mtconnol
New
Hi all,
My wife and I are interested in going to Caye Caulker in Belize over winter break to do some diving. We are both very new divers with ~14 dives to our name, mostly drysuit diving in our cold Puget Sound waters as well as a day trip diving the Coronado Islands off of Tijuana.
My wife has sworn off of coldwater diving but is interested in trying the warmwater experience, and I'm wanting to make sure it is as positive and fruitful as possible for us. So we're looking for the right dive shop to use that could bring us to calm sites and be patient with our wanting to go slow and general noob energy.
It seems like most of the shops are doing these dives to ~75 feet or so, which technically busts our SSI open water limit of 60ft. Reading google reviews of Frenchies and others, many people have positive experiences, but the most common negative experience is impatient and grumpy divemasters. This is going to be a nonstarter for us, as I don't want to be rushed in a safety-critical environment. I'm wondering if anyone has recommendations for newb-friendly shops, or general guidance on whether these dives are appropriate for our current skill level. We'd be open to hiring a dedicated divemaster or extra guide to stick on us.
It seemed like Belize Diving Services would have been the go-to shop before their move.
For reference, the Coronado trip was very fun, but heavy (for us) surface current made it hard to rejoin the boat at the end. Obviously visibility would be the best we've ever seen but wondering about the depths needed and the current at the typical sites in the area.
This is probably the 'trial by fire' in terms of keeping my wife interested in diving, so I really want to make sure we have a great experience, even if it's kind of basic!
My wife and I are interested in going to Caye Caulker in Belize over winter break to do some diving. We are both very new divers with ~14 dives to our name, mostly drysuit diving in our cold Puget Sound waters as well as a day trip diving the Coronado Islands off of Tijuana.
My wife has sworn off of coldwater diving but is interested in trying the warmwater experience, and I'm wanting to make sure it is as positive and fruitful as possible for us. So we're looking for the right dive shop to use that could bring us to calm sites and be patient with our wanting to go slow and general noob energy.
It seems like most of the shops are doing these dives to ~75 feet or so, which technically busts our SSI open water limit of 60ft. Reading google reviews of Frenchies and others, many people have positive experiences, but the most common negative experience is impatient and grumpy divemasters. This is going to be a nonstarter for us, as I don't want to be rushed in a safety-critical environment. I'm wondering if anyone has recommendations for newb-friendly shops, or general guidance on whether these dives are appropriate for our current skill level. We'd be open to hiring a dedicated divemaster or extra guide to stick on us.
It seemed like Belize Diving Services would have been the go-to shop before their move.
For reference, the Coronado trip was very fun, but heavy (for us) surface current made it hard to rejoin the boat at the end. Obviously visibility would be the best we've ever seen but wondering about the depths needed and the current at the typical sites in the area.
This is probably the 'trial by fire' in terms of keeping my wife interested in diving, so I really want to make sure we have a great experience, even if it's kind of basic!