What scuba gear to take with versus rent in Cozumel?

[oly5050user]

Great advice, but I think an SMB is an essential piece of emergency equipment. No need to have it on a reel (though isn't that an OW skill now through PADI) but good to have to wave on the surface in an emergency. We also have whistles clipped to ours.

surface use of smb is required ..no reel required. for ow students i would not recommed a reel until they get experienced a bit.

 

[gfaith]

We just returned from Cozumel and the water temperature was 80 degrees in January. I can do that in bathing suit and rash guard, but I used my l/s 3 mil shortie. My small wife (5'2" About 110 lbs hates cold water) used her Farmer Jane 3 mils top and bottom. That gives her 6 mils on torso and hips she was fine and never got cold.

 

[oly5050user]

Taking my niece and nephew for the checkout dives in February. Tables are apparently not in the class from their prep and pool time.

RDP and eRDPml are optional in a PADI course. Actually today's diver uses a computer , when is the last time you saw divers pull out a RDP on a dive boat, and many facilities see that and take the route of teaching computer dive courses rather than tables. Many see why teach tables that student will probably never use and forget as soon as they finish the course. Think back before divers used a bcd, they had to learn to weigh themselves for the depth they planned to dive to because of suit compression. A better way evolved-using a bcd of some sort,and now are bcd's are required for all training. Same is evolving with computers.
That said, at the facility I teach out of we include a eRDPml in student learning materials and go over it in class briefly. I use it and a RDP as a contact point to explain a bit of dive planning history and have students plan out a dive and repetitive dive using it. Then I show a computer. . What do you think they prefer? To use tables a depth gauge and timer-watch is required. By the time you factor in the cost of those items you are close to or above the cost of a computer. So why not use a computer ?

 

[Skittl1321]

surface use of smb is required ..no reel required. for ow students i would not recommed a reel until they get experienced a bit.

Interesting. For some reason I thought that underwater deployment of an SMB was added to PADI OW classes. They just added surface use of an SMB? What's the point of that- anyone can do that. How is it even a "skill"?

(Neither was part of my OW, I didn't learn that an SMB was a thing until reading about it on scubaboard, and I wish underwater deployment had been. It's an essential skill. Maybe this year I'll go out and give it some practice.)

 

[cvchief]

That is unfortunate. It's sortalike if grade school math classes would stop teaching multiplication and division and give their students "calculator simulators" instead. Yes, I know, calculators are ubiquitous in schools, but it's important to understand what is going on under the hood of those devices before one becomes reliant on them. IMO, it should be the same for dive computers.

You know I tend to agree with that, but in reality what is the point? Oh, I am sure there are some peeps out there that pride themselves on still using tables, but most people strap on a computer and go. With the design of the course moving toward quick training, why not cut tables? Use that time for actual skills and stuff, like SMB. That is a skill way more useful than the tables.

Heck the LDS I trained with and send the kids to is now down to a one day open water class before you head off for checkout dives.

 

[tomhooper]

I'm not saying you should use tables when you dive. I am saying you should know how.

About 20 years ago my wife and I (avid sailors) agreed to help a couple who were very new to blue water sailing take their boat from California to Hawaii. They had a new piece of electronics. A GPS. About 3 days out to sea it quit. He was freaking out. I took out my trusty sextant and we navigated just fine.

Point being, I use dive computers and GPS all the time and love having them. But, I do know how to do it by hand.

 

[Skittl1321]

I think there is a big difference between the scenarios presented. If you are in the middle of nowhere on a boat and your GPS craps out- you are truly screwed.

If your computer breaks, you end the dive and enjoy a beach/boat day in Cozumel instead of a dive day. Then you get the battery changed/rent a new computer, etc- taking 24 hours off for safety (if you did crazy deep dives, maybe you'd want to do more.) My husband dives an AI computer without a backup. At this point, we've agreed if it goes kaput and his air readout disappears, the less expensive, and equally safe for our style of diving, backup plan is to just return to the surface.

I only sort of learned tables, since I looked into them myself since they weren't taught in my class; but they seem like they'd be really restrictive for Cozumel diving. Even though you can plan multi-level dives, I really like not having to time myself at each depth. That's a lot to keep track of.

I am truly baffled though by the people who don't use either. And I've met them on the boat. They just do what the DM does (+-15 feet it seems, and usually erring deeper) and figure they will be okay.

 

[Lorenzoid]

About 20 years ago my wife and I (avid sailors) agreed to help a couple who were very new to blue water sailing take their boat from California to Hawaii. They had a new piece of electronics. A GPS. About 3 days out to sea it quit. He was freaking out. I took out my trusty sextant and we navigated just fine. . . .

I once asked a sailor friend if anyone bothered to learn celestial navigation anymore, and he said "nah, you just make sure you have two GPS units; the likelihood of both of them failing is miniscule." True, this wasn't 20 years ago as in your story. But the cost of a backup computer is so low these days. I weigh the cost against how big an impact sitting out the rest of the day would have on the enjoyment of my dive vacation. In some places, like Coz, I might very well be content sitting out the rest of the day, but in other places, like on a liveaboard, not so much.

 

[oly5050user]

Interesting. For some reason I thought that underwater deployment of an SMB was added to PADI OW classes. They just added surface use of an SMB? What's the point of that- anyone can do that. How is it even a "skill"?

(Neither was part of my OW, I didn't learn that an SMB was a thing until reading about it on scubaboard, and I wish underwater deployment had been. It's an essential skill. Maybe this year I'll go out and give it some practice.)

Instructor can teach use of finger spool/reel,but can choose to only do surface deployment ,which is safer for the students in a training dive.
Use of surface marker is important. Its a signal device for the boat/crew to quickly identify divers surface location,can be use for additional buoyancy on surface, just as a foam noodle is used by kids in a pool.For it being a skill try inflating it by taking a surface breath-place face in water and blow it up. Much easier and less tiring than kicking to stay on surface with face out of water and kicking to stay buoyant.

 

[cvchief]

.... I am saying you should know how.
Point being, I use dive computers and GPS all the time and love having them. But, I do know how to do it by hand.

Well, yea, but if your computer craps out, are you telling me that you have already recorded both entry time and max depth in preparation? So you could jump right to tables?

And say if it was the second dive, you have all the information from the previous dive? Or the day before? I like the boy scout thinking, but are you or anyone still doing the homework to make that doable? Heck with a sextant, all you need is a good clock right? Nothing about the previous track.

I am truly baffled though by the people who don't use either. And I've met them on the boat. They just do what the DM does (+-15 feet it seems, and usually erring deeper) and figure they will be okay.

Honestly, I always dive Nitrox. Besides avoiding going too deep, I don't think I could run an 80 of nitrox into deco, so.... Now on air I sure could.

But the cost of a backup computer is so low these days....

Yea, I went down that path. Bought the wife and I a pair of used Aladadin Uwatec computer for in our consoles. Same model, different ebay sellers. SOBs will NOT keep a charge for a couple month. EVERY trip the batteries were dead and they were just sitting in the garage in Coz. (I take my wrist for downloading) So I stopped putting batteries in them. Just carried them along to look cool. In December my console compass fell out and a button popped off my Uwatec and it flooded. I was seriously thinking of just carrying it flooded. Hey its still cool, right? 'Yea that's my scubapro backup computer....' Then my HP line to the console started leaking. I freaked a little until I got more sage MX maintenance advise. "It'll will probably be fine all week. And if it blows, it won't be that bad...." And that worked out fine. So now: Buy a console with a second computer or a just replace the line and the compass? Should I air integrate? Is there one that WON'T start beeping at 500#? Do I need another scubapro setup to remain looking cool? And I am heading back on 2/10, so I need answers to these questions!!! I thought I might get an Aeris console with computer, but will I look like a walmart diver?

Use of surface marker is important. .For it being a skill try inflating it by taking a surface breath-place face in water and blow it up.

Seriously, I carry one. I never took a 'class' per say. I received the briefest instruction from non-instructors. "Hey try not to rocket to the surface while inflating" and "Watch the string. Don't tie yourself up" Just blowing up qualifies as a skill. I have deployed mine. I could have used a class before the first time....

My current problem is judging how much air to put in it. I was afraid if I put too much in, I might have an SMB that lasted more than 6 hours and I hear that is bad. So then I got one that was limp and I had to keep tugging on it to get it to stand up. I'll get it standing tall one of these days. I still have my GIANT DAN one with the whistle and the glow stick insert, but I don't carry it as it seems to intimidate people....