While in port, any time for SCUBA diving?

[brocklesnar69]

Specifically in Cozumel. I hear they have really good SCUBA diving there and I would love to be able to do that if there's time. According to the current itinerary I'm looking at, it looks like the ship will be in Cozumel from 8:15am - 3:45pm. Is that enough time to be able to dive for a good chunk of the day?

If yes, are there any reputable SCUBA shops near the boat while it's docked? Otherwise, is there any reliable transportation to and from the good SCUBA shops on the island?

I hope to get a chance to SCUBA there. If not, I guess I could settle just for snorkling and walking around the island, but I'd be a little bummed.

Otherwise, the other ports we'd hit would be Grand Cayman, Falmouth, and Castaway Cay. Any SCUBA options there?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Specifically in Cozumel. I hear they have really good SCUBA diving there and I would love to be able to do that if there's time. According to the current itinerary I'm looking at, it looks like the ship will be in Cozumel from 8:15am - 3:45pm. Is that enough time to be able to dive for a good chunk of the day?

If yes, are there any reputable SCUBA shops near the boat while it's docked? Otherwise, is there any reliable transportation to and from the good SCUBA shops on the island?

I hope to get a chance to SCUBA there. If not, I guess I could settle just for snorkling and walking around the island, but I'd be a little bummed.


Otherwise, the other ports we'd hit would be Grand Cayman, Falmouth, and Castaway Cay. Any SCUBA options there?

Well, DCL has a scuba excursion in Cozumel, so there's that. I'm not sure whether there would be as much time if you wanted to do your own scuba outing. But there's probably the opportunity for it.

DCL also has a scuba excursion in Grand Cayman.

 

[cris0809]

I'd consider doing the ship's excursion in Cozumel. My honey is always super tired after diving and the minimal amount of effort she has to make before and after the dive, the better. It's mostly drift diving in that area I think which is particularly tiring.

There are many dive companies around. I know she has gone and stayed at a hotel specifically setup to cater to and include diving for a week. I'd do some research away from here if you want a non-Disney excursion. Specifically TripAdvisor and the Cruise Critic port boards/articles.

 

[DivingFrog]

The DCL scuba diving excursion in Cozumel was amazing this past July. The dive operation was professional and interested in helping everyone have a good time, and the dive sites were brilliant and so easy (drift diving, man; it's the best). The DCL scuba diving excursion at Grand Cayman was also good - I was less impressed with the customer service from the dive operation, but the dives were beautiful.

There's no DCL dive in Jamaica, but there are plenty of dive operations. I dove with SCUBA Jamaica, a small-ish dive shop out of one of the resorts around the corner of the island. It was about a 45 minute car ride to the resort, and we did a nice long dive. There are other operations - I saw several in our general vicinity - but I really liked the SCUBA Jamaica guys, and will probably dive with them again next summer.

Wish there were diving on Castaway Cay...

 

[brocklesnar69]

Thanks for the response guys! Any idea how much the DCL diving excursion is per adult and how long you're out for? Honestly, if DCL offers one, I might as well do that as long as the price isn't too outrageous.

I've never done SCUBA before, so is this something where I should be certified before my vacation even starts? Or will the DCL excursion allow brand newbs to go diving without any prior experience?

How does tipping work with the DCL diving? Because most likely I'd leave all my personal belongings (including wallet) either on the ship or in a locker. So...?

 

[cris0809]

Yes you have to be certified to SCUBA dive before doing it anywhere. They will ask for your certification. Hope that your cruise is a little while away, you'll need to put some time and effort into it. If someone allows you to dive without proving you're certified well... I wouldn't want to dive with them. There are lots and lots of safety things to learn.

I wouldn't suggest drift diving as your first dive.

 

[brocklesnar69]

Yes you have to be certified to SCUBA dive before doing it anywhere. They will ask for your certification. Hope that your cruise is a little while away, you'll need to put some time and effort into it. If someone allows you to dive without proving you're certified well... I wouldn't want to dive with them. There are lots and lots of safety things to learn.

I wouldn't suggest drift diving as your first dive.

My cruise is more than a year away, so I think that should be enough time. Do I need to bring a copy of my cert with my (when I get it)?

I'm not near the ocean where I'm at but there are SCUBA courses that teach you in the local lake. Once you complete that course you're supposed to be fully certified.

 

[cris0809]

Correct. Yes you will need a copy of your certification to present on your dive. My honey has a wallet sized card.

 

[brocklesnar69]

Ok, sounds good.

All in all though, my goal is to dive Palancar Caves if at all possible. I hear they are amazing.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

My cruise is more than a year away, so I think that should be enough time. Do I need to bring a copy of my cert with my (when I get it)?

I'm not near the ocean where I'm at but there are SCUBA courses that teach you in the local lake. Once you complete that course you're supposed to be fully certified.

Most likely those courses are through a local dive shop. Once you've completed your coursework (there's a classroom/on-line portion, pool exercises and then your open water certification dives which would be in the lake) then you're certified to dive. I'd recommend getting at least your own mask and snorkel, as well as fins if you don't mind packing them.

You can do excursions through DCL, or go on your own, we usually end up diving on our own because DCL won't accept divers that are under 12 and both of our kids are certified but the youngest is still just 11. What you might want to do is ask at your dive shop for a recommendation for anywhere you plan on diving. They'll usually have a local outfit that they or other folks have used. We've dove with both Deep Blue and Dive GalaxSea in Cozumel, and had great experiences with them both. They do boat operated dives, so doing a drift dive in Cozumel isn't really difficult, they drop you off, and then you drift along the reef for awhile and surface, then they pick you up, you aren't needing to swim against the current to return to where you started your dive. Palancar is an amazing reef, you'll love diving there so go and get your certification and start your dive addiction like the rest of us!

 

[DivingFrog]

As people have mentioned, you have to be certified, but if you've just completed your certification, you'll be okay. My first dive in Cozumel in July was dive #9 (including my open water certification dives) for me, and the outfit was amazingly understanding and helpful.

I would recommend finding a way to bring tips - the Disney site says gratuities aren't expected, but dive masters and boat captains do a lot of work for divers that really demand appreciation. If you leave your wallet at home, at least stick a couple of $5s in your dry box.

I disagree about not having your first fully certified dive be a drift dive, if that's how it turns out for you. As an inexperienced diver, I found drift diving to be amazingly relaxing - letting the water do the work for me improved my air consumption and fatigue, and let me enjoy the scenery that much more.

 

[taswira]

Thanks for the response guys! Any idea how much the DCL diving excursion is per adult and how long you're out for? Honestly, if DCL offers one, I might as well do that as long as the price isn't too outrageous.

I've never done SCUBA before, so is this something where I should be certified before my vacation even starts? Or will the DCL excursion allow brand newbs to go diving without any prior experience?

How does tipping work with the DCL diving? Because most likely I'd leave all my personal belongings (including wallet) either on the ship or in a locker. So...?

There ARE beginning SCUBA port adventures you can book through DCL, ages 12 and up, no certification or experience required because it is an intro and max depth of 25 ft. For Cozumel the excursion link is here.

The following is just MY opinion and we all have our own, so I'm not trying to start a debate: For the advanced dives in deep open water, you need to be certified but for your own sake should also be thoroughly comfortable with open water SCUBA diving. Some people (like DivingFrog) adapt easily to open ocean diving. Some do not and can find it more challenging than lakes - lol. And keep in mind that (depending on your location, etc.) the path from total newbie to open water certification can be expensive (time and money), especially if you are talking about multiple family members.

 

[neffernie]

For what it is worth, DCL does have an intro to scuba excursion in Cozumel. You don't have to be certified. You get a short training course and then enter from the beach. You only go about 30 feet down.

Just something to keep in mind if you don't get the certification in time.

 

[taswira]

That is what I posted in the post before yours, complete with the link.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

I disagree about not having your first fully certified dive be a drift dive, if that's how it turns out for you. As an inexperienced diver, I found drift diving to be amazingly relaxing - letting the water do the work for me improved my air consumption and fatigue, and let me enjoy the scenery that much more.

I agree with you, actually, one of my 10 YO son's certification dives was a drift dive, we spent the first 10 minutes hanging out in the lee of a coral formation while he did his exercises, then off we went for the rest of the hour (those shallow dives allow for loooooonnnnnngggg bottom times!)

 

[Capt_BJ]

I've never done SCUBA before, so is this something where I should be certified before my vacation even starts? Or will the DCL excursion allow brand newbs to go diving without any prior experience?

if not certified, your options are very limited . .


investigate "Discovery Dive"

http://www.padi.com/scuba-diving/padi-courses/course-catalog/try-scuba-diving/


as a 'not certified diver' you will spend about a hour being schooled then do a short dive (30 minutes???) in shallow waters .....

versus certification courses . . .

Open Water certification from PADI required 4 supervised open water dives after completing the classroom and pool sessions . . .

http://www.padi.com/scuba-diving/padi-courses/course-catalog/padi-open-water-diver-course/

if you do not hold a C-Card you can not go on a 'dive', but can go on a Discovery .... which will NOT go to the cool places you mention.

{capt sends ... certified in mid 70's, still active .... here gearing up for a night dive with dd in Cayman}

 

[DivingFrog]

The following is just MY opinion and we all have our own, so I'm not trying to start a debate: For the advanced dives in deep open water, you need to be certified but for your own sake should also be thoroughly comfortable with open water SCUBA diving. Some people (like DivingFrog) adapt easily to open ocean diving. Some do not and can find it more challenging than lakes - lol. And keep in mind that (depending on your location, etc.) the path from total newbie to open water certification can be expensive (time and money), especially if you are talking about multiple family members.

This is a fair point. The ocean is big. Bigger than you expect it to be, if you're most people. You'll definitely get more enjoyment out of your dive experience while on DCL trips if you have more experience, because you'll be more comfortable and able to relax more. It's a compounding thing - every effort you make before you go to get familiar with diving increases the enjoyment you'll have on your dive.

...just don't forget to breathe.

 

[Capt_BJ]

For the advanced dives in deep open water, you need to be certified


ummmm
to dive ... you need to be certified!

 

[Raenstoirm]

How does tipping work with the DCL diving? Because most likely I'd leave all my personal belongings (including wallet) either on the ship or in a locker. So...?

ALWASY bring your ship ID, license, a credit card and at least a little bit of cash when you leave the ship. A lot of people bring health insurance cards as well. Anything can go wrong (a flat tire on your transport bus for example or something much worse) and you are left stranded in a foreign country when the boat leaves.

As for the scuba, if you don't have the time or finances to get certified before your trip, look into snuba. There is no certification and it is very similar (albeit not as cool and only 30 feet down).

 

[Bdunn]

Get certified before you go (NAUI or PADI), and try to get in the water a week or so before your trip just to refresh your mind. I always take my own regulator and BC when I dive. I trust my own equipment; no one else's. You don't want a problem.