Kryssa- It sound like you have made all of the pre-trip decisions but now you have left this "watch or no-watch" thing to the very last minute.
Is that indicative of other social issues? If it is, you'll fit in at Cocoview very well.
I find that most of the carefree happy people who are on vacation at any SCUBA locale- those who walk barefoot and have decided to forsake a timepiece for the week... I really like them, I like meeting them, I like being in contact with them often throughout the day. They stop by to chat frequently, oh these vagabonds, if but not just to ask me "what time is it?".
At CCV, a watch fits extremely well on the nightstand beside the bed. If you eschew wristwatches, one of those very cheap AA battery powered mini-alarm clocks is a travelers necessity. When you are in a strange environment, sleep patterns are disturbed, these are handy. The staff blows a set of countdown warning horns for the boat departures, but if you agree to meet for an 8pm shore dive, or possibly (and I have no clue as to why you would want to do this) a 5am dawn dive- you'll likely need its features. They cost about $6 at Mallwart, use a universal battery and weigh nothing. Really handy for waking up to get out the door on any "last morning". Buy the $9 electronic luggage scale, too.
A few years ago, we brought down one of those "
day clocks" and hung it over the menu board at CCV. All it does is show you what day it is.
The two main reasons I need a watch at CCV? Even with their dive-dive-dive attitude, there is time to catch a nap after lunch, so you want to start moving towards the dive dock by 1:45. Or maybe not.
The other big reason is to know when dinner starts. Once again, this may well be interrupting a nap or just watching the sky get darker over the Ocean. Sure- the folks sitting at the bar have a view of the dining facility- so they don't need a watch, but if you're snoring in the hammock or just sitting out and looking at stars... well, being late for dinner means that I'll be rushed to get to my 8pm night dive.
That would never do.
The main reason to wear a watch while diving of course is to have
the opportunity to purchase another dive related toy. You can get a cool SCUBA Swatch for $30, or you can go full-out James Bond Rolex for $10,000. Most of us macho diver guys buy watches the size and weight of an NFL hockey puck on the off chance that
it will impress chicks. This may or may not be an issue for you, I suppose that it's impolite to enquire as to your proclivities, even these days.
A really cool time piece is an I-Pad or I-Phone. Get the very reasonable 30 day international thingie for it. Then get the app called
SKYVIEW. It shows all of the stars and satellites as you hold it against the night sky. You can get your email with it, but if it starts ringing as a telephone, likely your new friends will place it in the nearby ocean for you.
Just a thought. Oh, by the way, if you do decide to do that pre-dawn dive, please take video. I will be getting my first cup of coffee when you finally make it to breakfast- I would like to at last see what Cocoview looks like at dawn.
