Cruise ship dives/budy question?

[rednose83]

I'm not certified yet so this may be a really dumb question but what if you have an odd number off people. In our case, 5. Can you have a group of 3 buddies or will one of us be matched up with someone we don't know or personnel from the dive resort?

[Flatliner]

You can dive with a group of three. In warm water good vis diving it works just fine. In really low vis it can be a little bit more problematic but it can still be done.

[rednose83]

Originally Posted by Flatliner

You can dive with a group of three. In warm water good vis diving it works just fine. In really low vis it can be a little bit more problematic but it can still be done.

Thanks. We will be in Cozumel or Roatan so the water will be nice and clear.

[Vercingetorix]

Also, is highly dependent upon the buddy-skill level of the other divers. For instance, I was paired with two guys who dive regularly together. They paid attention to each other, but ignored me. If I had been in trouble, they would be no help.

Then, again, I've been paired with single divers who consider "same ocean, same day" to be "with their buddy".

[rednose83]

Originally Posted by Vercingetorix

Also, is highly dependent upon the buddy-skill level of the other divers. For instance, I was paired with two guys who dive regularly together. They paid attention to each other, but ignored me. If I had been in trouble, they would be no help.

Then, again, I've been paired with single divers who consider "same ocean, same day" to be "with their buddy".

It would be my Dad and my husband. neither of them are experienced divers. Both were certified this week. The cruise is in Jan so they'll probably have 10-15 dives under their belts at that time. I'd be (brand) new if I decide to get cert. I just wanted to know if one of us was going to get left out cold.

[Tassie Diver]

If you can, dive together in a nice safe environment as a group of three. If you can get used to diving together as a group before your holiday, you'll enjoy diving on your holiday more.

Group diving works well when the whole group dives together. As Vercingetorix said, there is potential for one to be left out. But I don't think you'd let your dad or your husband forget about you, would you!

[navyhmc]

A group of 3 can and does work. As others noted ,just make a point to do a complete check. When we've done a 3 buddy dive, "Ok?" was replaced by holding up 3 fingers. If you got a "3"'s back it meant that all buddies had eyes on the other two.

[rmkrause]

Not sure about the setup on the cruise, but some (perhaps most?) shops you can pay an additional fee and have a divemaster go out with you on the dive. If there is a group of 5, this could work out well - the odd man out gets a buddy and the group of you get someone that knows the local area and can point everything out to you that probably would otherwise be missed.

[scubadiver888]

I assume by 'cruise ship' you mean a ship for general cruising and not a ship focused on diving, e.g. Princess, Royal Caribbean, Holland American, etc.

This will be a show up and everything is taken care of. I dive by myself on cruise ships all the time. They will tell you a few days ahead of time where everyone will meet. Show up a little early and chat with your fellow divers. If you click with someone, ask if they want to be your buddy. Otherwise, the DM will take care of you. Or you can dive with a group of three. The DM will watch out for you as well. I cannot count the number of times I've watched a DM helping three or four divers.

Cruise ships are all about taking care of you. NOTE: I can get a good dive for, what appears to be, half the price. After you add find a ride to the dive shop and back to the cruise ship, paying for a DM because I don't have a buddy, the stress of possibly missing the cruise ship, etc. It is usually worth paying the extra and diving with the cruise ship. You are basically paying extra to have someone take care of everything for you.

Now that I have been diving for a while, I talk to other divers and they hook me up with people who work at a dive shop or friends who opened a dive shop. I still use the cruise ship dives in ports I don't know anyone.

[Scuba Pete]

I regulary dive with a team of 3. No problems. Also, My first dives were with my parents who hadnt dove in 20 years so they were like 1st time divers as well.