Question December Port Closures & Dive Op

[ggunn]

Yes, I requested a small boat a couple times via email, but when we got there we were on the No problem. First dive cedral pass, 2nd dive villa Blanca for example. Caught a bit off guard, but fun to dive No problem on my end, just won’t go that route again. Like I said overall nice stay.

Hmmm, that's a bit strange as well; I have only been pushed off the small boats onto the No Problem a couple of times and the circumstances were unusual. Usually diving from the small boats is... well, no problem. Did you maybe request a later departure time than the 8 or 8:30 time the small boats go out? How many days did you dive? Were you assigned to the NP every day? The people at the op desk are usually very good at accommodating requests; did you ask them to move you? If not, they just may have thought you were happy with the arrangement.

Oh, well, as they say, excrement happens. My experience does not mirror yours.

 

[brsnow]

Hmmm, that's a bit strange as well; I have only been pushed off the small boats onto the No Problem a couple of times and the circumstances were unusual. Usually diving from the small boats is... well, no problem. Did you maybe request a later departure time than the 8 or 8:30 time the small boats go out? How many days did you dive? Were you assigned to the NP every day? The people at the op desk are usually very good at accommodating requests; did you ask them to move you? If not, they just may have thought you were happy with the arrangement.

Oh, well, as they say, excrement happens. My experience does not mirror yours.

We were assigned to the NP each day. I chose not to dive on the NP again, my dive buddy skipped one day and dove the last day on the NP. We request small and early boat and enjoyed a 7am breakfast each day. Staff and food was really good. Service was great as well. Sitting on the balcony listening to bands was nice, overall really nice resort. I had a nice time, just not the dive experience I have experienced with others the past 13 or so years.

 

[DandyDon]

On the 29th I check out and I'm getting a car and touring the island ultimately spending my afternoon learning to surf before I check in to Secrets

I thought some more about your plans. You don't want to leave things in a parked car or on a beach as they can easily go missing. Leave your bags and gear at Secrets before surfing. Leave car keys with the surf school.

The surf instructor said I should do San Gervaiso in the morning because of the heat

Balderdash. The highest of 87F is nothing to plan around. Do carry a backpack with a thermos of water and a can of DEET spray.

I've also snorkeled the cenotes before getting certified and would really like to dive them. I'm ok with an early morning ferry ride.

Early morning ferries are fine, you're going in the opposite direction of rush-hour workers coming to the island, but diving Cenotes and ferrying back is a pretty full day. I assume that you're younger and tougher than I, but still - doing it twice would be tiring. I suggest spending a night in PDC between Cenotes and Bull shark diving if the days are consecutive. Even better would moving to the peninsula for the last few days of the trip, then flying home from Cancun, unless you have already purchased your air tickets.

I am under 100 dives. Currently 55

Ok, you're a skilled semi-newbie, but you're pushing it.

I plan to start my trip with the drift diving cert just to get some knowledge of theory on it ahead of time.

Another card purchase. It'd be better to just hire a private DM the first day and ask him to teach you about drift diving, including how to escape a down current.

Even though their website touts "guaranteed diving" by moving ops to the east side, I get the impression from my correspondence with them that they rarely do this and most likely it won't happen. It was odd how they tried to downplay/ignore it when I asked questions about it.

It's really a bid deal for them to move diving boats, chase boats, and ground equipment over there. It's more of a last-resort thing I think when they expect to be blown out for a week in the channel.

 

[bdyslm]

I agree, and I also have met many newbies and infrequent divers who were very comfortable in the water and had great buoyancy control, fin management, and consideration for the wildlife and other divers. To many of us in here you yourself are a bit of a newbie; it is a bit ironic for you to be saying that you don't want to dive with others who lack experience because they would interfere with your enjoyment of the dive.

fair enough. i know it is ironic. i am the type of newbie that you speak of. I have no problem with diving with others who lack experience. I learn from them equally and it helps me to reinforce what I've learned. it seems like any way I try to articulate it isnt going to come out right. I'll give it one last shot before I'm done with feeling the need to explain or justify myself for every else's sensibilities. I'm trying to make sure what I stay away from is the "puppy mill" errr "guppy mill" shops that are focused on marketing DSD classes, or (and I am not disparaging Cruise divers, just making a generalization, saw that whole debacle thread) are primarily kept afloat by marketing to cruise ships where there is a higher likelihood of people doing it because oh it's cool to try vs being mostly with people who have an immense passion on a serious level for the activity.

I know there is always the potential to have newer divers in the group. But obviously, people frequently ask "What's the best dive shop?" and the response depending on the area is either "these shops" or "well whats your criteria". One of mine happens to be a shop that would cater to the same people who come here regularly vs the "cruise ship marketing campaign". Then I know the quality is there and they are more likely to have like-minded people to dive with.

 

[bdyslm]

bdslm,
I am ALWAYS judged when diving with a new dive op. Been diving over 25 years, have 700+ dives but I am only Open Water and Nitrox certified.
A dive master can tell within the 1st minutes if you are a good diver or not. The DM will ask my how my air is on multiple times during my 1st dive. My air (nitrox) consumption is usually excellent, have what a djve master said was pin point boyancy. I have done 100 min dives on occasion with Aldora 120's .
By the second day the DM maybe ask my air once toward the end.
I do suggest divers get Nitrox and advance open (even though I never did).

You will notice a big difference going from a valet dive operation to Dive house. I would not be surprised after the 1st day you switch back to your valet dive operator.

Thanks, that all makes sense. I've never experienced it but I'm not sure I want a valet dive op from the perspective of setting all my gear up, washing it, etc etc. I like the repetition with my gear. I like knowing that if something happens to the gear, it's my fault and I'm the only one to blame. But who knows, 200 dives from now I may be like yeah whatever...please take care of it. lol.

The only reason I am diving with dive house is that it was part of the PADI travel package I booked and the room at Secrets was cheaper with the dive package than stand-alone. You may be right, I may not enjoy it as much but it's already paid for and by that point, I'll have done most of the checking of boxes for coz. It's only 8 dives with them and it will give me more experience in different types of ops which only helps me figure out what I want more of down the road. Right now I have an idea but there are still some I dont know what I don't know.

 

[bdyslm]

I tried out a new op on my last trip a couple weeks ago and even with experience going back to 2-3 trips a year to Cozumel since 09, my buddy since 02, AOW, nitrox and hundreds of dives collectively we were placed with new divers and a 60 foot floor.
I have never ran into it before in Cozumel. Lesson learned for us, will be sticking with known ops moving forward.

this is exactly the type of thing I want to avoid.

 

[bdyslm]

I can still remember being hell bent on diving anywhere, who cares how deep etc etc... back in the begining..... I'd guess a few others here were like that also - some of us haven't changed...

Come dive, have fun. Maybe rachet down the expectations a touch so as to have a good time. Make sure you get on that plane going home wanting to come back, that is what we want.

This is merely an educated observation and I'm 100% positive you'll be fine but:

55 dives with 3 weeks straight at Bonaire (how you could work that hard for 3 weeks straight baffles me LOL) is going to get you better diving - it almost has to - repetitive diving helps everyone. We all have seen divers on day 1 and day 5, those that struggle on the first day generally are better by day 5. It's the volume of dive experience that allows you to take 6 months or a year off and fall back in the water at 98% good - patience - it'll come.

Drift diving can be different. It will effect a new divers bouyancy and probably air consumption. Some days, some places, mucho current - this morning I was swimming at Bricks with no current and flyin at the end of Tunich...... Newer divers tend to fight the current, kick too much and burn air - it's human nature, not bad diving..... Being comfortable has a bunch to do with consumption also and that just comes with time.....

Relax, have fun. Dive where they drop you, watch, learn, practice but most of all, just enjoy - oh yeah, San Gervasio, best in the morning, ok in the afternoon but they close at 4 or 5 and you can be there at least 3 hours, the biggest can of bug spray that you can find also - more than likely, there will be some local there willing to give you a private tour or sell you bug spray!!

I left Bonaire at 44 Also spent 2 days there trying to learn to wind surf in high winds. That was an epic failure lol. Then another 10 over 3 days in Bayahibe and 1 day in Punta Cana, and then 1 at the national aquarium in Baltimore in their Atlantic reef tank. I am not trying to be arrogant in the least, but my diving is pretty fine-tuned given the amount of experience I have. Although I'm coming down there with a new BPW that I haven't dived yet.

I wanted to do some diving in Emerald Isle NC this summer and took my gear but the weather didn't work out.

I also missed doing the rescue diver class with a local shop down at Lake phoenix in VA.

So yeah, I will dive anywhere for anything. I've asked local shops and dive clubs why no one dives the Chesapeake with it being so close. It's shallow, muddy, and it sucks is the answer I typically get. And then I'm like yeah, but it's diving. But if I'm spending my money to go on a dive trip, I'd like to get the most out of it.

Pre-trip planning is definitely a little OCD for me, much like @drrich2, but I do that so once I'm there I know almost everything and can just chill and enjoy it no matter what is thrown my way.

Thanks for the other info.

 

[bdyslm]

I thought some more about your plans. You don't want to leave things in a parked car or on a beach as they can easily go missing. Leave your bags and gear at Secrets before surfing. Leave car keys with the surf school.

Balderdash. The highest of 87F is nothing to plan around. Do carry a backpack with a thermos of water and a can of DEET spray.

Early morning ferries are fine, you're going in the opposite direction of rush-hour workers coming to the island, but diving Cenotes and ferrying back is a pretty full day. I assume that you're younger and tougher than I, but still - doing it twice would be tiring. I suggest spending a night in PDC between Cenotes and Bull shark diving if the days are consecutive. Even better would moving to the peninsula for the last few days of the trip, then flying home from Cancun, unless you have already purchased your air tickets.

Ok, you're a skilled semi-newbie, but you're pushing it.

Another card purchase. It'd be better to just hire a private DM the first day and ask him to teach you about drift diving, including how to escape a down current.

It's really a bid deal for them to move diving boats, chase boats, and ground equipment over there. It's more of a last-resort thing I think when they expect to be blown out for a week in the channel.

That was the plan...drop everything except a backpack at secrets.

I thought that might be BS. I think he was trying to push me towards his schedule.

I get that I'm putting a lot on my plate. It's what I like. It's how I vacation. Balls to the wall and then chill. ie those first 9 days I'll be diving my butt off and then once I move to secrets chill and just do the 2 dives a day. Maybe if I dislike the dive house experience as much as @brsnow mentioned I'll skip it a day and go do another day in PDC for the bull sharks. I'm traveling solo, nobody to be concerned about other than me.

Thanks for the tip about the private DM, that's a great idea I hadn't considered! Sure, a card purchase but with the intent of being able to study the theory ahead of time. I'm a visual learner so seeing something in print or on the screen makes it borderline photographic recall for me. I think it was in this thread that I mentioned how grossly disappointed I was in the e-learning material from SDI for my OWC, Nitrox, Night, Deep, Wreck, Underwater Nav, etc etc. Just so poor on multiple levels. So now I am interested in trying out the e-learning from SSI, PADI, and NAUI if possible to see how it compares. So, a card purchase with multiple purposes that will have a future impact. Plus I get the dives with the "card purchase" anyway so it's really only another $100 beyond the dives to get the cert and the e-learning class and my assumption is that would guarantee me a private DM on the boat who is focused on completing my cert vs leading an entire group. Maybe that's a bad assumption but my "card purchase" seems to roll everything into a nice little box with a bow

 

[ggunn]

fair enough. i know it is ironic. i am the type of newbie that you speak of. I have no problem with diving with others who lack experience. I learn from them equally and it helps me to reinforce what I've learned. it seems like any way I try to articulate it isnt going to come out right. I'll give it one last shot before I'm done with feeling the need to explain or justify myself for every else's sensibilities. I'm trying to make sure what I stay away from is the "puppy mill" errr "guppy mill" shops that are focused on marketing DSD classes, or (and I am not disparaging Cruise divers, just making a generalization, saw that whole debacle thread) are primarily kept afloat by marketing to cruise ships where there is a higher likelihood of people doing it because oh it's cool to try vs being mostly with people who have an immense passion on a serious level for the activity.

I know there is always the potential to have newer divers in the group. But obviously, people frequently ask "What's the best dive shop?" and the response depending on the area is either "these shops" or "well whats your criteria". One of mine happens to be a shop that would cater to the same people who come here regularly vs the "cruise ship marketing campaign". Then I know the quality is there and they are more likely to have like-minded people to dive with.

FWIW, I don't know the precise percentages and this is of course a completely anecdotal observation, but on a given day there are comparatively very few divers in the waters around Cozumel who got there on a cruise ship, and most of them are out on boats by themselves. From what I read from you it seems to me that you think that Cozumel is infested with crowds of "cruise ship divers"; I am here to tell you that such is not the case, and I have been diving Cozumel for nearly 30 years.

I will also say that getting to the island on a cruise ship does not in and of itself mean that a diver is going to lack skills and/or interfere with the diving of others. If you have been on Scubaboard very much you must have seen posts from experienced divers who also cruise. Those divers, BTW, are much more likely to seek out ops who are not contracted by the cruise ship lines and if you encounter one you probably won't know it.

I have, also of course, occasionally been out with divers who have had, shall we say, less than optimal skills, but even then for it to diminish my enjoyment of a dive has been pretty rare. I strive to be tolerant of those who are farther back on the curve than I am and learn what I can from those who are ahead of me. My advice to you is simply to dive from early departing small boats if diving with others who are less at home in the water annoys you.

 

[bdyslm]

FWIW, I don't know the precise percentages and this is of course a completely anecdotal observation, but on a given day there are comparatively very few divers in the waters around Cozumel who got there on a cruise ship, and most of them are out on boats by themselves. From what I read from you it seems to me that you think that Cozumel is infested with crowds of "cruise ship divers"; I am here to tell you that such is not the case, and I have been diving Cozumel for nearly 30 years.

I will also say that getting to the island on a cruise ship does not in and of itself mean that a diver is going to lack skills and/or interfere with the diving of others. If you have been on Scubaboard very much you must have seen posts from experienced divers who also cruise. Those divers, BTW, are much more likely to seek out ops who are not contracted by the cruise ship lines and if you encounter one you probably won't know it.

I have, also of course, occasionally been out with divers who have had, shall we say, less than optimal skills, but even then for it to diminish my enjoyment of a dive has been pretty rare. I strive to be tolerant of those who are farther back on the curve than I am and learn what I can from those who are ahead of me. My advice to you is simply to dive from early departing small boats if diving with others who are less at home in the water annoys you.

thanks. i did get the impression that it was "infested". From most of the feedback, the picture that had been created in my mind is not a real concern to worry about. While I know diving drunk isn't allowed, I got a little bit of a spring break feel from some of the stuff I was reading, coupled with a fair number of reports where people clearly communicated their preferences to a dive op, and then those were seemingly ignored a la @brsnow. To me, that is unprofessional when someone is spending a fair amount of their money and their precious time on a hobby they are passionate about. If I lived somewhere where I could be in the water every day, I probably wouldn't care as much. But the incredibly small percentage of time I get to spend underwater and the cost of that, makes me want to do my best to mitigate as much of a chance of disappointment as possible.

I also try to be tolerant in general but especially with diving as I'm still learning myself and certainly far from perfect. And oddly the majority of people who have negatively impacted my dives were more seasoned divers. But even still it was only a small portion of the dive that was impacted. Even my worst dives were still great so far. No major issues.

Ultimately I think you hit the nail on the head with my preconceived notion of Cozumel diving. Thanks for correcting that.