Is this a good place for a 72 year Old Inexperienced diver

[Jayfarmlaw]

Coz is a great place for you. The currents vary depending on location. Every dive I have ever been on in Coz, the DM drops in and checks out the conditions. A private DM is a great way to start, drift diving is incredibly fun and relaxing...almost like flying. The currents are completely manageable and the op should match your dive to your skill set. My daughters first dives were in Coz and they had no issues. Smaller boats will require you to back roll in, but some of the larger boats have swim platforms to giant stride in. The biggest differences will be where the operators leave from, where they spend their surface intervals, and tank size options. If you dive with Aldora, I would recommend getting Nitrox certified due to the super long dives.(That's a good thing in my book) nitrogen loads after 75 minute dives require a nap!! I can also recommend BlueXTSea, Blue Magic, and Dive with Martin. There are at least two dozen other operators that will all provide outstanding service as well. We love Cozumel and go several times a year. For the price, food, people, and world class diving, it can't be beat. Have fun, I promise you will be back!! Jay

 

[htatton]

I'm convinced. I have started looking at trip logistics for a trip in the spring. Thanks to everyone for your advice and encouragement.
Hyrum

 

[DandyDon]

I'm convinced. I have started looking at trip logistics for a trip in the spring. Thanks to everyone for your advice and encouragement.
Hyrum

Air travel & costs can be your biggest challenge, especially from there. From nearby Missoula (why does google spiel-chic object to that spelling? :silly: ) to Cozumel can be tricky and many airlines would try to make you overnight at an airport on the trip - boo on that! Fares & schedules could well change before spring, and it's best to book around 6 weeks before arrival, but many of us like to plan further out and hope the airlines don't jack with our connections too much - which they do with only token apologies.

Looking at a 6 to 8 night stay, no overnight connections, round-trip fares including taxes & fees...

March to Coz: $759 & much higher, not available on many dates!
But to Cancun: $539 to $796, with many backup flights

April to Coz: $755 & up, , not available on many dates!
To Cancun: $564 & up

May to Coz: Not available without overnight connection, and even then starts at $725!
To Canun: Any day you want, starting at $607

You may also have to do two connections each way to get the best fare, and you may prefer paying some more to do only one connection - something to shop for.

Flying in & out of Cancun is not much of a problem. It can add a few hours to your travel time each way, but you see more. There are lots of options and choices, like bus, van, private van (I use Chief's van guy, great prices on nice vans), or Maya air shuttle - but I like the van & ferry connection, maybe a meal in Playa del Carmen once you check your bags in on the ferry (but don't miss that boat then!), and mostly avoiding the sardine packed shared vans at the Coz airport which you'd still have to do if you took the air shuttle.

The cautions of flying in & out of Cancun are mostly arriving early enough to make the connections to the island ok (last time I was delayed in Texas, then spent hours at my dentist office, and barely made the last shuttle!), as well as getting back to the Cancun airport for the required check-in without catching a sunrise ferry.

I'd need to know more about your preferences to do a better job, but let's look at March for 8 nights so you can skip a dive day or two for rest & other tourism and still get several dive days. $539 with 2 connections and 11-13 hours of flight time each way vs. $657 for only 1 connection and 7-11 hours of flights each way? I'd spend the extra and cut down on time & hassle. This one looks good to me, leaving Montana at 7am, arriving Cancun at 4pm, clearing I&M by 5 or 6, into Playa del Carmen for dinner, a 30-45 minute ferry ride, taxi to your hotel mid evening to set up camp in your room. On your return, a late morning ferry, lunch in PDC, and still get to the airport plenty early for a 2:50pm flight, plenty of time in Denver for I&C (airline often don't allow enough on their plans), back in Montana around midnight.

But that's just one plan. You have lots of time to work over various approaches and do it your way...

 

[mediumone]

I no longer search for flights from PDX (Portland, OR) to CZM. The cost is typically higher, and if lower, requires an overnight layover, or red-eye. I do not do red-eye's. I'm enough of a basket case after a 8 - 10 hour trip without adding a sleepless night on top of it.

 

[Brules]

Just be sure to get DAN or equivellent insurance (DAN premium). Just in case! Otherwise you cant beat it. As everyone has said the current makes diving there easy on you!

 

[kolson]

I would definitely recommend diving at Cozumel.
I am 61 and just got certified last June. I have been doing the discover scuba dive for the past 18 years on cruises we took to the Caribbean. I was at Cozumel 2 times this year (June & November) and did the 2 tank dive offered through the ship. The dive sites they took us to were about 65’ deep on the first one and 45’ on the second one. Lots of coral and colorful fish on the first dive and about half coral and half sandy bottom on the second dive. Both dives were drift so it took very little effort unless you see something you want to get closer to. When I was there in November the water temperature was about 80 with 100’ of visibility. It does not get much better than that.
Hope you make the trip.

 

[sefuchs]

Flying from the NW (PDX/SEA/Spokane) is a bit of a challenge. I usually find fares for about $600 but i go in off-season (Nov/Dec & May). Usually ok flights one direction and terrible the other. I avoid the red-eye which is the shortest and least expensive but I'm older & takes me to long to recover. Kids & wife don't mind doing it but I do the booking so I'd rather spend the night in Houston or Dallas on the way down then I am fresh and the flight segments are short. Costs more b/c have to pay luggage fees twice & of course a hotel room. Usually get to Coz around noon then spend the rest of the day taking care of errands (car rental, groceries, etc) drop our dive gear off with the Dive OPs so we are all ready to go the next morning.

 

[DandyDon]

Flying from the NW (PDX/SEA/Spokane) is a bit of a challenge. I usually find fares for about $600 but i go in off-season (Nov/Dec & May). Usually ok flights one direction and terrible the other. I avoid the red-eye which is the shortest and least expensive but I'm older & takes me to long to recover. Kids & wife don't mind doing it but I do the booking so I'd rather spend the night in Houston or Dallas on the way down then I am fresh and the flight segments are short. Costs more b/c have to pay luggage fees twice & of course a hotel room. Usually get to Coz around noon then spend the rest of the day taking care of errands (car rental, groceries, etc) drop our dive gear off with the Dive OPs so we are all ready to go the next morning.

You're 180 miles from Seattle; long ways to catch a plane, but with a family group - if you can save a lot, ok. Spokane is twice as far for you - ugh. Texas' location and airline hubs make it common for flight connections, but our weather delays can be horrible. I left Lubbock at sunup last trip but it took me all day to get thru Houston to Cancun with the storms. Another recent trip, I picked up the kids in Lubbock, drove to Abilene for the cheaper fares (putting my personal drive to the airport close to 200 miles - yuck), then it took all day to get thru DFW with weather and plane problems. That was our Death Valley-Yosemite adventure, and we got lost leaving Vegas in the dark, driving around north Vegas for over an hour in spite of my advance mapping. We soon improved our Gps skills. :silly: I often reference that trip pointing out that sometimes it's easier to drive and overnight drives aren't deadly if done right. Last month we took a bus load of international kids to the Grand Canyon, leaving Lubbock after supper, arriving for breakfast, exploring all day - not so bad. I don't see overnighting in an airport hotel as better than a red-eye myself, but I guess you do.

The airlines do have to reposition (google is really objecting to a lot of my word spellings?!) a lot of planes back to the east overnight after working their fleets west the day before with changing times & zones of a day of flights. They do like to try to put you west coasters to the overnight flight, don't they. Then Matrix flight shopping follows suit with overnight fares offered first since they're cheapest. Matrix is a great site for shopping, but you really have to exert control there to avoid overnight flights, airport changes, and excessive connections. Peeking at your May choices, this one is only $15 more than their overnight plan and only $94 more than going to/from Cancun, so it's possible - but results can vary of course...