I am a non-swimmer. My foot cramp in cold water. But I am going to Cozumel vacation next week, really want to try. Anyone tried to scuba dive there? Any advises? Also want to know more about scuba diving before I go, and how to deal with foot cramp while underwater.

Good for you. Coz is an excellent area and one of the few warm water areas I’ll ever go back to. There is some shore diving that can be done, but most of the reefs ( an extension of the 2nd largest barrier reef in the world) are a boat ride out and it’s all drift diving. I’ve found (3 trips there) that the dive shop operators I dealt with were all great outfits (no cattle boats) and I watched the resort course being offered in our resort’s pool. These guys actually took a good deal of time to help the students, unlike many resort courses.
Many of the reefs off the island are in very shallow water, so there will plenty for a novice diver to see and do. Beg, borrow or steal a proper underwater camera (not one of those disposables). You’ll be swimming with turtles, Nurse sharks (harmless but big), Octos, Lobster everywhere and if you’re observant, the odd sea horse not to mention some of the most colourful corals on the planet. A total meal of the colour palate.
Most of the best resorts and diving are on the south west area of the island, so if you’re staying there, great. If not, many of the dive boats leave from the town pier in San Miguel. In San Miguel proper, there’s quite a bit to do. The town gets very busy when the cruise ships are in, so if you plan on hitting Carlos and Charlies (night spot and most popular) or the Hard Rock (just down the street) do it early to get a seat. It quickly gets jammed. The same goes for the market in the town square. Beware of the fake goods some of the kids will try to hawk. Cuban cigars are a popular counterfeit item and if you’re American, with no experience in purchasing them, you’ll easily be fooled. Same goes for other itmes. I was offered a Rolex for 60 bucks, by a kid, when asked if it was real, he said, yes, 95% genuine, lol, I bought a pair of shades off him for his honesty.
There’s a ring road around the island and car rentals are fairly cheap. DON’T rent a moped. It’s not woth the risk and don’t bother renting a jeep, get a "punch buggy" (old style VW Bug with a sunroof). Cheapest and safest. There’s a number of ruins on the island that are worth a visit and you’ll need a taxi or car to get to them. The beaches on the east side of the island are nice but very rugged and not at all sheltered so can be pretty rough. Boogie boarding is popular over there, swimming isn’t.
The water temperature is very comfortable at this time of year and at most a wetsuit shortie is all that’s required. Everyone is different in their cold tolerance.
As for your cramping issue. The water temperature being warm, will be a bonus, but if you do tend to cramp, do a little stretching before the dive and if you’re caught in a cramp mid dive, there’s a technique called a fin stretch, that we do, to get the kink out. Just stop what you’re doing and grab your fin tip, gently pulling back. Don’t worry about your group leaving, while you’re stretching it out.. It’s ALL drift diving there. There’s very little kicking to be done. They won’t be pulling away, you’ll all be drifting in a group.
Hoist one for me in Carlos N Charlies.
Cheers

I am coming from San Francisco and would like to minimize time traveling given I only have a week. I was thinking about Costa Rica, but the flight scchedules are awful and traveling to/from will take the better part of two days.

What do you suggest? I am a beginnger/intermediate surfer…surfing a lot is my top goal. Convenient snorkeling and great diving would be great.

Thanks for your help.
and if you could recommend any specific websites where i can follow up on your suggestions, that would be very helpful!

San Diego

I need the whole bit for basic diving. No nitrox, ice, or deep diving. My max depth will likely be 150 feet on rare occasions in fresh water. My primary objective is glorified snorkeling at 10-50 feet. Any help would be great!

Actually, your max won’t be 150 since you say you’re not going deep. It’s actually 60.
This is the average cost breakdown for new gear bought at a dive shop.
1/ 80 cuft alum tank $200
2/ BC ( buoyancy compensator)$300- $1200
3/ Mask $70- $150
4/ Fins $70- $125
5/ Snorkel $20- $50
6/ Exposure suit $100- $3,000 That’s the price range from a reef skin to a top of the line dry suit.
7/ If you’re diving wet and need hood, booties and gloves, $30-$50 each.
8/ Weight It’s about a $1.50 per pound. If your BC isn’t integrated, you’ll need a belt $10
9/ Reg set $450- $800
10/ Dive computer ( a luxury but handy to have) $350- $1500
11/ Back up bottom timer ( Timex Ironman eg.) $40
12/ Dive marker (not enough people have this in their kit) $40 plus line and reel.
13/ A dive light $ 40-$ 150 for LED or incandescent. $1,000 for HID
14/ A "save a dive kit" $30
15/ A dive knife or shears. $30 and up
16/ Gear bag(s) to tote all this stuff, $60- $300

If you have all of the above, you’re ready to dive most recreational situations with the proper training, excluding penetrating wrecks or caves.

I was in the Fla. Keys last month I met a 6′ 1 girl from Brazil
that is a yoga instructor, I was in a bar waiting for my fishing buddies she gave me her phone no
and we became great pals. she wanted me to go sun
bathing with her which she did nude. great location can only be seen from the air she had a space age blanket that she treated
with insect repelent for the sand fleas she then wanted me to go to her classes with her ,which
I did . I scuba dive so I had her do that with me..
she sugested that we make love underwater so I took one
weighted air tank 2 wt belts and two fins to her beach no masks.we waded out to about 12 ft of water This was all her idea.. we shared one mouthpiece and I held the two
wt belts on my left arm the tank stayed onthe bottom itself
she was very active .and everything was working great
but in my estacy I took a large unconcious gulp of sea water
. She helped me ashore and baby and admin
to me.. I will take bigger gulp next time.. wow.
T Leeves.. Fla. girls are a dream
and she also is a dancer.
T Leeves.. Fla. girls are a dream
and she also is a dancer.
Wildraft
Kiss my A@**
Note: I had to remove a lot of above details for I ran out of caracters on original Question.format. that is why all the gaps

let me guess… DRUNK! no just kidding, that is awesome! I did that once but we ended up not kissing~

I’m looking to buy some suba equipment and I can’t help but notice the difference in price between the two although they look identical. Any information on buying?

There is a reason for the difference in price, one is purely for surface observation and the other is able to stand the pressures of deeper water diving…
If your going to scuba dive the investment is worth it, don’t skimp on safety…