Preparing for Devil's Throat

[cicopo]

I've done the Throat twice and frankly it's not a real good dive when you think about it. It needs to be done as part of a small group because you waste time & air grouping up after descent & again as each diver exits the tunnel, which is deep enough to add considerably to your air consumption relative to a normal Cozumel dive. There isn't anything to see in the tunnel, but IF everyone has air consumption mastered you can do another set of swim through's which again don't have much to see & then you work your way up along the wall IF everyone has a computer & you all follow whoever would go into deco first BEFORE they get the warning. I've only done it because the "group" wanted to but I've talked several others into having a much better dive by skipping it.

 

[lionfish-eater]

[vimeo]56259469[/vimeo]

 

[Scott]

Book with Aldora as Mike suggested. When they say you are are ready for Devils Throat, tell them never mind, you want to dive the other end of the island on the new sites they have been going to.
Devils Throat is a "onezy" if that. I would rather spend my time on sites like Palancar or Columbia.

 

[mstevens]

Devil's Throat can be a lot of fun. It's best to go through "backwards", from deep to shallow. Visibility is better and by the time your group is out everyone is at a more reasonable depth. This is also slightly more efficient at gas use, since typically you'll spend a bit more time deep on the wall after the swim-through compared to the amount of time spent there before the swim-through. Go with someone who really knows what they're doing and it can be very memorable.

For a deep knock-your-socks-off swim-through, I prefer the arch at Maracaibo. It also presents far fewer issues in terms of physical overhead environment and has resident toadfish and other more interesting marine life than Devil's Throat. That's another one that I think is best done going from deep to shallow.

 

[jeffromonty]

+1 for the arch at maraciabo, the top of it is at 111' go through then enjoy more reef as you get a little shallower. VS Devils Throat where you basically go down then up dive over.

 

[ggunn]

Keep in mind that the OP only has 40 dives.

 

[Drewpy]

You won't miss much and It's really not "all that". Lots of other swim-thru's with better stuff to see..

 

[LoveOceanicGears]

I dove Devil's Throat last year. It was my 77th dive.

When I walked into Aldora, I told them my interest in diving the Devil's Throat at last day of my vacation. But I also told them if dive master doesn't think I am qualified or ready for it, please tell me straight at my face. I definitely won't feel insulted and I will thank him for his honest opinion.

It is true there is not much to see in the dive. However, passing through the throat is still a thrilling experience. Good buoyancy is a must, and be prepared for computer to kick into deco mode and know how to handle it.

This year I was asking Aldora to take me back to Devil's Throat again, but I was taken to Barracuda instead. It is a much, much more challenging dive than Devil's Throat and I felt like a total newbie in comparison to other 5 divers.

 

[Carlos Danger]

I know that wanting to dive Devil's Throat is a sign of moral deficiency for many of the Cozumel old salts, but I thought I'd risk asking the question anyway.

My wife & I are AOW certified with about 40 dives each. However, we have not been deeper than 95 feet and I was wondering if we would be best to get a 'simple' dive to 130' to check out how we respond i.e. any sign of narcosis and to generally just get comfortable at that depth.
We have done some cenote diving (Dos Ojos) and are happy in enclosed environments, but just thought that having judgement issues or worse in the middle of a tunnel with a line of people behind us might not be a good idea.

Apologies if this is FAQ but I did search and didn't find anything addressing this.

Definitely worth doing at least once, but also one that should be approached with some respect if you are questioning your comfort level. For most experienced divers it really shouldn't be that big of a deal under normal conditions. The challenge is that it doesn't feel that deep, until you pop out the side of the reef at around 115ft-120ft and need to start managing your profile. Subsequent transitions to adjacent sections can leave you feeling stranded in open water with no visible reference points, so it's important to keep your group together as you ascend and drift across the gaps. I would try to plan it in the second half of your trip so you are at least better acclimated and hopefully feeling more relaxed in the water.

 

[Darol]

Exiting over the Abyss is the highlight of the dive IMHO, beyond that I was impressed with the fact that the Dive Guide could even find the place. Dove it with my Son a few years ago, and a few times since to help the dive op fill the boat.