Is Cozumel the right place to get certified?

[mini_miz]

Last spring my husband and I stayed at the Caymans and completed four resort dives. It was incredible and to say I'm hooked would be an understatement.

My girlfriend and my mom have always wanted to scuba. Even through we're not as young as we used to be (38, 45 and 59) we want to take a trip to get certified in May of 2010. Our divemaster in the Caymans said Cozumel offered diving that paralleled the Caymans with a more affordable price tag so we set our sights there.

Thanks to the info on this board we decided to go with Blue XT Sea and Christi has been incredibly helpful. Even so, it has been difficult to plan. My mom has a time share but we can't coordinate an RCI resort with scuba plans. Some of our other RCI choices are Saint Martin, Aruba and the Bahamas. At this point we are considering ditching the timeshare and going with a hotel close to Blue XT.

Are we on the right track? If anyone has any advice I would be thrilled if you would be willing to share it.

 

[cwhitpan]

First, Welcome to the Board!

When we looked into getting certified we found three basic options.
1) Classroom/Poolwork & Checkout dives Locally
2) Classroom/Poolwork & Checkouts at a resort
3.) Classroom/Pool Locally and checkouts at a resort.

We decided not to do all the poolwork and classroom on vacation because frankly we didn't want a time constraint and wanted to be able to take our time (which proved useful as she had an issue with mask clearing initially). We also didn't want to spend time in a beautiful environment and have to do classroom/reading!

I think doing all the basic work locally and then doing your checkouts with another agency is an ideal setup.

Whatever you choose as long as it is one of the major agencies I am sure your training will be adequate to continue your adventure!

IMHO (In my humble ^and novice^ opinion)
Let the opinions fly!

 

[diver 85]

IMO, 2 things--(1) I'd get certified before going & (2) diving is better in the CI......good luck in whatever ya'll decide.....

 

[AKDiver907]

My friend and I faced the same type of situation - we were going on vacation to Belize and wondered about where to finish our certification. We dive in cold water, and thought that doing our open water dives in warm water would be a lot nicer. I am glad that in the end we choose to finish our certification locally. Open water dives can present you with some anxiety - I am 49 and not as much of a thrill seeker as I used to be. It was nice to do the book work with someone who speaks the same kind of English as I do and to do the open water dives with an instructor who was aware of my strengths and weaknesses and whom I trusted. I found that when I went on that first trip to Ambergris Caye in Belize it was enough to find my way around and learn about the currency etc., then have to worry about spending time studying and with some stress getting in open water for the first time. Others in our group did do their open water dives there - and the instructors were very kind and qualified - but I still appreciated having had a little extra time with my instructor at home before getting out into tourist territory.

I also want to say that as a brand new diver traveling with other new divers, I was very impressionable and made some unwise dive location choices given my complete lack of experience. It would be wise to sit down with an instructor or ask an experienced diver about where you are going. Cozumel has some diving in fairly strong current, Belize has deep dives and dive boats that still actively chum sharks, the Caymans has its wall dives that can be disorientating for new divers . . . when you pay big bucks to go to a place that you may never see again, it is very easy to be tempted to go to places where you may be placing yourself and the group that you are diving with at unnecessary risk. I went to the Blue Hole in Belize when I had less than 10 dives and dove to 130 feet and watched my buddy dive to nearly 150 feet - we were clueless. We did fine, but looking back I shake my head . . .

Take your time, have fun, stay safe.

 

[BTravlin]

I would also recommend doing all of the initial coursework and pool sessions at home and then finish your certification through the referral program. I think the learning process will be more relaxed and then when you're on vacation you can spend most of your time actually diving rather than learning. Even with this plan you will still spend most of your dives learning as I think it takes most people somewhere between 30 & 50 dives to really feel like there starting to get the whole thing dialed in as far as gear setup routine, weighting, trim, gas usage, ear clearing, etc. I've not taken any classes with Blue XTSea but have dove with them before and found them to be very professional.

Good luck and welcome to diving!

 

[uwatecdiving]

Your never to old to start diving, my oldest open water students were a husband and wife aged 73 and 81 years old, they had a fantastic time and passed everything with flying colours.
Our destination maybe a bit further than you had intended to travel but in Tenerife, Canary Islands we have a year round destination with lots and lots of fishlife. We also have RCI resorts which may be of interest to you.
We are a PADI 5* IDC centre with many years experience of teaching young and not so young people.

 

[Dive Junky]

You found an instructor you like and the locale is perfect. She is very knowledgable about the area. Hotels are cheap there. Get a hotel and stick with your original plan.

 

[Brian Sharpe]

At the risk of sounding like a politician I'll answer your question with another?

Where do you plan doing most of your diving?

If you see yourself as a warm water vacation diver then by all means get certified somewhere warm & sunny (I do like the suggestion to do your classroom & confined dives locally giving you more diving/less study time on your trip) but if there's a possibility that you'll become hooked on diving and have opportunities to dive locally (where the conditions may be a bit more challenging) I'd say get certified at home. It's a lot easier to make the transition from colder water with lower visibility and, perhaps, currents than the other way round.

 

[snowflake4727]

I have often said that the best diving is where you are. I cannot enjoy Yap if I am not in Yap.

For a new spin,

The best place to learn to dive is where you are.

 

[selo]

FWIW, I got certified when I was 49, 3 years ago, in Los Angeles. I did a few dives and continued my education, and I last completed PADI Rescue diver course. You are definitely young enough!

If you can, my suggestion would be to get certified before you go to Cozumel. You will enjoy it evern more. Also, if you are planning to dive in cold water it may be a good idea to get trained for that environment first.

I am looking forward to my 3rd stint with Blue XT Sea in January! Good luck with your decision.