Coco View Problems, First Hand Report

[DandyDon]

I was happy to be back at Fantasy Island, start to finish but I'd long wanted a look at Utilla, along with a chance to see a Whale Shark, and opted for the $120 day trip sponsored by the resort across the channel, including two tank dives and a byo-$ lunch at Utilla Lodge. I checked my Nitrox tanks, staged my gear on the dock where we were to be boarded, ran back for a fast 7am breakfast, then back to the dock for the 7:30am boarding.

I quickly noticed that the boat was very stoic in apparent eqiuipment, and asked "Hey man, where are the life preservers - the 'salva vidas' (not referring to the wonderful Honduan beer)...??" "Oh, no mon, we don't carry no life preservers. :upset: I quickly ran to my dive boat and borrowed two - one for me, and one for the college girl without a parent on board. "Good pillows, man"

30 minutes into the trip, I thought we should have cleared West End on this "fast boat", but certainly hadn't, and I noticed the wheelman fighting with the engine, then the hombres exchanging negative looks while talking. Trying to be patient, I opted for a nap on my salva vida, woke 30 minutes later, looked around and said: "Utilla looks a lot like Roatan on the way back from West End, huh?" Took them an hour to give up. We were heading back, and loosing speed significantly.

My exercised patience grew thin, and I was on the verge of pulling my own one watt/five watt portalbe marine radio (yeah, I'm one of those) out to call my own dock for help, when I saw a small boat coming out. Not big enough to tow us, but I kept my mouth shut for five more minutes. The new hombres had five one-gallon jugs of transmission fluid. Okay, we're going to pour fluid into a hot transmission? I remember fires on the family farm started the same way, and asked: "Hey, man, where is your fire extinguisher?" "No, mon, we ain't got no fire extinguisher." :fire:

I put on my salva vida and suggested the coed do the same; she asked if I could swim? "Yeah, mayabe the whole mile to shore, if I survive the explosion in good shape, dragging the injured. Not!" I laid her's down, and hoped for the best. We got lucky.

We got back to FI dockside, and they offered to get another boat and try again. I declined politely, as did all others, but I'm sure I'll never again try anything to do with Coco View. I've tried to keep an open mind while reading other reports, until I could form my own opinion, but by gawd - :moon: now I got one!

 

[cxg31s]

Ok so you stayed at Fantasy Island and took a whale shark dive trip to Utila sponsored by Coco View, correct? Did you book it through a Fantasy Island or a CocoView rep? Did you end up getting your money back? Did you speak to the rep at CocoView about this? What was the resolution? Just curious about the rest of the story....

Thanks for posting this--I'm sorry that what should have been a great experience turned out to be such a nightmare!

 

[pdoege]

Pouring oil into a hot machine.

Did that once

That sounds like an "adventure".

Glad all went well.

Peter

 

[Dee]

Did CCV pick you up at FI? If so, that's unusual....FI usually brings their customers over on their own dingy.

Yes, there should have been life jackets on board, especially for the ride to Utila. Since the boats are seldom more than a couple hundred yards from shore, we've never worried about it.

As for the engine trouble, I'd like to mention the FI boat that sank and our CCV picked their divers up two years ago. And last year during our visit, FI was using one of CCV's boats for the 4th week in a row because all their's were being repaired.

dandydon once bubbled...
I've tried to keep an open mind while reading other reports, until I could form my own opinion, but by gawd - :moon: now I got one!

And I'm quite sure they have one of their about you too! Just leave CCV to those of us who love it there.

Bottom line is all resorts have trouble from time to time. They tend to help each other out, especially those who are close neighbors like CCV and FI. It's to both their advantages to do so. If the worst than ever happens to you is an aborted day trip due to engine trouble, then consider yourself lucky. I hope the next resort you attend has the perfect scenarios you expect.

 

[jerrycsr]

Thanks for keeping us informed about this horrible place. Definitely on my won't-visit-anytime soon list.

 

[DandyDon]

Dee once bubbled...
Bottom line is all resorts have trouble from time to time. They tend to help each other out, especially those who are close neighbors like CCV and FI. It's to both their advantages to do so. If the worst than ever happens to you is an aborted day trip due to engine trouble, then consider yourself lucky. I hope the next resort you attend has the perfect scenarios you expect.

Yeah, yeah, yeah... :boxing: I know that everybody has problems, everyone makes mistakes, this is Central America not Disneyland, and all that. I never expect perfection in anyone or anything...


LET ME BE VERY CLEAR ON THIS...

(1) NO BOAT SHOULD LEAVE THE ISLAND WITHOUT LIFE PRESERVERS, MUCH LESS TAKE TOURISTS ACROSS A CHANNEL WITHOUT THEM!! and

(2) NO BOAT SHOULD START ANY ENGINE MUCH LESS TAKE TOURISTS ON BOARD WITHOUT A FIRE EXTINGUISHER!! (Ever see a fiberglass boat burn? I have; not something anyone would want to experience - especially a mile from shore.

This complete disregard of safety by a commercial operator is but one example, but a harsh one. "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me." Gomer Pyle