the boat with one single vote, you really can't pick and choose the sites. When contacting a dive operator to book with make it very clear to them that you are a brand new diver and you need to be put on a boat where sites will be selected accordingly. Boat dive sites run from 30 feet deep to 130+ with the most usual in the 60-80 foot range. They are done as multi-level dives. Most popular sites - and there are many, many of them - are in the Marine Park, which is located on the west side of the island, starting around mid-point and running all the way past the southern tip. Probably the easiest one is Colombia Shallows, which is only 30 feet deep and seldom has much current; it is generally done as a second dive. There are diving sites outside of the Marine Park but not many are good for a beginner.

 

[ggunn]

I just want to amplify a point that Marg and Mark made, which is to make sure that whichever dive op you go out with, they have an accurate assessment of your experience level - and that goes for all of us no matter how much we dive. There is always the temptation to inflate your experience so as not to appear to your fellow divers as a such a newbie, but resist that temptation, else you may find yourself in a diving situation for which you are ill prepared. That can be life-threatening. Stretch your comfort zone, sure, but a little at a time.

As you continue diving you will encounter the occasional chest beater (strokes, we call them) who no matter where you have dived, for how deep and how long, he (it's almost always a "he") has done you one better. Don't be one of those guys. Diving is not a competitive sport.

Have fun on Cozumel!

 

[Darol]

My GF certified in Cozumel, diving with Hector Reyes who was working with ScubaDu at that time. We made a number of shore dives on the sunken barge behing El Presidente. A great place to practice, shallow, close to shore, and like most of Coz diving, ya just never know who ya might run into....

 

[cvchief]

It is awesome as a beginner. That is the way I did it. As for depth, I personally wouldn't get tied up in that. In Coz with the clear water, 60 or 90 are not that different. The hard part of equalizing and pressure changes is less as you go deeper. With my slightly sensitive ears, I would way rather roll up and down over a reef at 70-80 than 30.

Biggest thing is get a good op and not some cattleboat. Small group and such. There are many terrific ones. I love Scuba with Alison and she is really good with newbies.

 

[Skittl1321]

As for depth, I personally wouldn't get tied up in that. In Coz with the clear water, 60 or 90 are not that different.

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.