Cave instructor playa del carmen?

[sethw]

Also i've spoken with Kim @ protect and she is wanting me to also take a ABC 4 day buoyancy course $280/day before i even start cavern training. I totally respect buoyancy is 1000000000% important to avoid the silt ups but spending 4 days and costing over 1,000 seems little steep and eats into my time line of things. Does this sound normal or an extra "selling point" to get extra money?

You would be very lucky to spend four days with Kim Davidsson, he is an outstanding instructor and instructor-trainer and you will not waste any time or regret one minute of it. Not the most convenient location if you are in Playa, however.

Best,
Seth

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

thanks I'll check him out also!

Another vote for Nicolas & Martin. I have been diving with these guys for over 10 years. You won't find 2 people more passionate about diving caves or diving in general. On their days off they find and dive new cenotes. I was lucky enough to be with them the first time they dove one of the new cenotes they found. They have a small family run dive shop in Playa Del Carmen. Tell Nico that Steve from Canada sent you.
CenoteXperience - Cavern, Cave and Ocean Diving in Playa del Carmen Yucatan Mexico - Home

 

[ginti]

Either way i guess i'll see which route i go in the next day or 2 depending on availability of the 2 i'm emailing back and forth.


i'm talking about full on regulator failures and feathering tanks to breathe off of not just swapping regs and closing and opening a valve when i rise ~6" not when i'm hovering and just switching regulators normally. I'm not expecting myself to also go squeeze into the tightest of restrictions ANY time soon and that is something i'll work towards but not with the goal of taking this training immediately squeezing into the smallest of spots no.

First of all, as others mentioned, 6" is not 6' -> if I am not making other conversion mistakes, it is good.
Try to test your skills and ensure that you can hold your position and your trim, especially when task-loaded (e.g. during a v-drill). If you are stable with a deviation of only 6" at rest, you probably will be able to maintain a good buoyancy even under stress.

The following things to check are trim, propulsion techniques, and core drills (s-drill, v-drill, light deployment). If everything is good, you are probably ready for overhead training.

As already said by others, the easiest way to test it is to schedule an evaluation dive with an instructor. If the instructor is good, you will receive good feedback to improve your skills, no matter your level (there is always room to improve). In other words, you are not going to waste any money.

Also like others said in the past you either swear by GUE or you hate GUE. I've seen arguments for both I'm leaning towards what i've been recommended by my awesome sidemount teacher who also is a cave/trimix/ccr etc but we both are living in Texas it isn't feasible for him to teach me unless we fly to mexico together or florida then that's just having to also work around his schedule.

I didn't want to suggest you go for the GUE route. True, the GUE route is a very good one, but it has some pros and some cons like everything. Out there, you will find valid alternatives; it's up to you to find the best suit for you.

But the core skills behind any good overhead course are very similar. Since GUE standards are well defined, I mentioned them, so to give you an idea. Many good instructors follow something equivalent. In other words, if you do not have those skills, they will ask you to do a core skill course.

I am sorry if I didn't manage to send the right message; I hope it is clearer now

 

[Squirm88]

You may want to look into Cave Camp | Dive, Discover, Develop if your dates are flexible. I believe you can arrange training with the cave camp team during the event.

 

[Tracy]

You may want to look into Cave Camp | Dive, Discover, Develop if your dates are flexible. I believe you can arrange training with the cave camp team during the event.

This is an awesome suggestion. I have gone three different years and it is always a blast.

 

[Mr.337]

You may want to look into Cave Camp | Dive, Discover, Develop if your dates are flexible. I believe you can arrange training with the cave camp team during the event.

So i did try and get with Lanny but he said they are all booked up and suggested i get with Michael. I've been chatting with him it's down to between him in Tulum or my usual guide i dive with in Playa has a friend he highly recommends also in Playa also. Both are TDI instructors and both have about the same time teaching from talking with both of them.

I know it's going to be the wrong choice but now it's between where do i want to spend time not diving for dinner as both i think are going to be good choices to learn from. PDC vs Tulum

 

[Wstern5]

So i did try and get with Lanny but he said they are all booked up and suggested i get with Michael. I've been chatting with him it's down to between him in Tulum or my usual guide i dive with in Playa has a friend he highly recommends also in Playa also. Both are TDI instructors and both have about the same time teaching from talking with both of them.

I know it's going to be the wrong choice but now it's between where do i want to spend time not diving for dinner as both i think are going to be good choices to learn from. PDC vs Tulum

Michael Bransfield? I haven’t had instruction from him but I know him, he’s super nice, great personality and does a lot of diving. I’d go with him if I was in your position.

 

[Mr.337]

Michael Bransfield? I haven’t had instruction from him but I know him, he’s super nice, great personality and does a lot of diving. I’d go with him if I was in your position.

Ya I've been in touch with him. He seems extremely professional and very informative. Unfortunately I've had to postpone my trip due to the hurricane in the gulf and family issues with folks displaced from their home in Louisiana.

I'm going to revisit this soon and figure that out.

 

[Wstern5]

Ya I've been in touch with him. He seems extremely professional and very informative. Unfortunately I've had to postpone my trip due to the hurricane in the gulf and family issues with folks displaced from their home in Louisiana.

I'm going to revisit this soon and figure that out.

Sorry to hear that, best of luck.

 

[kafkaland]

I don’t think think you’ll regret doing only cavern and intro now, and come back for full later. I did the same, and those two dozen or so dives at the intro level made a big difference for me in terms of my comfort in the overhead environment. And, if possible at all, do those intro dives with a buddy at the same level. Yes, you’ll “waste” a dive or two just on trying to find the start of the line, but that’s part of the learning process. The process is as much of the goal as reaching a particular point in the caves. And when you go without a professional guide on these dives, you may even have a story or two to tell afterwards, like being chased by a bull at Vaca Ha, or being locked inside Cenote Jailhouse...