Mexico vs Florida (better training caves)

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Which of the two make for a better training environment? Mexico with its shallow depths allowing more bottom time per dive or Florida with high flows?

 

[Jack Hammer]

A little of each would be nice. Variety is what makes for better training.

 

[victorzamora]

Which of the two make for a better training environment? Mexico with its shallow depths allowing more bottom time per dive or Florida with high flows?

You need variety. Also, you'd optimally get experience in the kind of caves you intend to dive. It's not just "shallow vs high-flow." MX has deeper caves and FL has some shallow caves.

Plus, location does not guarantee a quality of training. A poor instructor can make you a dangerous diver regardless of where the caves are located.

 

[Lorenzoid]

A little of each would be nice. Variety is what makes for better training.

This has been said before, and it makes sense to me in general. More specifically, though, what would one learn from MX caves that one would not learn from FL caves? I mean aside from the mechanics of things that are simply done differently in MX, such as using line markers in different ways.

 

[rjack321]

This has been said before, and it makes sense to me in general. More specifically, though, what would one learn from MX caves that one would not learn from FL caves? I mean aside from the mechanics of things that are simply done differently in MX, such as using line markers in different ways.

MX is a MAZE!
You really can't understand how much more complicated it is until you experience it. And remember you need to know and dive the cave, not be a line hugger. Developing the perceptual awareness to see and understand the caves in MX (while doing all the diving skills) is an art that diving someplace like Ginnie or Peacock just won't convey.

By the same token there is nothing in MX that can even remotely prepare you on how to swim in a cave like Manatee.

 

[kierentec]

As has been said, there are major advantages to training in both locations. At the cavern/intro level, I would argue Mexico is much better. You get to spend real time in the cave within the limitations of intro to cave (no deco, 1/6ths of gas supply for penetration). Intro level dives in Mexico are often close to an hour with penetration in the 7-900ft range. In Ginnie or little river, intro training dives are in the 20-30minute range and more like 400ft of penetration. Yes, you can go to peacock and extend dive durations, but then you are missing the advantages of training in FL.

Mexico is also logistically much easier. If you stay in tulum, most of the training sites are within 10 minutes. Days are far less exhausting. There are tons of restaurants within walking distance, lodging and food is super cheap, etc.

If you are planning on doing any diving in FL caves, you will need some remedial training in order to do so. Usually hiring an experienced guide for the first couple of days is enough to get you comfortable in the flow.

I recommend full cave in FL. You get a bunch of quality experience in flow and planning/executing decompression dives. And if your instructor has a lot of experience diving in Mexico, the more complex navigation can easily be covered (especially with the updated lines in Ginnie and peacock incorporating Ts).

Whichever route you choose, I highly recommend training with an instructor with a great deal of experience in both locations to give you the most well rounded training.

 

[Johnoly]

Florida has a better beer selection to celebrate after each day's training dives.

 

[kierentec]

Florida has a better beer selection to celebrate after each day's training dives.

There’s plenty of decent beer in mexico. And tequila, and mezcal, and beaches...

 

[jadairiii]

I did all my cave training in Florida, then went to Mexico for fun. I would not have wanted to do that the other way around. Cant imagine the "fun" a Cave I diver would have, after training in Mex in Alum 80's, doing Ginnie with 104's for the first time.

That said, I am envious of divers that do their Cave 1 or 2 in Mexico, for the mere fact of the amount of time they can spend in the cave working skill, in alum 80's.

 

[rjack321]

I did all my cave training in Florida, then went to Mexico for fun. I would not have wanted to do that the other way around. Cant imagine the "fun" a Cave I diver would have, after training in Mex in Alum 80's, doing Ginnie with 104's for the first time.

That said, I am envious of divers that do their Cave 1 or 2 in Mexico, for the mere fact of the amount of time they can spend in the cave working skill, in alum 80's.

I did Cave 1 and 2 in MX. We had very long dives but had to fake it with the "deco" as there was almost none.

104s in Ginnie with a mentor wasn't so bad. @lv2dive might have been my first buddy there and she was able to explain how not to wear myself out in the Gallery. I recall us doing the park bench maple leaf mini circuit on my first Ginnie dive.