Scuba Anyone? Who goes diving on vacation?

[CPNY]

Unless you have odd sized feet, or plan your own snorkeling off the beach while there, we usually use the boat flippers because less weight to carry. Masks are finicky to fit, (and I prefer not to use one that someone else has used - especially during Covid), so we always bring our own.

I’ll prob leave the fins at home and use the fins on the boat for snorkeling and fins from the dive company. I’m a size 11-12 depending so I’m sure they will have fins that accommodate. I won’t return the fins since they can come with me to the Bahamas or other tropical trips. I can easily check the fins along with my other beach gear. But I’ll leave them home for this trip since I’m carrying on for two weeks! Whew that gives me so much more room to pack lol

 

[Sandy VDH]

Unless you have odd sized feet, or plan your own snorkeling off the beach while there, we usually use the boat flippers because less weight to carry. Masks are finicky to fit, (and I prefer not to use one that someone else has used - especially during Covid), so we always bring our own.

I wear a woman's size 12 narrow. I bring my own fins.

 

[cubigbird]

do you think I need to bring the fins for the cert dives in Bora Bora or just go with the dive companies fins

@CPNY I recommend any student diver travel with their own gear that fits them comfortably. I’ve seen too many times students have tunnel vision and focus on the problem of the piece of gear that doesn’t fit or a mask that doesn’t fit right and constantly leaks. If you have comfortable gear, travel with it. You will enjoy your dives more. I personally own wetsuit boots with soles and open healed fins that I can just detach and hand to the boat hand. It’s much easier to exit and re-enter the boat and not slip with bare feet and walk with wetsuit boots. Rental gear is a hit/miss. Some gear may fit, some may not.

 

[CPNY]

@CPNY I recommend any student diver travel with their own gear that fits them comfortably. I’ve seen too many times students have tunnel vision and focus on the problem of the piece of gear that doesn’t fit or a mask that doesn’t fit right and constantly leaks. If you have comfortable gear, travel with it. You will enjoy your dives more. I personally own wetsuit boots with soles and open healed fins that I can just detach and hand to the boat hand. It’s much easier to exit and re-enter the boat and not slip with bare feet and walk with wetsuit boots. Rental gear is a hit/miss. Some gear may fit, some may not.

Bringing my fins means I have to leave a ton of necessary items out of the bag. I’ll bring my mask, snorkel, and wetsuit only for this trip. When I go on other trips I’ll be able to check luggage and I can bring fins then

 

[dioxide45]

Bringing my fins means I have to leave a ton of necessary items out of the bag. I’ll bring my mask, snorkel, and wetsuit only for this trip. When I go on other trips I’ll be able to check luggage and I can bring fins then

I am sure you can leave the Nespresso machine at home

 

[CPNY]

I am sure you can leave the Nespresso machine at home

Haha yes but the places I’m staying have them, so I just need to pack the pods. Haha

 

[schoolmarm]

WE HAVE DIVERS!!!! I'm so excited to see this new thread. I just got my SSI Open Water Diver certification in Playa del Carmen in March. I did the pool study and exams locally, and did the 4 open water certification dives and 6 more in Mexico. We couldn't dive Cozumel because of the currents and red flags. Playa was chosen by my colleague (who usually dives Cozumel) to dive with the sharks--but they had already moved on to other waters.

We couldn't dive in Cozumel because of the choppy weather and red flags in the harbor. So instead of 2 dives we planned in the cenotes, we did 6! It was the most awesome thing! It surpassed snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef in 2010. I can't wait to go back (Dives by Leo is super!) and explore more cenotes.

I'm probably going to be diving alone and am re-assured by the messages saying that you get paired on the boat or you go with the divemaster. I have Aqualung gear (everything but the tank and wetsuit). I am a FIRM carry-on only traveler who gave up wheeled luggage over a decade ago. However, my mesh back-pack with my fins and BCD were in a lightweight wheeled checked bag. My dive computer, mask and octopus/regulator were in my carry-on. I always tell TSA that I have my knitting--and now SCUBA gear in my carry-on and it usually doesn't need secondary screening. I can't remember if my booties were in the carry-on or the checked bag. I got advice that your life-support needs to go with you. I think if I pack better, I could probably get it all in a carryon.

But right now I am looking for diving in Florida, as I will have to wait to get my passport renewed and don't want to risk it not getting processed in time for islands or Mexico. I don't want to wear a wetsuit if at all possible. I live up north and have an outdoor pool without a heater and I am used to cool water. I was fine in Mexico as I didn't go deeper than 65 feet. I really want to use RCI or Wyndham timeshares for my diving. I need to use some points/weeks in July or August. Loved the previous post concerning Florida--looking for a dive shop/dive master in Florida on the Atlantic or Gulf or Keys.

I wish that I had started diving earlier. I just turned 61, and did my Nitrox training as well because, well, I'm old and not so skinny anymore! They didn't have Nitrox in Playa. But the cenotes were not very deep and I didn't need it. My divemaster chose some cenotes that didn't go deep when I was having ear troubles. My buoyancy got much better in the cenotes and I was able to control most of it by breathing. YAY! I would like to take the advanced buoyancy course sometime. My favorite thing to do in the dive shop's pool was to go through the diamond thing at the bottom of the pool. That really helped me get control. I still need to be better at kicking with fins. So I will be snorkeling in my pool when I open it at the end of the month.

OH, advice for the new diver...get really good at clearing your mask if you have hair that gets in the way and it wicks water into the mask. One of the scariest parts of my dive certification was taking the mask off under water and putting it back on because of my hair. And also because the first time I entered the pool with a tank, my mask knocked off and I had a devil of a time getting it back on. It was scary going in backward from the dive boat, but I didn't lose my mask. Think of the tank as a pillow (LOL!) and know that you really won't go under the water much because your BCD is inflated.

The pool training is great for practice and to get comfortable with your equipment. One pool practice day when I had inhaled some water on that entry with the tank, I just coughed and coughed. After the instructor told me that you can even vomit through the regulator, I spent the rest of the day "practicing" coughing, sneezing, burping, etc. through the regulator, just so that I knew that I could sneeze underwater and be OK!

 

[ScoopKona]

just so that I knew that I could sneeze underwater and be OK!

You can even vomit through the regulator. It's not fun. Beats drowning, though.

 

[easyrider]

I’ll prob leave the fins at home and use the fins on the boat for snorkeling and fins from the dive company. I’m a size 11-12 depending so I’m sure they will have fins that accommodate. I won’t return the fins since they can come with me to the Bahamas or other tropical trips. I can easily check the fins along with my other beach gear. But I’ll leave them home for this trip since I’m carrying on for two weeks! Whew that gives me so much more room to pack lol

I used a Scuba Gear Bag and took everything including 14 pounds of lead. I usually took the lead in my carry on because I can explain it in person. I like my own fins for diving. For snorkeling it doesn't matter to me but for diving when you need a strong flutter kick having fins you know helps especially going against currents, imo.

Bill

 

[CPNY]

I used a Scuba Gear Bag and took everything including 14 pounds of lead. I usually took the lead in my carry on because I can explain it in person. I like my own fins for diving. For snorkeling it doesn't matter to me but for diving when you need a strong flutter kick having fins you know helps especially going against currents, imo.

Bill

Thank you. I guess the good thing is I don’t know these fins as I used them in a pool dive once and couldn’t really move anywhere.

 

[cubigbird]

@CPNY If you really want to have fun with this, search for the "Scuba Divers Uncensored" Facebook Group and join the discussion on split fins....

 

[CPNY]

I have a few “tricks” I learned many years ago.

To save air, you do two things, First, you breathe in slowly until your lungs full up. Then you release it half as slowly and beyond where you think it is possible. So if it takes me 8 counts to breathe in, then I take 16 counts to let it out. Toward the last few counts, it will feel like you have no air left to let out but you will. Eventually, this style of breathing under water will become so relaxing that it will become automatic and this is how you will want to breathe. It starts to feel like meditation or yogic breathing. I think this skill comes later as you dive more and start to feel more confidant and in control of your body. So I think learning buoyancy as soon as possible is the first step.

To practice buoyancy, you go to the sandy bottom at a depth where you can no longer feel the waves at the surface pulling you around. First, you make sure you are in neutral buoyancy with just enough air in your regulator or preferably no air if you are weighted properly. If you feel yourself drifting up, then you know you have some extra air in your BC and you can release more air or you might need a little more weight.

New scuba divers usually need extra weight because they don’t yet know how to breathe and they tend to drift up, especially when they get anxious. Personally, I think it is okay to have a little extra weight in the beginning over drifting up uncontrollably. A dive master may tell you not to use too much extra weight but I did use extra weight when I started.

Next, you get into a position with your knees on the sand. When you are comfortable on your knees and you are not moving around or struggling too much to stay in position, you can start to practice using your breath to control your buoyancy. First, you breathe out slowly and your breath will bend your upper body toward the sand. Then you breathe back in slowly and your breath will bring you back to your original position. You just play with this way of breathing and it will start to give you a sense of control over your body.

Maybe someone else has some tips to add. @Sandy VDH anything to add or suggest?

I did it! I’m officially PADI certified! I tried your technique of counting my inhale and doubling the exhale time. I still sucked through air quickly lol. I had around 18 sharks swimming around me at some point on my first dive. That was an awesome experience.

 

[Sandy VDH]

I did it! I’m officially PADI certified! I tried your technique of counting my inhale and doubling the exhale time. I still sucked through air quickly lol. I had around 18 sharks swimming around me at some point on my first dive. That was an awesome experience.

Congratulations and welcome to the bubble club.

 

[GregT]

I did it! I’m officially PADI certified! I tried your technique of counting my inhale and doubling the exhale time. I still sucked through air quickly lol. I had around 18 sharks swimming around me at some point on my first dive. That was an awesome experience.

Congratulations Chris!! It will change your tropical vacations!!!

Maybe @Sandy VDH can adjust the desired TUG Tradewinds charter and make it into a TUG Divers Tradewinds charter.....I would go for either one!

Best,

Greg

 

[cubigbird]

@CPNY Now just go diving and log dives. You will use less air as you gain experience. Work on your buoyancy and breath control. The better the buoyancy, the better your air usage gets. The more you dive the better you get. Make sure to keep your skills current and do a ReActivate if your diving goes stale about about 6-12 months.

 

[CPNY]

Congratulations Chris!! It will change your tropical vacations!!!

Maybe @Sandy VDH can adjust the desired TUG Tradewinds charter and make it into a TUG Divers Tradewinds charter.....I would go for either one!

Best,

Greg

I’d gladly join that cruise!

@CPNY Now just go diving and log dives. You will use less air as you gain experience. Work on your buoyancy and breath control. The better the buoyancy, the better your air usage gets. The more you dive the better you get. Make sure to keep your skills current and do a ReActivate if your diving goes stale about about 6-12 months.

Thank you! I’ll be diving in July and then again in Feb. that’s all I have booked so far

 

[CPNY]

@TravelTime I did my second dive in the bahamas last week. My gosh how much different it was from Bora Bora. I went after two days of storms in the area and the water was a bit rough. The visibility was terrible and I went down a foot and came right back up. I needed to compose myself because I was not prepared to just see nothing but green cloudy water. After 45 seconds I controlled my breathing and went down. I had two good dives. I did much better on breathing as well, I was down for nearly 40 minutes and came back up with the tank half full. I’m already looking into dive sites for Maui in Feb and looking to plan some more dive trips next year.

 

[GregT]

@TravelTime I did my second dive in the bahamas last week. My gosh how much different it was from Bora Bora. I went after two days of storms in the area and the water was a bit rough. The visibility was terrible and I went down a foot and came right back up. I needed to compose myself because I was not prepared to just see nothing but green cloudy water. After 45 seconds I controlled my breathing and went down. I had two good dives. I did much better on breathing as well, I was down for nearly 40 minutes and came back up with the tank half full. I’m already looking into dive sites for Maui in Feb and looking to plan some more dive trips next year.

That's good work -- it's important to dive in less than ideal conditions too (so you know you can handle it). Well done and glad it worked out. Bahamas/Caribbean diving can be a little rough because I don't think it has near the quantity of fish that Hawaii has (or at least where I went diving) but it does have alot of wrecks which are very cool. Glad you did this!

Best,

Greg

 

[CPNY]

That's good work -- it's important to dive in less than ideal conditions too (so you know you can handle it). Well done and glad it worked out. Bahamas/Caribbean diving can be a little rough because I don't think it has near the quantity of fish that Hawaii has (or at least where I went diving) but it does have alot of wrecks which are very cool. Glad you did this!

Best,

Greg

Thanks Greg! That’s interesting and something I never thought of, diving in less than ideal conditions so I get experience and know what to expect when I find myself in those situations.

We did do two wreck dives. I hired a private instructor because I thought it would help make me feel, more comfortable. I also didn’t want to blow through all of my air and end the dive early for other more experienced divers. My private instructor went into one of the wrecks and came out of a hole in the hull. I was a bit annoyed at that since he knew it was my second dive and I was hiring him to keep an eye on me. I thought what if I was someone else and followed him into the wreck without that training. Luckily, I take diving seriously and wouldn’t put myself into any situations that would cause me or someone else any additional danger. I continued to dive above the wreck and met him on the other side.

I’m looking forward to diving in Maui. Especially since it will be whale season, I’m sure I’ll be hearing and hopefully seeing plenty of whales. I’ll be going in early Feb, will the waters be cold? I assume a full wet suit would be needed, Im guess I can’t get by with my shorty haha.

 

[GregT]

Thanks Greg! That’s interesting and something I never thought of, diving in less than ideal conditions so I get experience and know what to expect when I find myself in those situations.

We did do two wreck dives. I hired a private instructor because I thought it would help make me feel, more comfortable. I also didn’t want to blow through all of my air and end the dive early for other more experienced divers. My private instructor went into one of the wrecks and came out of a hole in the hull. I was a bit annoyed at that since he knew it was my second dive and I was hiring him to keep an eye on me. I thought what if I was someone else and followed him into the wreck without that training. Luckily, I take diving seriously and wouldn’t put myself into any situations that would cause me or someone else any additional danger. I continued to dive above the wreck and met him on the other side.

I’m looking forward to diving in Maui. Especially since it will be whale season, I’m sure I’ll be hearing and hopefully seeing plenty of whales. I’ll be going in early Feb, will the waters be cold? I assume a full wet suit would be needed, Im guess I can’t get by with my shorty haha.

Wow....I would not be happy to be going through a wreck on the second dive either, but at least that's another successful experience behind you.... I've not found an appreciable difference in water temperature in Maui depending on time of year, but I always dive a full wetsuit in Hawaii anywhere. I think you will love it and you will see a ton of whales (from the dive boat when heading out and back, very unlikely underwater).

Have fun!

Best,

Greg

 

[Sandy VDH]

Hawaii is a lot colder than either FP or the Caribbean. Indeed.

Best shore dive in Hawaii is on the big island at a place called "Two Step". Google it. There is some parking but it is often full, but a few steps across a lava flow and you in the water. Great location, I love this spot.

 

[SHG]

I have done snorkeling at two step and loved it. Saw dolphins come in and swim around. Never thought about diving there, will look into it next time. I have also heard they are going to crack down on access to these spots from tourist in order to preserve them.

 

[TravelTime]

@TravelTime I did my second dive in the bahamas last week. My gosh how much different it was from Bora Bora. I went after two days of storms in the area and the water was a bit rough. The visibility was terrible and I went down a foot and came right back up. I needed to compose myself because I was not prepared to just see nothing but green cloudy water. After 45 seconds I controlled my breathing and went down. I had two good dives. I did much better on breathing as well, I was down for nearly 40 minutes and came back up with the tank half full. I’m already looking into dive sites for Maui in Feb and looking to plan some more dive trips next year.

Back in the good old days in the 1990s when diving was excellent in so many places, I went on many dive trips in the Bahamas. I went on a couple live aboard trips to the Southern Bahamas and to Bimini (different trips). The diving was really amazing esp in the Southern Bahamas, where visibility was 200’ everywhere we went. It was pristine and better than Grand Cayman IMHO.

As I told you before, I have been on over 300 dives in my lifetime. I saw my one and only tiger shark in the Southern Bahamas. Sharks are plentiful in the Bahamas, more than anywhere else I have ever been diving, but tiger sharks are rare.

When I was just in STT in June, I did 4 dives. The USVIs are not known for diving. I was actually somewhat impressed because I expected it to be worse. There was one dive site we went to that had 3 swim throughs back to back. I was impressed with the rock formations in STT. However, there were not many fish and the coral was not the best I have ever seen. I went diving with one of the best dive shops I have ever gone diving with named Red Hook Dive Center. We went snorkeing several times, including in St John, and I was not impressed at all.

I’ll be in Maui next spring. Just for fun, I am going to do a couple dives to see what it is like these days. In the past, I was not impressed with Hawaii diving. I think Hawaii snorkeling is pretty bad.

As a diver, snorkeling does not hold a candle to diving. To me, even in the worst dive conditions, diving is still one of the most relaxing activities. Just being down under breathing air in and out slowly is a meditative experience for me.

How did you do on air? We were talking about how to conserve air before your trips.

 

[TravelTime]

That's good work -- it's important to dive in less than ideal conditions too (so you know you can handle it). Well done and glad it worked out. Bahamas/Caribbean diving can be a little rough because I don't think it has near the quantity of fish that Hawaii has (or at least where I went diving) but it does have alot of wrecks which are very cool. Glad you did this!

Best,

Greg

In my personal experience of over 300 dives, Caribbean/Bahamas (depending on where you go and in most places) has much better diving than anywhere in Hawaii. Hawaii is not on divers’ lists of places to go diving. The Caribbean/Bahamas has amazing diving on many islands. As I mentioned in a post here, Bahamas can have some of the best diving in the world depending on where you go.

 

[TravelTime]

Thanks Greg! That’s interesting and something I never thought of, diving in less than ideal conditions so I get experience and know what to expect when I find myself in those situations.

We did do two wreck dives. I hired a private instructor because I thought it would help make me feel, more comfortable. I also didn’t want to blow through all of my air and end the dive early for other more experienced divers. My private instructor went into one of the wrecks and came out of a hole in the hull. I was a bit annoyed at that since he knew it was my second dive and I was hiring him to keep an eye on me. I thought what if I was someone else and followed him into the wreck without that training. Luckily, I take diving seriously and wouldn’t put myself into any situations that would cause me or someone else any additional danger. I continued to dive above the wreck and met him on the other side.

I’m looking forward to diving in Maui. Especially since it will be whale season, I’m sure I’ll be hearing and hopefully seeing plenty of whales. I’ll be going in early Feb, will the waters be cold? I assume a full wet suit would be needed, Im guess I can’t get by with my shorty haha.

I agree that getting experience in rough diving conditions as well as low visibility conditions can make you a much better diver. My best dive training has been in pre-hurricane conditions with 10+ foot waves and trying to get in and out of the boat with a tank on!