CoCoView without Nitrox

[DogDiver]

I haven't breathed air on scuba for over 15 years. Do your self a favor and start breathing the "voodoo Gas"


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[Midge907]

You can go either way, I however like to use Nitrox there, as i'm one of those guys who thinks the extra Oxygen helps with recovering after dives. Do you need it, not really as most of the diving can be done shallow, however Nitrox helps there just as much. Again, just my opinion. I would suggest doing the Nitrox class there with Patty, no need to do it before you go, also the weekly rate for Nitrox is hard to beat anywhere else besides on a live aboard boat. I took it pretty easy on my trip there a couple of weeks ago, as I was getting cold easy and my ears were wore out, I still managed 23 dives, and 24 hours of bottom time with my max depth average at about 55'.

 

[Damselfish]

The issue for me here is that I can get my wife and I nitrox certified easily... and not sure if my in-laws and sister-in-law will be easy to convince....

I don't think these should be related. If you want it get it, then you have the option. If your in-laws don't, that's their business. If NDLs don't limit their diving nothing lost. If they are limited but you aren't because you're diving Nitrox, well then you can still dive (and it may change their mind about the Nitrox.) On a trip like this it seems unlikely everyone will be glued together for every dive anyway, especially as the week goes on. Sometimes someone will be tired or not feel like going or whatever, another dive it will be someone else.

Unsure if we need very deep dives as well

not sure what you mean by very deep - but realize Nitrox actually places more limits on your depth than air. (Not that there's generally a reason to go that deep there.)

 

[robint]

In Roatan I never felt the need to go deeper than my Nitrox allowed, but I am a fish so I can do a 60+ min dive on the drop-off with plenty of air left in my tank. And yes, I always stay away from the Yellow on my computer, never go into the RED. Safety is always a priority for me. Sure, you can do 4-5 dives per day on air, if you stay shallow every dive OR your dives are short. But some of the boat reef dives are spectacular and you want to get down on the wall to 60-80' to see them. In fact, the last trip, we found 4 seahorses on one dive and some were deeper than I would have ever expected. Then there is Mary's Place and Calvin's Crack, which you have to do at least once, and they go down to 90-100'. Really cool dives to do at least once. Ditto the Chimneys. You don't have to stay down there long, but 10-15 minutes that deep can suck up some tank and put your computer close to Yellow.
And some computers want a full 60 minute surface interval before you get in for next dive (drop off). We found that only a couple of days were we over 60 minutes before we were back to resort. Since the first dive is limited to 60 minutes, and we were always getting back on boat right at that time, we usually had only 20-30 minutes until the drop off dive.... that means our computer gave us a penalty for short SI. So the NITROX was best for us.

Your dive times may vary, your depth on ever dive may vary from MINE, but I am telling you that with my dive profiles and time underwater... NITROX is the only way to go. Since I turned 50, I do nitrox whenever it is available on any dive over 30' deep. MY OPINION.

 

[dpspaceman]

Thanks all, this is very helpful. We really need to consider these items when looking at the deeper dives like Mary's Place, etc.

---------- Post added February 11th, 2015 at 11:37 AM ----------

Do they require "advanced" OW to do Mary's Place?

 

[PatW]

I have been to CoCo View twice. Typically, I dove at least 4 dives per day. They give you a pretty good deal on nitrox. I tend to stay shallow. I like the life in the upper zones. I could have gotten away with using air, but my wife wanted me to use nitrox and it is not worth fighting over. I never noticed any differences in fatigue levels with nitrox vs air but many people claim to be able to tell.

If you like diving the deep side of the profile, nitrox could be a real help. Also, if your comport has a real conservative algorithm, nitrox could help.

Coco View gives you a real good deal on nitrox.

A nitrox certification is pretty inexpensive. The course is not demanding. You can even take it online, but I prefer to use a dive shop with a live person who can answer questions. It is essentially, an afternoon course, assuming you do the reading and prep. It is worth doing.

 

[robint]

Thanks all, this is very helpful. We really need to consider these items when looking at the deeper dives like Mary's Place, etc.

---------- Post added February 11th, 2015 at 11:37 AM ----------

Do they require "advanced" OW to do Mary's Place?

NO, they do not require advanced training.

Here are my videos from my last trip..... you can see what is going on with the dives.
https://vimeo.com/album/2443620

 

[BDSC]

I go along with folks who say go ahead and get the cert although I agree you don't really need it at CoCoView. It's nice to have when you go to places that offer it for "free" like Bonaire although I suspect it's not really free as it's likely hidden in the price. I will typically use nitrox if it's included in the package deal but I don't pay extra for it just to be able to use it.

Don't know about CCV but some resorts will actually include nitrox for the week if you take the course with them.

 

[robint]

Here is my video of the deep sites:
[vimeo]70068008[/vimeo]

I stayed above the group at Calvin's Crack, looking down of them in the "crack".

Mary's Place you enter the "crack" reef by going head first down a hole. All on video.

 

[BDSC]

Robint,

So what are you shooting with now? Have you gone the GoPro route?