First time to Cozumel -- how much is too much?

[ggunn]

For me, two tanks in the morning and maybe an afternoon shore dive or a night dive fills the bill. YMMV.

 

[deepsea21]

I'm a soft 50-year-old office worker who's embarking on something entirely new here!

I'm about your age and a morning 2 tank dive is all I care to do these days. When I was younger I could dive far more per day but these days I tend to take a siesta in the afternoon after diving before heading out for a great dinner. If you will be diving Coz the end of Feb, get yourself a 5MM full suit and a 3MM tropic beanie. 15 years ago I could dive in 79-80 degree water in a 3MM full suit with no beanie... That changed over time and I added the beanie several years ago and then went up to a 5MM full suit last year. Getting chilled SUCKS and it sucks the energy out of you. You'll need to add weight to get down with a 5MM but being warm as toast UW and watching other's shivering on the boat during the SI I'm happy to add weight and not be part of that.

 

[BigDaddyGlad]

Fantastic advice here, as expected. Much appreciated, all.

I think we'll be going with a 2-tank dive every morning, with one night dive for the experience. We may toss in for an afternoon 2-tank outing, if we're feeling up to it. It'll leave us free to enjoy the afternoons/evenings -- a good plan since we're going during Carnival!

A couple people asked about a dive computer; I do indeed own one (Cosmiq Deepblu), so I'll be able to keep track of my SIs. I'm seriously contemplating getting Nitrox certified, as I understand that will help with fatigue over a 10-12 dive trip. I also have a 3mm wetsuit (along with a rashguard), which I was planning on bringing. I found in Aruba & Bonaire I didn't need the wetsuit, but I'm thinking with 10-12 dives planned, it might be better to stay as warm as possible.

 

[ccannon707]

+1 on the beanie/hood. Makes a world of difference on staying warm, IMHO. And don't forget a windbreaker for the boat ride home. I don't know if Dressel provides boat coats, but it gets chilly on that boat going home. Have a great trip!

 

[imoto]

No boat coats with Dressel. I dive with a beanie. Make sure to poke a hole in the top of it. Prepaying for dives with Dressel gives you 20% off of your diving, equipment, etc.

I'd like to see what their schedule is going to be now with the reef closures.

 

[Snoweman]

No boat coats with Dressel. I dive with a beanie. Make sure to poke a hole in the top of it. Prepaying for dives with Dressel gives you 20% off of your diving, equipment, etc.

I'd like to see what their schedule is going to be now with the reef closures.

Why do you poke a hole in the top of the beanie?

 

[MrBigfins]

We typically do an alternating schedule of 4 one day, 2 morning and 2 afternoon and then the next day do 2 morning and a night dive. I may take a day off or skip an afternoon if I'm not feeling it. We normally do 2 to 3 night dives a week as they are some of my favorite dives there.

If you want to ease into it a bit, schedule 2 morning dives everyday, do 1 day mid week with 4 dives and schedule 2 night dives. That adds 4 dives to your total count without pushing it too much. Enjoy and hopefully the southern reefs are open again by the time you go

 

[MrBigfins]

I second getting a nitrox certification before you go. I had 45 dives during the last 18 day visit, including a day on the mainland diving cenotes. Without diving nitrox my bottom times or dive count would have suffered significantly.

 

[Brodydog]

Why do you poke a hole in the top of the beanie?

To allow trapped air to escape so you don’t have an air bubble sitting at the top of your beanie. The snugger/closer the fit, the more warmth it’ll provide. Same with hoods. If it doesn’t come with vented holes create one.

 

[Snoweman]

To allow trapped air to escape so you don’t have an air bubble sitting at the top of your beanie. The snugger/closer the fit, the more warmth it’ll provide. Same with hoods. If it doesn’t come with vented holes create one.

Can't you just tilt your head down with a beanie to let the air out?