Who to dive with for a beginning Teen on a Cruise layover?
- Thread starter SBP Studios
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AaronRiot
Contributor
How comfortable is she in the water? Some take to particular things and some need a bit of work. I would base decisions on that.
I'm sure there are many ops that would cater to you especially if you rented a professional buddy. When I was in Coz diving with Dive Paradise our boat catered to the new divers on board.
I'm also pretty sure that you would be fine hanging 20ft above the rest of the group on a morning dive and skipping the swim throughs if you were so inclined and let the DM know your plan ahead of time
I'm sure there are many ops that would cater to you especially if you rented a professional buddy. When I was in Coz diving with Dive Paradise our boat catered to the new divers on board.
I'm also pretty sure that you would be fine hanging 20ft above the rest of the group on a morning dive and skipping the swim throughs if you were so inclined and let the DM know your plan ahead of time
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Well, Flots is just wrong in his views, but they're his. The rest of you - learn how to use the quote function, jeeze! :laughing: Seriously, put your remarks outside of that box please, one way or the other. I don't know what y'all said; too much to try to figure out.
Anyway, you need to find out what time you can be off the boat and what time you need to be back on it - and if your boat is on a different time zone, adjust for island time. Blue Angel has a larger boat that leaves later and caters to cruise boaters a lot. Hiring a private DM is a very important idea for first Coz dive, first ocean dive, first boat dive, etc.
Anyway, you need to find out what time you can be off the boat and what time you need to be back on it - and if your boat is on a different time zone, adjust for island time. Blue Angel has a larger boat that leaves later and caters to cruise boaters a lot. Hiring a private DM is a very important idea for first Coz dive, first ocean dive, first boat dive, etc.
mediumone
Contributor
Sorry for heading off-topic here, but I guess the issue is resolved ---- flots ate too many beans.
OK DandyDon, I don't know how to quote the first paragraph of your message, then respond, and then quote the second paragraph of your message and respond, with the result that you and I both want, which is your message inside the boxes, and my responses outside.
Thanks in advance.
OK DandyDon, I don't know how to quote the first paragraph of your message, then respond, and then quote the second paragraph of your message and respond, with the result that you and I both want, which is your message inside the boxes, and my responses outside.
Thanks in advance.
flots am
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Yes, flots is just a fear monger and Cozumel is perfectly safe for new divers and the DM will keep her safe. I'm obviously delusional, so I think it best if we let Google do some research and let the OP make up his own mind.
Let me google that for you
flots
diverokc
Contributor
SBP if you are familiar with blue angel then why not try contacting matt. I have stayed at blue angel and everyone on here raves about him. I believe he even has a account on here under MATTEo i think. My first dives were in coz. and all since. No reason to be scared away just relax work on your bouyance and enjoy the ride. i will be there in 6 days.
scubatree
Contributor
You can "google" anywhere and get similar results:
Bonaire site:Accidents and Incidents
Curacao site:Accidents and Incidents
deborahdelamar
Contributor
An 80-90' dive site will have multilevel options -- meaning that it can be enjoyed from where ever the top is -- 40 or more feet -- and there's no need to go deeper. On most multilevel plans, the divers may choose their depth and many stay above (but with!) the deepest divers. There are only two caveats: The first, is if there is a swimthrough on the route. In that case, those who don't want to swim through may go over the top of the reef, following the group's bubbles as they come up from below. The other, is that sometimes the current runs faster the higher up on the reef you are. In that case, you need to slow your dive by any of a number of techniques: sheltering near the reef, behind a coral head or in a "valley", turning your body into the current, etc. The point is not to get ahead of the divemaster. This isn't as difficult as it sounds, BTW.
There are a lot of options for gorgeous shallow diving -- max 60' -- at many of the reefs that are usually planned for 80-90. But you need to go with an operator who knows where to take you to enjoy them. (The entry locations are not the same "as usual".) And you'd prefer an operator who takes the entire group on the same dive plan so you don't have to deal with those caveats, above.
Though I don't dive with her often due to inconvenience, my recommendation would be to contact Alison Dennis (Scuba with Alison) and see if she can accommodate you. She and her captain Carlos are perfectly suited to your needs and can show you a great time. RC docks at International Pier/SSA Mexico, so meeting her at the nearby Caleta marina is not inconvenient for you!
There are a lot of options for gorgeous shallow diving -- max 60' -- at many of the reefs that are usually planned for 80-90. But you need to go with an operator who knows where to take you to enjoy them. (The entry locations are not the same "as usual".) And you'd prefer an operator who takes the entire group on the same dive plan so you don't have to deal with those caveats, above.
Though I don't dive with her often due to inconvenience, my recommendation would be to contact Alison Dennis (Scuba with Alison) and see if she can accommodate you. She and her captain Carlos are perfectly suited to your needs and can show you a great time. RC docks at International Pier/SSA Mexico, so meeting her at the nearby Caleta marina is not inconvenient for you!
OP
SBP Studios
Contributor
Thanks all.
As for our daughter she was def one of the best in her class and is very comfortable in water. Her dives for her cert went to about 45ft and she did great. I was right there with her.
I admit some of these posts made me a bit nervous but I really need her to get to Diving since she was certified almost 60 days ago. I want her to stay well practiced.
Also I should say her first dives were in a murky lake with about 5ft viz and she did not freak out. Good sign!
We are looking into ops in Coz that won't break the bank to take the 3 of us out. Will post back with what we ended up with. Our cruise gets in at like 8-9am on the 4th of Cct.
As for our daughter she was def one of the best in her class and is very comfortable in water. Her dives for her cert went to about 45ft and she did great. I was right there with her.
I admit some of these posts made me a bit nervous but I really need her to get to Diving since she was certified almost 60 days ago. I want her to stay well practiced.
Also I should say her first dives were in a murky lake with about 5ft viz and she did not freak out. Good sign!
We are looking into ops in Coz that won't break the bank to take the 3 of us out. Will post back with what we ended up with. Our cruise gets in at like 8-9am on the 4th of Cct.
Mike
Contributor
Dang Flots being beat up? The OP asked specifically -
Listen SBP, as much as I like diving at Cozumel, it's not exactly set up for newbie divers. Many, many posts are made here from newbies who have had troubling experiences, and Cozumel is famous for newbie divers going on deeper dives with no experience at all right off the bat. Cozumel is notorious for dive masters / dive operators ignoring newbie divers experience levels.
The normal dive scenario of the vast majority of the dive shops is a DEEP 1st dive in the morning, a shallow 2nd dive in the morning and a shallow 3rd dive in the afternoon. If you put your 16 daughter on the first dive of the morning you will be on a deep dive. If you insists on going to Cozumel instead of somewhere else where this deep 1st dive isnt the norm, you should plan on -
Sit out the 1st dive of the 2 dives in the morning and just dive the 2nd shallow dive with your daughter, or only have your daughter do the afternoon dive of the day. Other than that, she will be on a deep profile dive and if that's the case, you're going to have to take extra care to be very careful to protect her, meaning trying to stay shallow while everyone else is deep. That's a great theory but sometimes reality might not make it so easy. Remember there is a reason for the way divers are grouped together and stay together on a Cozumel dive, it's because it's all drift diving and current can effect you differently at different depths. You might easily find yourself and your daughter getting effected by the current trying to stay above everyone else and having to swim you butts off and not even being able to keep up.
If it was my daughter and I wanted to avoid any deep dives and Cozumel was the only choice, she would only be doing the afternoon dives and shore dives with us, she would not be going on the morning dives, or if she did, I would sit out the 1st deep dive and only dive the 2nd dive of the morning. If I couldn't make that happen I'd be taking my dive vacation somewhere else.
* Edit - I just noticed you're on a cruise - I'd skip the dive at Cozumel with your daughter if you don't want her diving to 80 ft.
Listen SBP, as much as I like diving at Cozumel, it's not exactly set up for newbie divers. Many, many posts are made here from newbies who have had troubling experiences, and Cozumel is famous for newbie divers going on deeper dives with no experience at all right off the bat. Cozumel is notorious for dive masters / dive operators ignoring newbie divers experience levels.
The normal dive scenario of the vast majority of the dive shops is a DEEP 1st dive in the morning, a shallow 2nd dive in the morning and a shallow 3rd dive in the afternoon. If you put your 16 daughter on the first dive of the morning you will be on a deep dive. If you insists on going to Cozumel instead of somewhere else where this deep 1st dive isnt the norm, you should plan on -
Sit out the 1st dive of the 2 dives in the morning and just dive the 2nd shallow dive with your daughter, or only have your daughter do the afternoon dive of the day. Other than that, she will be on a deep profile dive and if that's the case, you're going to have to take extra care to be very careful to protect her, meaning trying to stay shallow while everyone else is deep. That's a great theory but sometimes reality might not make it so easy. Remember there is a reason for the way divers are grouped together and stay together on a Cozumel dive, it's because it's all drift diving and current can effect you differently at different depths. You might easily find yourself and your daughter getting effected by the current trying to stay above everyone else and having to swim you butts off and not even being able to keep up.
If it was my daughter and I wanted to avoid any deep dives and Cozumel was the only choice, she would only be doing the afternoon dives and shore dives with us, she would not be going on the morning dives, or if she did, I would sit out the 1st deep dive and only dive the 2nd dive of the morning. If I couldn't make that happen I'd be taking my dive vacation somewhere else.
* Edit - I just noticed you're on a cruise - I'd skip the dive at Cozumel with your daughter if you don't want her diving to 80 ft.
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