You're Protec Experience?

[TKS]

I am heading to Playa del Carmen....I am a newly certified diver and very insecure as I feel my OW certification was a bit lacking. I need additional instruction and I have decided to use Protec for my AOW certification. It seems they are well known for cenote dives but what about ocean dives? What has your experience with them been like?

 

[Rafael]

Hi, I just cameback from Cancun yesterday, i meet one of the guys from protec and they seem to be very good, even the guys from my dive shop recomend this guys for caves diving, so i'm sure they are really good, they are well respect in the diving community in that area.

Now my advice for you is, before you take your advance logged a few more dives, is no need for you to rush your profile maybe outdated, but less than 15 dives is not that much, the currents in the Cancun area are strong right now, and if you take your advance you will be ask to perform a deep dive, maybe Cozumel or one of the wrecks, the wrecks are around the 80' of depth, but the wall in cozumel is quite deep, so one since you are not that expereince your air consuption may not be the best, takes a while to master this as well as monitor your air, second nitrogen narcosis, i mean, take it easy, with the money you are going to pay for the class, you can get a very good dives package you can enjoy your dives as well as your vacation without spending half of your day in a class room, and then after you have afew more dives go for it.

I was down there last week and i had the opprtunity to dive with an AOW student, let me tell you it wasn't easy for this diver we ran in trouble almost at the end of the dive, we end up having a great time but i think if he had a few more dives on his belt this diver may enjoy the class a beat more and more important he could made this a safer dive.

That is just my point of view.

Dive safe and enjoy your trip, and please visit a cenote you are going to love it.

 

[wedivebc]

I am heading to Playa del Carmen....I am a newly certified diver and very insecure as I feel my OW certification was a bit lacking. I need additional instruction and I have decided to use Protec for my AOW certification. It seems they are well known for cenote dives but what about ocean dives? What has your experience with them been like?

I took my intro cave with them in January and I have booked more training with them next January. I found them to have a top notch operation and excellent staff. I think you will really enjoy the experience. The cenotes are incredible.

 

[TKS]

Ok...so...Now I am confused again. Originally, my plan was to just do some diving in this area and have a great time. However, I am a very new diver and lack buoyancy control, etc. I am extremely nervous about going out on a tour boat with other divers who want to enjoy their dive but I will need extra attention. What diver or dive company wants to deal with that? Therefore, I thought the best way to stay safe and improve my skills was to pay for it. Is there a way to pay someone to just dive with me and help me with skill development and not necessarily get the AOW Certification? Also, some say you should get your AOW in more challenging conditions then what you would normally dive. Is this debatable? What to do....What to do???

 

[Rafael]

Again my advice is put some more dives under your belt before you take the AOW,

1) You will do more dives less homework
2) You will improve your skills by diving

Sometimes when you are in a site like that the instructors try to rush the class in order to get you done with fast and get you to dive ASAP, is too much info all at once, half of your vacation you will be reading the book and your day will be wasted, i mean bo wasted, but why to spend all that time in a class when you can be diving or on the beach or in Tulum, Chichen-Itza, etc.. is so many things to do down there, on your own pace.

Book as many dives as you can, go to the cenotes, avoid the wrecks, too deep and strong currents, i'm sure you will be able to handle the dive, but the question is, "are you going to enjoy the dive?" maybe not as much as if you do some easy shallow dives, all dives in that area are challenging, for the most part you'll be doing drift dives out in the ocean, so i'm sure all this is going to help you to improve and learn new skills.

about your buoyancy well that is something that is going to take some time and practice, but is very important you keep control of that too, first and most important for your own safety, second is because if your are landing over the coral you may kill it and as a diver and embassador of the seas up here in land you do not want to do that, but i'm sure your guide, most of them to the level instructor or at least dive master can help you with that. My own advice is when you get on the bottom take your time do not rush in to the dive do a gear check get confortable with your gear make sure everything is fine then get your buoyancy in control try to position yourself at 5' above the bottom, you want to keep your head looking down, this way your neck won't get tired as fast, by keeping this distance your field of view will be wider, you won't step in anything and you won't disturb the bottom, dive slow, remember is not a race, very important use an operator with small groups, the big operators rush you during the dive they go so fast with so many people than you hardlly see stuff.

Well if you have any questions feel free to PM me, i do not know many operators in playa, but i know Manta divers and Scuba Cancun, both very good with small chartes, very good people, make sure you let them know you are certified, bring your c-card, log book and a big smile.

Dive safe, have fun!!!

-Raf

Sorry for the grammar, i hope this info help you more than confuse you.