New Cozumel scuba scavenger hunt

[Stingrayvilla]

Not to mention all of the unskilled divers who will inevitably kill the sea life - despite the fact that these are cement blocks, there is life growing there and they are there to create an artificial reef. Also the unskilled divers who will be improperly weighted and cannot control their buoyancy in such shallow water or those who are more focused on the game than their gauges. I suggest Hemmingway's stick to what they do - provide a party atmosphere. The food is subpar and the only thing that place has going for it is the view - it's far from "iconic."

Keep diving to diving!

Christi, the operation is at Hemmingways. The restaurant is not running this.

 

[JFS]

Fonatur Marina has something similar too. There is a challenging maze that everyone encounters daily there trying to unload, find parking....

 

[JenLoves2Dive]

Not to mention all of the unskilled divers who will inevitably kill the sea life - despite the fact that these are cement blocks, there is life growing there and they are there to create an artificial reef. Also the unskilled divers who will be improperly weighted and cannot control their buoyancy in such shallow water or those who are more focused on the game than their gauges.

Agree! They seem to always come up with something gimicky. Remember when they did the underwater pumpkin carving contest?
Edited yo add: Ah ok. Now I see. It's not something that Hemingways is actually doing,. It is just in front of their location.

 

[JenLoves2Dive]

Fonatur Marina has something similar too. There is a challenging maze that everyone encounters daily there trying to unload, find parking....

OMG VERDAD! Too funny!

 

[JenLoves2Dive]

They have put up a new youtube video. We should all visit it and leave comments! BTW who deposited those concrete blocks?

Wow I do not think there is a reason for you to do something that undermines what they are trying to do. You may think it is a dumb idea, and you may not like it, but leaving negative comments on their You Tube page and trying to undermine what they are doing is taking it too far. Not cool!

 

[mstevens]

I know where the person nearest to the camera got their wetsuit...

 

[lionfish-eater]

I know where the person nearest to the camera got their wetsuit...

I got two of them
a 1 mil and a 3 mil

Lobsterman : An underwater superhero endemic to Cozumel

 

[cvchief]

I know where the person nearest to the camera got their wetsuit...

Dang it. Not that I wear it often, but it seem like it isnt very special anymore....

 

[Steve Belkin]

Shallow depth for an extended period with attention on a game instead of the dive? Seems like a recipe for a lung expansion injury for a participant with poor multitasking and buoyancy skills. I know there's no scuba police but... I feel like this might be something that would be attractive to brand new divers because to them it would seem safer, but those are the ones who really shouldn't be doing something like this IMO. Maybe my risk detection sensor is just overactive today, dunno.

Hi there-
I'm Steve. I was not aware of this thread until a couple of days ago, so my apologies for not a more timely reply.

I'm not a big online debater, but I do value being transparent and accountable.so I will try and offer a brief response. I welcome anyone to PM or whatsapp me +12163468788 or better yet, just zip by to Hemingway's for a friendly face-to-face and a chance to sample the challenge game firsthand.

My Instructor training was at Utila Dive Center in 2017. I did a series of internships in Egypt, Roatan, Bonaire before my first instructor gig in Musandam Oman in 2019. I was scheduled to join an outfit in Tofo, Mozambique for a few months in 2020 which was cut short. From 2017 until now, I have done about 1000 dives, so I think I take this industry pretty seriously.

I have slowly researched the commercial potential of Scuba Hunt in conjunction with the safety and environmental considerations over the past four months to ensure I was taking a responsible and sustainable approach. I have consulted scuba medicine experts about shallow water dive and day-before-flying risks and mitigation. I have reached out to local conservation entities to ensure that we adhere to the same standards that are required in the marine park.

Based on about two months of testing the course, we concurred with the poster about the combination of unpredictable currents, buoyancy in shallow water and the multi-tasking required to play our challenging game. As such, we decided to to institute qualifications to participate- Open Water with a minimum of 20 logged dives, plus comfort, confidence and competence with Cozumel currents. To further bolster safety protocol, we will supply a conservative 4:1 guest to guide supervision ratio. And finally, in coordination with La Capitania, we established a safety buoy perimeter to shield the course from boat traffic. There will only be two teams of two navigating the course at a time, so the course won't be degraded by too many nor too inexperienced divers.

The activity is 1-tank, with a 2-minute boat ride from Hemingways to the site, where the 90 or so concrete blocks serve as a natural maze to the game which is part labyrinth, part scavenger hunt, part escape room.

Like anything new, there will be boosters and skeptics. For the boosters, we are grateful for the opportunity to succeed here. For the skeptics, I hope that beyond your personal preference for natural vs, manmade diving experiences, that you choose to give me the benefit of the doubt that I will aspire to be a positive contributor to the local scuba diving community.

Thanks for your indulgence of time to allow my introduction.

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

Hi there-
I'm Steve. I was not aware of this thread until a couple of days ago, so my apologies for not a more timely reply.

I'm not a big online debater, but I do value being transparent and accountable.so I will try and offer a brief response. I welcome anyone to PM or whatsapp me +121634468788 or better yet, just zip by to Hemingway's for a friendly face-to-face and a chance to sample the challenge game firsthand.

My Instructor training was at Utila Dive Center in 2017. I did a series of internships in Egypt, Roatan, Bonaire before my first instructor gig in Musandam Oman in 2019. I was scheduled to join an outfit in Tofo, Mozambique for a few months in 2020 which was cut short. From 2017 until now, I have done about 1000 dives, so I think I take this industry pretty seriously.

I have slowly researched the commercial potential of Scuba Hunt in conjunction with the safety and environmental considerations over the past four months to ensure I was taking a responsible and sustainable approach. I have consulted scuba medicine experts about shallow water dive and day-before-flying risks and mitigation. I have reached out to local conservation entities to ensure that we adhere to the same standards that are required in the marine park.

Based on about two months of testing the course, we concurred with the poster about the combination of unpredictable currents, buoyancy in shallow water and the multi-tasking required to play our challenging game. As such, we decided to to institute qualifications to participate- Open Water with a minimum of 20 logged dives, plus comfort, confidence and competence with Cozumel currents. To further bolster safety protocol, we will supply a conservative 4:1 guest to guide supervision ratio. And finally, in coordination with La Capitania, we established a safety buoy perimeter to shield the course from boat traffic. There will only be two teams of two navigating the course at a time, so the course won't be degraded by too many nor too inexperienced divers.

The activity is 1-tank, with a 2-minute boat ride from Hemingways to the site, where the 90 or so concrete blocks serve as a natural maze to the game which is part labyrinth, part scavenger hunt, part escape room.

Like anything new, there will be boosters and skeptics. For the boosters, we are grateful for the opportunity to succeed here. For the skeptics, I hope that beyond your personal preference for natural vs, manmade diving experiences, that you choose to give me the benefit of the doubt that I will aspire to be a positive contributor to the local scuba diving community.

Thanks for your indulgence of time to allow my introduction.

Welcome To the Board. I particularly enjoy having a local business owner on this site. I absolutely see a unfulfilled nitch in the market for people with only a short time to spend on the island (yes...cruisers) that would like to dive and spend the rest of their day shopping, drinking, and/or burning to a crisp at a beach club. I wish you the best of luck and while Scuba Hunt is not really my thing, I will recommend it to my students as an extended version of a salt water weight check with more fun things to do while they work on their buoyancy skills before heading out to big water. With a 4:1 ratio, it actually sounds like a great first dive.

I hope to see you here often and wish you the best of luck on the success of your business. Since you're there....have a Bohemia Obscura for me!

Jay