danclem
Contributor
Hi All:
We just returned (October 22-29) from diving in La Paz with Club Cantamar. Because of safety concerns (and the fatality discussion below), the post below was made on Undercurrent, and again placed here.
This is a difficult review, as our condo was nice, the food provided our group (Scott Geitler, Bluewater Photo out of LA), was adequate, and the underwater photography (whale sharks & other critters) was outstanding. That said, we experienced major safety issues on boats and with air. To be specific: 1.) There were no 02 analyzers on any boats (diving was Nitrox), so divers used ones that myself and others brought down. 2.) There were no safety briefings on board regarding where life preservers, O2, and first aid kit were located (see on-board fire below).
3.) After returning from a dive, one boat ran out of fuel. We found out later fuel tanks were not dipped previous night. 4.) The port engine on one boat (Uno Mas) kept cutting out, and finally died. Water from rinse buckets was used to replace evaporated radiator water. The next day we went out on Uno Mas, experienced similar problems, compounded by a small electrical fire. When I went to find a fire extinguisher in the cabin, I could not find one. Fire was extinguished with water. 5.) One day several divers started coughing during their dives. When they surfaced, their air appeared bad. The next day we checked air prior to departing, and there was a nauseatingly strong organic smell and taste. It appeared compressor oil had leaked past the filters into all tanks. Since we had 30 divers, this was a major logistical issue, with dives cancelled and folks hacking for several hours. Still waiting to hear about possible refunds. 6.) Cantamar's solution to the bad air in compressor lines and tanks was to drain tanks and refill with "clean" air from their live-aboard. While reduced,
the organic smell and taste were still present. Responsible dive operators would have cleaned tanks prior to reuse.
7.) The owner briefly met with us. While apologizing for the screw-ups, his response was "Sh*t happens."
My group of Seattle area divers are extremely experienced and have traveled extensively around the globe. We had a fun time, and had excellent photos/videos. This could have been tragic (or fatal) with less experienced divers. Had the engine fire been more severe, it could have been fatal for divers on Uno Mas. Cannot recommend Cantamar for diving. They are currently not a safe operation and apparently do not care to clean up their act.
Dan Clements
We just returned (October 22-29) from diving in La Paz with Club Cantamar. Because of safety concerns (and the fatality discussion below), the post below was made on Undercurrent, and again placed here.
This is a difficult review, as our condo was nice, the food provided our group (Scott Geitler, Bluewater Photo out of LA), was adequate, and the underwater photography (whale sharks & other critters) was outstanding. That said, we experienced major safety issues on boats and with air. To be specific: 1.) There were no 02 analyzers on any boats (diving was Nitrox), so divers used ones that myself and others brought down. 2.) There were no safety briefings on board regarding where life preservers, O2, and first aid kit were located (see on-board fire below).
3.) After returning from a dive, one boat ran out of fuel. We found out later fuel tanks were not dipped previous night. 4.) The port engine on one boat (Uno Mas) kept cutting out, and finally died. Water from rinse buckets was used to replace evaporated radiator water. The next day we went out on Uno Mas, experienced similar problems, compounded by a small electrical fire. When I went to find a fire extinguisher in the cabin, I could not find one. Fire was extinguished with water. 5.) One day several divers started coughing during their dives. When they surfaced, their air appeared bad. The next day we checked air prior to departing, and there was a nauseatingly strong organic smell and taste. It appeared compressor oil had leaked past the filters into all tanks. Since we had 30 divers, this was a major logistical issue, with dives cancelled and folks hacking for several hours. Still waiting to hear about possible refunds. 6.) Cantamar's solution to the bad air in compressor lines and tanks was to drain tanks and refill with "clean" air from their live-aboard. While reduced,
the organic smell and taste were still present. Responsible dive operators would have cleaned tanks prior to reuse.
7.) The owner briefly met with us. While apologizing for the screw-ups, his response was "Sh*t happens."
My group of Seattle area divers are extremely experienced and have traveled extensively around the globe. We had a fun time, and had excellent photos/videos. This could have been tragic (or fatal) with less experienced divers. Had the engine fire been more severe, it could have been fatal for divers on Uno Mas. Cannot recommend Cantamar for diving. They are currently not a safe operation and apparently do not care to clean up their act.
Dan Clements
