Worth it to get AOW before going to Cozumel?

[AceszHigh]

Heading to Cozumel in March..I haven't read a whole lot about their diving I just know about clear water and beautiful reefs Are there any "must do" dives in Coz that would require AOW?

 

[cvchief]

Heading to Cozumel in March..I haven't read a whole lot about their diving I just know about clear water and beautiful reefs Are there any "must do" dives in Coz that would require AOW?

I think it is more experience wtih you. Most won't take you someplace challenging without checking you out, card or no card. Depending how much time you have, there are PLENTY of 'must dos' that aren't especially challenging. On the other hand, we did out AOW there for something to do. Loved the underwater naturalist part.

 

[ggunn]

Heading to Cozumel in March..I haven't read a whole lot about their diving I just know about clear water and beautiful reefs Are there any "must do" dives in Coz that would require AOW?

In a word - no. Dive ops decide whether or not to take you to advanced sites based on their experience diving with you, not on what card(s) you have. I go to the advanced sites, and I only have an OW cert. Of course, I have been diving Cozumel for 17 years and the last 10 with the same op. The flip side - some folks go straight to AOW after OW with little or no real world experience, and no way are they ready to dive Maracaibo or Barracuda.

 

[cicopo]

I don't think anyone has ever asked which card I have, just that I produce one when doing the paperwork, AND as already stated you'll be assessed on your first day or 2 before being allowed to do any tricky sites.

 

[jfcl01]

FWIW, it's a fun place to take AOW if you are so inclined

 

[Sue Sue]

Since a good portion of our diving is in Cozumel, Michael and I took the AOW cert course while there. Boat dives are included for skill check off and therefore in blue water as opposed to the 3-10 foot vis we would have here in Lake Travis. Our dive op/instructor forwarded the books to us ahead of time to that we could take care of the reading and reviews before vacation. We are looking forward to the same for our RESCUE cert we will be doing in the near future. Have a great time !!

 

[herbdb]

The only place I have been where AOW would be an advantage is the Fla Keys. They are so afraid of lawsuits that they won't take you to sites beyond 60' without it.

 

[firstdive2005]

If you are wondering if you need to take a course to dive, you need it. It's that simple. Diving will kill you if you mess up. It is easy to do if you are not accustomed or in the knowledge of what to do if something goes catastrophic. You know what, I have been on lots of dives with people that dont deserve the designation AOW. That's scary.
To tell you the truth I did a lot of dives that are designated advanced before I was carded, well before. I did the dives with very experienced divers that made sure I was good enough. I really worked on my skills to advance myself. I never ever thought I was 'ready' for the next dive. It took practice in pools(because there are very little places to dive near me), and more practice in the crapy visless lakes we have, and more practice in the warm water places, to get me comfortable with my kit, my style and saying I am competent as a diver.
The only reason I am saying this is because from your dive count you must feel comfortable in the water by now. Have you self taught yourself the variables of diving in deeper water? Stronger currents? Can you send an smb up without going with it? Just a couple questions to think about.
My suggestion is get more training for deeper depths, it's better on your health as a diver.
I know you will have a blast diving Coz, it's the best. Find a dive op you can play with and just have fun there. All the best, good diving to ya. k

 

[phillybob]

The only place I have been where AOW would be an advantage is the Fla Keys. They are so afraid of lawsuits that they won't take you to sites beyond 60' without it.

Exactly. Here in New Jersey, a lot of the boats won't let you on without at least an AOW unless you're with an instructor. It's a good thing to have. Then get your Nitrox and you'll be good to go !!

 

[Dave55]

Looking through my dive log, all of my first dives of the day have exceeded 60' depth, so technically speaking you would need an AOW card. Practically speaking, I doubt any of the dive shops would prevent you from diving without an AOW card but you never know.

Personally, I would suggest you find a great instructor and get both the AOW and nitrox cards. There are many skills an AOW class could help you with that are relevant for Cozumel. Talk to your instructor about where you might benefit from additional instruction (or a refresher):
- deep diving
- drift diving
- practice using a safety sausage or SMB
- night diving
- boat diving
More training = more confidence = more fun.

Also, I highly recommend getting the nitrox card. I personally feel a lot better for the rest of the day after diving nitrox vs. air and can enjoy my vacation more. Not to mention more bottom time.

But I would make sure, with your experience level of > 100 dives, that you find an instructor/class that can meet your needs... if you sign up for a random AOW course that has 7 other divers who have just completed their first OW class then it might be a little remedial for you.

Hope that helps. Have a great trip