How are Cozumel Dive Ops about age/depth limit restrictions?

[H2ODoc]

We were recently diving Coz with our 13/15/16 yr olds. I think the bottom line is that you should first decide what depth you are comfortable having him go, then talk to the dive op and get their opinion. There's so much to put into that decision - how much experience, how many drift dives, how mature (mentally), how mature (physically), etc.

We kept most of the entire week (12 dives total) to 60' max, but my 14 year old son probably saw 68' on a dive or two. The DM led the dive, followed by the kids, followed by my wife and me. Watching my kids, I felt like I had a decent evaluation of their skills and decision making underwater. We also had a "family meeting" type discussion on the plane down there. Things like "diving should be fun, but no screwing around, etc."

I also quizzed them on some of the key safety aspects of diving and a lot of "what would you do if..." questions.

One dive op said that if we wanted to keep all dives above 60', then we should also have a private DM (because the boat could be mixed with people that want to go to 100' or deeper.) We went with Aldora, and they were excellent in providing a safe environment as we had discussed prior to our trip.

 

[Ron Lee]

While I occasionally go a bit deep, most of my dives are probably above 60 feet. I often am above the group and sometimes have a few yards horizontal separation.

There certainly are dives where you can go to a hundred feet or so or deeper (Devil's Throat).

One of the Maracaibo dives is somewhere around 100 feet but my recollection is vague.

Santa Rosa has the wall lip around 65 feet so you will be deeper.

If you do the eagle ray dive that is around 90 feet.

A private divemaster your first day to teach the subtleties of drift diving, ascending as a buddy team or alone and other useful skills is a wise option.

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

We dove with my 12 year old daughter on our first trip several years ago. We had chartered our own boat with Dive With Martin since there were 4 of us. The cost was comparable with most, and even cheaper than some dive ops.

The private dive master would also be a choice with any op you choose. The going rate seems to be around $50 a day.

We dive with Aldora now and they have enough boats that im confident they could keep y'all on the new diver boat if you are concerned. Pick several dive ops and shoot them an email with your concerns. I believe Christi and Blue XTSea has several boats. Tres Pelicanos is very popular on this site as well. Not sure about Blue Magic, but we enjoyed diving with them and would continue if they had steel hp120 tanks.

Personally, I prefer the shallower dives with lots of life and loooooong dive times.

Safe travels,
Jay

 

[scubafanatic]

We'll be diving in Cozumel this April and bringing my GF's 14 year old son who is certified. I recall some of the best reefs being at depths of around 90 ft. Are there any Ops who don't strictly follow the age/depth limit rules?

I'd hate to have to leave him on the boat.

I'd e-mail the relevant ops under consideration and ask them directly, (and PM those that are acessable via Scubaboard). I suspect once they've seen your 14 yr old in action, if he's mature, reasonably skilled, they will expand his dive envelope as most dive ops do live, in-water performance evaluations vs whatever cert cards folks may happen to have to set real world boundaries.

 

[RonzoTheGreat]

Here's a link where this was discussed...

What are age/depth restrictions..

dive with dive operator:" Aldorra divers" and specifically ask for Mateo( instructor who is also cave certified to lead your dives, for greater bottom time, ask to dive with Mateo
They are awesome! Try Aldorra divers and you'll even use steelHP 100s and get longer bottom time, and ask to dive with Mateo! He's bilingual AND terrific. If possible, book a trip with him over to the cenotes for one of your days. It's amazing to say the least and don't forget your camera and lights... Both for caves/caverns, and night dives. Feel free to mention that Ron and Ken. Sent you and referred you to Mateo from N.J in US. Really truly gave us a complete experience and comfort.
(His cenotes dive-brief started in the Cretaceous and was in depth. If you can't or choose not to do the cavern, be certain to request one day on the C-53 if you can handle/are comfortable with wrecks... ( gorgeous well preserved wreck with some terrific grouper and barracuda hanging outside it!
And I'd also recommend a shortie wetsuit for various reasons,although Coz from Palancar and San Francisco south, tend to get up to 80 degrees even at 80'deep! Please, enjoy your time and have a helluva good one, stay hydrated with plenty of bottled water( some people get carried away with the all inclusive paradise Coz can be and forget to ration their alcohol intake) a bonus not many are aware of is. That unlike some other island paradise resorts in the Caribbean, most resorts on Coz, filter their plumbing water which leads to less stomached issues from teeth brushing and such, but as a responsible scuba diver, ingest plenty of bottled water, if you take ANY melds, then hydrate accordingly, don't touch any organisms, careful around fire coral, maintain your buoyancy, and watch the show go by like a movie ( drift dive can be exhilarating if approached properly,, although many people find discomfort in it, if up by Palancar gardens reef, or cathedral, be sure to take a peek over the edge of the wall... It's pretty WOW! If able to consider the cenotes, bring a regular full wetsuit as the temps are not as comforting, if you have a bright lightlike HID or strong LED( a canister or similar) you'll really enjoy the cave and night usage with them,but not a necessity, as the water is truly "gin- clear!"I'd love to hear about your experience since I am no longer capable to scuba due to health issusfeel free to share with Mateo that, that is why he hasn't seen us in so long, best wishes and dive safe! You are going to love it. Steer clear of resort's club member presentations

 

[ggunn]

All you want to see off of Coz is no deeper than 80 ft!

Not true, at least in my case.

 

[mstevens]

All you want to see off of Coz is no deeper than 80 ft!

Well, that is absolutely untrue. My favorite dive, the one we make on special trips when we charter a boat for the family, is Maracaibo.

As just one example of a less adventurous site, we love Palancar Caves, where we've had 130-foot dives. It's usually considered a fairly everyday sort of Cozumel dive.

There certainly are dives where you can go to a hundred feet or so or deeper (Devil's Throat).

I'm not that much of a Devil's Throat guy, so I'll usually choose somewhere else, but it's my DM friend's favorite.

In my 32 dives there, we've usually entered at around 126 to 132 feet then swum through and up. My average depth there is 60 feet, but that includes as much time as possible ascending over the reef and sand.

One of the Maracaibo dives is somewhere around 100 feet but my recollection is vague.

I'm not saying I'm a Maracaibo expert - I only have 43 dives there - but it's my favorite site. Depending upon how you do it, that can be pretty deep.

I've maxed out at 163 feet there. We typically go along the tendedero then up through the arch, so swimming down through the arch may result in less depth. It's challenging to avoid having to fulfill a deco obligation there without bumping up against gas supply limitations. According to my computer, EVERY dive I've made there has incurred a deco obligation at some point in the dive, but typically by the time I get to 20 feet that has cleared.

Santa Rosa has the wall lip around 65 feet so you will be deeper.

If you do the eagle ray dive that is around 90 feet.

Excellent examples.

I don't recall anyone ever having posted here that they regretted getting a private divemaster. It's not that expensive, it greatly increases safety, and a good DM who is actually guiding one person or a very small group can add a lot to the overall experience.

 

[Lorenzoid]

All you want to see off of Coz is no deeper than 80 ft!

Maybe an exaggeration, but I get your drift. Most of what most of us want to see is no deeper than 80 feet.

 

[Marie13]

dive with dive operator:" Aldorra divers" and specifically ask for Mateo( instructor who is also cave certified to lead your dives, for greater bottom time, ask to dive with Mateo
They are awesome! Try Aldorra divers and you'll even use steelHP 100s and get longer bottom time, and ask to dive with Mateo! He's bilingual AND terrific. If possible, book a trip with him over to the cenotes for one of your days. It's amazing to say the least and don't forget your camera and lights... Both for caves/caverns, and night dives. Feel free to mention that Ron and Ken. Sent you and referred you to Mateo from N.J in US. Really truly gave us a complete experience and comfort.
(His cenotes dive-brief started in the Cretaceous and was in depth. If you can't or choose not to do the cavern, be certain to request one day on the C-53 if you can handle/are comfortable with wrecks... ( gorgeous well preserved wreck with some terrific grouper and barracuda hanging outside it!
And I'd also recommend a shortie wetsuit for various reasons,although Coz from Palancar and San Francisco south, tend to get up to 80 degrees even at 80'deep! Please, enjoy your time and have a helluva good one, stay hydrated with plenty of bottled water( some people get carried away with the all inclusive paradise Coz can be and forget to ration their alcohol intake) a bonus not many are aware of is. That unlike some other island paradise resorts in the Caribbean, most resorts on Coz, filter their plumbing water which leads to less stomached issues from teeth brushing and such, but as a responsible scuba diver, ingest plenty of bottled water, if you take ANY melds, then hydrate accordingly, don't touch any organisms, careful around fire coral, maintain your buoyancy, and watch the show go by like a movie ( drift dive can be exhilarating if approached properly,, although many people find discomfort in it, if up by Palancar gardens reef, or cathedral, be sure to take a peek over the edge of the wall... It's pretty WOW! If able to consider the cenotes, bring a regular full wetsuit as the temps are not as comforting, if you have a bright lightlike HID or strong LED( a canister or similar) you'll really enjoy the cave and night usage with them,but not a necessity, as the water is truly "gin- clear!"I'd love to hear about your experience since I am no longer capable to scuba due to health issusfeel free to share with Mateo that, that is why he hasn't seen us in so long, best wishes and dive safe! You are going to love it. Steer clear of resort's club member presentations

Ronzo, just trying to clarify...

Are you actually suggesting cave/cavern dives for a group which includes a 14 year old?

 

[mstevens]

Maybe an exaggeration, but I get your drift. Most of what most of us want to see is no deeper than 80 feet.

Or even: "There's plenty of great stuff to see and do at depths of 80 feet and less."