Going to Cozumel alone

[AZjohn]

Hmmm, haven't really thought about this for my upcoming "solo" trip to Cozumel. I have told the two different dive ops I will be using my experiance and what I'm looking for in the dives and just kind of figured they will buddy me up to someone similar. Now saying this, it's been my experiance that one buddy will always be lower in air than the other. But, there is no way I'm going to let some yahoo after 20 minutes call the dive because he sucked his tank dry. Just haven't even thought about it until this thread.

As what was already posted, I think I will just buddy up with DM or another pair of divers if that happens.

Cheers,
John

 

[theskull]

I have solved this in the past by seeking out the divemaster, giving a generous tip, and asking for his/her help in pairing me up with a buddy who had commensurate experience. Always paid off.

theskull

 

[Queen Triggerfish]

Thanks for your stories. Last year, I arrived in Cozumel on Sat at 5pm...on the boat Sun at 8 am....rescuing (which I am not qualified to do) a panicked diver by 9am with equipment failure who was on his way up...fast...no out of air signal...no attempt to buddy breathe.....Back on the boat was much drama with him saying that I had saved his life....the DM said nothing...the dive shop gave the guy my
email address...he wanted to date me...I did not have the heart to tell him that I would never date a man who panicked....next day I went with a different dive op...

The dive shop gave him your email address? Oh my gosh, I would be SO mad! They have no right to do that (heck, at least I think they don't). If they really wanted to help him make a love connection, they could have offered to email you to pass along his address then you could have decided. Anyhow ...

Do you know when you're going or who you're diving with? I'm starting to think the Cozumel thread should have some sort of buddy-pairing system. I'm thinking about going by myself mid-June. I don't panic and I'm good on air.

The only times I've been on a boat without a buddy in Coz was because my regular buddy decided to not do the afternoon dive, so perhaps the shop already "knew" me. In those cases, they just let me pair up with the Dive Master. I'm good at staying where I'm supposed to anyhow. That was with Dive Paradise.

 

[Mossman]

Do some dive ops really assign buddies or enforce buddy pairing? I just show up on the boat and stick with the group, never had anyone bug me about having a buddy on my last three solo trips there.

 

[Ron Lee]

I use the same ocean buddy concept. Yours could be the divemaster. Note that this involves risk.

What if you have an equipment problem? Are you self-reliant?

What happens in a swim through? If you are not with a buddy, you might consider going in after the DM or at least not at the end. In two or three recent fatalities, no one knows or is admitting what happened to the deceased. I think that in two the person "vanished." In those cases the buddy system may have failed.

If I were paired with a person that had to surface after 20-30 minutes, I would either surface with that person to see them safely on the boat or remain 30 feet down and observe them get on the boat. Since a newbie might not be able to avoid being hit by a boat, surfacing with them makes the most sense. Then when they are on the boat, continue my dive. The group should be detectable.

I do not recall that ever happening. The closest was a woman who had to ascend for a reason I do not recall. I advised the divemaster that I would go up with her. It was close to the end of the dive so I got out as well.

 

[Skittl1321]

I use the same ocean buddy concept.

Do the time zones make this tough to coordinate?

 

[DenbyS]

I'm going down next week. Wife doesn't dive. Unless the operator makes it an issue, I just plan to dive the group.

 

[nodakdive]

To avoid the bad instabuddy, talk to the shop beforehand, as with everything else. If they don't know what you want, they can't help you get what you want. Talk to the DM about it too.

Sounds to me like you were with a "cookie cutter" operation. I'd say "large", but there are "large" dive ops there that don't operate in a cookie cutter fashion. There may also be small dive operations that function that way too, but it would surprise me.

As others have illustrated, there are lots of strategies that get employed to ensure that an instabuddy doesn't have you sitting on the boat with lots of air and NDL left.


-Blair

 

[Christi]

Maybe I am reading this wrong, but some of you seem to think that it is the dive op's responsibility to provide you a buddy if you don't have one.

If you are traveling alone to Cozumel, and don't have a dive buddy - you need to either hire a private DM or drop the ego and go with the flow and dive with the group on the boat.

It is not the dive ops responsibility to assign you or provide a buddy for you - unless you specifically request a private DM and are willing to pay for that extra service.

I know that I personally require a private DM for new or nervous divers that are not comfortable with their buoyancy, doing their own safety stop, etc. This is something established in the reservation process or when checking in (preferably the former).

If diving with a small group, it's a "group dive" for the most part anyway.

And, as Mossman pointed out - it is also not the other paying divers responsibility or obligation to buddy up with someone they do not know Agreed 1000%

 

[gopbroek]

Cozumel is drift diving led by a guide / DM. This is usually a loose blob, I am jaded in only having dived with BA and 3P and both will use good judgment and allow the divers to pair up or not to there comfort level. If a diver lacks experience they usually spot it right off and take charge and make arraignments as necessary.