Recos for Coz with 13 y/o diver?

[lowwall]

...We stayed at Villa Aldora, so did the DSD with Aldora Divers. First day my son (who in 1998 didn't complete his last OW check out dive - he was 11 - with my wife and me) and granddaughter did the pool work (at the Villa) and then moved over to the ocean for a 60 min+ shore dive. I grabbed a tank and met them 10 minutes into their dive. It was about 15' max. Did see a nice drum fish and an eagle ray.

Thanks for posting this. I stayed at the Villa for the first time in February and I really enjoyed it. My daughter turns 12 this summer and I was wondering if Aldora makes sense for a Junior OW course. The fact that she could do the confined water dives in the Villa pool is a real plus and the shore dive there is great.

 

[jonhall]

My daughter turns 12 this summer and I was wondering if Aldora makes sense for a Junior OW course.

That will be great. I was most worried about gear fitting my granddaughter. She used her own mask and used Aldora's wetsuit, bcd/reg, and fins. The bcd was a little big and I'm not sure of the size of the mouthpiece, but the instructor cinched the bcd up pretty well. The wetsuit, the smallest they had, was a little long, but worked well. She's 10, so I'm thinking your daughter would be fine with the sizes they have available. I will say my granddaughter came out of the water, both shore and boat dives, with a big smile on her face.

 

[wateraddiction]

Thanks for posting this. I stayed at the Villa for the first time in February and I really enjoyed it. My daughter turns 12 this summer and I was wondering if Aldora makes sense for a Junior OW course. The fact that she could do the confined water dives in the Villa pool is a real plus and the shore dive there is great.

I was certified by Aldora in 2008 and my 10 & 11 yos were just certified in Bonaire. It was great to be able to do shore dives with them right out in front and there's so much to see at 40' with no current, no boat, everything at our own pace. In terms of pace/vibe it was as casual as snorkeling since we were walking our gear over from our patio and entering the water right in front of our condo.

Bonaire is cheaper for us per night compared to Coz (since we stay at Iberostar AI) and flight costs are similar after the fares to CZM jacked up. We are taking them to to IB in May and we are wondering how they're going to like the boat dives. We are also getting a private DM (i don't know how you could dive at 40' and not get separated from the rest of the group given the currents).

I love the vertical structure of the coral in Cozumel but I don't think they're going to get to experience that at 40'. What are your favorite sites for Jr Divers?

 

[lowwall]

I'm not sure where you are flying from. But when I was planning the trip I took in February, a flight to Bonaire was $900 more than Cancun and $500 more than Coz. I went to Cancun and did the bag drag.

 

[lowwall]

[duplicate]

 

[wateraddiction]

I'm not sure where you are flying from. But when I was planning the trip I took in February, a flight to Bonaire was $900 more than Cancun and $500 more than Coz. I went to Cancun and did the bag drag.

I'm in a hub, so Chicago-MIA-BON has been as low as $530 on AA. (But my tickets to Coz are almost $500 and I still have to connect through Miami). I did check ORD- CUN and I was pretty shocked that flights were still around $400 ($180 in early 2020).

If airfare ever exceeds $1000/pp to the Caribbean, I would finally start exploring SE Asia! The appeal of the Caribbean has always been convenience and affordability since I'm in the U.S.

 

[lowwall]

I'm in a hub, so Chicago-MIA-BON has been as low as $530 on AA. (But my tickets to Coz are almost $500 and I still have to connect through Miami). I did check ORD- CUN and I was pretty shocked that flights were still around $400 ($180 in early 2020).

If airfare ever exceeds $1000/pp to the Caribbean, I would finally start exploring SE Asia! The appeal of the Caribbean has always been convenience and affordability since I'm in the U.S.

I'm in Chicago too. It was a last minute trip so what I found may not be representative of the usual fares. It is annoying that you can't currently fly non-stop to Coz from Chicago. That was another reason I was willing to live with the bag drag, as total travel time was similar given the non-stop to Cancun versus the layover and second flight to Coz.

I've done two dive trips to Thailand. The real issue isn't the airfare, it's that you basically need two weeks free to make it worthwhile because you lose 4 days to travel and a couple more to jet lag.

 

[lizzzzz]

I will likely ruffle a few feathers with this, but is is my opinion that a requirement for an AOW cert should be some minimum number of dives (50?) under an OW certification. An AOW card in the hands of someone with a total of 10 dives (or whatever the minimum would be if they went directly from OW to AOW) could be very misleading to a dive op who has never met this person. That person is in no sense an "advanced" diver.

I agree, fwiw. I have a good friend who long touted their “advanced” skills, only to get me in the riskiest situation I’ve been in to date (ironically during my own AOW training). I know views differ in this one, but I skew conservative and question why people are even able to jump directly to advanced training.

 

[lizzzzz]

You already have good info here from others, but if any doubt, I just returned from a trip to Coz with my family. Main purpose was to have my 10 year old granddaughter do the Discover Scuba Diving. She is a fish in a pool and did the "Bubbler" experience at age 8 and 9.

We stayed at Villa Aldora, so did the DSD with Aldora Divers. First day my son (who in 1998 didn't complete his last OW check out dive - he was 11 - with my wife and me) and granddaughter did the pool work (at the Villa) and then moved over to the ocean for a 60 min+ shore dive. I grabbed a tank and met them 10 minutes into their dive. It was about 15' max. Did see a nice drum fish and an eagle ray.

The next afternoon, my granddaughter and I went to a little used dive site - San Clemente (popular for snorkel tours) - and did a 70 minute dive with max depth of 30' and no current. I was the best "buddy" diver I've ever been for anyone I've ever dived with and that includes my wife! when she was diving! Since my camera flooded and I couldn't use it, it was also one of the most relaxing dives I've ever done. Saw a lot of fish and a turtle. Also had a new Rescue Diver and new AOW diver with a handful of dives on the boat with us doing the same site with a different DM. Granddaughter had a great time.


My thought process is that many places get mixed messages for various reasons. I've even thought diving to be suspect on an island until I went a 2nd time and dove a different area which changed my mind. If I were looking at Coz for the first time and knew that it was a popular place that many people like (even though there were mixed messages), I wouldn't have second thoughts about trying it. Dive ops will take you to the marine park and through the course of several days of diving, I would hope to get a taste of what Coz has to offer.

Many good ops in Coz can set you up for the type of diving and depths you want. Where you stay might be a factor on who you dive with. There are options in Coz. One is the convenient way - dive resort with dive op onsite. Some of those will be all-inclusive with large boats (many divers), but some aren't AI's and have small boats (such as where I just stayed - Villa Aldora.) You can also stay at hotels/resorts that have a pier or are within walking distance to a pickup pier. Another option is a taxi to the dive op or to one of the marinas to meet the boat. Attached the link to my spreadsheet that may have some helpful info in choosing a dive op.

Cozumel Dive Ops

Thank you for such a detailed response! It’s so different learning to dive with my son, rather than adults. Not only do I want to keep him firmly within his dive profile and maturity level, but I have to be honest with myself that I’ll be more intensely focused on him than I would a friend or peer. (For example: He’d love to do a night dive and I love them, but I’m not ready for one with him yet )

Really appreciate your insights!

 

[NDL_Diver]

100% agree.

I've been diving since '07, somewhere around 200 dives at this point, and I still don't have it. Never needed it. It's not BAD to get it, but it's certainly not something any new diver should be rushing for. Especially in Cozumel, they don't care what card you have as long as you have a card, because they are gonna watch you the first time you dive with them and assess you anyway.

I understand 100%. I have been diving for 30 years on an OW and have 800+ dives. I still get the "only OW" look from the DM i never dove with until they dive with me. Can outbreath some and keep up with most, have been described as having pinpoint boyancy.
I sometimes get the surprised look with a new DM of when they ask my tank pressure at 30min in and I tell them 20 or 22. Sometimes they look at my guage in disbelief.
I would have got my AOW if I ever did a live aboard or if I was younger (only a few years left of my diving experience). Get your AOW if you can, but I feel it is not a replacement for experience. Some people now with just OW are pretty bad divers and just don't know it.

Sometimes I get a kick at giving a new DM the half tank sigh as we are about to do our saftey stop because thry only did a 45 min dive.