DIVE TIPS

Don´t forget to bring your dive card, or referral information

If you have a medical issue, please bring a medical release for scuba diving, using the PADI RSTC form.

Cozumel drift diving:

Before you go on the boat make shure you check your buoyancy from the beach.
Always maintain neutral buoyancy while diving.
Follow the divemaster, boat crew follows the bubbles from the surface.
If you want to see small marine life, face against the current and kick lightly to remain in the area.
Start your ascent to the safety stop with 700 lbs of air. Do not run out of air.
Always do a SAFE (slowly ascend from every dive) ascent. Remember to release some air from your BCD while ascending, at the surface, inflate your BCD and remain calm while the boat pick you up.
Stay close to the Divemaster, there are always more boats in the area.
At the surface maintain positive buoyancy and remain calm while the boat picks you up.

COZUMEL is a NATIONAL PARK, it is forbidden by law to pick up shells or anything else even if it is dead. You can only take memories and pictures.

Cozumel wall diving:

Make sure you are diving within your limits.
Look at your depth gauge or computer. Because the water is so clear it is easy to go deeper than your plan.
Look at your pressure gauge. Deep dives consume more air.
Don´t exceed your computer limits, come to a shallower depth when your computer shows 5 minutes remaining time.
Plan multilevel dives, Cozumel walls are ideal for that.
If you experience nitrogen narcosis, ascend to a shallower depth, wait for the symptoms to disappear before continue diving.

DIVE PROCEDURES

Diving considerations:

All dives are drift dives.

Descend and ascend as a group.

All dives are computer dives in order to maximize bottom time according to the topography of the reefs.

Deep dive first followed by shallower dives.

No decompression dives allowed.

If you wish to dive with nitrox , it must be request it in advanced, and it bears an additional cost. Mixtures 32% or 36%.

Upon reaching 1000 psia begin your ascent to the safety stop. Avoid finishing your dive with less than 500 psia.

Deep dive is normally a wall dive to a depth of 80 ft to 100 ft, You will swim through big coral formations coming from deep to shallow reefs. We may choose to saty in one area of the wall to concentrate on the reef arquitecture or look for bigger animals; turtles, groupers, schooling jacks, nurse or reef sharks or prehaps eagle rays. The possibilities are endless.

Shallow dive is a depth ranging between 40 and 70 ft. These dive sites usually have more current than the first dive. Here we will see more fish, small marine life, green eels, sleeping sharks, the famous Cozumel toad fish and many more wonderful creatures waiting for you.

Dive Procedure we all start to descend together from the surface to the sandy bottom. If you experience difficulties with your ears, let the Instructor know. Work your way down slowly. Fine tune your buoyancy and continue your dive following the leader and checking with your buddy. Remember “Plan the Dive and Dive the Plan”. When your pressure gauge reaches 1000 psi., let the Instructor know and begin your ascent to the safety stop.The best use of the dive computer is not to dive to the limit. Stay within 5 minutes of your remaining time for the first dive. For the second dive and subsequent dives stay within 10 minutes. “Decompression dives are not allowed”.

Safety stops are done between 15 ft and 20 ft for a minimum of 3 minutes. The dive leader will release a buoy to indicate to your boat and other boats that you are in shallow water and soon to be on the surface.

Surface time if possible, we will go to a beach near the second dive site; fruit will be served on the boat with and we will wait for a minimum time of 1 hr out of the water.

Special dive sites are for intermediate and advanced divers. The group must consist of at least four divers and we will dive if the weather and the Harbor Master allow it, planning one day in advance.

Night dives are done on shallow reefs. We request a minimum of 6 divers, planning one day in advance.