On my way back home from vacation in Cozumel Mexico. What a great time it was. I had the opportunity to do 13 dives in my 10 days away and, though all of them were wonderful, safe, fun dives there were some distinct differences. Most of my diving was on the colorful reefs off the south west portion of the island. This type of reef diving is what attracts so many tourists to this area and I can see why. From my first reef dive to the last I was blown away by the color and diversity of life down there. Bare in mind, I live in Toronto and I am not a fair weather diver. I dive where I live which is usually in the great lakes, the St. Lawrence river and Tobermory. We dive all winter long and it is awesome! Sure, there is lots to look at back home but mostly we dive on ship wrecks and other various sites that certainly lack the diversity of life and color found here.
There are literally hundreds of dive companies on the island of Cozumel and I dove with two of them. Basically you get to the peer with all your gear, load on a boat (cattle boat) and head out to the site with a dive master and 6-12 other divers you may have never met before. Rebecca doesn’t dive so I am almost always on my own paired up with someone on the boat. There is not a lot of time to get to know your new dive buddy and before you know it you are all in the water descending towards the reef. Everyone will have basic training and a “C” card but probably not much more. Many of these folks only dive on vacation which is probably once or twice a year and let’s just say that many of them could be a little more fit. Though diving is not particularly strenuous things can happen down there where you will require good fitness. Diving is physical and the best divers I have met are always in good shape. It helps with pretty much everything about the dive from your efficiency in the water to the bodies ability to off gas the absorbed nitrogen. The gear is very safe but let’s face it, you are breathing underwater and that should never be taken lightly.
On my reef dives I almost always felt a little rushed, a little un prepared and usually unsure of my buddies skill level. This adds stress which in turn detracts from the dive. I witnessed dive masters yelling at a boat full of clients to “just get in the water and get down now” to tanks falling off BCDs underwater (that were put on by the dive company) and even two instances of decompression illness. Most of the dive companies schedule the first dive as a deep dive (80-130’) and the second a shallow (30-60’). We always take a “surface interval” between dives to allow the body to off gas nitrogen but this is often shorter than it could be. My buddy who got decompression Illness got separated from his group at over 100’ so he came up (maybe a little to quickly). When he was up he saw the group below so he descended to meet up with them, finished the dive and promptly felt tingling limbs and fainted. He spent 5 hours in a decompression chamber and is fine but it didn’t sound like a good experience. At the end of the day each diver is responsible for their own well being but I think the dive operators could possible be doing a better job as well. My buddy was diving in the morning and afternoon so he was basically doing deep, shallow then deep dives again which is not good. He should have known better (and did) but perhaps the dive operator should have had a chat with him too.
My other dive here was my cavern diving experience. My guide spent over an hour briefing me on the dive at the cafe before we headed out and we spent a bunch more time at the cenote discussing everything about the dive. By the time I was in the water I knew exactly what to expect so I saw a lot more along the way. There was no rush at all and I was put in such a relaxed, confident state that I had my best dives ever and I felt that I dove better than I had in a long time. The difference was that I felt great, relaxed and I was in exactly the right state of mind for the dives. I will admit that cavern diving is a whole different deal than ocean dives but I don’t think either should ever be taken lightly. You can die on any dive and it is so important to dive consciously. That means being prepared for the dive, no matter how “easy” it is. Not drinking your face off the night before, eating too much for breakfast or not hydrating yourself. I believe that you should stay fit and healthy and practice, practice, practice. Good diving doesn’t happen by accident. If you haven’t been in the water for a while do some pool dives at home before getting back in the water.
My advice is to dive safe and dive often. Dive with god dive operators who come with references from folks you respect. Spend time on the dive forums (here is mine) and become part of a conscious community. Don’t dive if it doesn’t feel right. Thumb (end) the dive if anything feels wrong in the water. Get a good buddy and if you are diving with people you don’t know get to know your new buddy. Communicate! Stay fit and stay hydrated! I strongly believe in practicing skills and drills. Don’t get paranoid but spend some time thinking about things that could go wrong and then mentally run through how you would deal with them. As my friend Will Gadd calls it, “the positive power of negative thinking”. Rehearse bad situations in your head and practice your responses to these situations. Do this over and over. You can do it anywhere and it is an invaluable exercise. On a plane, waiting for a taxi, wherever. This mental rehearsal combined with physical drills and practice will make you a much better diver (or anything else) and more capable with whatever the waters send your way.
These are my thoughts on diving as I sit in the departure lounge at Cozumel airport. Goodbye 79 degree water and colorful reefs full of fish, sharks, turtles and chorals. Hello Humber Bay and 34 degree winter dives. Bring it on!
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