Question Jr. Open water diver

[Mpscubatoytech]

I am thinking about a trip to Cozumel for my family. There are 2 divers and 2 non divers. 1 diver is a Jr open water and is limit to 40 feet and maybe 60 feet if she turns 12 before the trip happens. I am looking for info the last time i was there was in 2004 when i was helping out with leading a shop trip for a long weekend. What OPS are good that are not cattle boats and have worked with Jr divers? Where to stay so the 2 non divers can has alot of water time and fun when we are diving? I am not planing on renting a car so an all incluvice will be nice.

 

[cicopo]

Check with Blue Project re the young one.

 

[glennster]

check out scuba club cozumel. nice facility, all inclusive, great food, shore diving and private beach on the property.

 

[ggunn]

check out scuba club cozumel. nice facility, all inclusive, great food, shore diving and private beach on the property.

Also consider Blue Angel.

 

[Shawn C]

Walter, from Sharky's, was absolutely brilliant with our 13 year old daughter last month. So much so that I hugged him mid water column . I don't think I could give a better recommendation than that lol.

 

[f28pilot]

We have taken our three Jr OWDivers to CZM and have had a blast. We went with Tres Pelicanos (Three Pelicans, 3P) with each of them. Definitely not cattle boats and they will let you dive to your comfort level.

We waited until our kids were 12 before going so that they had a bit more maturity to handle the potentially unusual situations that ocean diving can throw at them. We also had them dive 15-20 shallow local dives here in MN/WI so that they could concentrate more on enjoying the dive rather than learning on expensive vacation time. I think that was well worth it as they were proficient enough to handle their own gear and had buoyancy under control so that they could enjoy swimthroughs and were not startled or worried if they lost sight of Mom or Dad for a minute or two. (That happens, usually because we were above or below them, not because we ever left them on their own.) Parents are definitely responsible for their kids there and with that responsibility comes the privilege of bending the padi guidelines to your comfort level.

In most cases it's possible to stay at a shallower depth than the main group if you are concerned about depth. An even better way is to request a private divemaster, most operations will be able to help you with this. You might consider this for the first day or two until the JrOWD is comfortable with the currents, boats, wildlife, etc. The cost is relatively cheap for very personalized attention and you can rejoin the main group when you are comfortable. Our kids took to it like fish to water (so to speak!) and by about day three we would just let them be part of the group. The private divemaster lets you dive at your own pace and comfort level without worrying about irritating divers who want to go deeper/longer/etc. I'll put in a strong recommendation of going that way for at least the first day.

Hope that helps!
Steve

 

[Kendall Raine]

I really like Aldora Divers. Good boats. Good guides. Good organization. Been around for decades. They operate from the Aqua Safari's pier in San Miguel but can pick up/drop at your hotel south of town. Caters to more experienced (relative term) divers, but they also teach kids courses and it could be worth contacting them to discuss whether it would work for your daughter.

Aldora Divers | Scuba Diving | Cozumel

Cozumel's Number 1 full service Scuba Diving shop. Fast boats, small tailored groups of matched scuba experience, long dives, 70 minutes minimum on our HP steel tanks. Discover only the best scuba diving in Cozumel with Aldora Divers.

www.aldora.com

 

[horn34]

I really like Aldora Divers. Good boats. Good guides. Good organization. Been around for decades. They operate from the Aqua Safari's pier in San Miguel but can pick up/drop at your hotel south of town. Caters to more experienced (relative term) divers, but they also teach kids courses and it could be worth contacting them to discuss whether it would work for your daughter.

Aldora Divers | Scuba Diving | Cozumel

Cozumel's Number 1 full service Scuba Diving shop. Fast boats, small tailored groups of matched scuba experience, long dives, 70 minutes minimum on our HP steel tanks. Discover only the best scuba diving in Cozumel with Aldora Divers.

www.aldora.com

Aldora has many, many years of experience with young and new divers. Nat even taught my girlfriend to swim.