Planing stages of PDC trip in July

[jmani]

So the boy and I are going on vacation this year without the women. (My wife and daughter sister...kinda a boys getaway)

My son has been certified for just over a year now, and will be 14 years old for the trip. He hasn't dove as much as I would like him to dive. But will be spending some time in the pool and ocean (Monterey CA with our dive shop buddies) before the trip.

The question is...Can we do Cenote Dives? Is his experience level too low for Cenotes?

He is really looking forward to diving in warm water with visibility greater than 20 feet.

But I am a little worried about taking him into caverns.

Somebody tell me it is ok.

 

[CenoteXperience]

You can try some diving in the ocean first, and if the divemaster-instructor consider he has good buoyancy control, he feels confidence and in control in the water, and he wants to go, you should try cenote diving.
Cenotes are magic, with amazing things to see, and every diver should try.
Enjoy your vacations.

 

[Ed Hatfield]

If you're there for a week only you might skip the cenote dive. There is plenty to see in the Ocean, especially for a new diver. Maybe a day trip to Coz for a 'special' dive towards the end of the week. I wouldn't suggest a new diver be allowed to dive in the cenotes; if he did do some damage it can be embarrassing for both of you. You wouldn't want your son to feel bad and ruin a good holiday. Boyancy control and modified finning are techniques that come with experience and repetition. Let him get 20-30 dives under his belt and do the cenotes on your next trip to PDC. It gives you an excuse to come back. When in July do you plan on being there?

 

[Ed Hatfield]

Don't forget that cenotes are FRESH water and the weights will be different..this could also throw off his bouancy and take him out of his comfort zone.

 

[driftwood]

The question is...Can we do Cenote Dives? Is his experience level too low for Cenotes?

He is really looking forward to diving in warm water with visibility greater than 20 feet.

But I am a little worried about taking him into caverns.

Somebody tell me it is ok.

You should be worried, but there are ways of doing caverns safely.

The cenotes are a constant 72 degrees and while it is fresh water, the total dissolved solids (TDS) make the specific gravity of the water higher than your normal lake or river. So weighting for a cenote is not that much different than ocean diving. Better to be over weighted than bouncing off the ceiling toward the end of the dive. For cenotes, I wear a 3mm suit, light gloves and beanie. That is enough thermal protection for around a hour's dive in my case.

You will be moving very slowly on the dive so if your son can stay +-1' with his buoyancy while remaining horizontal he will do just fine. A lot of the caverns are pretty open and silting is not a big issue. Dos Ojos fits that description and is a nice dive to see if caverns are to a diver's liking.

Here we go. Caverns are ok if you have a fully certified and equipped cave diver guiding you. If there is a problem, your guide will be able to get you to the surface in less than a minute.

If this is your first trip to PDC, I highly recommend you visit Can-Do Travel Guides and get all the guide maps for the areas you are likely to visit. Don't bother spending money on area guide books, they are out of date given all the changes happening in the area.

Hope that you and your son have a great trip.

Edit: If you are taking your own gear, make the cenotes your last dives. Great place for a rinse to wash all the salt away.

 

[stortecky]

I think you should have someone give you an honest opinion about his diving skills. It is some time hard as a farther to see the true skill level. One great way to practice is make large 3 to 4 foot square out of PVC piping. then anchor them to the ground and have him practice swimming through them. it will also help get him aware of how far his tank sticks out. The more comfortable he feels the better he will do. But the ocean is great too, I actually am one of the few that would do a reef dive over a cenote.


Good luck and have a great trip.

 

[Geofish Dive in Playa]

The best thing to do is take him ocean diving at a shallow reef and have the instructor check his buoyancy control and comfortability. And if he is fine after a couple ocean dives and if he and the instructor feel comfortable about going to an overhead environment then go cenote diving. I am sure he will be fine, the younger divers are usually the best divers so I would not worry too much.

 

[jmani]

I have got to tell you, he is looking forward to doing his first warm water dive. When I told him that he would not need a 7mil wetsuit, 15lbs of lead, hood, gloves, boots his eyes popped open wide!

He is a little nervous of swimming in water that he can see more than 10 feet for some reason, but I'm sure he will get over that on his first splash.

 

[firstdive2005]

Hey bud. I think that it so cool you are diving with your son. He's 14, man you have a lot of dives to do in the future with him. The ocean dives are going to be amazing for him, if you dont make a big deal out of the cenotes this time, he wont either. Not dissing his skills, I vote you keep to the reefs. Man you guys will have a blast doing that and have the cenotes for when you ARE SURE he can handle it. I think that should be the water mark on whether you do that dive or not. I hope I wasnt rude or forward on my call. kev
Ps Make sure you take him to the wreck, playa side, get some gloves for that one. I dove it with Ben from Mayanaquadive. It was fun.

 

[fabiosub]

hi I totaly agree with the most above. first check and experience the ocean, tha with your D.M or instructor you can decide to do Cenotes also. Enjoy your time in Riviera Maya