familyplanner Posted October 22, 2005 #26 Share Posted October 22, 2005 Does anyone know of a tour company that will take you scuba diving if you have never been before? We have a large group with several who certified about 15 years ago and haven't been since and other that want to try it. Also wondering if you know of a company that will let others ride along and snorkel the reef above? Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce-r Posted October 23, 2005 #27 Share Posted October 23, 2005 http://www.diveparadise.com/instruction.htm or http://aquasafari.com/index2.html should be able to handle a large group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
familyplanner Posted October 23, 2005 #28 Share Posted October 23, 2005 Thanks Bruce, I will check it out.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScubaMare Posted October 24, 2005 #29 Share Posted October 24, 2005 How large is your group? Eagle Ray Divers may be able to accommodate all of you, even the snorkelers. Not sure how soon Cozumel will be open to tourists, though. http://www.eagleraydivers.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruizinwoman Posted November 10, 2005 #30 Share Posted November 10, 2005 We want to go to Coz and get certified. What's the best way? Take a cruise and ferry over from Playa or land package? Any help would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce-r Posted November 10, 2005 #31 Share Posted November 10, 2005 Since you couldn't do the whole thing in Cozumel while on a cruise, you will have to do a land package. It takes 2 days of open water checkout dives to complete a certification and I know of no cruises that stop there that long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce-r Posted November 10, 2005 #32 Share Posted November 10, 2005 sorry, duplicate post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaston Posted November 10, 2005 #33 Share Posted November 10, 2005 bruce-r is absolutely correct. The Open Water Dives portion of the PADI Certification will take 2 complete days with a dive in the morning and afternoon each day. So, the question being posed by cruizinwoman needs to be expanded. Assuming you have not done anything toward your Certification yet, you will need even more time on Cozumel. For instance, where I live on the southeast coast, you would need four days of classroom and pool sessions for the first part of the Certification. Then, usually on weekends, you would need to spend Saturday and Sunday for your Open Water portion. This is why many people opt to complete the classroom and pool portions at their hometown SCUBA Center so that they only need to use 2 vacation days for the Open Water Dives. And of course, the amount of actual class, pool, and Open Water time will depend on whether your instructor believes you have mastered all your skills needed to complete a SCUBA Certification. Whatever you decide, good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruizinwoman Posted November 10, 2005 #34 Share Posted November 10, 2005 okay. thanks for that feedback. We were thinking a 4-5 day cruise where we could ferry over from Playa the one day and then actually be in Coz the other day. But sounds like we need to be there 2 FULL days. Let me ask you this... we live in the country but found a scuba place in Dallas that will let us do the "classroom" portion at home, then we go on Saturday and Sunday 9-5 both days for the "swimming pool" portion. Does this sound right? And then if we understand correctly, we would do the open water dives in Cozumel. I am going to assume this all needs to be done rather closely together, not weeks or months apart, yes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaston Posted November 10, 2005 #35 Share Posted November 10, 2005 Maybe bruce-r has a better handle on this question but I'll give you what I believe is the case. I have seen websites where they say you can do the classroom portion of the Certification at home using the textbook/textbooks and usually a DVD or CD with a recorded instructor. Unfortunately, that's where my experience ends with this type of classroom work. We physically sat in class each day before we went downstairs to the pool for skills. But let me say this, if no one (meaning a more experienced diver than me) has an issue with "at home" classes, then two pool days sounds right. I base that on the fact that we spent four afternoons in the pool, about the same number of hours as two days. And finally, you would then be ready for your Open Water Dives. As I previously stated, you will make at least 4 dives in the Open Ocean at Cozumel on two different days. The truth is that I actually did my classroom and pool portions here at home and did my Open Water Check Out Dives on Maui. I could have done my dives in West Palm, Florida but we opted for a more exotic locale. Good luck how ever you finally do your Certification. I just re-read your Post and have two other comments. First, the 9-5 time frame on the weekend for the pool is to make certain you fully understand the Dive Tables and how to use them. Also, the length of time will give your instructor adequate time to evaluate your skills and the understanding of why these above and underwater skills are critical. Second, I believe there is a time requirement for doing class/pool and then completing the Open Water portion but I am not certain of how long. We did our Open Water Dives about a month after our class/pool sessions. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylock Posted November 10, 2005 #36 Share Posted November 10, 2005 Hi, Yes you can do your class room at home and complete the dives in Cozumel. However, I suggest you do what we did, and take a week in paradise and complete the whole thing there. Honestly it was cheaper for the 2 of us to fly to Cozumel, stay 7 days (scuba class was only 4 mornings), and have a great vacation, than it was to get certified here locally. (We were going to have to go to Fla for the open water dives) I recommend Aqua Safari for the class, and stay at the Suites Bahia hotel. It is a very nice simple hotel, but big rooms and only 2 blocks from Aqua Safari. Right in town. Ask for room 22. Balcony looks out over pizza hut. You will not believe the sights you can see from that balcony. The local people come out around 8 or 9. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylock Posted November 10, 2005 #37 Share Posted November 10, 2005 If you need more information, you can email me. Email address is in my profile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenFLA Posted November 15, 2005 #38 Share Posted November 15, 2005 Has anyone been SCUBA diving since the hurricane? How are the reefs? We will be there in about two weeks and are hoping to SCUBA. Thank you for ANY info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cozumel-Ian Posted November 15, 2005 #39 Share Posted November 15, 2005 Hi Steven You can find a story about the reef clean up on my site - I'm talking to the experts and hope to write a full 'reef report' for the site soon too... you can register for email updates too - see www.wilmacozumel.com Best wishes from Cozumel Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenFLA Posted November 25, 2005 #40 Share Posted November 25, 2005 Has anyone been SCUBA with Dive Paradise? How far are they from the docks? Has anyone been SCUBA since the storm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cozumel-Ian Posted November 25, 2005 #41 Share Posted November 25, 2005 Hi Steven, all You may find the reef report on my website (18 Nov 05) of interest - see www.wilmacozumel.com According to travelnotes.cc (http://www.travelnotes.cc/cozumel/links/hurricane.php) Dive Paradise is open - but I don't have personal experience diving with them... anyone else? Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bohunk72 Posted December 2, 2005 #42 Share Posted December 2, 2005 What is discover scuba? Do you actually do a tank dive without certification? May want to try this with dalila divers in Jan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonvine Posted December 2, 2005 #43 Share Posted December 2, 2005 Yes, you actually do a tank dive without certification. I did this with Eagle Ray Divers last January and loved it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColumbiaMDCanadian Posted December 7, 2005 #44 Share Posted December 7, 2005 What is discover scuba? Do you actually do a tank dive without certification? May want to try this with dalila divers in Jan. Yeah - also called a 'resort course', they let you try scuba - usually in a pool first and then from a beach in "pool like conditions", with a tank. At the end, you're not certified but some places may give you some credit for the time toward full cerification. ( See https://www.padi.com/english/common/courses/rec/begin/dsdsd.asp for a better explanaiton. Note that a local dive shop can probably get you the full certification for only a little bit more than some resort courses! $99 for Discover on Cozumel and $175 to $250 for full certfication at dive shops in the Maryland area) I did Discover in St. Thomas a few years ago and loved it - so much so that I'm going for lessons this January. VERY weird feeling, by the way, the first time you breathe under water - my brain kept trying to tell me that I wasn't supposed to be able to breathe! Have fun with it. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancychic Posted December 7, 2005 #45 Share Posted December 7, 2005 My 12 year old daughter and I did discovery with Eagle Ray Divers two years ago and absolutely loved it. They were great with my daughter and she had no problem "actually diving like on the movies"! Have a great time- nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredwooch Posted December 16, 2005 #46 Share Posted December 16, 2005 My son and I are going to be in Cozumel on a cruise and we want to take an introductory diving course. (I dove once about 10 years ago; he's never dived before.) We've checked with a couple of operators that we found over the internet who can accommodate us, but I was hoping to get some recommendations from anyone who may have had personal experiences with them. Safety, of course, is our top priority. We were also wondering whether it would be better (especially given the conditions after Wilma) if our first dive was a shore dive or off a boat, since most operators seem to offer only one or the other. The operators who seem to be able to accommodate us include: Blue Angel Dive Shop, Papa Hogs, Michael Beasley, Cristina Roman (Dive With Cristina), and Cozumel Cruise Excursions.com (I don't know who they use as the actual dive shop). Does anyone recommend or not recommend any of the above? Is there anything we should particularly be looking for? Appreciate any help . . . [Please excuse the cross-posting with the Scuba & Snorkeling forum; I thought I might get a different population responding here] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sportsterjohn Posted December 16, 2005 #47 Share Posted December 16, 2005 I have heard good things about Blue Angel, Papa Hogs, Eagle Ray divers, Dive with Martin and Christina. I only have exp with Eagle Ray and would not have a problem recommending them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rico Posted December 17, 2005 #48 Share Posted December 17, 2005 No experience with any of those you listed. My wife wanted to do an introductory course when we were in Cozumel (I'm already certified but also did the course with her). We were with Sand Dollar Sports. They did a good job with it. They're a PADI dive center and their classroom instruction covered all the critical items well. Diving was from shore directly across the street from their shop. Not one of Cozumel's great reefs, but there was enough there for a beginner to be excited. Coral heads, barracuda, Spotted moray, Eagle ray about 30 feet from us, etc. This was in 2004. Unless they've really changed, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Sand Dollar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cozumel-Ian Posted December 17, 2005 #49 Share Posted December 17, 2005 Hi Fredwooch Unless the sea conditions are bad, I'd recommend you do a boat dive, there should be more to see in terms of reef, although there are fish everywhere! I've recently been out diving with Scuba Tony and Liquid Blue - both were excellent. Tony, from California, runs his own small operation and gives great personal service, Liquid Blue is run by Roberto from Mexico and Michaela his wife from the US, also quite a small operation and they use steel tanks = more air = more bottom time. I've just added a report with new underwater photos about diving here to my website too - see: www.wilmacozumel.com Happy diving! Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYHartChapp Posted December 20, 2005 #50 Share Posted December 20, 2005 My son and I are going to be in Cozumel on a cruise and we want to take an introductory diving course. (I dove once about 10 years ago; he's never dived before.) You might want to consider "snuba". My son (12 at the time) and I were in Cozumel a couple of years ago and booked a snuba excursion with Mayan Paradise. Basically, snuba is a cross between SCUBA and snorkling. With snuba, you are connected to a floating air tank via a 20' air hose and breathe through a regulator, just like SCUBA, but without wearing the tank and without having to be certified (you are given instructions on the way out to the reef and Gary - the owner - won't let anyone in the water until completely comfortable with the apparatus). We're going to be back in Cozumel this April and look forward to booking with Gary again. Have a great cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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