PDC and Cozumel trip update

[STOGEY]

I just got back from a combination dive and explore the ruins trip to Playa del Carmen,Mexico. The trip was very,very good. I dove six times in seven days, and in Cozumel and a couple of the reefs near Playa del Carmen(PDC).

There is nothing like diving in that part of the world, the water is warm and very clean. The day that I dove in Cozumel, that was my first dive. I used it as my equipment check out dive, because I brought everything with me except for my tanks and weights.

The dive that I did in Cozumel was at Chakanaab Park. The park is a combination eco park and local culture familiarization type park. Anyways the day that I dove at Chakanaab the water was pretty rough and they weren't allowing snorkelers, but they were allowing us to dive.

When you go to the park there are at least four places right in a row in which you can rent scuba gear. Even if you bring your own you must take a guide with you. The average price for a guide and renting tanks and, weights, and a shorty came to about 40 bucks. This is comparable to what a single boat dive would cost you.

There really isn't any beach from where you can enter the water. So to enter the water you must descend a flight of stairs. However, since the water was kinda rough, I had to enteer the water between waves and by jumping off of a ramp much like entering from a boat.

After descending the turbulat water became very calm and extremely clear, like pool water. We went into a few small caves, saw many fish and the fake statutes that are placed in the water.

 

[STOGEY]

Diving in the reefs around PDC is really a great way to spend a vacation in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. I dove with two different dive operators, Tank-Ha and Sea life. They both run very safe operations. The only thing that I can say is that ask questions. I had one experience in which I was low on air 500 psi. Usually where I dive we usually tell our buddies if we are low on air, we'll give thehand signal. If the other buddy wants to ascend he/ she can, However, if they don't, well we'll see them when they get to the shore, or the boat.

Anyways, becuase of the high amount of boat traffic in the reef areas, the dms/instructor prefer to have us ascend as a group, because it is easier for a boat operator to see a group of divers then a single diver. The dm/instructor didn't explain this until after the dive. Anyways when I got down to 500 psi, I gave my buddy the low air single and started my ascent.

Ascending to my safety stop, I felt a tug on my leg. It was one of the dm/instructors tugging on my leg, trying to stop me from ascending. Well since I wasn't in too deep of water I descided to ascend to the top and find out what the dm wanted. When I got to the top she asked me why I descided to ascend. I told her why as I described to yall on a previous paragraph that I was low on air. Anyway she scolded me for leaving the group, and that if I was low on air I could always share another persons air supply.

I told her that I've been trained not to put myself in a situation in which I have to share someones air supply , because of low air. I can understand sharing someone's air supply if I've got a bad reg and my other one isn't working either, but low on air no way.

Excpet for my conversation with the dm the dive was pretty good. We dove at a reef called turtus, or turtles. Saw many turtles, a whale shark and other sea life. We also went through several small caves. One in which you enter from the bottom and the water current spits you out of the opened top, like it was projectile hurling you. That was fun.

Drift diving is a trip in it self, specially if you haven't done it before.

My only suggestion about diving in this area is if you can, bring most of your own equipment, including the weight belt without the weights. I saw many people that had problems with the weight belts that they got from the dive shops. So just being the wieght belt without the weights.

As I said before the diving here was great. You can dive a reef here every day for a month and yo still wouldn't hit all of the great sites.

 

[ggunn]

Two points:

At Chankanaab, you can share a guide, which will bring the price per diver down.

As to the DM "scolding" you for coming to the surface rather than sharing air, I don't agree with that (Christi, what do you think?). I consider the sharing of air as an emergency measure to get to the surface safely rather than a means of extending a dive. Boat traffic is definitely a concern along the coast there; I carry my own "safety sausage" just in case I have to head up early and on my own.

 

[STOGEY]

Thanks for the reply, after thinking about being scolded I have a feeling that almost all of the operators have probably seen the movie about the divers being stranded in Australia. And most operators are probably trying not to repeat that type of mistake.

However, being a diver in New England we too have a large number of boaters around our dive sites, specially in the summer time. It doesn't take a diver too long to start watching his neck when he starts his ascent.

Plus in my opinion in their reserve was abot 500 psi. Where I normally dive in cold water 500 psi won't last you too long here. We even start thinking about our ascent when the air pressure gets down to 1000. I also think that until a person gets use to different climates, most people dive to the climate that they usually dive in.

I do think that a persons biggest safety net in the water should be himself. Sso when my air pressure gets down to a level in which I think that I have to start thinking about my ascent, then I will.