Restore my confidence in Cozumel

[pjhansman]

Personally, my confidence in the diving and dive ops in Coz hasn't changed a bit in spite of recent events and discussions People do odd things for odd reasons, but that's what keeps us interesting.

In fact, I'm booked for 10 days in Coz at the end of March....4th trip and I can't wait.

 

[diveprof]

Given time, every dive location obtains some negative press - humans make choices and sometime outcomes are not what we would wish. However, I am an adult and I understand personal responsibility. I've been going to (c)OZ - I do think more of it as "OZ" than "Coz" - since the early 1980's and the land of "OZ" it never ceases to amaze me. I go elsewhere, but I keep coming back here. My initial impressions in the early 80's was that this was as good as it gets. Bad decisions were made in the name of cruise ship tourism and politics (like trashing a wonderful reef so cruise ships could dock several miles from town so folks would have to support a large taxi industry rather than just building the thing in town where folks could walk to town). I avoided (c)OZ for a few years because of this. Then there have been the hurricanes that created devistation - particularly Wilma, but also Gilbert , Roxanne and Emily. Yet, the reefs of (c)OZ remains special and continually renew themselves - yes, with scars, but also with new hope/growth and marine life. Neither man nor nature has been able to destroy this wonderful underwater paradise. Let's hope that remains so in the future. On my recent trips I particularly noted greater attention being given by the dive ops to preserving the reefs. Mexico's current President is a diver. Let's hope he will work to preserve "OZ."

 

[sharky60]

First of all, there are always going to be people in ANY business that cut corners and don't obey the rules.

The key for divers is to find a reputable dive op that DOES play buy the rules and takes all the safety measures required for you to come back from a dive safe and healthy.

for someone who is new to a location this is very hard, even with such great resources as SB... who's opion do you trust?:O

It's really quite simple, keep a running tab of the dive ops you see most often with positve remarks about them, not just cheerleading, but real, reasons why folks dive with these ops.

When asked, I usually post a short list of 5 dive ops, these are people I have either personally dove with or have observed the exceptional service and care they give to thier customers. by the way, only 2 dive ops have earned the later recommendation.

For the amount of divers that dive on Cozumel every day & the amount of boats heading out to dive, fish, parasail...whatever, the safety record overall is quite remarkable.

Accidents will happen, that is for sure, but the first thing you need to realize is that your safety is YOUR resposibility first and foremost.

Be in good health, obey the rules of diving, watch your limits, know your personal limits, make sure and have all safety equipment you should have, continually educate, (not just collect cards, but LEARN STUFF),and gain experience as a diver.

Do some muck diving occaisionally, bad vis is a very good training ground to make you a better diver overall.

I wouldn't let the latest "news" get you down and keep you from coming back to a place you obviously like to go to. Remember, bad news travels faster than good news and also gets more attention. There are still many more positive reasons to come back to Cozumel then anyone can come up with negitive reasons not to go back...

 

[DjDiverDan]

I haven't lost any confidence at all in Cozumel as a Diving location; I've been going there for 20+ years, and will continue to go there. However, this Dive Incident HAS reinforced my prior operating assumption - Do Not Shop for Dive Ops on Price Alone; if I'm relying on these folks to get me back safely from every trip, I don't need to pinch pennies. There are a number of Dive Ops that I will Not use. No need to name names here, but as a general rule, any Dive Op which contracts with the Cruise Lines to take divers and any Dive Op which advertises itself as the cheapest will not likely get my business. If I'm on my own, I'll choose Aldora, for any number of reasons; all boats carry Oxygen, I can get a steel 120 tank, all divers are on cumputers, so I can pay attention to my own situation (i.e., if I get a couple bars into the yellow, I'll probably ascend a bit, & keep near or at the top of the group, & add minutes to my safety stop before surfacing), long surface interval on the beach, meaning extra safety on second dive. All these factors make me feel safer, and are worth any extra cost. But there are other Dive Ops I feel safe with as well. So find one that meets all your criteria & stick with it. Knowing nothing about Scuba Mau other than what happened here tells me I won't be diving with them, and if I learn that Dive Professionals at another Op also engage in this kind of reckless behavior, I won't dive with that Op either. Off day or not, I do not want to put my life in the hands of a DM that doesn't respect and assiduously follow the safety rules in his own diving.

 

[Chris66]

Thanks all - I guess I was bieng a little histrionic and yes I am comfortable as a diver and I dive and know my limits. Even in Coz, though a DM is in the water with you, I still see the dive op as a bus ride to the dive site and there after I am on my own and am responsible for my own decisions.

I guess I also look up to these DM's in a big way and respect them very much and so some of these events have shaken me a little but I guess its no different to when a plane goesd down - doesnt detract from the fact that flying is the safest mode of transport.

One thing I would like to see coming out of the boards is perhaps a little more transparency so that when posters ask for opinions on various subjects, dive ops, destinations that there is a little more honesty - for if not what is the purpose of the boards.

Thanks all and hope to see you in Coz diving with _____ dive op

Chris

 

[morecowbells]

My husband and I did our referral dive a few years back in Cozumel. It was intimidating reading some of these boards where posters would discourage new divers from Coz due to the currents and advanced dive conditions. Our dives were safe, uneventful and cause for my addiction to diving. I don't have the actual numbers but Coz attracts a tremendous number of divers from around the world. Precluding the world class diving, it is reasonable, safe, relatively easy to get to which makes it such a popular destination. I have a feeling that if one were to look at the statistics and ratios of the number of divers and the number of accidents, it would still be much lower than any other place.

My recommendation to you would to find a dive op which has small boats. Personally I avoid cattle boats like the plague. To assuage your concerns, perhaps it would be ideal for you to hire a private DM for your first couple of dives for added confidence.

 

[driftin' by]

One thing I would like to see coming out of the boards is perhaps a little more transparency so that when posters ask for opinions on various subjects, dive ops, destinations that there is a little more honesty - for if not what is the purpose of the boards.

Well I think everyone is honest. Unbiased? Probably not! As with everything you read, you have to hone the truth on your own and find a correlation between the facts. Which I think SB is pretty good for.

 

[Mike]

Scuba Mau is one of the top 5 dive ops? I've barely heard of them before this incident.

Personally I don't think you're over reacting to the incident as much as I think you have had rose colored glasses on til now.

It's freak'n Mexico for one thing. But besides that you're talking about over 400 dive ops and what? a thousand dive masters or more? Crazy sh*t is going on all the time just based on the shear numbers. You're going to have great and you're going to have poor versions of everything and everything in between. You've got incidents happening everyday in a place that like most tourist areas does its best to ignore and limit information about anything negative. You've got dead divers, bad air, reckless captains, cowboy divemasters, lax safety.. you name it it's happening there. But no different then any place else. At the same time there are thousands of successful dives happening every week, there are great ops with major emphasis on safety, great dive masters and captains. Same as everywhere else. I think you're just a bit naive if all this time you thought the place was some perfect utopian dive destination. You don't really think this was Opal's first dive past recreational limits on air right? Or for that matter that she's alone in pursuing these activities there?

Please don't condemn the place over some actual reality getting out, and at the same time let's not think Cozumel's dive community is filled with only angels and saints. There isn't a dive trip I've taken there yet where I haven't witnessed dive masters decisions crossing over into gray areas, or divers under false senses of security. I can't really think of many dive trips anywhere where I haven't witness things that raise an eyebrow or things that save for conditions being different could have resulted in very different outcomes for all parties involved.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

People do stupid things all over the world. I recommend that when you're on Cozumel, you avoid planning dives with suicidal profiles, inadequate gear and that are way beyond your training. If you do that, then you'll face no more than the usual risks that are faced by all divers.

 

[Zman96]

So are you never going to drive again because somebody drove 120mph while drinking and wrapped himself around a tree. These were bad decisions made by a few individuals and should not be used as an indictment on the safety of diving in Cozumel. Most pro's I have met in Cozumel are safe and detail oriented and I have never in my limited time of diving in Coz an off the clock crazy dive. Enjoy Cozumel and all it has to offer.