Cozumel Advice

[MMM]

I agree with Harro10 (and lots of others who have followed)...you may be well advised to hire your own private DM to dive with you. Then it won't matter much which op you end up with. As a brand new diver, I would not be focussing my skills and attention on sending up your own SMB (which has its own intricacies in a current that you won't experience in the bottom of a pool), especially if you don't have buoyancy control mastered. If you ask, that private DM will probably teach you how to deploy one if s/he thinks you are doing well enough. A bit of personal attention will go a long way to helping you become more skilled and ready to join with more experienced divers when you feel you are ready. Remember that in Cozumel you are diving in current and that is a game changer in terms of having a DM at your side, ready to assist you if you need it, while still guiding the rest of their group.

 

[cvchief]

Regardless of the experience of the other divers on the boat - if this is your first ocean dive it should not even be an option!

For all intents and purposes, she will. Maybe Or will come too....

 

[Ron Lee]

Before Dave's post I was thinking, "if his stress is from worrying about making other divers come up because he sucked through all his air, all divers having 120's doesnt do anything at all to alter that".

That diver can go higher than the rest of the group. Works very well at some dive spots like most Palancar sites. No so good at a few.

 

[jbjclj]

Tres Pelicanos gets my vote as dive op. The DM, Servando, will take good care of you.

If you relax and stay with the group, letting the current do the work, your air should actually last longer than on a non-drift dive. Many of the dive ops limit your dive to about to 45 to 50 minutes anyway (Tres Pelicanos does not limit your bottom time...you dive your air and computer).

I found early on that if I just didnt sweat it so much when finding myself going up or down a little and focused on countering with exhaling or inhaling and giving that time to work, there was usually no need to take air out of or put air into my bcd. The more relaxed and measured your responses are the better you will do in terms of air consumption AND controlling buoyancy without wasting air on your bcd.

Would second that as we dove with them this spring, great boat, great dive master. Also you might try Living Underwater, great operation too, similar boat but uses steel tanks 95/120 for additional bottom time.

 

[captnpat1982]

While on my dive trip with my DM, Chucho Nunez, a lady from Blue Project, Blanca was assisting a couple with their AOW. She was very knowable about her subject, patient with her customers and saw to all of their needs. I have not used her company but when I get some more experience, I will use her company.
Blue Project Cozumel - Welcome.

 

[Canadian Girl]

I agree with those above regarding hiring a DM specifically for you and your wife for the first day. I was lucky with my experience when I did my OWD in Cozumel because it was just me and my DM. A great experience and made me very comfortable with diving in Cozumel.

If you're PADI certified, you may want to look into doing your advanced certification and choosing peak performance buoyancy as one of your five dives. It will give you some more in depth knowledge regarding your buoyancy (which will naturally help with your air consumption).

Food for thought.

 

[bhenson]

Ref:
If you're PADI certified, you may want to look into doing your advanced certification and choosing peak performance buoyancy as one of your five dives. It will give you some more in depth knowledge regarding your buoyancy (which will naturally help with your air consumption).

Food for thought.[/QUOTE]

I am PADI certified and this is something we have discussed but have been advised from another source on here ( a reputable one, not that others are not) that I should NOT at this point. I would like to hear others opinions on this. I have read on here, in another section, many people have followed immediately w/ the AOW and others have got several dives logged prior.
My main interest is the buoyancy training part of the course.
I feel I have painted us as horrific divers which I don't think we are. We are inexperienced (15 plus OW dives) with only 1 issue each. I ran out of air due to primarily not wanting to stop and am an air hog. I KNOW, I KNOW, WHEN i RUN OUT OF AIR I RISK EVERYTHING STOPPING PERMANENTLY, LESSON LEARNED, My wife had to ascend during descend ( which she never stopped till surface) but we have resolved this with slower descends as she is deaf in 1 ear and makes it harder to clear.

I have an interest in the course, not for the "badge" but for the training while getting 5 more dives out of it. Not to mention, it seems I can get the "badge" free, when you compare the cost of 5 dives otherwise

 

[tracydr]

Bill,
I do not have a SMB, yet, but will before I board a plane! All previous dives have been with my actual LDS instructor on a group trip to Dominica in addition to the DM from the resort we stayed at.
In regards to ascending, well I have actually never held on to a line, gone up beside but not on. And yes I did fluctuate too much when it came STOP time.
How do you suggest HONEST research? My LDS is closing so local divers input is limited at best.
One of the reasons I am on here.
I do know that you are correct, 99% are drift dives but that doesn't intimidate us, as we have done before but that is where my need for an understanding dive op is needed, as I(& wife) will likely be bobbing in the water, with my NEW SMB, waiting on the others to surface or the boat to come back to us.
Course, I have also heard but not confirmed that most dives in Cozumel are 45 min dives and with my pool practice, I might actually make it.

JCM, Thanks, I am researching them!!!

It sounds to me like you're the leader and your wife is the follower. What happens if something happens to you? Is your wife capable of taking the lead? She needs to be practicing at least as much as you do.
Strongly suggest working in the pool on bouyancy, SMB deployment and all the basic dive skills that you learned in your OW class. Just open up your book and go down the list- mask clear, regulator recovery, mask remove and replace, weight belt and BC remove and replace on surface and in mid-water, inflate BC orally and with inflator button, disconnect the LP hose from the BC to prevent runaway ascent in case of inflator hose button sticking, out of air-sharing air with buddy ( practice with both you and your wife donating/donatee), giant stride can be practiced from the side of the deep end of the pool, .Practice with your compass and how to do short out/back azimuth and count fin kicks to learn how fine tune your navigation. ( later, in Cozumel, you can use the free shore diving option to practice this some more as this is an essential skill that most beginner divers don't get).
If you don't have access to a private pool or pool at a local shop, consider checking into a local pool rental. It's actually not that expensive in many places-here in Mesa,AZ, its about $100 for several hours or half a day.
Or, find out where the local "mud hole" is, where the local divers go to train. Maybe a spring,lake or quarry?
Regular local diving will keep your skills up so that you can both enjoy your trip so much more. Plus, you can make sure everything fits and is in working order.
Consider taking AOW locally before leaving,if possible.

 

[goclimbing]

+1 for Aldora, Just got back from a 5 day trip with them. I'm sure there are other ops that will compare it's just who I found. I would suggest that you tell them your concerns and be honest about your experience level and comfort level. They will keep you with groups of similar capabilities. I was very happy with the level of service and they helped build my skills and confidence. Will use them again.

Second night at Aldora. Best "random" decision of the trip.

It's like being on a live-aboard except there is a BBQ 20 feet away from where the boat picks us up. They take you shopping for food/beer at your convenience. And let's not forget the steel 120 nitrox tanks. Can you say bottom time? I thought you could....

 

[Canadian Girl]

Everyone has opinions - it' all comes down to what are you comfortable with. The advanced PADI course doesn't make you an 'advanced' diver per say, in my opinion that only comes with doing more dives and refining your skills. The advanced certification does however give you further knowledge in 5 areas of diving of your choice (2 compulsory and 3 are your choice) compared to what you learned in your OW course. It's all up to you, but the pbb option would help the two points you've noted you need to work on. I did my AOW as dives 9-14 and then did an additional 13 dives the same trip and enjoyed the additional dives much more as I was more aware of aspects I learned in AOW. That's all. Whatever you choose to do, you will love diving in Cozumel. The reefs are beautiful!!