Hubby got certified. Now planning trip to Roatan or Utila

[BettyfromToronto]

Just returned from two weeks at Sandals, Varadero, Cuba where hubby got his ACUC Open Water. Yahoo! We're now planning with our LDS a trip in February to either Roatan or Utila. I told hubby the difference in what he'll see will be amazing. We both can't wait.

The trip includes 2 morning dives, 1 afternoon dive, one night dive per week and unlimited shore diving. He's not so sure he wants to do 3 a day. Ya right! Wait till he does one and he'll be hooked.

He was asking me how deep the dives were and I couldn't answer him. Can someone here give me an estimate of the depth of dives 1, 2 and 3? As a new OW diver he can dive to 30 meteres but it is recommended he only go to 80 ft until he has 20 dives and/or 10 hrs botton time. I said I believed the dives weren't all that deep. He did 5 dives at 20/21 meters (63/66ft) for his cetification and after that.

I told him that a) the dive computers will keep track of everything for us and b) there are alot more people who go to dive/dive/dive so I think our 2 or 3 dives per day will be find. Newbies

Thanks for everyone's enthusiam on this forum. It's one of the best here and it's what has made me decide we want to go to the Bay Islands for our first "dive vacation" together.

Thanks again,
Betty

 

[Doc]

We're now planning ... either Roatan or Utila.

The trip includes 2 morning dives, 1 afternoon dive, one night dive per week and unlimited shore diving.

To answer the depth question accurately, I have to get my head around the puzzle you laid out above.

I'm not sure of where you selected that you might be able to go at either/or island to get that combination.

What places (on either/both) islands were you looking at going?

The following is a S.W.A.G. (semi-wild-assed guess) that would be entirely dependent upon actual times at maximum depths, but understand that off of the points of Roatan that offer actual shore diving (CCV, FI, RHR), the better diving is shallow....

If you do a full schedule of dives at CoCoView for instance, you could look at diving safely on air (he is a new diver with basic cert, air will work fine on the South shore) to 70' at 0900 dive; 65' at the 10:30 dive; 65' at 14:00 and to 55' at 15:30, and then knocking out a shore night dive at 20:00 hrs to 55'.

I, myself, and many old hands ay Bay Islands diving rarely go that deep, preferring to stay longer and go shallower.
That's where all the cool stuff is.

 

[BettyfromToronto]

Thanks for the details. I guess what I didn't know was what was the average depth of the first "deep dive". I guess 70ft is good to know and well within his limits. I was surprised the second and third dives were estimated at 65ft. I thought it would be a bit shallower but as you said it's still within the limits. Then if we do a 3rd boat dive in the afternoon I was thinking about 35-40ft wheres as you have 65ft & then 55ft for a 4th dive. I told him what you wrote and he thinks that this 5 dive day is blowing the tables.

The LDS is still putting together the details for the trips so I'm not sure if it is Roatan or Utila. He was looking at Utilia for Nov; Roatan for Dec and then back to Utila for Jan. Feb was Curacao which I am not interested in so I asked him to split up the Honduras trips so we could do one in February. I'll have to wait and see what he finally offers.

Thanks for the help. I will do more research one I know which island and which resort but I've been reading this forum for months now in anticipation.

Betty

 

[DandyDon]

I told him that a) the dive computers will keep track of everything for us and b) there are alot more people who go to dive/dive/dive so I think our 2 or 3 dives per day will be find. Newbies

Yep, that's generally true. My bud wears the same brand I do so I can read it and explain it to him. The first time he went into Deco, while also ignoring me pulling on his fins as he entered the last swim thru - we got back on the boat and I asked him if he heard his computer beeping. "Yeah, what was that about?" :silly: After downloading the dives to my laptop, we got to noticing that we were leaving the water still one bubble in the Yellow so we now watch closer in the water and extended our SSs.

It does pay to study your computer manual, learn the workings, and know what it's saying while on the dives.

Have a great trip. Hydrate & equalize early and often. Which Dive Insurance do y'all have...?

 

[WOODMAN]

The trip includes 2 morning dives, 1 afternoon dive, one night dive per week and unlimited shore diving.Betty

That sounds an awful lot like the setup at Reef House, and if you end up there you will be well taken care of, believe me. (See my recent trip report in this forum). Good luck- Woody

 

[PatW]

Thanks for the details. I guess what I didn't know was what was the average depth of the first "deep dive". I guess 70ft is good to know and well within his limits. I was surprised the second and third dives were estimated at 65ft. I thought it would be a bit shallower but as you said it's still within the limits. Then if we do a 3rd boat dive in the afternoon I was thinking about 35-40ft wheres as you have 65ft & then 55ft for a 4th dive. I told him what you wrote and he thinks that this 5 dive day is blowing the tables.

Betty

Well, the above dives might not blow the tables. If the range of diving depths for each dive is 65' max to 25' minimum, it depends on how long you spend at depth and how much time you spend in shallow water. If you spend most of your time above
40', you can do a potload of diving in a day without having pushing your nitrogen loading.

Now, if you assuming that you are staying at maximum depth most of the time, then you would get nitrogen limited.

Pat

 

[BettyfromToronto]

Hubby's first deep dive had a SS at 16ft and he's hurrying up the line to get to the SS when he hears the beeps and stops. Reads the computer and slows down. We talk about it boat side and he knew what it meant which was good. I guess DandyDon he read the manual. He even pointed out on a later dive that he heard my computer beep. I guess I was a bit too fast but heard it too and slowed down after the 2nd beep. Didn't have that in the old days.

I guess we learn more when we do multi dives. Not just the one a day in Cuba.

Thanks for everyone's info

Betty

 

[dmoore19]

I have only been to Anthonys' Key Resort and the dive op there. They have a similar schedule, boats leaving at around 8:30AM, 10:30AM and then again 2:30pm. I cant remember what night it was but there is also a night dive included sometime during the week. When I logged my dives at the max depth using the ERDP I didn't have problems.

If your hubby is a new diver, his limiting factor will more than likely be limited on gas, not bottom time. At least that was my experience.

I am in my mid to late 50's and I found 3 dives was enough per day for me.

 

[CODMAN]

Betty, ascending slowly is really important, so make sure to avoid those beeps in the first place. i don,t kniow how it goes about on the North side, but on the south side in general the DMs bring you down to a max depth similar to what you stated above, but only for a short while. They then beging a gradual ascent to the top of the reef which is anywhere between 15 and 40 feet (depending on the site) and you spend a good while at that depth checking out the lush coral and cool critters. So you really don,t end up with all that much Nitrogen loading and can make the 3 dives a day with no problems. That's where multilevel tables/ computers come in handy rather than using max depth tables. 3 dives a day, with the typical South side profiles is not a problem...

Hubby's first deep dive had a SS at 16ft and he's hurrying up the line to get to the SS when he hears the beeps and stops. Reads the computer and slows down. We talk about it boat side and he knew what it meant which was good. I guess DandyDon he read the manual. He even pointed out on a later dive that he heard my computer beep. I guess I was a bit too fast but heard it too and slowed down after the 2nd beep. Didn't have that in the old days.

I guess we learn more when we do multi dives. Not just the one a day in Cuba.

Thanks for everyone's info

Betty

 

[BettyfromToronto]

Thanks dmoore19 & Codman. I figured you start deep and then move up to shallower depths. Cuba started at 63-66ft and we only went up to about 55 due to the fact that the reef wasn't a wall. Our maximum time on his air was about 35 minutes + the 3 min SS.

He says he probably won't do the 3 dives/day and 2 would be enough but I bet he will change that tune once he gets there. Plus if this is our yearly "dive vacation" then I want to do the 3/day. The other week south which is our "relaxing vacation" with "some diving" can be limited to 1 or 2 dives/day.

Can't wait until the LDS finalizes the trips so I can see where we're actually going and which hotel.

Thanks again to everyone for your answers.

Betty