First, a bit of background. Me, my wife, and our 13 year old son are considering taking up diving. We are avid boaters who own a cabin at a nearby lake at which we spend a good deal of time. We all love the water and are quite comfortable in and around it. Our boating equipment is all high-grade, as we prefer to buy once rather than having to replace substandard gear, although we are not opposed to, and often do buy well researched used gear that we maintain regularly.
Our son is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and a pretty good student so he has demonstrated that he can, at times and when properly motivated, exercise some self-discipline. He is well-versed in on-the-water safety and complies with the rules, (probably as much out of habit than any innate desire to conform, as he has been around the water most of his life). He is however, a 13-year-old. Enough said.
I am a practicing CPA so our ability to travel from January through April is non-existent, and of course we have the constraints placed on us by our son's school schedule. As a result, we would likely be once or twice a year "vacation" divers. We have no interest in diving local lakes. Our idea would be to combine vacation trips to tropical locations with our diving. We live in Oklahoma, so travel to these vacation spots is not overly expensive.
None of us have any particular desire for diving to great depths. We are aware that our skills would be very basic and we would only be willing to dive in locations and under conditions that were within our skill limits. We would probably buy basic gear and regulators, but rent the rest. Bad idea if one used a reputable operator? In other words, we're looking to have fun and enjoy some of nature's beauty, not to set any records or rack up bragging rights.
It stands to reason that in a sport like this, more experience is better than less. We could and would spend time in local area pools refreshing air skills, but I realize this is no substitute for open water dives.
So the question I have for you experienced divers is this. Would You Or Wouldn't You? Given that our diving would be limited to locations and conditions appropriate for a novice, are there sufficient places in Cozumel for example that would be suitable for us? Is it difficult to find operators that could accommodate us and place us with like-minded divers (small groups would be preferable)? Safety issues given our experience levels? In short, is it worth it?
I'd value the opinion of experienced divers. I know there will be some of you that take the approach that if you can't do it regularly, don't do it at all. Don't hold back. Blaze away!
Our son is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and a pretty good student so he has demonstrated that he can, at times and when properly motivated, exercise some self-discipline. He is well-versed in on-the-water safety and complies with the rules, (probably as much out of habit than any innate desire to conform, as he has been around the water most of his life). He is however, a 13-year-old. Enough said.
I am a practicing CPA so our ability to travel from January through April is non-existent, and of course we have the constraints placed on us by our son's school schedule. As a result, we would likely be once or twice a year "vacation" divers. We have no interest in diving local lakes. Our idea would be to combine vacation trips to tropical locations with our diving. We live in Oklahoma, so travel to these vacation spots is not overly expensive.
None of us have any particular desire for diving to great depths. We are aware that our skills would be very basic and we would only be willing to dive in locations and under conditions that were within our skill limits. We would probably buy basic gear and regulators, but rent the rest. Bad idea if one used a reputable operator? In other words, we're looking to have fun and enjoy some of nature's beauty, not to set any records or rack up bragging rights.
It stands to reason that in a sport like this, more experience is better than less. We could and would spend time in local area pools refreshing air skills, but I realize this is no substitute for open water dives.
So the question I have for you experienced divers is this. Would You Or Wouldn't You? Given that our diving would be limited to locations and conditions appropriate for a novice, are there sufficient places in Cozumel for example that would be suitable for us? Is it difficult to find operators that could accommodate us and place us with like-minded divers (small groups would be preferable)? Safety issues given our experience levels? In short, is it worth it?
I'd value the opinion of experienced divers. I know there will be some of you that take the approach that if you can't do it regularly, don't do it at all. Don't hold back. Blaze away!
