Night shore dives at CCV

[robint]

I remember reading something a few yrs ago about night shore dives at CCV - that you had to pick up tanks before dinner and take them to your room if you plan to do a night dive. I think the person said the tank room is locked up at night. Or maybe it was that after your dive you have to take the gear back to your room. Is that still true? Gear room locked at night also?

What about doing dawn dives? What time is breakfast served (and for how long) and do people ever dive before it? Are lights on outside making it possible or do they turn those off? We did a dawn dive in Bonaire and loved it as much as our night dives.

Just curious as my hubby and I would want to night dive most nights and do a dawn dive or two possibly.

robin

 

[joystershell]

Night dives are never a problem, unless sea conditions warrant closing the pool, and hitting the bar instead. Don't miss them, I think they are among the best that CocoView has to offer. I have also enjoyed the solitude of those dawn pre-breakfast dives. Having the place to myself, it's heaven. Tanks are always available for the night dives. There is a night shift divemaster on duty to help you out and answer any questions. Tanks should still be available in the morning as well. Enjoy!

 

[Doc]

The wet room (gear "locker") closes at 2300 and re-opens at 0600... give or take. If you want access to your stuff during those 7 hours, most folks just pull the gear out and leave it on the benches beforehand. Talk to the Night DM, just like Joystershell advised. (remember: assume nothing~ this is Honduras)

I have heard tell of this dawn dive foolishness. I am dead asleep until 6:30 whereupon the coffee locator beacon initiates. ---> )))))))))))

Early on, they put out cereal and things that Rabbits and vegetarians eat, then about 0700 is when the real food rolls out and the Apex predators arrive. I have sat there admiring my second pile of bacon a few times when I've seen a dawn diver or three trudge past on their way back in to get dried off. I get a third helping of bacon with the lame excuse that it's for Pancho the "resort dog" sleeping outside.

Then you notice the DM feeding his pet Eels that live in the rocks next to the bar.

There is always plenty of time to get ready before the 0830 or 0900 boats. You should check the schedule posted and dawdle appropriately. Some people use the wireless internet, some drink coffee with Pancho or one of the Parrots. Jose usually will have a word of wisdom to share.

For night dives, we plan to be in the water at 2000 hrs. It dovetails in well with an 1830 dinner start. Most divers hit it at 2000>2100. We do a second one at 2200 and usually just let the Night DM know that we'll be returning a bit after he leaves. He'll show you how to close up for the night.

The lighting inside the wet rooms is good.

Outside on the benches is a diffused streetlight affair.

The short 45 step walk on hard packed sand is lit from the landscape lighting.

The shore access is illuminated by a dim but annoying street light.

Security of your gear if you leave it on the benches out front of the wet rooms is a non-issue. That's why I have always hesitated to call them "gear lockers". There aint much locking going on. They only pull down the eight garage doors to the wet room at 11pm so as to give the night watchmen one less thing to keep an eye on. CCV's being on its own private 10 acre island makes the place fairly immune to worries of theft.

Good idea about wanting to night dive. This is one of the main reasons I like CCV. Your room is quite literally tied to the Front Yard Wreck by it's anchor chain. Floow the chain out through the Front Yard and it's meandering route through the coral heads, and within two minutes you're in 35fsw at the Prince Albert Wreck. You really can't get lost as the wreck and chain don't really seem to move all that much.

Makes it so much easier to enjoy your night dive when you are absolutely certain of your route home.

Have fun... and we're looking forward to your trip report.

 

[deco_martini]

Dawn dives? Jeez, I thought me and my buddy were overdoing it by doing 4 dives a day and a night dive every day at the CCV. Getting tanks for night dives was never a problem. Getting up in time to do a dawn dive after diving a 5 dive day before might be though.

Dawn dives will give you a problem though in that the shore dives are fairly shallow you want your deepest dive to be the first of the day.

 

[Tjack]

Hey Robint, just back from Roatan, sunrise is around 5:30am so dawn dives sound like a great idea. We considered doing one but my buddy for the trip was not that avid. At FIBR they would leave tanks out for you, I'm sure Coco will do the same. Have a great trip, I hope I will run into you at the Blue Hole one of these days.

 

[herman]

Thanks for the post Doc, I just zipped my bags shut and will be petting Pancho tomorrow about this time.

 

[DeputyDan]

Have a safe trip!

 

[robint]

thanks everybody! It sounds heavenly! Ron and I are both early birds - up at dawn, even on weekends. :14: So we would have plenty of time for a dawn dive at least one morning there.

Roatanman - we haven't made reservations yet, we are still trying to decide on when and where to get the money from! LOL I promise I will do a try report though. There are lots of pans in the fire right now that have to be finished before we can plan another big trip out of the country.

Tjack - we will be at BlueHole this weekend. Ron is teaching and I am being the loving, supportive wifey.

Deco_martini - not true. That is the old suggestion for dive planning. New studies by DAN and others show it doesn't matter, especially diving with a computer and even more so with nitrox. A dawn dive, on nitrox, to 60' for 45min with a 2 hour SI afterwards.... just fine as far as I am concerned.

 

[Doc]

That is the old suggestion for dive planning. New studies by DAN and others show...

Almost irrelevant to this particular locale.

The real trick to CCV and the South Side of Roatan: All the good stuff is shallow.

I dive 5x a day, ever day- and on air, and lived to tell the tale. Shallow is good.

Any shore dive beneath 50fsw is most often a waste of Nitrogen loading. Night dives from CCV? The cool stuff is above 35', certainly any deeper than 45 feet has proven to be time ill spent for value returned in terms of critter spotting.

Listen to the handful of people (on CoCoChat and here) who have logged hundreds of dives as visitors to CCV- stay shallow and slow. Dives don't end at 50 minutes. Shore Dives and Drop Offs can stretch out to 90 minutes or more. You don't use up a lot of air at 27 feet while barely moving.

Wave to the Spotted Eagle Rays as they come by~ and come by they will.

btw- A good solution to that finances thing... Marry well. (Maybe Cindy McCain has a sister?)

 

[Hawk]

As Doc said, the "locked" part is pretty much a myth. You can get tanks and your gear ready and go diving anytime you like. The 6:00 opening thing is just a time to list, it means nothing at all.

I love dawn dives. I usually do them just about every morning when I am there. I usually try to plan it so that it is just starting to get light for the last 20 minutes of an hour long dive. Depending on what time of the year I am there it means I am in the water somewhere between 4:30 and 5:15. Lots of time left to get ready for breakfast and I am usually just about first in line.

The doors to the gear room are always still shut when I get there so early. The night guard is usually somewhere on the dock side of the building. I find him, say hi andlet him know who it is before opening the door as to not startle him. Turn on the lights, get the gear ready, stroll to the entry point, and have fun.

Dawn dives are great! Lots to see and it is never "crowded" as most people seem to think they need far too much sleep. I do at least 4 dives during the day, a night dive if it isn't crowded, and then do a dawn dive in the morning.

Basically you can dive as much as you want, whenever you want.

Have fun!


Later, Hawk.