Should I even visit cozumel - beginner diver

[robint]

I am one of the people that did not enjoy my first few dives in Cozumel. This was because of the unusally currents for Coz and diving beyond my experience level. At that point in my diving career I had never had more than two divers with a DM and never been in current and never been below 100 feet. I did a check out shore dive at Hotel Barracuda with no current and a depth of 25 feet. The next morning I did my first boat dive. It was a wall dive and supposed to be no deeper than 80 feet. The DM had probably 10 people with him. After going under, the current took me along the top of the wall. This was no gentle current. The next thing I knew I was going over the side of the wall and was down to 120 ft with extreme pain in my ears. I don't remember seeing my buddy. I was out of control. Then a female diver was with me and she pulled me up from the depth and back to the top of the wall. We then slowly ascended to the surface. The DM had other new divers that he was dealing with. The female diver and her husband became my buddy's and my guardian angels for the next dive and showed us how to deal with the current by using the topography to slow down and to get our bouyancy under control. I'm not sure I would have gone back in if it has not been for them. Moral of the story, if you are uncomfortable, hire a personal DM for the first couple of dives until to can see what it is like.

Looks like a few things went wrong there.

#1. Cozumel Regulations are no more than 8 divers with a DM.
#2. It sounds like you went with a dive op that did not group people by experience, or for that matter understand that it was your first drift dive, and your first boat dive of the trip. ALL good dive ops will do both of these things: ensure that you are familiar with drift diving procedures and take you for your FIRST boat dive with them to assess your skills at a reef that is not a wall. It is critical for your first dive in Cozumel that you do NOT do a wall for these very reasons... if you are a newbie (under 50 dives) and have never done a wall dive or drift dive, SAFETY is key.

This is why I told the OP that she needs to make sure she dives with a good dive op, not just the one she gets the best $$$ deal, and also that she ensures that they know she is a newbie and has zero drift experience. By following those steps, she will have a great experience in Cozumel. And after a few days learning about drift diving, she will be fine on a wall dive. BRAND NEW DIVERS ARE NOT READY FOR WALL DIVES IN MOST CASES!!!!

Look at it this way --- a C-card is just like a driver's license. It means you passed the basic test and you are ready to begin learning to drive on your own. It does not mean you are ready for EVERY situation that will happen while driving, it does mean that you are expected to continue to learn and develop skills.

robin

 

[Darol]

Mike said:

Wow! Did you dive with Jacques Cousteau?

Those trips were in the last six years, but that would have been awesome....

 

[cocobello]

Agree with most everyone else has suggested. Coz has some nice snorkeling you can do also. Other suggestion go to Akumal just south of Playa del Carmen, it is a marine preserve. Reef that protects the bay, nice a calm. Use the local dive shop there to take you out for a nice easy dive. I might be on the more conservative side but for a novice diver that is my 2cents worth.
Have fun and be safe. Remember that a dive accident happens from poor judgement.

 

[cruiser]

Cozumel offers some great diving.

Being new to Coz, you may want to hire your own DM for the day. I did this many years ago on my first trip to Coz. I was a newly certified diver and had never dived in the ocean, so I hired a DM for the day (the dive shop set this up for me). He was my own personal, very experienced buddy, and made the dive enjoyable. Not only did he point out neat critters along the way, but he relieved my anxiety level. It was worth every cent.

 

[sharky60]

many, many, many divers get certified and do their cert. "check out" dives on Cozumel. There are dive sites for every level of diving from the most novice to the most advanced.

When I try to explain drift diving I usually get in trouble because I make it sound too easy, but it is definately something not to be over anxous about. When conditons are right, and they are more than they are not, it is VERY easy diving. Boyancy is the key...like most diving.

Sure the currents can get crazy like the recent reports have said, but again, a good dive op will make sure you know the rules to keeping yourself safe when this is going on. AND won't even let you go if the conditions are too rough for your level. But hopefully you would be taken to dive sites that would avoid the issue as much as possible until you are ready for it.

Again, it comes down to knowing your skill level and letting the dive op know what you are comfortable doing.

As I recommend to any new diver, the best thing to do is to express any and ALL concerns to the dive op you choose, BEFORE BOOKING! A good dive op wil take your experience and concerns and make sure your safety and comfort in the water are the most important things. If you don't get the feeling that you are going to get that kind of service, move on to someone else. Your safety should be number one.

There are many very good dive ops on the island, all with the intent of you having a great time and will take all this into consideration when it comes to taking your safety.

Possibly a "private" Divemaster/instructor for the first few dives to take you to the more shallow sites and ease you into the program would be the way to go.

We'd love to have you come down and become part of the family...dive op reco's. upon request.

 

[divingpyrate]

we did 6 discovery dives in coz before getting certified, perfectly safe for beginers. go with a patient operator, we found eagle ray to be very comforting on our first nervous times
we are noe certified and own our own gear, diving in coz again two weeks from today

 

[bhouk]

Cozumel diving is safe. If you are newly certified with no experience in drift diving, spend a few more bucks and hire a private Dive Master. You will enjoy it and leave with memories of a lifetime! Enjoy Isla Mujeres and stop by Soggy Peso! Say hello to Mal, Sally and Freddy for me.

 

[pidgiepoo]

Took my OW certified grandkids ( 10 and 13) to Cozumel for their first dives. Of all the dives we did for the week, they really liked the drift dives. They did great and we had no problems..but that's because they were diving with such "experienced" grandparents hehehehe.. and because we took them to the Ohio quarries every week to practice so they were comfortable underwater. If you've been practicing, have good skills, and feel comfortable underwater.. you'll be fine. (I just know cv and Kat are gonna have something to say about my "experienced" comment) !!

 

[Tigerman]

I'm a brand new freshly licensed diver. I'm going to isla mujeres for a couple days to snorkel with whale sharks and dive manchones reef/museum.

Should I go diving somewhere else too- like Cozumel?

I read Cozumel was mainly drift dives which scared me. Are there certain weeks of the month that would be easier for a beginner diver? I'm planning late June early July right now.

Would one day trip be enough time for Cozumel as a beginner?

Finally any recommendations on dive companies both for isla and Cozumel?

Thanks

I would definetly do the whalesharks as they are some of the most amazing things youll ever see in the water.
Infact, if I could do only ONE thing in the area, it would probably be the whalesharks.

As to drift diving, its actually my favourite kind of diving. As long as you keep an eye on your gauges and your bouyancy you can pretty much jump in and let the water take you away with a minimum ammount of effort

 

[Merchant]

my only problem with coz and the grand Cayman is the visibility. diving here ruined my total enjoyment of cold water diving...... now my joking aside. let the operators know you are not used to drift diving and that you are "new" pay attention to details and think before you do anything, and you should be fine.