First Time to CCV with Wife & jr divers

[Bali1]

Thanks Doc. I was hoping you would drop by this post. Another Chicagoan here BTW.

I am not at all worried about the lack of other amenities on site. They have seen the resort pictures and we have discussed the trip thoroughly so I think that is a non-issue. There are off-site things to do as well, zip lines and such.

I like the boat set up and think it will suit us fine. Multiple entry points so we get into the water faster and the center well sounds great. I am really looking for a relaxed and safe environment - that alone will alleviate 90% of my wife's concern. She has handled Cozumel and Indonesia boats dives just fine. It was, however, a Florida Keys dive where the water was cold, there was nothing to see and the transom/ladders looked like they were moving 5 feet vertically. She got no help from the boat crew either so that complicated things as well. It was a tough exit and really dampened her enthusiasm. Now with the kids involved crew helpfulness and attentiveness will go a long way in promoting relaxation and enjoyment.

 

[robint]

Bali1 - you won't find a place more relaxing than CCV. It isn't fancy, but very relaxing.

 

[Oldbear]

When we stayed a week at AKR last spring, on a few rainy nights we watched Netflix on my IPad...

Bali1, I know you said your kids were really into diving, but kids will be kids; CCV (so Doc has told me) and AKR both have WiFi and a movie might be nice for them a couple of times a week

 

[robint]

There is nightly entertainment at CCV after dinner every night... children's dance group, live music, etc.
But I would definitely think about taking a laptop and some movies. There is a TV set and DVD player upstairs at the clubhouse... I have seen people watching movies there.

 

[diversteve]

W As bad as some people might believe it is, if they had tried it, maybe they wouldn't be so scared of the only boats in the dive industry that had holes in the middle of them.

Actually they're not. I've been on a zodiac with a hole in the middle. In Hawaii. There's another operation in the Lesser Antilles - maybe St. Croix? - that has hard boats with center wells also.

The point was that the OP articulated that his wife had some unspecified (at the time) anxieties about boat diving. It seemed reasonable to alert him in case she had concerns about swimming under the boat. I happen to like it - shortest distance between two points - but I've seen others circle around the perimeter.

A chamber 45 minutes away is as sufficient as one on premises.

Seriously it's not. From DAN (my bolding):

In many cases of decompression illness, the response to therapy is related to the time between symptom onset and chamber recompression. Divers must do everything they can to assure rapid first-aid measures -- which includes the use of 100 percent oxygen -- and evaluation leading to chamber therapy.

Explain why bent divers get taken away in ambulances, not the family station wagon. Seems like if you're right - what's the rush?

Be grounded in fact.

 

[Doc]

I'll shut up now...

You're such a tease.

 

[diversteve]

Him not you..

No hard feelings Doc. I just couldn't let that go...

 

[Bali1]

You guys can settle this elsewhere.....

Seriously though thanks for the ideas. I'm torn between so many good choices. How awful!:blinking:

From what it sounds like though no one is saying the DIVING would be wrong for my group in any of these places.

Bonaire will have to wait for now - - rocky shore entry is a major detriment at this particular time. Curacao will go onto the future list for consideration. Roatan South just sounds too good to pass up. After this trip our depth limit can be extended to 70 feet since the youngest will be jr. AOW age.

Truly everyone thanks for the info. Whichever resort we use - sounds like really great diving.

 

[large_diver]

My 2 centavos...

I've been to CCV 2x = 2012 and 2013. Both trips were with my daughter = 15 and 16 during the 2 trips. She was certified during the first trip and did about 10 dives during the week due to some ear problems. During trip 2 I think she got in 19 dives.

As other have said, the dive operation and the diving itself are great for newbies. The CCV instructor staff are very experienced and patient. Ocean conditions-permitting, almost all of the dive sites are suitable for newbies. Mooring tends to be in shallower water (approx 25 feet). Most sites involve some amount of wall diving, with the top of the Wall anywhere from 25-35 feet. This lets you easily choose to stay as shallow as you like but still follow the DM and the rest of the group with no problems. There are some sites with deeper cracks and swim throughs...but with my newbie daughter we tended to stay on top of the crack or wall - again, no prob. DMs are excellent and do a good job at sheperding the group despite a range of abilities. Shore diving is great and gives you the option of starting with some good quality shore dives and getting the kids comfortable before heading out on the boats.

Since you mentioned buoyancy improvement for the kids...the CCV instructors run a buoyancy clinic every week. I haven't taken it myself, but have seen/heard many very positive comments.

CCV is very, very safe, located on it's own peninsula, really accessible only by boat. Most employees have been with CCV for a long time and those that are new tend to stay. I left my daughter alone at the resort on multiple occasions when I was diving and she was too tired...felt pretty comfortable doing this. That said, she is a few years older than your kids.

Yes there isn't much to do at CCV other than dive and snorkel. The clubhouse includes a pool table, a ping pong table and a range of board/card games. There are kayaks that are always available. You can also think about outings off of the resort such as zip line adventures or one of the dolphin experiences at anthony's key resort.

My daughter has absolutely loved the CCV experience and we are already making plans to go back in 2014. That said, it really depends on what you and your kids will be happy with. If you are focused heavily on diving and snorkeling.....regardless of age, CCV is really hard to beat.

Hope this helps.

Chris

From our 2012 trip:


---------- Post added May 25th, 2013 at 05:40 PM ----------

But I would definitely think about taking a laptop and some movies. There is a TV set and DVD player upstairs at the clubhouse... I have seen people watching movies there.

Yes - having a laptop is also nice for this. CCV does have wifi and it seems avail in most rooms (we were able to access from both rooms we stayed in).

 

[jjach]

I've been thinking about this subject for awhile. My wife and I each have about 100 dives in, so we are still new divers. My granddaughter just turned 9 this month. She is doing her seal team diving, and just loves it. She is asking where we are going to take her when she gets certified at 10 years old. We have been to Roatan twice but not to CCV. Just got back from Bonaire a few weeks ago . Can't wait to go back there.. She will get certified in a cold quarry around Chicago. Same place I got certified. Once she gets certified we would like to take her somewhere diving, but not sure where the best place would be. We do understand that she will be limited to 40 ft. I have no problem staying that shallow. To me, that's where the good stuff is. So if anyone has any other suggestions, I would love to hear from you.
Jeff