Capt. Slate/ ITK 08 dive report 7/12/08

[Sonet]

Where do I start? First and foremost I want to say that the negative things that are going to be said in this post have nothing to do with the ITK event or staff. With that out of the way.... here I go. :14:

7/12/08 My daughter (Scuba Chasy) and I get there at 1:00 PM as we were told. Well, the boat was not there and it stayed that way for an hour. When the boat finally returned and by the time the filled all the tanks and gased up the boat we were already two hours behind schedule. Because of this we had to scrap the two sites that we had planned to do (Careysfort and Mike's wreck), so that we could make the Pig Roast at 7 PM. We went back and forth as to which site we were going to dive. Finally it was decided that the sites were going to be "The city of Washington" and "Elbo reef".

The city of Washington:
This is the site where Slate does his "Creature Feature" dive where he feeds nurse shark. And on cue as soon as we hit the water a nurse shark appeared. My daughter loved the encounter due to the fact that it's her first shark. Nice coral formation and the marine life was decent. Viz was in the 50-60 ft range. Water was in the 80's

Elbow reef:
Very nice reef formation. This site is actually about 3 minutes from the city of Washington. Lots of fish. Some peeps say they saw a turtle and an eagle ray. We did not see them. Viz and water temps were exactly the same as the previous dive.

All in all the diving was good but the boat... how should I put this...SUCKED!!!

Here's my thing. Even though you've had a bad day your not suppose to let your customers know it. As soon as I got on that boat I felt that our presence was nuiseince for the Capt. He even went to tell a diver to "Chill out!" in front of everyone.
Then I guess it's common practice to keep all the fresh tanks in front of the boat and have ALL the divers set up next to each other. I don't know if I've been spoiled but the boats I've been on usually leave one space between divers (if space permits) so that we can be comfortable. In regards to Slate all I have to say is that I'm glad I am not claustrophobic (sorry if I mispelled it). We were all cramped together and we actually had to wait till the diver next to you suited up so that you could get to your gear.

Oh!!! why in God's name would you smoke aboard a boat. Again, thank God I'm not asthmatic. I mean come on people. Be curteous. Wait till your back on dock if you want to smoke. Don't do it on the boat. And as a dive operation that should not be allowed.

Now for the good stuff. Howard and Michelle did an excelent job of coodinating everything and I had a blast at the Pig Roast. Even though I had to leave (nagging child) I still had fun meeting my fellow boarders. Loved the food and drinks and the fun. By the way who was the girl that won one of the watches... WOW

Anyways. Next year I'll try to got the whole three days instead of doing just one day. Safe diving to all:14::14:

 

[Viking Queen]

I happened to be there that day and you failed to mention the reason the boat had to leave late. It was because it had to wait for the morning boat to return, and the morning left late because the Invade the Keys people scheduled it to leave later than normal departure.
Maybe the person who was told to chill out needed to chill out....was it you!

 

[deepstops]

I happened to be there that day and you failed to mention the reason the boat had to leave late. It was because it had to wait for the morning boat to return, and the morning left late because the Invade the Keys people scheduled it to leave later than normal departure.
Maybe the person who was told to chill out needed to chill out....was it you!

You're off base. The Saturday trips were 830 morning departures and 130 afternoon departures.

 

[Missdirected]

I happened to be there that day and you failed to mention the reason the boat had to leave late. It was because it had to wait for the morning boat to return, and the morning left late because the Invade the Keys people scheduled it to leave later than normal departure.
Maybe the person who was told to chill out needed to chill out....was it you!

It was Sunday's boats that were set for a later departure so that all might enjoy the pig roast and have a bit of sleep in.

Sonet, I would agree with you on the condition of the boat, it was appallingly abysmal, at least the one I was on on Sunday. The dives however, were most excellent. I don't think Slate will make it on the list for next year's ITK - just my guess

 

[Sonet]

Oh I agree. The dives were great. Viking Queen, I don't want to start an argument over this. As Deepstop said, the last days trip were the ones scheduled for later. On Sat 7/12/08 the PM dive was scheduled for on dock 1 PM and leave 1:30 PM. The person that was told to chill out was saying to her husband that she was upset because of the tardiness. She was not talking to the Captain. Then all of a sudden he says "Chill out" in a not so professional tone. Trust me, if it would have been me that got talked too that way there would have been an issue.

Viking Queen, do you work for Slate or are related to that day's Capt. Please get the facts straight before trying to engage in a discussion.

 

[Pirate Lady]

I work for Captain Slates Atlantis Dive Center. Viking Queen does not work, live,nor is she related to anyone here. She is a frequent diver with us.
I won't get into any discussions with any one in reguard to their opinions, everyone has one. But, I will say this much; Subaboard booked the trip to Molasses and French on the morning trip which takes us a little longer to return, which to my knowledge, everyone was aware of.
The Captain who told the woman to "chill out" was annoyed by this person, who was complaining about the ramp being moved, to be replaced by the larger ramp in order to accomodate a diver in a "wheel chair."
Now sir, I have my facts straight and if you care to discuss any of the TRUE facts, I will be more than happy to speak to you.

Thank you,

 

[Sonet]

No. We were not aware that the boat would be coming late. And if a PAYING customer is complaining about something it should be addressed in a professional manner with out raising your voice in front of everyone.