Costa Rica Divers BEWARE of Rich Coast Diving

[kent_1848]

Sounds to me like it was just a bad day, as Doc said sometimes the stars just line up. I dove with Rich Coast before the current owners took over, and had a few issues, but nothing that I really cared about. Maybe it has changed a lot, but I can't imagine that it has.

I know where the dive sites are that you are talking about, and I've been farther from shore at the local lake! If you really thought you were in danger, then you should probably give up diving, because these things happen, and sometimes a lot further out. I'm not saying that what happened was right, in fact it probably sucked. It would probably be enough for me to go to a different dive op as well. Sorry you didn't get to the Catalina's, because you would have had a much better time.

kwonger81 - As far as the safety issue, and the Catalinas being for experienced divers only, don't believe everything you read. I've had more challenging dives in quarries. I took a very good friend with me on our 3 tank trip and those dives were his 8th, 9th & 10th. Maybe he was just an extraordinary diver, but I didn't think so. I don't know where the expert divers only thing got started, probably the depths we were at, and the currents...which were less severe than Coz.

Doc- as far as wetsuits, if you go during our summer, then a 3mm full is fine, if you go during our winter, I would have a 5mm with gloves and hood. 7mm just seems too much, and cuts off too much movement for me. Of course, I'm fairly hot blooded, but I hate to be cold in the water.

 

[ticokitty]

Rich Coast - If you guys want me to come and check you out, I'll be back in Costa Rica soon enough and, as a service to the site, I would be happy to dive for free and write a glowing report about the dives.

I think that this is an excellent thread and am glad I hopped on here. It is important for companies to see how what may appear to them as a "little thing" can turn into a big concern for the customer and the negative experience can turn a lot of buisness away.
I stopped using one company there because a member of their staff kept being sleezy with me when I was at ladies night and it made me uncomfortable to dive with him - in turn, I steered other divers away from that company. Another company that I stayed away from I had heard terrible things from other folks who had worked there. So, there you go.

I do know that all of the companies in that Flamingo area were able to coordinate an amazing search and rescue for a downed plane this past summer. Sadly, there were no survivors including 2 young children that went to my school. If your company was involved in that, I thank you for you help.

Costa Rica is an amazing country and the Guanacaste region's charm is connected with the Pura Vida chillness. Nothing ever seemed to go the way I expected or planned there and flexibility seems to be a necessity. I can understand the attitude on the Tico side (it will work out but sometimes takes awhile) and the frustration that folks from faster cultures have because I have struggled with it many times.

As for the level of dive ability needed to navigate the Catalinas, I will have to raise some question there. My father did his OW there and he is 72. There are a lot of little sites around those islands and any dive master worth their salt would be able to judge the conditions of the water, divers, and be able to pick one that would work. I wouldn't drag a first timer through the channel but Dos Somberos is a fairy land and quite easy. I also took students out there to dive as well.

 

[hardware guy]

Mari,
In response to the negative diving experience at Rich Coast Diving in Costa Rica, I was on that boat with you, I'm from Saint Paul, MN, NEVER did I feel in danger, not once! I dove two days with Rich Coast and found them highly professional. They were friendly, helpful, and knowledgable. Martin, Brenda, Brittinna, Johann, and the rest of the staff made my diving experience one that I will remember. This was an adventure not a risk or life threatening trip. How do you plan for a engine out and a radio not working? Which was caused by one in the same. I was coming out of the head when the first mate tried to radio the shop to send help. Do to the nature of the engine malfunction the radio did not work. Oh well. You say you know the risks envolved in diving. But do you really? I think that you should stay home and maybe do the local lakes because the ocean just doesn't seem to be your piece of cake. By the way thanks for having your celphone with you, but you didn't save our lives. Isn't it amazing that everyone else on the cruise has a different perspective than yours? I worked in the airline industry for 13 years, do you want to talk about mishaps and problems and near death experiences? Grow up and learn that mishaps happen and they are a part of life.
If you are diving in Costa Rica or thinking about it, Rich Coast is the obvious choice. Again I don't work for Rich Coast nor are they paying me. I truely enjoyed the experience. When I go back with my Son and Daughter, Rich Coast is where they will DIVE.

 

[hardware guy]

This is probably the worst revue of anything I have ever read. Mari, I was on that boat with you and yes Martin did thank you as I was standing next to you and your Husband for the entirefd ride. In fact I talked to your Husband about my Wife's cousin's who live in Portland. I was right next to the cockpit for the entire ride and listened to every word that was said. Let's get through the dramatic's and tell what a great job they did getting us back. We had Fresca, Oreo cookies, water, and fresh pinapple, what else do we need? Hey, we almost got a free ride to Hawaii. Rich Coast lets do it again sometime.

Mark

 

[marigodiva]

Mark-

Andy here... Mari's husband. Thanks for your perspective...some good points. I only want to respond to a couple of your points in which we disagree. 1. You plan for a broken motor by having a back-up motor. Unfortunately, they were already using the back-up motor, so I guess a back-up, back-up motor might have been appropriate. 2. As for a non-functioning radio, you plan for that by having a dedicated radio battery, extra battery, or a cell phone, which again, they did not have on that day. Luckily, I threw Mari's cell phone in my bag, or we might have been out there a lot longer, and we might have had to rely on luck from then on.

My perspective on this is based partly due to what happened in Belize last year to an Oregon med student and some other divers. I don't know if you heard or read anything about that trip last year in Belize where a boat went out without proper equipment, and unfortunately, people ended up dying. I am in NO WAY saying that what happened to them is equal to what happened to us. I'll repeat it again. What happened to us is in NO WAY equal or close to what happened to them. My point is that if you are not prepared and end up having to rely solely on luck, it could eventually run out. For me personally, I learned a valuable lesson that day not to put all my faith into another persons hands. I should have asked more questions and made sure that I was comfortable with their level of preparation and the condition of the boat before I ever went out. I appreciate your feedback, and I'm glad you had a great experience with them. I wish I could say the same...

 

[SMLost]

Well I just completed 10 days of diving (logged 20 dives) with Rich Coast Diving on March 9th. It was a great experience. Excellent staff and super service. Staff could not do enough for me. Martin and Brenda were very up front about everything. The boats were well equipped; radios, cell phones, extra dive gear including extra wet suits, etc. Safety was paramount in the mind of the DMs. Never felt unsafe and everyone I dove with over the 10 days, both students and divers alike were quite happy with the experience. Conditions were challenging at times but worth it. Martin and Brenda cannot control (even though they tried) visibility and weather. As for the cold water...I dove in a 2.5 mil shorty...for 18 of my 20 dives!!!!

John

 

[kent_1848]

1. You plan for a broken motor by having a back-up motor. Unfortunately, they were already using the back-up motor, so I guess a back-up, back-up motor might have been appropriate....

Sorry, but I laughed when I read this and had to respond. I'm curious, do you have a back-up motor for your car? How about a back-up battery? I'm starting to think you have some unrealistic expectations about dive boats. I have only been on one dive boat that had a back-up motor, and that was with Rich Coast.

 

[Darnold9999]

It is truly amazing the differing expectation levels there are out there. Not pointing fingers here because I wasn't there, but you are not at home - far to many tourists expect that their home country standards will apply wherever they go.

Having an engine fail is pretty common, no big deal - as long as you have a backup plan. Having the radio fail is quite a bit more of a concern and I suspect was a learning experience for the new owners. Hopefully they learned from this and have a better backup plan so that if the engine dies the radio does not.

Condemning them on a public board and stretching the truth of the experience is a little bit over the top however.

They didn't say thank you for the use of the phone, no effort at all to make amends - didn't sound realistic when I read it the first time and the further account by someone else on the boat at the same time seems a bit more like what actually happened. It sounds like the danger was in your own mind and that the crew/owners responded to the actual danger and inconvenience rather than your perception of the danger and inconvenience.

Therein lies the real issue - and a lesson that both sides can learn from. The owners need to be aware of the real fears of those that are not truly comfortable on the ocean and deal with these fears and expectations immediately. Some travellers need to be a little more flexible when it comes to things that go wrong on vacations. Think of it as an adventure that turned out well rather than a catastrophe that was barely averted.

 

[sunnybuns]

I'm a little surprised by some of the responses on the board from both sides here. I DO think it's not reasonable to expect every aspect of every single dive to go as planned. I also think it's the diver's responsibility to make sure he/she is adequately prepared for the dive itself (e.g. Only you know your comfort levels regarding temperature). However, I have to say, the attitude is also a little too laid back for a dive operator who has to have something like this to happen to know you "might" want to start carrying a cellphone? Yes, nothing happened, and yes, it may have been a minor oversight, but I would have to wonder if it is the same attitude with your safety equipment. Something no one has mentioned here is that if an accident had occurred on board, someone could have died in this situation with no way of contacting anyone. Overdramatic? Maybe. Impossible? No. I have been on dives with operators in which every "i" has been dotted and every "t" has been crossed and I would gladly go in any condition whatsoever with those safety-conscious operators. Things do happen that are beyond control sometimes, but the difference is that some are proactive and some are REactive. I'd rather stick to the proactive ones. I would hope that Rich Coast was humbled by the experience and decided to become one of those instead.

 

[Missdirected]

It is truly amazing the differing expectation levels there are out there. Not pointing fingers here because I wasn't there, but you are not at home - far to many tourists expect that their home country standards will apply wherever they go.

Having an engine fail is pretty common, no big deal - as long as you have a backup plan. Having the radio fail is quite a bit more of a concern and I suspect was a learning experience for the new owners. Hopefully they learned from this and have a better backup plan so that if the engine dies the radio does not.

Condemning them on a public board and stretching the truth of the experience is a little bit over the top however.

They didn't say thank you for the use of the phone, no effort at all to make amends - didn't sound realistic when I read it the first time and the further account by someone else on the boat at the same time seems a bit more like what actually happened. It sounds like the danger was in your own mind and that the crew/owners responded to the actual danger and inconvenience rather than your perception of the danger and inconvenience.

Therein lies the real issue - and a lesson that both sides can learn from. The owners need to be aware of the real fears of those that are not truly comfortable on the ocean and deal with these fears and expectations immediately. Some travellers need to be a little more flexible when it comes to things that go wrong on vacations. Think of it as an adventure that turned out well rather than a catastrophe that was barely averted.

Kudos - very good - my thoughts exactly. Boats break down. You just missed one thing - there was an anchor as well if the guys decided they didn't want to drift.

I have been on many boats that have broken down. You make the best of it, that is all you can do. Heck I was on a boat that we had to hand pump the fuel! You know what, we made the best of it. We still laugh about it to this day.

I think everyone agrees on the phone/radio bit, so I will say nothing there.