Hi folks,
My soon to be bride and I are both recently certified divers, and are booked
on the October 4th sailing of the western carribean adventurer cruise of the
Dawn Princess.
I have a couple of questions for the cruise / diving veterans out there.
Our itinerary stops at St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Ochos Rios, Grand Caymen,
and Cozumel.
They have dive excursions organized at each of the ports. I wouldn't mind
diving each of them but the Mrs may want to do some sightseeing as well.
From what I can tell the two "must dive" locations would be Grand Caymen and
Cozumel. I'm hoping others might be able to offer insights with respect to
the other locations.
Next question would be should we bother bringing our gear or not? Does
princess give you a discount if you have your own gear? I definitely intend
on bringing masks, snorkels and fins. I'd like to bring my own regs and
BCS...... but am not sure if it's allowed (I heard disney didn't allow it).
I'm also wondering about exposure protection. We dive 7mm suits sometimes
with a second 7mm layer (shorty/vest) over top.
Does anyone know what the water temperatures should be around that time of
year? Would we be ok in a shorty? Are hoods necessary? Gloves? Etc....
Thanks a bunch in advance,
Matt
Greg Mossman - 06 Aug 2004 22:42 GMT
> Next question would be should we bother bringing our gear or not? Does
> princess give you a discount if you have your own gear? I definitely intend
> on bringing masks, snorkels and fins. I'd like to bring my own regs and
> BCS...... but am not sure if it's allowed (I heard disney didn't allow it).
If Disney didn't allow them then they're probably not allowed on Cozumel. I
believe Disney recently purchased the Puta Langosta complex which owns the
entire part of Cozumel that's safe for cruise ship passengers. Something
about carelessly dropped regulators (like in the DIR 3 video) and suicide
clips dragged from BCs scratching up all the pretty white marble.
> I'm also wondering about exposure protection. We dive 7mm suits sometimes
> with a second 7mm layer (shorty/vest) over top.
That would be plenty for Cozumel though you'll want to bring a cover-up for
the wickedly cold surface intervals.
Geoff - 07 Aug 2004 04:33 GMT
>Hi folks,
>
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
>Does anyone know what the water temperatures should be around that time of
>year? Would we be ok in a shorty? Are hoods necessary? Gloves? Etc....
I did Cozumel in Sept. '97 and Belize in June/July last year. Water
temp was 86 F down to 110 fsw and I did it in a 3 mm shorty, no hood.
Air was typically 92 F to 95 F. Wind can be a problem so a cover up
is good idea. Cozumel is a National Park and preserve, no gloves, no
knives, no taking anything but pictures and memories, no touching the
reef. The currents run 2 to 4 knots along the reefs on the west side
and all the boats practice drift diving. You don't swim much at all.
Just let the current take you past the scenery. Very nice long dives.
The dolphins came to play with us. Snorkeling off the beaches is fine,
not sure about scuba off the beaches, didn't do it then and conditions
are quite different now, I expect you'll find good facilities but the
viewing may not be as nice as it is on the six packs. The girls that
didn't have wet suits and just went in a skin or tees were cold after
30 minutes. Drift dives lasted about an hour and the girls were very
ready to come out by then. In my opinion a full length 7mm is probably
too much. I was opening my shorty on the boat a few times to cool off.
Definitely take hats and sun screen. SPF 15 or better, probably not
more than 30 unless you are a total photophobe. Add the hood for
insurance just in case but I never needed mine.
I would imagine the other waters to be about the same. Wear a long if
you are afraid of coral sting, but being parks they frown on bottom
crashing anyway. Buoyancy control is a must. If you lack sufficient
control, getting stung will be a nice reward. :)
Not sure what the ships allow for gear. Consult them ASAP so you are
not surprised. I expect wetsuit, mask, fins, boots, regs are ok. BC's
maybe; cylinders are never allowed. I don't know about some others
but my gear all packs into a single rolling duffle/backpack except for
cylinders and weights and I've never scratched anything. I carry my
mask, regulator and camera and other essentials in a small soft
carry-on about the size of a briefcase or laptop bag suitable for air
travel. No problems with security.
Joe English - 07 Aug 2004 13:01 GMT
> Hi folks,
>
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
> Thanks a bunch in advance,
> Matt
If a operation did not allow me to use my own gear I would not dive with
them. I know of no discount for using your own.