Failing a wreck... and not only

[mad]

Hi buddies,

I was in Gili Trawangan close to Lombok, Indonesia, a very beautiful hippie Island where you can move only by horses or bikes, no cars, no noises, that's very special and people is kind and nice!
I choose a dive center close to our resort.... bad choise!

We failed 4 on 10 dives: 3 walls and a wreck!
2 dives... figthing against the drift so after 25 minutes we had to quit
1 dive... missed wall :huh:
1 dive... failed wreck...

Here's a picture, close to the bottom... of sand, looking for the wreck that was about 50-100 mt from us:

1 failed dive on 10 is accettable, but 4?

The problem is that part is about 24 hours of trip from my home... and I came home with this bad but funny experience.
I paid because I didn't want them to think I was complaining for having a discount.

What would you do in a case like this?

Bye, Marco

 

[victor]

Did the operator offer any discount?
Did they have any justification as to why they had missed the sites?

Name the operator here and in your review on the web site.
Without this info there is nothing to stop others having a simillar experience.

 

[mad]

Did the operator offer any discount?

no, we only didn't pay the sand dive (it should have been the wreck)

Did they have any justification as to why they had missed the sites?

always for the drift but I can say the drift was not so strong, really not.

Name the operator here and in your review on the web site.
Without this info there is nothing to stop others having a simillar experience.

I did in my site, here I don't know if it's possible, btw it's Trawangan Dive and I also noticed them this by e-mail.

ciao, Marco

 

[miketsp]

..snip..
The problem is that part is about 24 hours of trip from my home... and I came home with this bad but funny experience.
..snip..

No experience is bad provided you get out alive and learn something from it so it doesn't happen again.
4 out of 10 is unacceptably bad and really means that someone should be rethinking their navigation techniques.
I dive a lot of unbuoyed wrecks and the normal technique we use is to locate it on the GPS and then cross the location slowly while watching the echosounder until we get the wreck shape and then the DM dives vertically with a line. The main group only dives when we have a shot line to the wreck. No wreck means no dive and no payment.
Occasionally we have been unable to locate a wreck even after various tries so we move to another site. The dive is not wasted.

..snip..
I paid because I didn't want them to think I was complaining for having a discount.

What would you do in a case like this?

Bye, Marco

Why didn't you want them to think you were only complaining to get a discount.
I would have complained and asked for a discount if they didn't spontaneously offer one.

 

[mad]

maybe I was wrong but 50 $ of discount wouldn't have changed anything is a trip so long and expensive....

As for the wreck I couldn't believe the way they managed it: GPS than when in position they dropped a rope with a belt with about 10-20 kg of weights... no anchor,no line to follow, so you can imagine the boat movinge pulling that rope and infact in the bottom we could see the signs in the sand... no words!

When we arrived al -43 mt (with nitrox!!!) they didn't want to stop immediatly the dive and so we tried to look for the wreck for about 5 minutes then I had only 70 bar left and I decided to stop and quit with my gf.

 

[Xman]

...snip...When we arrived al -43 mt (with nitrox!!!) they didn't want to stop immediatly the dive and so we tried to look for the wreck for about 5 minutes then I had only 70 bar left and I decided to stop and quit with my gf.

I agree with you about them finding the wreck, but what depth YOU dive to with YOUR breathing gas is totally up to YOU. No operator can make you exceed your MOD. Not that this is necessarily the case but it appears to be what you are implying.

 

[Drewski]

Hey mad:

Sounds like your dive operator was either an amateur, or had very inexperienced people working for them that day. That's like the pilot of an airplane being unable to find the airport he or she is taking you to. Would you pay the airline? I wouldn't...

Sorry about you bad experience. Maybe next time you could look up dive centers before you go and make plans?

GOOD Luck!

 

[mad]

Maybe next time you could look up dive centers before you go and make plans?

yes, of course! I will!! even if I never could imagine something like this.

ciao, Marco

 

[scarefaceDM]

Ciao Marco

Sorry to hear about your missed dives. But if you pay for some thing then you should expect it or get refunded. No questions about it. I would write to them and make a formal complaint. Even if you get 50$ back...atleast you made your point.

Now if you want to get some good wreck diving and experience some fresh water diving...you should consider diving in Canada, the Saint Lawrence river is loaded with ship wrecks from 30 feet to 250 feet. Lake Ontario has some great ship wreckss aswell.

safe dives, Ciao Marco

Stephen

 

[String]

As for the wreck I couldn't believe the way they managed it: GPS than when in position they dropped a rope with a belt with about 10-20 kg of weights... no anchor,no line to follow, so you can imagine the boat movinge pulling that rope and infact in the bottom we could see the signs in the sand... no words!

Confused here, did they drop a shot line in or didnt they?