Diving in the Panama City area

[Yarbrough]

Off topic-
Todd, would you consider starting a thread about the details of what happened to Shawn Ward on the jetties today? Thats a story that needs to be told and I know I don't have all of it.[/QUOTE]

Pat, I would love to, but I am afraid I don't know the whole story.

 

[RaginCajun]

Todd, the dive was with you and Dive locker. Again it was just an observation and it sounds like this is no longer an issue. It was a 6 pack with me and a family consisting of a student and her family from up north who dive once a year.

My lessons learned are:

1. Find out how many people will be on the boat and as much as possible about your pending insta-buddy situation
2. Get details on meeting place/time/transport etc
3. Ask where your going dive (what sites etc)
4. Ask when the trip leaves, and when it returns.
5. Check with the shop or others to make sure you adhere to the correct tipping situation
6. O2 on the boat? Who's certified for what?

I'll be heading down there in a few weeks and really want to diversify from the same ole vanilla Destin dives, so I'll be definitely hitting up Panama City Beach and possibly Pensacola.

See yall soon!!

 

[Yarbrough]

I knew it was us, probably capt Pat or Jim Main, Sorry about that man, but hopefully you'll give us another shot.

Todd

 

[PatMyGreen]

It was situations like RajinCajun described that prompted the Dive Locker to buy their own boat, instead of paying independent 6 pack charters to take their customers out..... not fueling up before the customers got picked up and making them pay the fee at the state park..... thats weak!! Sorry anyone had to deal with that while on vacation.

There wasn't anything the shop could have done about that situation except never use the Captain again, and if I had to guess they don't. FYI even my 6 pack leaves from a commercial dock.

I knew it was us, probably capt Pat or Jim Main,....
Todd

Also, there are two of us Capt Pats. I'm the skinny young one for lack of better descriptors. The other guy drives the Downtime.

 

[Yarbrough]

Sorry guys, not Pat Green, Pat Kennedy

 

[jviehe]

Todd, the dive was with you and Dive locker. Again it was just an observation and it sounds like this is no longer an issue. It was a 6 pack with me and a family consisting of a student and her family from up north who dive once a year.

My lessons learned are:

1. Find out how many people will be on the boat and as much as possible about your pending insta-buddy situation
2. Get details on meeting place/time/transport etc
3. Ask where your going dive (what sites etc)
4. Ask when the trip leaves, and when it returns.
5. Check with the shop or others to make sure you adhere to the correct tipping situation
6. O2 on the boat? Who's certified for what?

I'll be heading down there in a few weeks and really want to diversify from the same ole vanilla Destin dives, so I'll be definitely hitting up Panama City Beach and possibly Pensacola.

See yall soon!!

Also, insta-buddies are rarely a good thing. Youre best off arranging your own ahead of time. But yes, always good to research your charter. Ive been entirely satisfied with Dive Lockers new boats, and have yet to see the boat full.

 

[PatMyGreen]

My lessons learned are:

1. Find out how many people will be on the boat and as much as possible about your pending insta-buddy situation
2. Get details on meeting place/time/transport etc
3. Ask where your going dive (what sites etc)
4. Ask when the trip leaves, and when it returns.
5. Check with the shop or others to make sure you adhere to the correct tipping situation
6. O2 on the boat? Who's certified for what?

I just reread this, and wow, what a great set of things to pay attention to or ask about. If people knew to ask these questions 95% of the shenanigans we read about people being upset probably would never happen (operators and customers). Really happy to see that you included tipping, my deckhands bust their butts and I hate it when they don't get their due because people just don't know. Most of the Captains I know try to say once somewhere on the trip to please take care of the deckhand/DM if he takes care of you. But we all tend to hate mentioning money in general for fear of being perceived as holding our hands out or just being pushy.

 

[mike_s]

4. Ask when the trip leaves, and when it returns.

Something that I'd wish that I always ask and WISH OTHERS WOULD TOO in addititon to the "when does the trip leave" is:

what time do I need to be at the shop befor the trip and/or what time do I need to be at the boat?

It's frustrating for everyone to be on the boat, boat ready to leave, and someone comes up right at 7am to get on the boat when it is a 7am departure. Then they have to make 3 trips to their car to get their stuff while everyone is wondering why we havne't left yet...

so.... for those certain people, you know who you are, BE ON TIME at for the stated arrival time at the boat. not the departure time.

(note this wasn't directed at who I quoted, RajunCajun, but those who show up to the boat late...)

 

[jviehe]

I just reread this, and wow, what a great set of things to pay attention to or ask about. If people knew to ask these questions 95% of the shenanigans we read about people being upset probably would never happen (operators and customers). Really happy to see that you included tipping, my deckhands bust their butts and I hate it when they don't get their due because people just don't know. Most of the Captains I know try to say once somewhere on the trip to please take care of the deckhand/DM if he takes care of you. But we all tend to hate mentioning money in general for fear of being perceived as holding our hands out or just being pushy.

Speaking of which, as an operator, do you pay your DMs a wage for the work expected of them, or is their only income from tips? I wonder if tipping DMs has become like waitresses, such that we now feel that in order to even get the minimum service anymore, we have to tip, regardless of the job done. Isnt tipping supposed to be when an individual feel the DM has done something above and beyond whats expected of them? As an operator, what do you expect of your DMs?

I agree, that if people would simply ask what to expect form a charter before signing up, theyd be much more happy. People expect to just hop on the boat and the captain will somehow know where they want to go and what they want to do, but most times the captain asks, no one speaks up (except me).

 

[PatMyGreen]

I actually pay my DM/deckhand a decent trip rate, $75. Other charters that I am familiar with pay only $25 or not at all and the rest comes from tips. I think they are the best people I could hope to get and I pay them as such. Obviously the inspected vessels that take out more than 6 can be pretty lucrative if everyone tips 20% even if the deckhand only makes $25 from the charter as wage.

Not paying the DM/deckhand a wage is another way of cutting costs so that the boat can still run with a small number of people onboard. To break it down to the basic economics a trip to the Bart costs me $100 in fuel (marina gas is $5.00) and $75 to the deckhand. So I need 3 paying divers to beat operating costs before we talk about insurance ($4000), dockage ($5400) and maintenance ($you don't want to know$). Don't forget sales tax takes 6% of my side too. So it would be far cheaper to trailer my boat, run uninsured and not have a deckhand, there are some guys that do it here!!! Hell now I want to be a deckhand, he is making more money than me!!! In seriousness, hopefully you can see the temptation to not pay a DM by running those numbers. Worth noting is that those inspected vessels have about the same yearly cost and operating expenses but they have to pay a Captain as well since none of the owners are running them.

I feel like I should say that to me good tips are a bonus but tips in general are customary.

Personally I tend to overtip (>20%) both eating in a restaurant or on a charter unless I feel I have been neglected or worse. This is probably because I waited tables for 8 years while I was in high school and college (yes it took alittle longer than it should have to get out of college!) and the service industry is rough unless you are in a 5 star or high end establishment. If you treat others with respect and are rational you are not representative of the public at large. Fortunately divers tend to be of a higher caliber person as a whole. but I have really digressed at this point.