Cozumel Gloves/Knife

[scububa]

Again, never seen one in Coz. Just not the way they do things.

James

All my dives in January had a tag line deployed. Maybe the difference between small boats and large boats??

BTW, didn't realize the "glove/knife" comment I raised in another thread would spawn so much discussion. Another very interesting aspect of the board.

Jim

 

[sealskin98]

I used gloves many years ago, with no problem. A few years ago a DM told us "no gloves" on the first day, then after he dove with us and saw we weren't "grabbers" there was not a problem wearing them. They were "recommended" when we went lobstering outside of the Marine Park.

As for knife, I just use it to stay still in a current by putting it into the sand when I want to look at something. Better than the "little index finger on the coral head." Of course, if you have a pretty good current the "index finger" won't work. Knife in the sand was the way my instructor trained me.

Tag lines? Seen them here and there on some boats, not on others (usually always dive fast boats). Seems to me that tag lines are more prevalent now than a few years ago but I'm not down there every few months. Also safety sausages carried by the DM seem to be more in vogue now. Maybe it was just the OP last time. Before a few years ago the only safety sausage I saw used by a DM was when we dove Barracuda and San Juan.

Apparently the micro thing of leaving it up to the individual diver doesn't work well, seems like they are going with the macro thing of "everybody." That's good for the big picture but irritating for the responsible diver. But everyone is not....

 

[MMM]

If you go up north, which is outside the marine park, you will run into lots of fishing line...however it tends to be caught fairly low and I've not found getting caught in it much of a risk.

Blue Angel does the odd trip to the mainland (Los Tortugas) and again, no rules about gloves or knives. I've never seen line there but I do wear gloves. Current is very strong there and there is lots of rock (not coral) to hang onto in order to stay in place. You will want gloves because stingy thingys are plentiful.

 

[sealskin98]

Current is very strong there and there is lots of rock (not coral) to hang onto in order to stay in place. You will want gloves because stingy thingys are plentiful.

I did mean "rock" instead of "coral head." I forgot to engage brain before touching keyboard.

Stingy thingys are right, owie. Pass the vinegar please.

 

[Dive-Ho]

If you go up north, which is outside the marine park, you will run into lots of fishing line...

Anyone know why the Northern reefs aren't protected areas ?
Barracuda and San Juan are two of my favorite sites. :monkeydan

I think I'll start a new thread

 

[fjd]

All my dives in January had a tag line deployed. Maybe the difference between small boats and large boats??

i was in Cozumel in february. tag lines were used on a couple of dives out of about a dozen dives altogether which were all on small 6-pack boats. my gloves certainly provided the desired protection in those occasions.

also, as someone earlier in the thread mentioned, there were lines tied on the side of the boat for divers to hold on while waiting for others to board. i usually wait until everyone else boards, and my gloves again provided the desired protection while i was waiting.

ditto on my wreck dive. and i was never hassled about having my gloves on throughout my entire trip.

 

[ggunn]

i was in Cozumel in february. tag lines were used on a couple of dives out of about a dozen dives altogether which were all on small 6-pack boats. my gloves certainly provided the desired protection in those occasions.

also, as someone earlier in the thread mentioned, there were lines tied on the side of the boat for divers to hold on while waiting for others to board. i usually wait until everyone else boards, and my gloves again provided the desired protection while i was waiting.

Protection from what? I hang onto those ropes with bare hands all the time with never a problem.

 

[sailit2000]

Hello Friends,
I just came back from Coz last week and I had no problem wearing a small Halcyon knife attached to my Halcyon wing. No one said a thing about it. I dove with two different operators that week. One of the divemasters wore a glove on his left hand.
Mexico is truely the gem of the carribean as far as diving was concerned. That was only my opinion.

Thanks,
Fran

I usually wear one glove on my left hand for anchoring in the sand and keep the right hand free to operate my camera, no one has ever said anything about it. No Michael Jackson jokes please!

I have seen a lot of people wearing gloves down there, even DM's who have a tendancy to get colder than a lot of us because of being in the water so much.

I also ALWAYS dive with a knife, it's part of my equipment...it's the way I was taught to dive and I wouldn't be with out it.
I sometimes get a comment from the DM like "planning on killing something?" but they have never said I couldn't wear it.

 

[WarmGoingCold]

So after reading through all the posts, it seems like you might be able to wear gloves, or not wear gloves, depending upon your experience and the DM. It basically looks like the dive operator will let you wear gloves if they determine you are a competent diver.

 

[ggunn]

So after reading through all the posts, it seems like you might be able to wear gloves, or not wear gloves, depending upon your experience and the DM. It basically looks like the dive operator will let you wear gloves if they determine you are a competent diver.

Maybe. It also depends on the operator. I wouldn't push the issue.