May - June 2017 Roll Call

[sharky60]

Is it your camera or is that house a little Escher-esque?

my friend Amethyst, (Barefoot Sally) lives in one of these cute little places. Great location, just about 3-4 blocks off the Milgar

 

[sefuchs]

@ Jenni7748 - I agree w/ggunn, let your Dive OP decide where to go. Hopefully it will be with the DM that certifies you since he will know your skills & weaknesses the best. Remember that getting certified is just the starting point, you have been introduced to the basics now you really need to learn diving. Get as much underwater time as possible and don't be lured into the more challenging dives way south (like Devil's Throat, Maricaribo, etc.).

Also pay attention to etiquette, don't be "that" gal/guy on the boat that boasts about how much they know, or brag about air consumption. Be honest with the dive op on your experience level. We were on a 6-pack boat a few years back, these 4 divers got on board with so much gear they could hardly fit it on the boat and of course most of it wasn't even needed. Had to listen to them brag about how experienced they were and all the places they go diving then when we splashed in two of them could not even descend. After a good 10-15 minutes the DM told the "big mouth" to go back to the boat so the rest of us could proceed with our dive. Of course the big mouth blamed the DM and cussed out the captain for ruining his dive experience. The rest of the gang were obvious newbies and the dive turned out to be a bust just b/c they weren't honest. They told the Dive OP they have been "serious" divers for 5 years but it turns out they only had about 20-30 dives over 5 years, mostly on cruise ships. This was an extreme case but diving is a lot more enjoyable if you are out for fun and to improve your own skills instead of trying to out do your fellow divers.

 

[Vic K]

@ Jenni7748 - I agree w/ggunn, let your Dive OP decide where to go. Hopefully it will be with the DM that certifies you since he will know your skills & weaknesses the best. Remember that getting certified is just the starting point, you have been introduced to the basics now you really need to learn diving. Get as much underwater time as possible and don't be lured into the more challenging dives way south (like Devil's Throat, Maricaribo, etc.).

Also pay attention to etiquette, don't be "that" gal/guy on the boat that boasts about how much they know, or brag about air consumption. Be honest with the dive op on your experience level. We were on a 6-pack boat a few years back, these 4 divers got on board with so much gear they could hardly fit it on the boat and of course most of it wasn't even needed. Had to listen to them brag about how experienced they were and all the places they go diving then when we splashed in two of them could not even descend. After a good 10-15 minutes the DM told the "big mouth" to go back to the boat so the rest of us could proceed with our dive. Of course the big mouth blamed the DM and cussed out the captain for ruining his dive experience. The rest of the gang were obvious newbies and the dive turned out to be a bust just b/c they weren't honest. They told the Dive OP they have been "serious" divers for 5 years but it turns out they only had about 20-30 dives over 5 years, mostly on cruise ships. This was an extreme case but diving is a lot more enjoyable if you are out for fun and to improve your own skills instead of trying to out do your fellow divers.

@Jenni7748... this is some really good advice. Don't push the boundaries in your first trip. Be completely honest to yourself and have a great time. We got certified in New England where frankly it's not that enjoyable to learn. We were really happy to dive in playa and tulum and did really easy dives to get our basics right. Over the week my breathing and buoyancy became much better. Even this trip we will warm up in playa where we are really comfortable with a dive master before we go to Cozumel and hopefully do a little more advanced dives.
First diving trip I would just enjoy being there and hopefully you get a great instructor, we were lucky to have one. Enjoy your trip

 

[Jenni7748]

Thank you all for the great advice.

 

[loudives]

Is it your camera or is that house a little Escher-esque?

Just a bit of Escher-esque tessellation architecture. Maybe there is a bit of Dutch in Cozumel.

 

[waynel]

Hope I get to dive with you Waynel!

That would be great. I'm traveling solo and I don't like diving alone, which means I usually have to hang around the DM. That really limits me from "exploring". Even with hundreds of dives I am still a HUGE believer in the buddy system. You can have 1,000 dives and your reg can go out, tank valve blows, etc. I dive Key Largo a lot and while there aren't a lot of fatalities over the years, majority of them are someone diving alone. Either soloing or breaking off from their dive buddy and can get to them for help. In any case, looking forward to meeting you.

 

[waynel]

@ Jenni7748 - I agree w/ggunn, let your Dive OP decide where to go. Hopefully it will be with the DM that certifies you since he will know your skills & weaknesses the best. Remember that getting certified is just the starting point, you have been introduced to the basics now you really need to learn diving. Get as much underwater time as possible and don't be lured into the more challenging dives way south (like Devil's Throat, Maricaribo, etc.).

Also pay attention to etiquette, don't be "that" gal/guy on the boat that boasts about how much they know, or brag about air consumption. Be honest with the dive op on your experience level. We were on a 6-pack boat a few years back, these 4 divers got on board with so much gear they could hardly fit it on the boat and of course most of it wasn't even needed. Had to listen to them brag about how experienced they were and all the places they go diving then when we splashed in two of them could not even descend. After a good 10-15 minutes the DM told the "big mouth" to go back to the boat so the rest of us could proceed with our dive. Of course the big mouth blamed the DM and cussed out the captain for ruining his dive experience. The rest of the gang were obvious newbies and the dive turned out to be a bust just b/c they weren't honest. They told the Dive OP they have been "serious" divers for 5 years but it turns out they only had about 20-30 dives over 5 years, mostly on cruise ships. This was an extreme case but diving is a lot more enjoyable if you are out for fun and to improve your own skills instead of trying to out do your fellow divers.

Excellent Advise. No one should try Devil's Throat until they have master both buoyancy and their breathing. Here in the states, like Key Largo, new divers are restricted to a depth of 60 ft. The only way to become a good diver is to dive, dive, dive....It takes time but when you get hooked, you get hooked.

 

[waynel]

Thank you all for the great advice.

Jenni, here's one tip, that will speed up your learning curve. On land, the focus on our breathing is "breathing in". When diving place your focus on "breathing out." Just "sip" air from your tank and take a long exhale. Not only does it help prevent burning through all your air, but it helps you to control your buoyancy and frankly will help you to relax. Taking a big gulp of air from your tank and just blowing it out causes you to "bounce" up and down in the water column (buoyancy). You'd be surprised how long a "sip" of air will last with a long slow exhale. Watch your instructor's air bubbles. They won't be great big bubbles rushing to the surface. They will be really small bubbles in a long stream (slow, long exhale). Took me about 30 dives to master it to where it just became second nature. Welcome to the club.

 

[Jenni7748]

Jenni, here's one tip, that will speed up your learning curve. On land, the focus on our breathing is "breathing in". When diving place your focus on "breathing out." Just "sip" air from your tank and take a long exhale. Not only does it help prevent burning through all your air, but it helps you to control your buoyancy and frankly will help you to relax. Taking a big gulp of air from your tank and just blowing it out causes you to "bounce" up and down in the water column (buoyancy). You'd be surprised how long a "sip" of air will last with a long slow exhale. Watch your instructor's air bubbles. They won't be great big bubbles rushing to the surface. They will be really small bubbles in a long stream (slow, long exhale). Took me about 30 dives to master it to where it just became second nature. Welcome to the club.

Thank you so much for that tip!!!

 

[Brules]

Also listen to the DM/ask them what you need to work on. The good ones like Pedro at BXTSea love to share with you how you can become a better diver and love coaching you up!

Also listen to their advice on how much weight to wear. They can usually eyeball you and know exactly how much weight you need.