Honeymoon! First time divers. Where to pick

[footballcs12]

The fiance and I are going on our honeymoon starting august 7th this year and are going on a western Caribbean cruise. Looking for recommendations on which location to pick. Cozumel, or Costa Maya. We both have never gone on any dives or any deep swims in the ocean for that matter. Apologizing now if this is the wrong place to post but idk where else to go

This is the description for the Costa Maya one. "First-time or non-certified divers can experience the wonders of scuba diving. You'll get fitted with scuba gear and be given an introductory lesson to scuba diving at an eco-friendly dive center. A short boat ride takes you to the magnificent Meso-American Barrier Reef system, the largest barrier reef system in the Northern Hemisphere. Its dive sites feature an abundance of beautiful corals, reef formations and marine life. Afterward, stay in Mahahual or return to the ship."

And then Cozumel. "First-time scuba divers will enjoy an unforgettable educational diving experience. You'll receive 45 minutes of instruction from a PADI instructor before entering the water directly from the beach wearing full scuba gear. Waist-deep water initially surrounds you so you get used to breathing underwater. Your instructor then guides you on a deep-sea exploration of fish and coral at a dive site reaching a maximum depth of 25 feet."

 

[fabjr]

İf you are not certified divers, get certified before you do this. Beware of the quickie instructions followed by a dive. They can be dangerous. Alternatively, they are a come-on to get you to sign up with them for a full course of dive instruction.

You should get certified at home, with optional completion away, at some other certification facility. Lots of reasons for this advice.

Plus you really don't want to be stuck "in school" during your honeymoon.

fabjr,
PADI divemaster, master scuba diver, BSAC dive leader,
With 1000's of dives all over the planet

 

[footballcs12]

İf you are not certified divers, get certified before you do this. Beware of the quickie instructions followed by a dive. They can be dangerous. Alternatively, they are a come-on to get you to sign up with them for a full course of dive instruction.

You should get certified at home, with optional completion away, at some other certification facility. Lots of reasons for this advice.

Plus you really don't want to be stuck "in school" during your honeymoon.

fabjr,
PADI divemaster, master scuba diver, BSAC dive leader,
With 1000's of dives all over the planet

Although dive certification sounds like a great idea we don't exactly have the funds for the classes and the equipment. It's also something that we never really do as we live in a pretty land locked area of central new York. I don't plan on diving in one of the most polluted lakes in the country

 

[fabjr]

My recommendation stands, for safety reasons.

I hope your honeymoon is a wondrous experience for the both of you and that marriage is equally as delightful.

 

[Deinonych]

Agree with fabjr - if you aren't going to get certified, don't dive. Diving is an amazing sport, but you put your life at risk without proper training. Snorkeling can be equally enjoyable without the risk.

 

[snorvich]

Agree with fabjr - if you aren't going to get certified, don't dive. Diving is an amazing sport, but you put your life at risk without proper training. Snorkeling can be equally enjoyable without the risk.

I agree. It took me about 200 dives before I could concentrate on the scenery. Until then most people focus on staying alive. Resort courses as described sound much better than they are in practice. (this from a PADI instructor)

 

[Zeuslr]

Go to Bonaire. You will not need to dive. Snorkeling is fantastic. Just rent a car and drive the coast and look for the yellow stones that mark the different dive /snorkeling sites.

 

[snorvich]

Go to Bonaire. You will not need to dive. Snorkeling is fantastic. Just rent a car and drive the coast and look for the yellow stones that mark the different dive /snorkeling sites.

Except, it is not a great honeymoon location unless you are a hard core diver.

 

[G_Sanab922]

I agree with everyone else. For safety reasons we can't recommend those " no certification required diving tours". So many things can go wrong on a dive, even at 25ft max depth. If you don't have the proper training it can be fatal.

To my understanding, looks like you already booked a cruise so going to another destination is out of the question. Try doing some snorkeling there in Cozumel. It's better than nothing.

 

[DivingTheWorld]

I agree with the others, Scuba Diving is one of the most relaxing, fun, and safe activities you can do, when you're trained. I know from first hand experience that the "resort" courses are questionable at best.

I'd also recommend snorkeling instead. When my wife and I go on dive vacations, we almost always snorkel between dives. You'll find the most vibrant and beautiful fish and corals in the first 10-15' and they can easily be seen snorkeling.

Pick up a pair of "dry" snorkels for the trip. They make free diving (snorkeling) much easier with less water down the pipe.

 

[Deinonych]

Pick up a pair of "dry" snorkels for the trip. They make free diving (snorkeling) much easier with less water down the pipe.

+1

I use this one for snorkeling. Works great, and comes in pretty colors. http://www.leisurepro.com/p-ocnsud/oceanic-ultra-dry-snorkel

 

[kryppy]

The discover scuba diving classes will be sufficient to insure your safety, IMHO. They do thousands of these types of tourist dives a year with very green people with no incidents. My friend that can hardly even swim did one on a cruse and had no problems. Don't expect to go much deeper than you would snorkeling though. Personally I would choose somewhere in the Pacific since I hate Caribbean diving but you will want to be certified with many dives under your belt before you get to that.

 

[aj625]

Cozumel, but watch out for tiny jelly fish that stings you...

 

[cpjones@usa.com]

Definitely get certified.

It depends on the type of people you are, but we certainly did plenty of dives on our honeymoon (although we were certified earlier).

But please don't even think about not getting certified.

Either do it properly, or just snorkel until you have the time and money to do so.