Let me describe my Pelican experience on the Antilla. If it sounds like your kind of adventure, go for it!
We arrived at the dock/shop. but no one was ready for us. We hung around until almost departure time. No boat. Nobody. Finally, the boat arrived after its last trip. A young lady left it to take care of business. She had to check out everyone who was on that trip and then check in everyone for our trip.
After she checked us in, we asked what we were supposed to do. She came out from behind the window and started to check the pressure in tanks so we could use them. She gave us our tanks, but told us not to get on the boat until the crew arrived. (We were past the scheduled departure time.) When the crew arrived--clearly in no particular hurry--we all jumped on the boat with our equipment and tanks and started to set up. One of the crew--evidently the DM--called us up onto the dock for our briefing. Only a couple of us heard him. We stood around waiting for him to start the briefing while he made a couple of other half-hearted attempts to get everyone else to stop setting up and listen to him. Eventually, the skipper told him to give up because it was time to shove off. We all got back in the boat and started to gear up for the very short trip to the Antilla.
We had almost no briefing before we started the dive, but we got the message on the rules very clearly. They would have two DM's--one in the front of the group and one in the back. We were to follow the one in the front without deviation, and the one in the back would make sure no one tried any funny business, like getting out of line.
My buddy and I were the first in the water after the DM, and we waited on the bottom ten minutes while the chaos on the deck cleared out and everyone else got down. We then swam around the wreck for a while, going "into" a couple of inner areas single file.
I did not see what I am about to describe next--I am relying on other reports, including my wife, who as a snorkeler was already on the boat at the end of the dive.
A teenage boy, diving with his brother and father, suddenly panicked at the end of the dive and bolted to the surface. He climbed on the boat and began writhing on the deck in pain, vomiting all over the deck. Crew members came over a couple of times with buckets of water and washed his vomit away. No other assistance was offered.
My buddy and I were the last ones out of the water, and it was then that we saw what was happening. He had stopped vomiting, but he was still in obvious pain. No one from the crew seemed remotely interested. My buddy and I, who both had reasonable training, began basic first aid care. We were glad to see that he seemed to be getting better, since that is not usually true of more serious injuries--like DCS or AGE.
It was a short trip back to the dock. The crew left immediately. The boy seemed a lot better, and we learned he had a history of migraines. Since his symptoms were consistent with migraines, we felt that was the most likely problem, but we strongly advised the family to seek medical attention.
We were supposed to have been given rides back to our hotels, and we learned that the crew that had left was responsible for that job. We found the young lady we had encountered earlier, and she gave us a lift.
I was not entirely pleased with this, and I canceled the rest of my planned dives with them and spent the rest of the trip with Clive. I had a good time.
Your choice. If Pelican seems like your kind of operator, be my guest.
We arrived at the dock/shop. but no one was ready for us. We hung around until almost departure time. No boat. Nobody. Finally, the boat arrived after its last trip. A young lady left it to take care of business. She had to check out everyone who was on that trip and then check in everyone for our trip.
After she checked us in, we asked what we were supposed to do. She came out from behind the window and started to check the pressure in tanks so we could use them. She gave us our tanks, but told us not to get on the boat until the crew arrived. (We were past the scheduled departure time.) When the crew arrived--clearly in no particular hurry--we all jumped on the boat with our equipment and tanks and started to set up. One of the crew--evidently the DM--called us up onto the dock for our briefing. Only a couple of us heard him. We stood around waiting for him to start the briefing while he made a couple of other half-hearted attempts to get everyone else to stop setting up and listen to him. Eventually, the skipper told him to give up because it was time to shove off. We all got back in the boat and started to gear up for the very short trip to the Antilla.
We had almost no briefing before we started the dive, but we got the message on the rules very clearly. They would have two DM's--one in the front of the group and one in the back. We were to follow the one in the front without deviation, and the one in the back would make sure no one tried any funny business, like getting out of line.
My buddy and I were the first in the water after the DM, and we waited on the bottom ten minutes while the chaos on the deck cleared out and everyone else got down. We then swam around the wreck for a while, going "into" a couple of inner areas single file.
I did not see what I am about to describe next--I am relying on other reports, including my wife, who as a snorkeler was already on the boat at the end of the dive.
A teenage boy, diving with his brother and father, suddenly panicked at the end of the dive and bolted to the surface. He climbed on the boat and began writhing on the deck in pain, vomiting all over the deck. Crew members came over a couple of times with buckets of water and washed his vomit away. No other assistance was offered.
My buddy and I were the last ones out of the water, and it was then that we saw what was happening. He had stopped vomiting, but he was still in obvious pain. No one from the crew seemed remotely interested. My buddy and I, who both had reasonable training, began basic first aid care. We were glad to see that he seemed to be getting better, since that is not usually true of more serious injuries--like DCS or AGE.
It was a short trip back to the dock. The crew left immediately. The boy seemed a lot better, and we learned he had a history of migraines. Since his symptoms were consistent with migraines, we felt that was the most likely problem, but we strongly advised the family to seek medical attention.
We were supposed to have been given rides back to our hotels, and we learned that the crew that had left was responsible for that job. We found the young lady we had encountered earlier, and she gave us a lift.
I was not entirely pleased with this, and I canceled the rest of my planned dives with them and spent the rest of the trip with Clive. I had a good time.
Your choice. If Pelican seems like your kind of operator, be my guest.
