[captnpat]

... Not what you think. Happily married with a big ring in the nose..lol

but serious, on our last trip, my wife and I did the Resort dive. I have fallen in love all over again. Gonna get certified before the next trip. The wife did not care for diving as much as I did, so I am going to be diving stag while she sits ashore and drinks margaritas...

Question: Are there other stag divers like myself that I can dive with, or do most divers already have dive buddies? Will the dive operators try to pair up single divers, or am I on my own?

Just Curious!

[DanB]

My experience is that the dive op is always able to make sure you have a dive buddy. There have been several times where I want to dive 5 days but my dive buddy want to skip a day or two. Sometimes there are other 'singles' diving and you buddy with them. Sometimes you buddy with the dive guide since in Coz they always have a dive guide in the water with you (or at least that is my experience). Let you dive operator know ahead of time that you need to have a dive buddy and they will take care of it. Good luck!

[coloradotyedye]

My experience in Cozumel diving many, many times by myself is that the dive master will buddy with you and you just stay within a reasonable contact distance with him. In general with drift diving everyone looks out for everyone else because you want to keep the group all at the same level so you drift at the same speed and nobody loses contact with the group. Since you will be a new diver the dive master will have eyes on you. Relax, enjoy and the more Zen you can bring to your experience the more fun you will have!!!

[captnpat]

Thanks ya'll. I know I will enjoy the experience, just wish
I took up the sport 30 yrs ago.


Captnpat

[ccannon707]

My husband doesn't dive + I travel to Coz sola so I'm never coupled up on the dive boat. As the Dive Master is also looking out for all the other divers it can be a good idea to suggest being buddies to another solo diver on the boat as well. The buddy thing is pretty loose though as another poster observed. If you are on a small boat (8 or less divers) your group more or less stays together and everybody usually watches out for the others. The main thing is to watch your Dive Master - be aware of where he is, what he's doing and at what level. If you're a newbie stay up towards the front of the group near them. Observing the dive master will also give you a good model of how to conduct yourself underwater in Cozumel's drift dive environment. When I was a newbie I used to thrash my arms and legs around something awful. But through practice and observation I am now calm and collected. You use less air that way - and can stay down longer. Be aware of this though - Cozumel Diving can be addictive!

[dawnb]

Contact ku_jhawk, our friend Bill, who is a seasoned stag diver and member of this forum. He has had some wonderful dive experiences on Coz which I am sure he would be happy to share.

[ku_jhawk]

I thought I felt my ears burning....

Hmm.... stag.... I'm not sure I like how that sounds .

Yes, I can attest to Cozumel being a great place to dive without having a built-in dive buddy. With my dive op, we don't really "pair up" - everybody just stays together as a group. Since the "good dives" really require a boat and a DM, not having a dive buddy has never really been a problem. You'll do just fine.