7 mile diver vs Don Foster ???any thoughts

[jstuart1]

I just returned from a cruise to GC. The ship operator was Don Fosters. The boat had about 20 divers on it. Aside from shuttling us to the shop, providing the boat and guiding the dive they basically did nothing. I have never been on a boat dive where all the divers had to get thier own weights on a moving boat or set thier gear up on a moving boat. Inexperienced people hadling weights on a moving boat is an accident waiting to happen. People were trying to set thier gear up and would walk away with the tanks just standing up on the deck. They did split us up into two groups. The DM leading our dive didn't talk to anyone unless she was fussing about how someone had secured thier octo or gauges. The other divemaster did at least give the dive briefing which took all of the time while moored at the pier instead of having us gear up. The brief itself was very brief the whole rest of the time was spent talking about beer fines and the cost of beer in GC. All of this could have been covered while the boat was moving so that setup would have been safer. Most of our group had been diving for a while but she acted like this was our first dive ever. Since I had my own gear that she wasn't familiar with she pretty much left me alone. There was no current but we all had to ascend and descend the mooring line which would have been fine but she kept everyone so bunched together you got kicked or tanks bumped into you. During the dive taking pics was hopeless. She led the group like a rocket and had a tank banger attack every time you were more the kissing distance from your buddy. I would have enjoyed showing her a much better use for that banger! We didn't see anything, no lobster, fish or anything but the coral zooming by. Then at the safety stop she again had us jammed together like a can of sardines. The whole dive lasted 25 min which I did expect having done cruise ship dives before and would have been fine except for the rest of it. I don't ever want to hear about beer fines or tank bangers again. The dive was basically a waste. I didn't bother with the second dive figuring cozumel would be better which it definitly was. If it weren't for reading about the other dive ops there I wouldn't consider going back.

 

[Torontonian]

I just returned from a cruise to GC. The ship operator was Don Fosters. The boat had about 20 divers on it..

Was this the Carnival cruise line? I saw on Red Sail's web site they are the contractor with several cruise lines but not Carnival.

Your experience on Don Fosters doesn't sound good.

 

[jstuart1]

Yes it was the Carnival Conquest. My experience with them wasn't good but I do hope to go back to GC and dive with someone else.

 

[fishoutawater]

jstuart1, Wow...Thanks for the heads up on DF.
I'd be eff'n irate. My vacation, my time, my money. Newp. Homey don't play dat.
And what is a beer fine? Never heard of that.