A problem with "fish food"

[spotmeter]

Hi everyone. Thanks in advance for any replies to my somewhat... odd question. I'm a new diver (one previous trip to Belize to get certified) with about 15 dives under my belt. I also have a problem with sea-sickness. Generally, I'm fine while the boat is underway, but as soon it stops and begins bobbing around in 3-4 foot swells, I have five minutes tops to get underwater before I start "feeding the fishes." It's pretty amusing for all my buddies -- I got tagged with a new nickname during certification, fish food, that endures to this day -- but pretty miserable for me.

I've managed to make my peace with it, however, and can endure almost anything with one exception: long intervals outside of a reef where I'm doomed to bob up and down. This includes a situation where it takes lots of time to pick up divers (assuming I'm one of the first ones up).

In Belize, I quickly learned to avoid dives where one spent lots of time doing intervals outside the reef. What I'm wondering is how dives in Cozumel work. Is the water pretty calm and protected where you dive, or are there 3-4 swells? With the drift dive nature of Coz diving, do dive groups surface all at once, or are they popping up here and there when they run out of air (I'd be afraid to be the first one up, waiting 20 minutes in a swaying boat to get everyone else)? Do you generally interval on land or protected waters, or is it in the boat in heavier waters?

Any advice you have would be great! I'm a single/solo diver that is looking to take a quick trip at the end of March, and I have a choice between the Caymans and Cozumel (only places with reasonable air fares). Thanks!

 

[Bob3]

Howdy, and welcome to ScubaBoard. Drop by the "introductions & greetings" & say HI.
http://www.scubaboard.com/f19.html
You should take a look at the medicine forum: http://www.scubaboard.com/f4.html for the seasickness thing, there are several treatments available for that.

Grand Cayman has a lot of shore diving, if ya want to go that route.

 

[HammerNoMore]

What I'm wondering is how dives in Cozumel work. Is the water pretty calm and protected where you dive, or are there 3-4 swells?

It really depends on the winds. Most of the diving in Coz is sheltered from the Atlantic and is pretty calm. Somtimes when the winds are kicking up it can get choppy.

With the drift dive nature of Coz diving, do dive groups surface all at once, or are they popping up here and there when they run out of air (I'd be afraid to be the first one up, waiting 20 minutes in a swaying boat to get everyone else)?

Depends on the shop but most of the good ones let people dive their own air.

Do you generally interval on land or protected waters, or is it in the boat in heavier waters?

I've only had an on land interval once where we stopped at a pier. I wouldn't count on it.

Any advice you have would be great! I'm a single/solo diver that is looking to take a quick trip at the end of March, and I have a choice between the Caymans and Cozumel (only places with reasonable air fares). Thanks!

Cozumel is a great place to dive. I don't know what you've tried to combat your problems, but one thing I can suggest is that if you need Dramamine<sp?> start taking it looong before you get on a boat, like the night before if it is a morning dive.

James

 

[spotmeter]

Thanks Bob3! I'll be sure to post to the introductions board. And I've already discovered your very helpful seasickness board -- lurked there before going to Belize. It really helped me with a bunch of things, to the point where the only part I can't handle is the swells.

Is the shore diving in Grand Cayman pretty good? And I'm travelling solo -- could I arrange shore dives with a dive operation so that I would have a buddy?

Thanks!

 

[spotmeter]

Very helpful info, James. I have to admit, the idea of doing my intervals in choppy waters puts me off a bit. In Belize, they almost always could pull into the inside of a reef or caye, and that really killed off the waves. In places where that wasn't possible I had a tough time. Even with dramamine...

 

[TwoBitTxn]

In Cozumel, generally you are geared up before the boat stops and in the water shortly there after.

Some operators do SI out on the water, others find a little beach bar/eaterie and hang out there.

TwoBit

 

[ggunn]

I've only had an on land interval once where we stopped at a pier. I wouldn't count on it.

Conversely, in 10 or 11 years diving Cozumel, I can only think of once (twice, maybe) where the dive boat DIDN'T dock somewhere for the SI. It depends on who you dive with, I guess. At SI sites I've been to, I only have seen small boats, so maybe the general rule is small boats (which I prefer) dock for the SI while large boats spend that time getting to the next site.

When I go to Cozumel, which is usually May or June, the waters are fairly calm to flat at the dive sites, except for, occasionally, the sites at the southern end of the island, and that's usually only a 1-2 foot chop.

 

[spotmeter]

Thanks ggunn. That's really helpful perspective. It's become clear that I should be able to handle Cozumel pretty well so long as no storms/high winds blow in (which can happen anywhere). I just need to ask questions of the dive operator about the site and how they spend their intervals, and make decisions accordingly.

Thanks to everyone who replied -- your comments have been very helpful.

 

[ggunn]

Thanks ggunn. That's really helpful perspective. It's become clear that I should be able to handle Cozumel pretty well so long as no storms/high winds blow in (which can happen anywhere). I just need to ask questions of the dive operator about the site and how they spend their intervals, and make decisions accordingly.

Thanks to everyone who replied -- your comments have been very helpful.

Da nada. FWIW if a storm or high winds blow in, the small boats won't be going out, anyway. At the end of March I believe (others please correct me if I am mistaken) that the El Norte blasts that kick up the wave action in the channel are just about done for the year.