Coco View - long walk from locker for shore diving?

[SpiderSense]

My wife and I are planning our next trip. Our goal is to dive dive dive and want to practice photography. Coco View came up as an option because of the ease and freedom to do many dives - boat and shore. We want easy/safe diving that wont tire us out so we can do 4 or 5 per day, including some night dives. Looking at the maps and photos, the walk seems far, from lockers (i assumed near the dive shop), to the shore line, and then along shallow waters to the reef.

carrying a house dSLR with dual strobes is very heavy. i definitely don't want to carry the rig for long walks, especially if there's a tank on my back and fins in one hand. ideally, i'd like to get out of the water and immediately rinse the camera rig off. put it down while i rinse and store the dive gear. then take the camera back to the room.

can someone describe the layout and do you think we should discount CCV because of this concern? it is hard to judge distance from a drawing.

thanks!

 

[Doc]

I counted it.

68 foot steps on hard flat sand.

About a bazillion serious camera haulers have made the trip. Usually preferring the "Front Yard" over the boat dives.

Many people easily do 5 dives a day there, and really the only place you can do that on Roatan so easily.

CoCoView Explained in Pictures: http://s221.photobucket.com/albums/dd106/Doc_Adelman/CoCoView Explained in Pictures/

"CoCoView Today" in pictures: http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=3057

There is a water hose 10' in-shore from the access, but most people walk the 30 seconds back to one of the many cameras-only rinse tanks and go from there. Look at the pictures.

This was photographed from about 1/4 of the way to the gear room..... (another 50 paces to go)

 

[DeputyDan]

Also there is a tank drop right at the shore dive exit point if you choose to use it.

The walk is not far enough to be a factor in your decision.

 

[SpiderSense]

you sure? those guys look tired!

just kidding.. looks like CCV is back on the table. great!

RoatanMan - your photos gave me the long walk impression in the first place, especially the diversexit8 photo.

the other options include a liveboard and captain don's habitat in Bonaire (been there). i think CCV might work out. thanks!

 

[cfelliot]

First off, I have always felt very safe about my possessions at CocoView. We leave all our equipment, sans camera, at the dive lockers. Any time I heard of something missing it was because the owner had hidden it on themselves. You have to figure that we are their bread-and-butter, so a trend of theft would not be tolerated.

Given that, the walk to the entry point is not that bad. If you want you can bring a couple of tanks over to the side of the main building and swap there. You are only a few feet from the water at that point.

 

[robint]

I was a bit concerned about that too but it isn't that far. Me and hubby both have big camera/camcorder rigs and had no problems. For night dives we just put our rigs there on the bench next to the water, walked to dock and geared up, then grabbed our rigs as we entered the water. We saw a few other people put tanks there but we never found it necessary. Go to CCV, you will love it!!!

 

[parrotheaddiver]

I am old....I do not like to shore dive because of the long walks and rocky entries schleping gear in and out of a vehicle like Bonaire......but CCV is different that is the only place I do shore diving....the ease of getting in and out of the water is great the dive platform makes it simple to walk out and put your fins on while holding onto the platform plenty of room to set a camera while donning your fins.... and the walk back is easy as others have said....

 

[octopuppy]

Also if you not Nitrox certified, consider it. Your energy and stamina level will be amazing. CCV nitrox is very consistent and easily available.

 

[crd_kats]

First off, I have always felt very safe about my possessions at CocoView. We leave all our equipment, sans camera, at the dive lockers. Any time I heard of something missing it was because the owner had hidden it on themselves. You have to figure that we are their bread-and-butter, so a trend of theft would not be tolerated.

Given that, the walk to the entry point is not that bad. If you want you can bring a couple of tanks over to the side of the main building and swap there. You are only a few feet from the water at that point.

I totally agree with the walk to shore is not a long one. 50 - 60' from the locker rooms. Once you reach the shoreline, you have another 35 - 45' to the camera platform that's in about 4 fsw. That's where you'll put on your fins and submerge or kick out to the reef. The resort itself is on a schedule. You are scheduled when to eat, when to dive off the boats, where you can dive, when they have their scheduled BBQ and/or entertainment and when you can schedule off resort activities (i.e.; zip line, shark dive, botanical gardens, etc.) I hadn't been on a scheduled vacation for a long time and realize it isn't for me, but there are many people out there who enjoy it. The one and only activity which isn't on a schedule is the shore diving.

However, I disagree about theft. I've been quiet about it to this point as I was asked by management to allow them time to investigate. It's been since April 12th and I've yet to hear from them. I'm so disgusted by the way they hushed up the incident I've refused to contact CCV and asked my dive buddy to handle it. My dive buddy and I both had disposable cameras, cactus juice and some basic toiletries I'd just purchased from the gift shop (that morning) taken from our dive lockers. Normally, I wouldn't make an issue of it since it wasn't my dive computer!, but half of the film on the disposable underwater camera were pictures I'd taken in Cayman in March. If by chance someone had picked up the camera by mistake, had the film developed, and noticed they aren't your pics, please PM me.

Carmen

 

[parrotheaddiver]

However, I disagree about theft. I've been quiet about it to this point as I was asked by management to allow them time to investigate. It's been since April 12th and I've yet to hear from them. I'm so disgusted by the way they hushed up the incident I've refused to contact CCV and asked my dive buddy to handle it. My dive buddy and I both had disposable cameras, cactus juice and some basic toiletries I'd just purchased from the gift shop (that morning) taken from our dive lockers. Normally, I wouldn't make an issue of it since it wasn't my dive computer!, but half of the film on the disposable underwater camera were pictures I'd taken in Cayman in March. If by chance someone had picked up the camera by mistake, had the film developed, and noticed they aren't your pics, please PM me.

Carmen

Carmen maybe you can start another thread on this issue...:blinking: I have been going there since the late 80's and have never had anything moved or taken...I hope it was an isolated incident...