Cozumel in November!!

[terfmop]

The trip is all paid for, the passport has arrived in the mail. Now I just have to wait.

I will be taking a trip out to Cozumel this coming November. It will mark my first time out of the country and my first really big dive trip. Most of my diving has been lakes and quarries up here in Indiana. After last week's dive to the 40 degree quarry, I'm sure Cozumel will seem like paradise.

My first trip for ocean diving will be this summer while I vacation in Florida and I've asked on that forum what would be best for exposure suits. So I'm going to ask you guys too. What would be the best exposure suit for diving in Cozumel in November?

Do you have any other reccomendations/suggestions for a first-time visitor? My package includes two-tank boat trips in the a.m. I'm also interested in shore diving locations for afternoon diving.

 

[Noboundaries]

Terfmop, we were just in Cozumel last week and again the week after Thanksgiving last year. Bottom water temp 81 degrees F both times (there's almost no variation between the surface and the bottom). My wife and I both wear 3/2mm wetsuits and stay quite comfortable. We typically do 3 dives a day. Yes, you can obviously get by with less (dive skin, shortie, or just swimsuit), but we found we're less tired at the end of the day with the FWS. Plus you don't have to worry about inadvertently brushing up against the fire coral or hydroids.

One interesting observation. On our trip after last Thanksgiving, everyone was wearing 3mm FWSs, including the DMs. On this last trip, almost everyone was wearing shorties or skins. Water and air temp were exactly the same!

Here are a few pics we took last week just to get your imagination flowing.

BTW, we may be back in Cozumel the week after Thanksgiving again ourselves. When are you going?

 

[loudives]

I'm fairly large around the middle (you know natural insulation). I wear a 3m shorty and quiet comfy in November. Jan. and Feb. water temps are a few degrees cooler.

However if you will be diving for more than 4 consecutive days I suggest a full 3m suit. Your bodies resistance to water exposure seems to decrease over multiple insertions. I find myself starting to chill after 3 days. I tried a 1m beanie on my trip 2 weeks ago and found it made an impact. Head stayed warmer and gave the whole body the sense of warmth.

BTW if you are diving larger steel tanks you will have extended bottom times and you may get chilled on the long dives. AL80 dives are about 60min. Steel 100 = 70-80min. Steel 120 = 90-120min. These times would be for experienced Cozumel divers who are comfortable there. As a first time diver in Cozumel you will be so excited you won't get those bottom times.

Bottom line 3m full should be just fine. If chilled rent a shorty to wear over the full.

 

[livewire]

Not a ton of shore diving in Cozumel, but Chankanaab Park is nice. Also I haven't done this in years, but there's an old sunken airplane out in front of the El Cid La Ceiba hotel which can be a nice dive, too. Also, there's plenty of boats that go out in the afternoon, too!