First Dive Trip- Tips & Tricks?

[Kryssa]

A week from today we're headed off for a week in Playa Mujeres, near Cancun. We have some dive days booked with an op highly recommended on the Mexico forum so I've come here looking for some more general info.

My plan is to check a bag with fins, my BCD, my mask and our dive lights, plus lots of clothes. I'm a little worried because we're connecting in Mexico City, but not much I can do about that, and everything in the checked bag is easily rented. I'll carry on my wetsuit, regs, camera, and computer in a rolling duffle. I have to carry on my wetsuit because I have a really hard time diving in a rental suit.

Do you guys have any advice you'd give a diver going on their first dive trip?

Thanks !!!

 

[likestodive]

You are on vacation in a foreign country. Don't expect things to necessarily run with an American sense of time. Don't get bent out of shape if things run a bit slower in Mexico than you are used to in the US. Treat the locals with respect and have fun with them and you'll probably get the same in return.

Tip the divemasters daily. Besides being the right thing to do, it will come back to you in how you are treated.

Dive with the proper amount of weight. Most new divers I see are seriously overweighted and spend alot of time and effort constantly adjusting the air in their BC.

Go slow. There isn't any reason to swim 100 mph. You'll actually see more going slow.

Don't swim with your hands. Your legs are way more powerful. Every time you use a muscle you cost yourself air.

If you haven't been to Mexico before (or even if you have), the general rule is 'if you don't peel it yourself and it is not cooked, don't eat it'. Some will disagree, but that includes the hot sauce, etc even though I can't resist. Montezuma's revenge can put a damper on a dive trip in a hurry. I've had it a few times and dove anyway but it definitely caused problems.

Suntan lotion is your friend.

When drift diving it can be important to get to the bottom relatively quickly as you can drift away from the group relatively easy. Don't waste alot of time descending. Stay with the group.

When drift diving, you can use parts of the reef to 'shelter you' from the current. In other words, if you get in front of the group, you can get behind a large coral formation and slow down. This doesn't mean to get so low as to damage the coral, but you can use the reef to help control your speed. Drift diving takes some getting used to. You get 'in the current' to go faster and out of the current to go slower.

Fighting the current while drift diving is a waste of effort and air.

Listen carefully to the dive briefing. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Follow what the divemaster says - but that doesn't mean you can 'leave your brain on the boat'.

Carry a safety sausage.

Have fun.

 

[Mike Boswell]

Likestodive just about covered everything. I would only add:

Airplanes are full of cold viruses - wash your hands, don't touch anything, wash your hands again, don't touch your face, wash your hands...

Make sure you do a checkout dive as soon as you can - get your gear and weighting all dialed in before you jump off a boat into a current with eight other people.

Take any meds you might need with you.

Take OFF with you. Use it.

Don't touch the stinging coral or the electric rays.

If your tank connection leaks (hisses) even a tiny bit, make them fix it NOW.

Always check your tank pressure before the dive. Every dive.

Stay with your buddy, and stay close.

Put valuables in the hotel safe.

 

[Kryssa]

What is an average tip for the DM? How much would you tip if you thought they did an exceptional job?

 

[annlaur]

Never really had an issue at the Mexico city airport, except the great variety of shops there has had a pretty negative impact on my bank account… :blinking:
Actually, once my flights was delayed because they hand searched each and every carry-on item or purse, but they didn't fuss over silly stuff like perfume or water or tweezers, and it was only that one time.
On the way back, you can just check in your luggage in Cancun and retrieve it at your final destination. No need to do the bag retrieval and rechecking in Mexico City.

Talking about luggage, I wouldn't check in the mask, because (1) it could break unless it were in a very sturdy box and (2) rental masks that fit well and don't leak can be hard to come buy.

I'd also forget bringing lots of clothes. You'll mainly be underwater and on the beach, right ? By the end of your vacation, you'll realize you haven't worn half of the stuff you brought. But then chances are even the unworn items will get dirty/sandy/wrinkled in the suitcase and you'll spend your last day of vacation at home doing laundry…

Enjoy your trip !


PS : I usually tip 100 pesos per tank, so 200 pesos per 2-tank dive.

 

[Roko]

If you can find biodegradable sun-tan lotion before you leave, buy some... Nothing worse than the nice sheen of suntan lotion that appears on the surface of cenotes in the region if you go swimming in one... Ditto for the ocean....

If you think a dive is going to go beyond your ability, talk to your DM about it before the dive, and don't be afraid to thumb a dive if you're not comfortable pushing your limits...

And, enjoy!

 

[Kryssa]

On the way back, you can just check in your luggage in Cancun and retrieve it at your final destination. No need to do the bag retrieval and rechecking in Mexico City.

Hold on a moment... do we have to pick up our checked luggage and re-check it during our stop over in Mexico city on the way there? We only have 1 hr 45 min layover. I hope we aren't cutting it close !!!

We have done this exact trip before with no checked luggage, so this isn't something we've ever thought about before!

 

[annlaur]

Kryssa, sorry but I actually don't know for sure about how it works on the way in.

I usually fly from France with a stop in the US where I have to retrieve my luggage and clear US immigration just so I can recheck the luggage and catch a connecting flight to Cancun…
I only stop in Mexico City on the way back from Cancun to go visit my friends in the Bay Area for a few days before heading back to Paris.

Since Mexico City will be your first stop aka your entry point in the country, and you will be connecting to a national flight, then chances are you'll have to go through immigration there. But it's just a guess on my part.

At any case, 1h45 should be enough (I had about the same time window once connecting in Miami and still had time to go out of the terminal to smoke a cig and go back in through security). And if you've bought the tickets as a whole (and not separate legs), you should be protected in case you can't make the connection because of flight delays.

 

[HJeffreyM]

Kryssa, if you've done this trip before, then you already know where you will need to clear Mexican customs. If you've previously cleared in Cancun, then there will be no need to recheck your luggage. If you have to clear in Mexico City, you will be short on time.

You are correct as to what to check and what to carry-on. Generally, if you can't do without it, bring it with you on the plane.

Who with you be diving with? I can highly recommend Ben Mooney. He's based in Cancun. His company, Scorpio Divers, does personal diving throughout the Riviera Maya.

Oh...likestodive is quite correct about using the reef to get out of the current. You can get between reef areas into sand "fingers" where you can be sheltered from the current entirely. It can be interesting to get into these areas and watch what drifts by YOU! Ask your DM.

Learn how to deploy a SMB from depth and carry it, and a thumb reel with you on every drift dive. A loud whistle is a good idea as well.

Have a great trip and happy diving!

 

[TSandM]

First off, you'll have fun. Relax, pay attention to the dive briefings, and remember your training.

Second, this is Mexico. That's not a truism -- it's what I say to myself, every time something doesn't happen on time, or something is broken, or it appears that something you think ought to be trivial just can't be done. It's Mexico. Things work differently, and sometimes not at all. There are many compensations for the minor irritants.

I personally have very little trouble with my gut there, but it's good to know that Cipro and Phenergan are available OTC in the farmacias. Or bring them with you. My husband has one bad day every trip.

The best food is found off the beaten path. A lot of the food in the tourist areas has nothing to do with the indigenous food of the region, but is "Mexican food" for Americans.

Diving-wise, realize that the guides will be accustomed to dealing with novice and infrequent divers. If you have any worries, voice them. Don't allow yourself to be rushed, getting your equipment ready, gearing up, or doing BUDDY CHECKS. We have found dive ops around the world are nonplussed by our doing checks, and often try to rush us into the water. It's your dive, you paid for it -- do it safely.