Trip Report Avoid Blue Horizon in Maldives

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dhuskins

Contributor
Scuba Instructor
Divemaster
Messages
285
Reaction score
18
Location
San Francisco Bay Area
# of dives
200 - 499
The other recent reviewers on Trip Advisor accurately detail some of the issues with the operation and the facilities. None of them capture just how horrific it was. Keep in mind, the is not an isolated event. The boat has a string of similar weeks. In just a few hours of wandering the internet, we found other weeks in the recent past that matched our experience. The management offered a minor compensation provided we remove any negative review. This week’s guests have agreed to update our reviews when we receive compensation. Until then, read on.

I checked the PADI pro-chek for the dive masters on the boat. All of them have not maintained their pro status with PADI. The one instructor was up to date. Since my only need for a dive guide is to point out hard-to-find creatures, maintaining PADI pro status means less to me than less experienced divers.

PRO: There we’re no cockroaches in my bed. Thankfully, the twice daily insect spraying helped.

PRO: One of the 8 dives we did actually had us drop in up current of the site. That was the only drift dive where we drifted with the current.

PRO: There is plenty of places to plug in chargers and electronics. A few of them are adequately grounded to not spark or shock you.

PRO: There is plenty of food to eat if you love plain white rice, pasta, bread, and random fish caught and gutted on the side of the main boat. I’m grateful I was not asked to pay extra for the items they offered . . . Let me rephrase… We didn’t have the island bbq that did require extra cost (as did all drinks beyond coffee, tea, bottled water…one per person per day… and milk.)

Not everything about this trip was so pleasant. There were several CONS to deal with. I am lead to believe the boat is under new ownership for the last year or so. The nice reviews from years ago refer to a different owner.

CON: There was no check-out dive to check weighting or to let the dive operation organize the divers by skills. As a result, two Master Scuba Diver Trainers ended up in a group with fairly new divers. If you are an experienced diver, your dive time will be limited by the more novice divers. If you are fairly inexperienced, read the next CON.

CON: The dive guides are inexperienced in leading dives. For example, one novice diver was very low on air when they were just above 30m. By “low” I mean only the volume of air divers should have as a reserve when back on the boat. They told the DM they were at half. The DM signaled back OK. When the diver then signaled low-on-air (50bar or 500psi) the DM signaled OK again. The DM then proceeded to continue with the dive.

CONS: The dive guides could not find the dive sites. We overshot one of the 8 dives and spent it entirely in open water. On another dive, the guide lost the group.

CONS: We did a hook-in dive where we learned it was a hook-in during the dive. Several divers did not have a hook. A couple of them did not know what a hook is or how to use it. As a result, the group spent the rest of the dive regrouping. Yes, this was the one “drift dive” the guides dropped us in up stream.

CONS: While the engine hatch was open, I had an opportunity to look at the engine and area. For those of you who have worked with marine engines, I will spare you the frightening description that makes it in the bottom one of my list. For those of you who haven’t such experience, rest assured, there is a real reason the dive platform boat (dhoni) breaks down. They own three dhoni… They are all broken.

It has been quite an experience. I could go on for pages. Instead, I will go back to commiserating with the other 19 divers in the main boat’s salon that seats 17 uncomfortably.
 
The management offered a minor compensation provided we remove any negative review. This week’s guests have agreed to update our reviews when we receive compensation.
That's off-putting.

I hope some of them will post their experience here on ScubaBoard.

I am lead to believe the boat is under new ownership for the last year or so. The nice reviews from years ago refer to a different owner.
What led you to pick this particular liveaboard for your trip? I get that there were good older reviews. Just curious what made this one stand out pre-trip.

I checked the PADI pro-chek for the dive masters on the boat. All of them have not maintained their pro status with PADI. The one instructor was up to date. Since my only need for a dive guide is to point out hard-to-find creatures, maintaining PADI pro status means less to me than less experienced divers.
Would it matter even to the less experienced divers? How good the guides are matters; does maintaining formal pro status matter?

There is plenty of places to plug in chargers and electronics. A few of them are adequately grounded to not spark or shock you.
What voltage and outlet type did the boat offer? Where you guys using any kind of voltage convertors, or just outlet adaptors?

I ask because in the wake of the Conception disaster out of California where 34 people died in a fire, the risk of fire on a liveaboard is much in the minds of many divers. What you describe sounds worrisome. I'm wondering whether there are any extenuating circumstances.

If you are an experienced diver, your dive time will be limited by the more novice divers.
It's my understanding from other reports that Maldives diving tends to be deep. Can you give us some idea what max. depth, average depth and dive times you had, given that you indicated times were limited?

Did they have any big tanks, such as AL100-cf tanks, available?

The dive guides are inexperienced in leading dives. For example, one novice diver was very low on air when they were just above 30m. By “low” I mean only the volume of air divers should have as a reserve when back on the boat. They told the DM they were at half. The DM signaled back OK. When the diver then signaled low-on-air (50bar or 500psi) the DM signaled OK again. The DM then proceeded to continue with the dive.
I have not been to the Maldives; reports from others suggest to me it is not a beginner 'fresh out of open water diver course' destination. I don't set the bar high for what a recreational diver ought to be able to do, but grossly over-reporting remaining gas seems to be a diver fault, not a guide fault for not detecting it. But then you mention the divers subsequently signaled low air. To help us understand the situation, about how much time passed between 'I've got a half tank' and 'I'm low on air?' You said the guide continued with the dive; what happened? Did the diver run out of air? Did the guide or a buddy share air? How much longer did the dive last?

I know you probably don't have exact times, but it'd help those of us who weren't there better understand the situation if you can give us a rough idea.
 
The management offered a minor compensation provided we remove any negative review. This week’s guests have agreed to update our reviews when we receive compensation.
Why would you agree to delete a negative review for "minor compensation"? Don't you want other divers to avoid your experience?

What led you to pick this particular liveaboard for your trip?
I'm also curious what led OP to pick this boat. A quick Google search doesn't show it on PADI Travel or on Liveaboard.com. I did find a sketchy half-broken website for the boat which would have led me to avoid it.

CON: There was no check-out dive to check weighting or to let the dive operation organize the divers by skills. As a result, two Master Scuba Diver Trainers ended up in a group with fairly new divers.
The Maldives is definitely not a spot new/inexperienced divers should be going to. All other liveaboards I've seen recommend at least 40-50 dives and experience with currents.
 
Sorry you had this experience OP.I saw some of the other reviews on TripAdvisor, the whole thing sounds horrendous. Many divers from North America get very short holidays and you flew such a long way for this trip.

S**t happens unfortunately !
 
That's off-putting.

I hope some of them will post their experience here on ScubaBoard.
Most of the commentators are posting in TripAdvisor. Bot places would improve visibility.

What led you to pick this particular liveaboard for your trip? I get that there were good older reviews. Just curious what made this one stand out pre-trip.
My wife picked it because it fit our time and price.

Would it matter even to the less experienced divers? How good the guides are matters; does maintaining formal pro status matter?
As I wrote, maintaining status is unimportant to me as I am an MSDT.

What voltage and outlet type did the boat offer? Where you guys using any kind of voltage convertors, or just outlet adaptors?

I ask because in the wake of the Conception disaster out of California where 34 people died in a fire, the risk of fire on a liveaboard is much in the minds of many divers. What you describe sounds worrisome. I'm wondering whether there are any extenuating circumstances.
The worst electrical shocks came from light switches. Having dove from the Conception more than once, I am very aware of the issues of electrical problems.
It's my understanding from other reports that Maldives diving tends to be deep. Can you give us some idea what max. depth, average depth and dive times you had, given that you indicated times were limited?
Typical dives (including third dives) got down to 90+ feet (30m) with average depth of 60’ (20m). 27 minute dive times on larger tanks. The dives were typically swimming against current the entire dive with the small boat picking us up where we surface.
Did they have any big tanks, such as AL100-cf tanks, available?


I have not been to the Maldives; reports from others suggest to me it is not a beginner 'fresh out of open water diver course' destination. I don't set the bar high for what a recreational diver ought to be able to do, but grossly over-reporting remaining gas seems to be a diver fault, not a guide fault for not detecting it. But then you mention the divers subsequently signaled low air. To help us understand the situation, about how much time passed between 'I've got a half tank' and 'I'm low on air?' You said the guide continued with the dive; what happened? Did the diver run out of air? Did the guide or a buddy share air? How much longer did the dive last?
What happened is I watched her begin to panic when she saw he did not react. I swam over to her, checked her gauge, told my buddy (an AI with over 400 dives with me) to swap buddies, then I took the OOA diver back to the surface. She used my tank air for the last part of the ascent as she emptied her tank on the ascent. I will have to check my buddy’s computer, but I think they were down another 5-10 minutes. What did the DM say afterwards? He blamed her for … “It’s all your fault.” In the end, my dive was cut short because I choose to care about another person’s health and safety over my dive. The same cannot be said of the DM.
I know you probably don't have exact times, but it'd help those of us who weren't there better understand the situation if you can give us a rough idea.
 
No brefing before dives ? No indication on where is what ?
There was a briefing before every dive. All briefings said…. This is (site name). If the current is going this way we will enter here and keep the coral to the right. If the current is going the other way, then we will go this way. Maybe we will see (insert shark type or ray here). Maybe we will stay here because maybe there will be (mention a fish). It will take 15 minutes by dhoni. Okay? Let’s go.

Never did they ask if anyone has a hook or done a hook-in dive before. The above text is almost quoting the briefing and not me generalizing it.

When we got to each site, they had a DM jump in to test the current, then moved the dhoni to the down current location for us to jump in. Yes, down current.
 
The other recent reviewers on Trip Advisor accurately detail some of the issues with the operation and the facilities. None of them capture just how horrific it was. Keep in mind, the is not an isolated event. The boat has a string of similar weeks. In just a few hours of wandering the internet, we found other weeks in the recent past that matched our experience. The management offered a minor compensation provided we remove any negative review. This week’s guests have agreed to update our reviews when we receive compensation. Until then, read on.

I checked the PADI pro-chek for the dive masters on the boat. All of them have not maintained their pro status with PADI. The one instructor was up to date. Since my only need for a dive guide is to point out hard-to-find creatures, maintaining PADI pro status means less to me than less experienced divers.

PRO: There we’re no cockroaches in my bed. Thankfully, the twice daily insect spraying helped.

PRO: One of the 8 dives we did actually had us drop in up current of the site. That was the only drift dive where we drifted with the current.

PRO: There is plenty of places to plug in chargers and electronics. A few of them are adequately grounded to not spark or shock you.

PRO: There is plenty of food to eat if you love plain white rice, pasta, bread, and random fish caught and gutted on the side of the main boat. I’m grateful I was not asked to pay extra for the items they offered . . . Let me rephrase… We didn’t have the island bbq that did require extra cost (as did all drinks beyond coffee, tea, bottled water…one per person per day… and milk.)

Not everything about this trip was so pleasant. There were several CONS to deal with. I am lead to believe the boat is under new ownership for the last year or so. The nice reviews from years ago refer to a different owner.

CON: There was no check-out dive to check weighting or to let the dive operation organize the divers by skills. As a result, two Master Scuba Diver Trainers ended up in a group with fairly new divers. If you are an experienced diver, your dive time will be limited by the more novice divers. If you are fairly inexperienced, read the next CON.

CON: The dive guides are inexperienced in leading dives. For example, one novice diver was very low on air when they were just above 30m. By “low” I mean only the volume of air divers should have as a reserve when back on the boat. They told the DM they were at half. The DM signaled back OK. When the diver then signaled low-on-air (50bar or 500psi) the DM signaled OK again. The DM then proceeded to continue with the dive.

CONS: The dive guides could not find the dive sites. We overshot one of the 8 dives and spent it entirely in open water. On another dive, the guide lost the group.

CONS: We did a hook-in dive where we learned it was a hook-in during the dive. Several divers did not have a hook. A couple of them did not know what a hook is or how to use it. As a result, the group spent the rest of the dive regrouping. Yes, this was the one “drift dive” the guides dropped us in up stream.

CONS: While the engine hatch was open, I had an opportunity to look at the engine and area. For those of you who have worked with marine engines, I will spare you the frightening description that makes it in the bottom one of my list. For those of you who haven’t such experience, rest assured, there is a real reason the dive platform boat (dhoni) breaks down. They own three dhoni… They are all broken.

It has been quite an experience. I could go on for pages. Instead, I will go back to commiserating with the other 19 divers in the main boat’s salon that seats 17 uncomfortably.
I was also on this boat it was a disaster and you can read my review as follows:-

WARNING TO ALL SCUBA DIVERS

SCUBA FRIENDS, PLEASE READ and SHARE

Beware of a rogue dive operation in the Maldives. The boat is called Blue Horizon 3 part of Blue Horizon Dive and advertised on liveaboard.com

I am currently in the maldives on a boat on a 8 day trip 7 night trip that has only completed 2.3 days diving due to poor maintenance of their dive dhoni.

Read my review by clicking on the link below

 
.. There were several CONS to deal with.
At less than $1000 for a week-long liveaboard...............That will make you think a bit.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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