KellyBracket
Registered
Thanks again to the folks who responded to my questions about braving the June temperatures in the Riviera Maya. My fiancee & I just returned from one of the best experiences we've ever had.
So, when planning our trip, we decided to do a few days of cenotes, figuring we would then head over to Cozumel for the "real diving." I emailed Diablo Divers, and asked about guided tours, but also asked if we could add in some buoyancy and trim training. We're pretty new divers (@ 49 dives now), and so I was pretty surprised when Natalie Gibb responded by suggesting that the cavern course might fit the bill. Checking out descriptions of other cavern courses, I noted that Diablo's course was 3 days, or one day longer than others. Nonetheless, that still left plenty of time for pretty fish and drift dives, so we signed up.
Now, I had read on this forum about Natalie's safety-conscious attitude, as well as her energy, but I want to emphasize that she is also a consummate coach and educator. Although I had been very clear about how our diving logs were pretty skimpy, it was apparent from the start that her standards for performance were unvarying. Nonetheless, it was also clear that she expected that we would live up to those standards, if we put in the effort.
It was not a small amount of effort. These were some long days of land drills, open water, and cavern dives. Start at 8am, end at 6pm, and wake up the next day wondering how you could get so sore from a "zero-gravity" activity.
Throughout these long days, Natalie's focus didn't waver. And that's probably her most important attribute as an instructor. I think the best coaches share one important feature - they pay attention. They notice everything, and they tell you what they saw, and you know that they are right. And you are able to practice with the confidence that both your mistakes and your progress will be duly noted. Students don't need feel-good cheerleading, and (sorry Coach Taylor!) they don't respond best to either yelling and inspirational speeches. They need clear, full, and immediate feedback, and Natalie is excellent at this. Our post-dive debriefings were detailed and comprehensive. When we lost buoyancy, screwed up a reel, or tapped a wall with a fin, she noticed. She also highlighted when I managed two correct frog-kicks in a row, or when my fiancee got her buoyancy nailed.
We actually added on a forth day of training, as well as a fifth day of just guided cavern diving, to give ourselves a little less of an intense experience, and to add in our originally-planned "fun" dives. Even here, though, Natalie couldn't help herself. Instead of running these cavern tours in the standard format, lining up behind the guide, she let us plan out the dive and execute it, while she hovered in the dark nearby (our "ghost!"). Despite the fact that she was not "on the clock" as an instructor during those dives, our debriefings were just as detailed, and just as useful. She had offered us the chance to use her as a regular guide, and had noted that we would probably get further into the caverns, and go faster. It probably would have been easier for her too, but it was a great opportunity.
So, if you want to learn to dive the cenotes, get in touch with her. If you work hard, she'll make you a much better diver.
The only problem is that you might lose your interest in pretty fish and drift dives!
So, when planning our trip, we decided to do a few days of cenotes, figuring we would then head over to Cozumel for the "real diving." I emailed Diablo Divers, and asked about guided tours, but also asked if we could add in some buoyancy and trim training. We're pretty new divers (@ 49 dives now), and so I was pretty surprised when Natalie Gibb responded by suggesting that the cavern course might fit the bill. Checking out descriptions of other cavern courses, I noted that Diablo's course was 3 days, or one day longer than others. Nonetheless, that still left plenty of time for pretty fish and drift dives, so we signed up.
Now, I had read on this forum about Natalie's safety-conscious attitude, as well as her energy, but I want to emphasize that she is also a consummate coach and educator. Although I had been very clear about how our diving logs were pretty skimpy, it was apparent from the start that her standards for performance were unvarying. Nonetheless, it was also clear that she expected that we would live up to those standards, if we put in the effort.
It was not a small amount of effort. These were some long days of land drills, open water, and cavern dives. Start at 8am, end at 6pm, and wake up the next day wondering how you could get so sore from a "zero-gravity" activity.
Throughout these long days, Natalie's focus didn't waver. And that's probably her most important attribute as an instructor. I think the best coaches share one important feature - they pay attention. They notice everything, and they tell you what they saw, and you know that they are right. And you are able to practice with the confidence that both your mistakes and your progress will be duly noted. Students don't need feel-good cheerleading, and (sorry Coach Taylor!) they don't respond best to either yelling and inspirational speeches. They need clear, full, and immediate feedback, and Natalie is excellent at this. Our post-dive debriefings were detailed and comprehensive. When we lost buoyancy, screwed up a reel, or tapped a wall with a fin, she noticed. She also highlighted when I managed two correct frog-kicks in a row, or when my fiancee got her buoyancy nailed.
We actually added on a forth day of training, as well as a fifth day of just guided cavern diving, to give ourselves a little less of an intense experience, and to add in our originally-planned "fun" dives. Even here, though, Natalie couldn't help herself. Instead of running these cavern tours in the standard format, lining up behind the guide, she let us plan out the dive and execute it, while she hovered in the dark nearby (our "ghost!"). Despite the fact that she was not "on the clock" as an instructor during those dives, our debriefings were just as detailed, and just as useful. She had offered us the chance to use her as a regular guide, and had noted that we would probably get further into the caverns, and go faster. It probably would have been easier for her too, but it was a great opportunity.
So, if you want to learn to dive the cenotes, get in touch with her. If you work hard, she'll make you a much better diver.
The only problem is that you might lose your interest in pretty fish and drift dives!
