Tips on planning vacation diving

[LIVES4SHARKS]

Personally, I think a check-out dive from shore is a good thing with whatever equipment you use. If it's your own or LDS brought from home, something could have become unglued during travel. If it's from a resort shop, who knows what might be amiss? Shore dives do not involve jumping in and hoping everything works. And, you can keep extra weights on the shore, or put excess weight back on the shore, if you are trying to figure that part out. Just easier and less worrisome for a newbie from the shore than from a boat, IMHO.

Thats a good point. Either way, you want to get things zeroed in so you can enjoy your dive.

Happy diving!
Carolyn

 

[nereas]

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Any suggestions or comments?

For weighting in Mexico on their warm east coast, I believe you will both be wearing 3mm wetsuits and aluminum tanks. With these, you will probably need around 12 lbs of lead on your weight belt. 6 of this is normally to neutralize the aluminum tank, and the other 6 is to neutralize your body in the 3mm suit.

That can at least be your starting point. At the end of your first safety stop, on your first dive down there, you can perform your first buoyancy check to see if your B/C is empty, and whether you can hold the safety stop easily.

If your B/C is not empty at that point, then you should subtract a little weight, evenly, normally 2 lbs. when you are back in the boat.

If your B/C is indeed empty, but you cannot hold the safety stop without grasping the anchor line to hold yourself down, then you need to add a little weight, evenly, normally 2 lbs. at a time, before each subsequent dive, until you get it right.

If your B/C is empty and you are virtually floating, neutrally buoyant, while barely holding onto the anchor line, then your weighting is perfect. It might take you a couple of dives to get this right.

In this manner, you should be able to adjust your weighting with supervision of the D/M (tell him/her you two are new divers) and in proximity of the rest of the group.

It makes no sense to go off beach diving on your own just to figure your weighting out. And it is not worth bothering a D/M about before the first boat dive either.

You both probably need to buy your own 3mm suits before your trip. I have never heard of being able to rent anything smaller than a 5mm. It's quite warm down there on the Mexican east coast right now, so I doubt you will have access or need 5mm suits. If indeed you do, then just ask the D/M how much weight to start with, and go through the same drill.

The only other thing worth bringing would be your own regulator rented from your local dive store in Oregon. If this has a computer console on it, then you won't need to buy a computer now for yourself either. American (USA) dive shops normally have computer consoles attached to the regulator assemblies, and normally they work just fine. Normally they are Oceanics or Mares, two very popular rental brands.

The dive operation that you will be working with in Mexico will ask you prior to the first day what rental gear you will be needing from them. Tell them a B/C, and that's it. Tanks, weight belts, and weights will be on the boat.

That is normally how everything works. I agree with you about bringing your own regulator. I believe you will need to buy and bring your own 3mm wetsuits as well. I do not believe you will need to bring your own B/Cs however, since you can get that down there.

Also, bring a hood with you as well. If you find that you are starting to chill, then put on the hood, and it will make all the difference in the world!

Mexico is beautiful for scuba. You will love it, I am sure!

 

[nereas]

Thats a good point. Either way, you want to get things zeroed in so you can enjoy your dive.

Happy diving!
Carolyn

Actually it is a really bad idea for anyone with less than about 100 dives. Stay with the group, and with the D/M, at all times, and don't go off on your own.

 

[nereas]

Personally, I think a check-out dive from shore is a good thing with whatever equipment you use. If it's your own or LDS brought from home, something could have become unglued during travel. If it's from a resort shop, who knows what might be amiss? Shore dives do not involve jumping in and hoping everything works. And, you can keep extra weights on the shore, or put excess weight back on the shore, if you are trying to figure that part out. Just easier and less worrisome for a newbie from the shore than from a boat, IMHO.

Well, you happen to have at least 100 dives, so maybe, just maybe.

 

[nereas]

Don't forget your DAN insurance, and it's good to know where the nearest chamber is. Also check into the safety of your operator. If I was renting, I would rather rent from my LDS and work on the gear in the pool before my trip. Less wasted time on your vacation. Make sure the operator takes a ROLL CALL and know where all their safety equipment is. I am a bit over protective, but dang, I would like to be able to dive another day!

HAVE A GREAT TIME!
Carolyn:sharks:

Exactly right! I would also myself rather work everything out in a pool before I go.

Then all you need to do is add about 6 lbs to the fresh water weighting, and you would be all set for salt water.

And a C-card together with a DAN card is required by many dive operations around the world.

They are supposed to take roll calls on boats. Always. Normally this works pretty well. But about once each year someplace on Earth it doesn't work, and somebody gets left behind and lost at sea.

Best thing is to make your presence known, be very friendly and get to know the boat crew, and stay with the group and the D/M at all times, and not go off on your own to do things on your own in the water.

 

[nereas]

I would recommend that you go with the boat dive rather than a shore dive since both of you are newly certified divers. Or hire a DM to take you on a shore dive. There's a lot going on for your first dives after training and you might like having a DM available to help answer questions and make suggestions on technique. I myself would not have been comfortable doing my first salt water dives on my own but maybe that's just me.

I think renting for the first time or two is fine as it gives you a chance to check out some different types of gear to see what you like and what you don't. I rented on my first 3 or 4 trips and generally found the rental gear to be in very good condition. I later bought my own gear and had a better of idea of what I was looking for and why.

Have a great trip!

I also agree, regarding the boat dive rather than shore.

Regarding rentals in Mexico, I would trust their B/Cs down there, but I would bring my own rented regulator from home with me, just to be on the safe side.

 

[nereas]

If you are truly concerned about the gear you may be renting at your destination, don't be afraid to contact them and ask what they are using. They will generally be happy to tell you. Of course, some places may have a mish mash of gear, but over all you can get a good idea what you'll be using.

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In Mexico this won't help you.

 

[nereas]

You may want to check with the dive op you are planning on diving with. Sometimes they have computers that you can rent.
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Yah sometimes they do, but sometimes they don't work either, because the battery is dead.

 

[nereas]

Brshooter,
My advice would be to buy a depth timer and bring your tables with you. Practice with the tables and your depth timer.

If you decide to buy a computer at a later stage you have a depth timer as a backup so it won't be wasted money.

Keep a note of the equipment you use in your dive log and make notes about what you liked and what you didn't like about the gear - this might help you later if you decide to buy your own gear.

Ask the dive op if you can do a weight check in a swimming pool and then add 4-6 pounds to the belt for the sea (explain why you want to do this ie you've used 7MM before and these are your first dives post certification)

And finally enjoy your dives !

IF they have a swimming pool at the dive operation in Mexico, sure.

Or better yet, buy your 3mm suits before you go, get into them, borrow an aluminum tank and gear, and go diving in the pool at your local dive store here (if they have one). And then add 6 lbs to all this.

 

[nereas]

..
My only incident was a regulator that had a loose connection. Luckily, I was still on the dock and discovered it by attaching my regulator and turning on the air for about 15 minutes before getting in the water. The air started flowing freely and I took it back to the shop and got a new one . . . no questions, no repair costs.

That said, my dad rents his equipment from the LDS and hauls it through the airport, to the hotel, and then has to spend hours rinsing and drying it on our last vacation day. To him, it's worth it to know that the equipment he's using is serviced in his home town.

Smart dad !!!

Your last day anywhere is normally going to be a non-diving day. I normally use this day to lay out and dry all my gear, after rinsing it the night before. Then on the last evening when I pack, everything is dry by then. It's not rocket science.