Solo shore diving...

[Carlos Diver]

Seems like this is kinda the elephant in the room on here.

I am a novice diver. I remember my classes, telling me never dive alone. Yet, a lot of people seem to do this on Cozumel. I am staying at a place with unlimited shore diving. I have never shore dove, I hired the DM to give me a lesson on my first day, but that will hardly qualify me as an expert. If you stay close to the docks, stay shallow and use common sense, is this a big of a deal as some make it out to be? What are your experiences? I have fears of being chopped up by a prop (I know how stupid that sounds, then I read about the idiots who went under a cruise ship).

Flame, advise, insult, encourage. I want as much info as I can get.

Thanks.

 

[DandyDon]

No, just don't do it. I've pulled some bonehead mistakes, but I wouldn't.

 

[MMM]

With all due respect, you almost certainly lack the necessary skills to shore dive by yourself. For example, do you know how to deploy a sausage from, say, 30 feet so you don't get chopped by a prop? You should be able to find others at your resort location who would be happy to have you join them and add to your experience level.

 

[Carlos Diver]

You dont have to be respectfully, I clearly lack the skill . I was only wondering why so many people seem to do it and if there are places were a quick dive wasnt a big deal. Kinda like a shallow 10-15' place to practice basic skills and look at fish.

 

[MMM]

You dont have to be respectfully, I clearly lack the skill . I was only wondering why so many people seem to do it and if there are places were a quick dive wasnt a big deal. Kinda like a shallow 10-15' place to practice basic skills and look at fish.

It is really tempting, isn't it? But I am sure you can find others who will buddy with you and it will be both more enjoyable and safer. When you are new to diving, you don't know what you don't know and things can go south quickly, even if you are shallow, when you are alone.

 

[Carlos Diver]

Wonder if they will let me drag everything into the pool.....

 

[ReefHound]

You dont have to be respectfully, I clearly lack the skill . I was only wondering why so many people seem to do it and if there are places were a quick dive wasnt a big deal. Kinda like a shallow 10-15' place to practice basic skills and look at fish.

Maybe they have 200+ dives and extensive training? I'm not one of those "never ever" folks but you're just not ready.

 

[DandyDon]

You're stay at Hogtown Motel and diving Pappa Hogs I saw elsewhere. Is that Villa Blanca or another property nearby?

You dont have to be respectfully, I clearly lack the skill . I was only wondering why so many people seem to do it and if there are places were a quick dive wasnt a big deal. Kinda like a shallow 10-15' place to practice basic skills and look at fish.

It's not common. Some do shore dive, and there is more talk about it than doing it because it's a cheap idea - one that loses appeal usually. Still, if you want to, just get a buddy and work on buddy skills, weight ditching drills, OOA drills, etc.

Wonder if they will let me drag everything into the pool.....

Maybe, but you can screw up there too, and then there is the pool chemicals.

 

[Carlos Diver]

Yes, Villa Blanca. Im not someone who needs a lot of coral and marine life to enjoy a dive. I love just being in the water, but I understand where you are coming from.

Looks like it will just be easier to go the afternoon one tanker.

These are the reasons I doubt I will do a night dive. Being in the total dark with little experience seems way riskier then being within a swim of shore during the day.

 

[supergaijin]

If you stay close to the docks, stay shallow and use common sense, is this a big of a deal as some make it out to be?

Docks and their associated boats are not good mixes for staying shallow.

I regularly shore dive solo on the reef in front of my dive center. I do take risks every time however I believe I truly know the risks involved and can make an educated decision.

Without getting in to too many specifics I would point out that I know my diving gear intimately and can react much faster to problems before they become real problems. This is actually more important than it may sound- any change in air flow will get my attention. In rental gear it is much harder to feel it.

I would not recommend diving solo until you've had at least a couple of hundred hours underwater and have accumulated some 'bad' experiences (with a buddy). The bad experiences are often very informative, and contribute a great deal towards making educated decisions for planning and executing scuba dives.