Hate to disappoint you, but 95% of people who dive from cruise ships are once a year divers, most only doing a few dives per year.
robin
I'm a dive operator in St. Vincent, and with all due respect, I have had some AWFUL experiences with cruise ship crew. Not all, but enough to make me wary...
I have been booked 'yes there will be 8 of us can you do us a good discount' and then only 3 turn up... when time to pay comes 'the person that we spoke to in the shop said we could have it for less' - no that would be me that you spoke to and no the price that I quoted is what I expect you to pay... etc etc etc...
When dealing with cruise ship folk I ALWAYS play it super safe, as it takes only one accident to ruin a reputation that it has taken me years to build.
I am very sorry that you have had these experiences, but there is always 2 sides to every story.
There is a HUGE difference between cruise ship divers and in-resort divers, and as an operator I do my very best to provide enjoyable and safe diving for everyone. In some instances I provide 2 dive leaders, one for the in resort folks, and one for the cruise ship folks, should I have a mixed group on board.
It is wrong for an operator to assume that all cruise ship passengers are 'once a year' divers, but at the end of the day most cruise ship passengers are... and there really isn't much that we can do about that!
I am sure that the wetsuit issue with Froggies was an oversight, and we all make mistakes from time to time don't we...