Hello everyone! My Octopus Teacher/Cancun

[HamTrainChickenLaser]

So, my wife and I are going to Cancun in May and just watched My Octopus Teacher in preparation for our open water class with Alvaro at Always Diving. We're excited!! Well, I'm EXTREMELY excited and my wife is starting to get there. LOL. My username is other hobbies and a business- I have a small business doing promotional laser-engraved items. Ham radio is my main hobby (Morse code 99.999% of the time- not voice) and also love N-scale model trains but those have been packed away for years and probably won't come out until I retire. My wife is from the Philippines and we met while I was living in Asia.

Any travel tips for Cancun?!? We are SOOOOO ready for a vacation! Any advice on getting certified? We are doing the online PADI open water course now before we get there. Feedback on Royal Sands Resort and Spa (it's an all-inclusive)?? Is anyone else from the midwest and REALLY ready for Spring to hit?

Has anyone dove at Gilboa Quarry? It looks pretty cool!! If I want to dive warm water on vacation and cold water around home, I will go broke buying gear I suspect. Why do I always pick the hobbies that are $$$$???

 

[Subcooled]

I went to Yucatan a long time ago.
Rented a car.

Chichen Itza was great.
Hilario's well (Hidden worlds) was an unforgettable snorkeling experience (it's a cave).
Traveling to Calakmul (it's far away) might also be inspiring, if you're adventurous. Lots of exciting ruins in the area and Rio Bec Dreams was a nice stay in the jungle. OK, so there was a frog in the water bucket in the toilet and a parying mantis on the mirror... eco lodge, that is.

 

[Redback]

.-- . .-.. -.-. --- -- . .... .- --

 

[Redback]

I would recommend doing e-learning prior. It makes for a much lighter mental load and you can relax after your dives and not sit on the PADI website for hours! Especially given OW is quite e-learning intensive.

I would recommend waiting to buy any gear. I myself waited until after my advanced open water to buy kit as you'll find there's a lot of marketing involved in the Dive industry and the worst thing you can do is roll out throwing cash only to find out you'll outgrow something or it's not suitable for the diving you want to do.

YouTube also has some great resources from some great channels (I highly recommend "Divers Ready" and "Scuba Diver Magazine" as two of my favourites).

Happy Diving!

 

[HamTrainChickenLaser]

I would recommend doing e-learning prior. It makes for a much lighter mental load and you can relax after your dives and not sit on the PADI website for hours! Especially given OW is quite e-learning intensive.

I would recommend waiting to buy any gear. I myself waited until after my advanced open water to buy kit as you'll find there's a lot of marketing involved in the Dive industry and the worst thing you can do is roll out throwing cash only to find out you'll outgrow something or it's not suitable for the diving you want to do.

YouTube also has some great resources from some great channels (I highly recommend "Divers Ready" and "Scuba Diver Magazine" as two of my favourites).

Happy Diving!

Yes indeed we are both doing the e-learning right now!! I can't stop looking at dive gear tho. It's becoming a problem!!!!

I can buy fins tho, right? I mean- surely I can find a pair of fins that will serve me well for my first 50 dives- true? I'm kind of falling in love with these so tell me why they are wrong for me:

 

[HamTrainChickenLaser]

.-- . .-.. -.-. --- -- . .... .- --

Thank you!!

 

[rongoodman]

They look OK, but the fact that they're rubber implies that they'll be fairly negative. That might or might not be what you want. They might be fine with a dry suit in a quarry in Ohio but too heavy in a 3mm wetsuit in the Caribbean.

 

[mrtechbench]

Have fun and good luck in your class. I've been diving in both Gilboa and White Star Quarry, they're both about the same distance from you. It's worth trying both of them, although they're cold the first half of the year.
It looks like dive shops are also 60-90 minutes away but I would recommend calling a few shops and visiting at least one to see and touch the gear instead of just buying off Amazon. Having a conversation with the shop will help you learn about what to look for in scuba gear. I like to support my local dive shops and buy from them, because I want them to stay in business. I value their expertise, relationships, for tank fills, and servicing my gear.