Trip Report CAYMAN BRAC BEACH RESORT/REEF DIVERS

[tursiops]

Wow @tursiops what on earth is up today? You know that the second morning dive is shallow, not to exceed 60-80ft, and usually involves at least 10 minutes off gassing under the boat. Then you have about a 90 minute surface interval before the even more shallow afternoon dive. Why so harsh??

Sorry, but folks who forget computers, dive anyway, ignore best practices, get called on it and then whine about it really tic me off.
Where is your dividing line between OK and unsafe? Apparently 80 feet for an unknown amount of time doesn't bother you. Well, it should. Use a computer or a timing device/depth-gauge/tables and quit making assumptions about what is OK and what isn't.

 

[ReadyDiverOne]

Sorry, but folks who forget computers, dive anyway, ignore best practices, get called on it and then whine about it really tic me off.
Where is your dividing line between OK and unsafe? Apparently 80 feet for an unknown amount of time doesn't bother you. Well, it should. Use a computer or a timing device/depth-gauge/tables and quit making assumptions about what is OK and what isn't.

Dude he forgot his computer on the 12th or 13th dive of the trip; the OP says he dove a conservative profile, presumably meaning no deeper than the guide (and they usually stay at or around 60 ft on the second morning dive); and you know full well that Reef Divers strictly enforce the 60 minute rule. So, no, I don’t find that risky or reckless behavior nor do I think the diver was “ignoring” the rules. You are obviously far, far more experienced and knowledgeable than me, but I stand by my view that your reaction is unwarranted and too harsh.

 

[Joneill]

Wow @tursiops what on earth is up today? You know that the second morning dive is shallow, not to exceed 60-80ft, and usually involves at least 10 minutes off gassing under the boat. Then you have about a 90 minute surface interval before the even more shallow afternoon dive. Why so harsh??

Ignore him - in my experience here, that poster is often a sanctimonious blowhard.

By any reasonable measure, prohibiting the next day’s dives was completely unreasonable given the profiles that are dived there. Arguing otherwise is just ridiculous, in my opinion.

 

[NothingClever]

Wow @tursiops what on earth is up today?

Today?

I put him on “Ignore” quite a while ago.

He never has a positive or encouraging word for anybody and his position on matters is always absolute.

Technical expert? Maybe.

Leader or influential voice in the dive industry? I don’t think so.

Perpetually quarrelsome? Most definitely.

 

[NothingClever]

First of all, the resort was fantastic. Wonderful location, clean and cold rooms, pool was stunning and included a hot tub. Plenty of lounge chairs and hammocks on the beach. The food - every meal was top notch and the staff was so friendly and knew everyone's name. Very impressive. I had a massage by Grace and it was one of the best massages ever. I was very impressed with the resort and the people.

We had high hopes for our dive trip with Reef Divers, but unfortunately, the service fell short of expectations. Before even stepping onto the boat, we were faced with approximately ten pages of waivers to complete, which felt excessive and tedious. While safety and liability considerations are essential, the sheer volume of paperwork detracted from the excitement of the experience.

Once onboard, the focus of the briefing was more on boat cleanliness rules than on essential diving procedures, which felt excessive and misplaced. While maintaining a clean and respectful environment is important, a 30-minute session emphasizing trivial matters like "no snot" and "no peeing in wetsuits" seemed unnecessary and took away from what should have been a professional and welcoming introduction to the diving experience.

Our disappointment continued when an issue arose regarding my husband's dive eligibility. Having forgotten his dive computer on the second dive of the day (shallow dive), he followed a conservative dive profile as an experienced diver. Note this was the on Thursday and we had been diving with the same crew since Sunday - so they were familiar with the fact that he was a conservative and very chill diver. Despite this, the dive shop made the abrupt decision to ban him from the afternoon dive that day, which, while frustrating, seemed to be an enforcement of their rules. However, what was completely unacceptable was being notified just five minutes before departure the next day that he was barred from diving on the last day at the resort—without any prior discussion or explanation. Forced to argue our case through the boat captain, as the onsite manager refused to speak with us directly, we finally received approval from the head guy that happened to be at the resort that day from the states. The lack of communication, inconsistency in rule enforcement, and dismissive attitude from management made for an unpleasant experience.

Adding to our concerns, we witnessed a troubling safety issue on another vessel. An overweight and out-of-shape diver, who was reportedly a frequent guest of the resort, was allowed to vape onboard and appeared exempt from standard safety rules. This preferential treatment led to an alarming situation where an ambulance was called—an incident that could have been avoided with proper enforcement of diving protocols. Seeing this disregard for safety reinforced our impression that the operation prioritized personal relationships over professionalism and diver welfare.

Overall, our experience with Reef Divers did not meet our expectations, and with all of the options available in the Caribbean we won't return.

Thanks for the insight and perspective.

 

[tursiops]

Thanks for the insight and perspective.

I guess you are not interested in the other side of the story. Enjoy fantasy land.

 

[tridacna]

I guess you are not interested in the other side of the story. Enjoy fantasy land.

Hmmm…I strongly suspect that it’s YOU that’s not interested in the other side of the story.

 

[tursiops]

Hmmm…I strongly suspect that it’s YOU that’s not interested in the other side of the story.

Really? I would LOVE to hear what Reef Divers says about both the exclusion incident and the "vaping VIP."

 

[ReadyDiverOne]

Really? I would LOVE to hear what Reef Divers says about both the exclusion incident and the "vaping VIP."

Well, now you're shifting your position to imply that the facts are not as the OP says. But of course, all of our comments have been predicated on the OP's recital of the facts, which by the way seem credible and consistent. Saying you'd love to hear Reef Divers's side is an admission that you've lost on the those facts and want some other new facts. Sheesh.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

I put him on “Ignore” quite a while ago.

That doesn't seem to be working out very well!