Packing for first dive trip -- what am we missing?

[Bonairetrip]

I wanted to emphasize the need to have things that are true show stoppers. That list is really pretty short.

For me, that list might include:
a) Contact lenses, solution and cases;
b) C-Card. DAN membership & insurance of some sort
c) Credit Card, ATM Card & some modest supply of cash
d) Driver License & Passport
e) Prescription (or reading) glasses/masks
f) Any prescriptions meds.
g) A sense of adventure. And probably a pair of swim trunks...

 

[Jim Baldwin]

Lavachickie congrats on your upcoming trip.

Just got Sunday a week ago after a two week stay. And although we go alot it's just gotten to be second nature. Looks like you are on the right track.

I dive in a full 3mm suit. Unless you are really cold tolerant I would have something more than a 1mm.

Clothes lines and pins a definite plus.

Leave the gloves in your dive bag and if you dive the wreck then you can take them out.

Mark your gear with name, color, initials, etc. Makes gear in a pile easier to find.

Take a good jacket or coat. The harbor has been closed for two days and the temp was 60 degrees today at noon. That's warm compared to the 16 we've had here for the past two days but you will get cold.

Also a good windbreaker/parka you can take on the dive boat and not worry about it getting wet.

A dry bag large enough to hold dry clothes, towel, wallet, etc. Remember that everyting you take on a dive boat will get WET!.

A finger spool to go along with that safety sausage and do learn how to deploy it at 20 to 30 feet.

Pass on the seasick meds unless you plan on taking the ferry over across to the mainland for a trip. Bonnine is my drug of choice when it comes to this.

If you don't have DAN insurance get it. It's the best $100 you will ever spend. One treatment in one of the dive chambers will cost you in the neighborhood of $5,000. And no your regular insurance will probably not come close to covering all the expenses.


C-card, driver's license, passport

Spare mouthpieces, zip ties, fin strap, etc.

If you plan on or think you might do a night dive definitely bring a good dive light. The new LED lights are great. Save on a rental.

If you bring a laptop, Skype is the cheapest way to call home. From Mexico it's 2 cents a minute and if you invest in local number your family can call you for free.

If you take a camera don't forget all the extras like o-rings, batteries, charger, 8 meg card. Take lots of pictures and delete the blurry ones and fish tails. Best thing get close, really close and pause just a second before you push the button.

We weren't bothered with mosquitos at all. But it was cool. If it turns off hot you may. Easy to pack a bottle for just in case.

Sunglasses

Extra trunks

Ink pen for the forms on the airplane. Immigration and customs form.

Leave all the dressy clothes and jewelry at home. And if you take more than two pairs of shoes you will not need them.

 

[ScubaduoAdventures]

Besides what others have said you may want to consider a thicker suit than a 1mm for the winter it is cooler in the water than summer monthsthough you should be able to rent one there!

 

[bcpb0410]

Dont forget Mirazyme if you have neopreme stuff. Especially your boots. Ours stunk up our room on our first trip!

What about pills for drinking their water/ice/fruits and veggies. I have never been to Coz but when we went to Cancun, we had to take special pills to keep from getting sick. Didn't take my on the last morning we where there and we both ended up in the room in the bathroom all day! Not a great way to end a vacation.

Just a suggestion, if this is your first time going on a boat dive, you may want to start on Dramamine the night before and take one the morning of. Nothing can ruin a dive like getting sick. We just go back from the Bahama's and all the new divers were puking like crazy. On our shark dive the sea was very calm and a few people got sick from the slight rocking of the boat. I always take Dramamine if I am going out on a boat. Christine from Unexso gave us a good suggestion. If you eat a bagel and a banana for breakfast, it will help keep your stomach calm. But if you do puke, it will taste the same coming up as it did going down!
Have fun.

 

[Kbach]

We went to Turks in November and I needed a medical form approved as I take a couple normal medications. Cost me $20 and a lost day of diving. So, you might want to either bring a medical form like the one you filled out to start diving class that's less than 6 months old, or answer no to all medical questions. I'm doing the latter when we go to Puerto Adventuras next month, although I've dove before in Mexico and don't remember this being an issue.

I take damamine before every dive. The easy rocking gets me.

 

[parkerco]

Was diving in Cozumel for a week in November, and some good advice here (especially about bug spray, the mosquitos out there then ate us alive!).

Safety sausage / tube is a must as others have said, as it's all (or almost all) drift diving out there. Other than that there's tons of good suggestions here ... one I would make to you is spend some time reading the Cozumel forum here at SB -- not only will you get a lot of insider and experienced views on Cozumel, but some idea of things to do there and most importantly where to eat! If you end of up places like MargarittaVille or Senor Frogs to eat you're doing it wrong =) Would strongly recommend you check out El Moro, La Choza and Guidos for example.

Also if you're as bad at the intracacies of native pronunciation as I am and you like logging your dives, stash a list of the dive sites. With 8 years of Spanish I still had to look up what the hell our DM was saying when we'd ask about the site names ("Chankanaab" for example). There's a neat little book I picked up (and our LDS had back home too) that you may be interested in checking out.

Don't overpack! There's really not a lot you can't buy down there, so outside of things you want on the boat in case of emergencies you're probably better off erroring on the side of packing too light.

 

[paddler3d]

Wow! Good list!

I'd add laptop and iPod (or MP3 player of choice).
Also a book.

Unless you're uber extroverted, you can use the laptop to watch a movie, you can chill with your music and a book!

After a day of diving with a group, I find one of those three items useful to wind down with.

 

[diver 85]

1st page has pretty much everything covered---?/maybe a finger spool for SS?.....good luck, heading there Feb 11th, Dora Villa with Aldora's diver's ......

 

[Mike Boswell]

We went and forgot to take our BCD quick-release weight pouches. No dive shop had replacement pouches in Coz so we wound up using weight belts instead.

 

[diver 85]

We went and forgot to take our BCD quick-release weight pouches. No dive shop had replacement pouches in Coz so we wound up using weight belts instead.

How'd that happen??......