Good dives for kids in Cozumel?

[wreckchick]

Not to hijack this thread, but if you want good shallow diving for kids, the Florida Keys reef system is all about 20-25' max and is ideal for novice divers. Might be worth looking into a trip here if you want to dive with juniors.

Rachel

 

[Christi]

Ah I misunderstood. Not being purposely obtuse, but when you say DM, do you mean they would stay shallower with the kids on the boat dives or they would lead the shore dives in the locations where the currents are stronger?

I ask because we did our OW check dives at Villa Blanca and it seemed ok for my daughter and niece. Is that dive indicative of the currents at all of the shore dive locations or perhaps its one of the milder ones?

Yes, a private DM would stay with them at a shallower depth from the boat...there are several reefs where they could enjoy a 40 foot depth while the others do 80 feet or more...ie: Palancar gardens, palancar Horseshoe, Palancar caves, San Francisco, Tormentos, yucab, Chankanaab, Paradise, Tunich, columbia shallows, and there are others.

The shore dive from Villa Blanca can be really mild and manageable, or the current be strong enough to require you to a drift dive, therefore planning and knowing how to find the exit point. The difference in them doing this shore dive for certification dives and doing a shore dive by themselves or with you is that they were with a trained professional before...again, I do not recommend shore diving alone in cozumel for new divers, particularly children. This may be my conservative and safety mindset coming out...but I wouldn't be comfortable with this at all.

Does that clear things up???

 

[Dectek]

What you are asking about seems to be the average "Afternoon Dive" on the reefs off the mainland. From PTO Morelos down to Tulum the 2:00 dive always seems to be in the 30-38 foot range. A couple ferry rides to PDC may be in order for this trip.

 

[Jarrett]

Thanks for all the info, I really appreciate it.

 

[ggunn]

Ah I misunderstood. Not being purposely obtuse, but when you say DM, do you mean they would stay shallower with the kids on the boat dives or they would lead the shore dives in the locations where the currents are stronger?

I ask because we did our OW check dives at Villa Blanca and it seemed ok for my daughter and niece. Is that dive indicative of the currents at all of the shore dive locations or perhaps its one of the milder ones?

I don't speak for Christi, but I am familiar with the area around Villablanca. The current there, as with all locations near the shore of Cozumel, is highly variable. I have been out on Villablanca at times when there was no current and at other times when it was fairly ripping. It can change pretty rapidly, too.

When my daughter was first cert'ed at 13, we took her to Cozumel, and we were able to schedule all 40-60 foot dives with the op with no problem. There are lots of those and she did fine. Scheduling 20-30 foot boat dives, however, will probably be problematic for you. In order not to have to charter a boat for yourselves or hire a private DM, the kids need at least to be able to keep up with novice adults.

 

[nwdiver2]

As a photographer I have had good success with long 40 foot dives on Columbia (or Colombia) Shallows. We would set it up to spend both dives there.