Here are some pictures of our latest trip on the French Polynesia Master. Soon we will receive some underwater pictures and videos so keep an eye on us! Master Liveaboards | Facebook
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The daily schedule was fluid so as to take optimum advantage of the changing tidal flow.
While operating from FPM, we dived both north and south passes at Fakarava, and at each location were afforded the opportunity to dive during both incoming and outgoing currents. All dives at Rangiroa were conducted at Tiputa Pass, and were again offered during both incoming and outgoing currents.
I recently returned from my first voyage aboard French Polynesian Master, having traveled aboard for her Tuamotos itinerary sailing from Fakarava to Rangiroa this past March 22nd thru April 1st.
Here’s where things started to go off the rails: According to all of the information that both the booking agent and Master Liveaboards provided prior to the trip, divers with rescue certifications, (or their equivalent), and higher would be restricted to a maximum depth of 40 meters on all dives, while those with a certification lower than rescue diver, (including those with deep diver specialty certifications), would be restricted to a maximum depth of 30 meters. This was also the information that was posted on the Master’s website at least up until the day I left home and started to make my way to French Polynesia. While I did not at all like these limits, my traveling companion and I assented to the strictures specified by Master Livaboards, made our payments, purchased our airfare, and began our journey. It was only after boarding the FPM that we were informed that these rules were no longer in effect. The new rules stated that the maximum depth limit for all divers regardless of their experience or training would be 29 meters.
I was more than a bit disappointed, dismayed, and upset by this previously unannounced change in FPM’s advertised procedures, but it was upon reading their new, updated waiver form, (which was presented to us for the first time upon boarding the boat), and more “new” protocols were made apparent, that I became disgusted. There would be no solo diving, and even more insidious, there would be no buddy diving. According to the new FPM regulations all divers must be accompanied at all times by one of the boats’ guides, and assigned groups must stay together, regardless of anyone’s status, ability, situational awareness, and etc. That meant that if any individual in a group got low on air, ran out of no deco time, got tired or cold, became bored, had a gear problem, flooded a camera, couldn’t clear, got separated from the group, or whatever else, the entire group had to end the dive, and surface beneath the guide’s SMB. According to the cruise director, it’s forbidden for anyone without a “French certificate” to deploy an SMB except in the case of an emergency. (The veracity of this statement was met with only marginal suspicion and sarcastic cynicism as on the first dive everyone had to demonstrate their ability to deploy a marker. The unfamiliarity of some of the ships’ company with the manner of performing this task nearly led to a pair of actual emergencies as a few of our companions found themselves dragged to the surface at an unsafe speed when they failed to allow their reels or spools to unwind at a sufficient rate.)
Now, perhaps there are a good many divers who would appreciate the “enhanced diver care” that the new FPM protocols outline. However, I consider these “features” to be overwhelmingly restrictive to my own goals, as they fully ignore my skill level, experience, capability, training, and personal responsibility. My traveling companion and I were absolutely furious to have these strictures foisted upon us at the last minute. The rules imposed by FPM had substantial and deleterious effects on the goals that my companion and I had hoped to achieve during our visit to the Tuamotos archipelago.
Had the management of Master Liveaboards presented these diving protocols in advertising, on their website, and in pre-departure communications, that would have been just fine, though I would not have considered booking this trip. However, by subjecting us to their new strictures without informing us in advance, my companion and I felt cheated of the opportunity that had been advertised, that we had agreed to, and paid for. Though I found all other aspects of the operation to be more than satisfactory, (and they were in fact for the most part delightful), the omission of these details about the aspect of the entire venture that I consider of paramount importance, the diving, was unacceptable.
Hmmmm, their website doesn't mention their new diving 'restrictions'. That is a shame as I understood some of the shark life was at depths below 30m... and given I'm pretty good on my air and get frustrated at short dives if diving with air hogs..
How big were your dive groups OceanEyes? I'd hope at least with those rules and regulations the dive groups are small?