eliminator
Contributor
I'm looking for a good place in Mexico to do a Cavern and Intro to Cave course. In addition, what should I bring down with me in terms of gear. I have all the gear needed. Should I buy the books stateside first?
Cavern/Intro Cave in Mexico?
- Thread starter eliminator
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
A very nice place is Villa de Rosa.
I don't know how fancy you want to get, but they have the works.
Aquatech Dive Center is on-site and has the full range of courses.
(caveat: I haven't been in five years)
Rick
I don't know how fancy you want to get, but they have the works.
Aquatech Dive Center is on-site and has the full range of courses.
(caveat: I haven't been in five years)
Rick
First of all, I would decide on an instructor, and then through his website or through communication with him, you can find out what gear you need to bring, and what you can rent or what is provided. You can also find out if any gear is specifically to be of any certain type or configuration.
From two years of being down there, here are my recommendations:
If you have done or can do GUE Fundamentals, take GUE Cave 1 with the Zero G guys. The quality of the classes is absolutely fantastic.
If you are not interested in GUE, I'd recommend Dennis Weeks of Aquanauts, based out of Puerto Aventuras. Dennis is a very nice man, a dry caver and cave diver, and enjoys an excellent reputation. My husband has done guided cave dives with Dennis, and was very pleased with him. There is very good lodging in PA (contact debbie@diveaventuras.com to talk about options -- she's done very well by us) and there are restaurants in walking distance. PA is also quite close to the fill station.
Another option would be German Yanez of Yucatech. German lives on Cozumel, but is willing to teach on the mainland. German was my instructor for my Cavern and Intro classes. He is an extremely pleasant and patient man, and very good if confidence is an issue for you (as it was for me). He has a long track record of cave exploration and survey. If you choose German, you can say in the Playa del Carmen area, which will make an all-inclusive an option, if that appeals to you. (Come in the off season, and you can get some very good deals at those places, but the food is pretty bad.)
Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions, or want any advice on logistics.
From two years of being down there, here are my recommendations:
If you have done or can do GUE Fundamentals, take GUE Cave 1 with the Zero G guys. The quality of the classes is absolutely fantastic.
If you are not interested in GUE, I'd recommend Dennis Weeks of Aquanauts, based out of Puerto Aventuras. Dennis is a very nice man, a dry caver and cave diver, and enjoys an excellent reputation. My husband has done guided cave dives with Dennis, and was very pleased with him. There is very good lodging in PA (contact debbie@diveaventuras.com to talk about options -- she's done very well by us) and there are restaurants in walking distance. PA is also quite close to the fill station.
Another option would be German Yanez of Yucatech. German lives on Cozumel, but is willing to teach on the mainland. German was my instructor for my Cavern and Intro classes. He is an extremely pleasant and patient man, and very good if confidence is an issue for you (as it was for me). He has a long track record of cave exploration and survey. If you choose German, you can say in the Playa del Carmen area, which will make an all-inclusive an option, if that appeals to you. (Come in the off season, and you can get some very good deals at those places, but the food is pretty bad.)
Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions, or want any advice on logistics.
In addition to the information from TSandM, I'll add a few more tidbits. [Background -- I'm a GUE DIR-F graduate and then took Cavern/Intro from German Yanez. After several (quite a few?) Intro level dives, including guided dives with Dennis Weeks, I went back to German for my Full Cave instruction.]
As always, find an instructor you think you'll like (talk with former students to see if it sounds like a match -- which is how I/we hooked up with German) and then take Cavern (and Intro if the fit is good).
BUT, before you take the classes, do as much of the "non-overhead work" as you can at home and in the non-overhead environment -- i.e., open water. Cavern, for example, is where most people learn the non-silting kicks (frog, mod frog, mod flutter, helicopter turn, back kick), "perfect" their buoyancy and trim, learn light discipline and start to develop "team skills." ALL of these are perfect OW skills and don't need to be learned in an Overhead environment (which, in Cavern, the skills are taught in the OW environment and unless you get them, you don't get into the overhead). So why wait until you are there to learn the OW skills you can learn at home?
I preach that one should use Cavern to learn the Overhead Environment skills -- line running, line drills, etc. Use the time wisely and you'll be much better off and a better diver.
As always, find an instructor you think you'll like (talk with former students to see if it sounds like a match -- which is how I/we hooked up with German) and then take Cavern (and Intro if the fit is good).
BUT, before you take the classes, do as much of the "non-overhead work" as you can at home and in the non-overhead environment -- i.e., open water. Cavern, for example, is where most people learn the non-silting kicks (frog, mod frog, mod flutter, helicopter turn, back kick), "perfect" their buoyancy and trim, learn light discipline and start to develop "team skills." ALL of these are perfect OW skills and don't need to be learned in an Overhead environment (which, in Cavern, the skills are taught in the OW environment and unless you get them, you don't get into the overhead). So why wait until you are there to learn the OW skills you can learn at home?
I preach that one should use Cavern to learn the Overhead Environment skills -- line running, line drills, etc. Use the time wisely and you'll be much better off and a better diver.
cavew0man
Contributor
I would also throw in a plug for Protec in Playa del Carmen - did my IANTD Cavern, Intro, and Cave with them and was very satisfied on all accounts:
ProTec Dive Center Playa del Carmen - tp
And, of course, Dennis...
ProTec Dive Center Playa del Carmen - tp
And, of course, Dennis...
OP
eliminator
Contributor
thanks for the post everyone, I'm going to wait until the low season to head on down for these courses. The only issue right now is the fact I might be heading down alone.
Similar threads
