First dives after OW cert - lesson learned

[chepar]

Hey ptc -

Welcome to the board! As far as diving operators out here that offer 2 tank dives and stay shallow on both, that is something that I'm having trouble finding. The only ones that seem to stay shallow operate in Maunalua Bay - and are primarily cater to tourists. That they cater to tourists in itself is not a problem - the problem comes about when they have the mindset that they will most likely not see these tourists again, so they don't really care how they treat their customers.

As far as those 3 operators that were involved in that terrible dive I went on, I can add another to the list. (If you want their names, email me). I was thinking of going diving this weekend, and wanted to stay shallow again. Looked around, called a different company and asked a few pertinent questions - turns out they're also affiliated somehow with that operator(s) I originally went with. It's strange - all these operators have different company names, different phone numbers, websites, etc. - but they're all somehow the same. This just makes me suspicious of any of those operators out there. :upset:

I have heard good things about Captain Bruce's and Ocean Concepts - but I haven't actually gone out with either yet. Also, their first dive is usually to one of the wrecks and in the 80 - 90 ft. range. An option you may think about is if the first dive is too deep, dive the second dive only - they'll usually charge less if you do that.

I'd be glad to go diving with you when you're here - but I will be in New Zealand the last 2 weeks of March. If you're going to be here into April, let me know, perhaps we can meet up.

The weather should be great - today is a BEAUTIFUL day. Makes me wish I was out diving!

 

[scubabunny]

Sorry it has taken me soooo long to respond! Yep, Larry is still Couse Director here. Actually, we have 2 now..Larry and David O'Neil...we're moving up in the world! Do you remember Pete and Linda? How about Cindy? The are the main "original" people here that I can think of.

Tell you instructor to get in touch with us. So many of our instructors are transfering out this spring, so we NEED experienced instructors! Tell her to email ops@mdaguam.com to get all the info if she is interested.

I hope you will be visiting again soon! Let me know when!!

 

[AliKat]

Scubabunny,

I'll pass the info along. She'll be arriving in early June. Her husband will be there in about a month, but they have a son graduating this June, so she is staying behind so he doesn' t have to switch schools with just one semester left.

Don't know if Larry will remember me, but he did my advanced in Oct 92. I wasn't sure I liked diving at all back then! The other names don't ring a bell.

I think the shop was in Piti. It was in the same place that it was when I visited just before this past Christmas. That's Piti right? Seems like when I first arrived on Guam MDA had had two locations and had just closed one.

Anyway, I loved Guam. I already told my instructor there WILL be at least one thing I don't complete before she leaves so I'll have to come to Guam to finish.

 

[chiara]

Chepar,

what you got was a disgusting experience, but not all boats which cater for different operators are bad!

Those three did indeed seem bad: send a letter to the agency they work with, and if you have the details complain about the Dive Master as well, and remember to do the same when you feel you had a very good service (yes, it does happen!)

Sometimes it is just a matter of sharing costs and people appreciate working with each other, this way you'll usually have a better ratio DM's/customers than you would have with a smaller boat with just one company running it.

I had a wonderful experience with such an arrangement in November in Thailand, out of a whole week diving with them two or three days were just me, my buddy and the guide, mind you, we were both experienced divers (one Rescue, one Dive Master).

A large boat doesn't necessarily mean "cattle", when in Phuket there were over 30 divers and one Dive Master or Instructor every maximum 4 divers.

As for intro dives: when I did mine in Australia three years ago, we went down newbies and certified people alike and stayed down for well over half an hour on each dive, they were certainly shallow, but I reckon even the certified people enjoyed them.

When about to leave on holiday, ask around: don't take what you see on private Internet sites for granted!

I know most of you don't appreciate Rodale's, but I certainly had a lot of useful hints over there.

One last thing: I do have a couple regular buddies at home, but I always go on holiday alone, so I always have to ask the diving centre to find me a buddy, up to now I never had any problems, not even on the first dive of the week when you don't know the other person, which usually will be the buddy for the rest of your stay.

 

[rodscuba]

I can relate to your experience...I was scammed out of $240 for the OW course by a local dive shop owner/instructor here in the Miami, FL area.
I pre-paid the entire amount with a credit card and this crooked instructor then did not book me on the dive boat to complete the ocean dives!
I posted my story on this forum.

I am now looking to get my $$$ back from the credit card co. & trying to find a reputable instructor to re-take the course.

BEWARE: If you visit Florida, specially the SE coast (including the Keys); there is a ton of un-ethical dive shops/operators looking to get your credit card & charge it, then give you lousy service just like you described.

Good luck, don't get discouraged...I am looking forward to getting certified by the summer.

Rod

 

[chcs28]

I've just gotten back from my first dives since getting OW certified in November. I had been anxiously awaiting this day, but haven't gone until now because I didn't have a buddy. Decided to just go ahead with one of the tour operators/charters, rather than wait for who knows how long until I find a buddy. I figured that I would tell the crew my experience level and they could help pair me up appropriately with someone.

I specifically chose the operator I went with because both of their dives stayed shallow. I don't know any other divers, so I couldn't really get any recommendations from anyone. Most of the tour operators/shops go to one of the wrecks on the first dive - about 90-100 feet. As these would be my first, I wanted to stay within my (admittedly nervous-nellie-ish like) comfort level.

When I get to the shop, there are about 10 of us there. I become friendly with a couple (both certified divers) who have a couple of relatives with them who are taking the discover scuba tour. We go down to the dock and wait. When the boat comes, it becomes apparent that I am about to take a ride on one of the infamous "cattle boats" that I read about on this board. I looked at this operator's website and saw a picture of "their boat" - this DEFINITELY isn't it. Apparently there are bookings from several different tour operators and shops on this boat. There are about 30 divers (not including staff) going out. Well, I figure that I can handle this.

When we get to the first dive site, it's CHAOS. Obviously several different groups need to be established. The problem is, there are not enough DMs or instructors to take all the groups down at the same (or relatively close to) time. There aren't enough weight belts, either. What ends up happening is only 1 group can go down at a time, which makes everyone else just sit on the boat and wait. I decide to go with the couple I had become friendly with and their relatives, who were in discover scuba. I understood that I would have a shorter dive because of the discover scuba people, but it was fine with me. I was there primarily to practice on my buoyancy skills, anyway.

When it's finally our turn, the couple realizes that one of their relatives has a tank with only 1,000 psi in it. When they call it to the attention of the boat captain, he says "That's ok! It's discover scuba - that's all they get!" Then they discover their other relative has only a tank with 500 psi in it. Apparently as divers were getting out, they just slapped the same BCD, reg and tank on a diver going in.

The area in the water close to the platform (where they told us to wait) is chaos. People are trying to get in, people are trying to get out. There are about 10 divers in the water, and it's hard to tell who is who. As I bobbed in the water, waiting for the discover scuba people to get more tanks, all of a sudden I heard "Hey! Where's your group? They went down without you!" Sigh. I guess the DM forgot to make sure I knew we were descending. Perhaps I should have been paying attention a little better, but I was trying to keep out of the way of the people getting out of the water (all at the same time) and the people coming in. I go off with another discover scuba group, whose dive consisted of being taken in a big circle and lasting only about 10 minutes. Then I get sent off with another discover scuba group for another 10 minutes. I really didn't mind so much because the vis was only about 10-15 feet, and I was worried about keeping them in sight.

When I get back on the boat and we're on the way to the second dive site, I find out the couple I had become friendly with were not happy at all. I guess they called to find out what the discover scuba entailed - they were told there would be one-on-one instruction, and each dive would be about 35 minutes. Their dive was only 10 minutes, and the one-on-one instruction was a laminated sheet of paper that pointed out the finer points of diving and the boat captain yelling at the discover scuba people (hanging on to the dive platform for dear life) "Put your head in (the water) - PRACTICE!" Practice breathing with the regulator, I guess.

When I get my tank, reg and BCD for the second dive, I look at the gauge and see that it's the tank from my first dive. I ask for a new tank, but am told that they didn't have any. Only 3 divers on the boat got new tanks for the second dive - DMs included. Is it too much to ask that if I pay $95 for a 2 tank dive, I ACTUALLY GET 2 tanks? So I have to use my first tank with only 2000 psi in it for the second dive. :upset:

The second dive was much better - the vis was 60 - 70 feet, I saw lots of turtles and a huge ray. Wished I could have stayed longer, but starting with a 2/3 full tank kind of prevented that.

When it was time to ascend, the DM grabbed the hands of the discover scuba people and started leading them up. I kept pace with them until I looked at my computer and saw that we were going way too fast - I was all the way in the red. I slowed down, and then tried to do my safety stop at about 12 feet. At some point the DM looked down and realized I wasn't ascending. She came down and tried to grab my hand to pull me up. I pointed at my computer, but she grabbed my console - and up to the surface I popped.

I was extremely disappointed in the choice of tour operator I made. What was really scary was the cavalier way they treated the discover scuba people. At the end of the dive, I really felt like all they saw us divers as was a bunch of walking credit cards.

However, the bright side is that I met a couple people who I exchanged phone numbers with - hopefully we can keep in touch and dive together in the future. Also, the second dive went a long way towards salvaging the day - it was great to be able to get back in the water again!

Lesson learned- always ask how many people they're taking out and if a "two tank dive" really means that you get 2 tanks!

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. I am in the process of selecting a dive operator on Ohau to do our OW referral. I think I have settled on Captain Bruce as he is one operator who owns their own boat and don't charter dive boats like most. Since I am relying on board members advice, I would welcome any positive and negative feedback on Ohau Dive opertors.

 

[JRScuba]

Hi Chepar, This is one of those life lessons that we all go through, no matter how experienced we are. Fortunately nothing tragic happened and you seemed to have survived it.
Always remeber that to dive or not to dive is your option, no one can tell you otherwise. It sounds like you learned a great deal from this experience. In this sport we are always learning and diving safely is top priority.

Welcome to the board and the Sport.


Joe

 

[Pimbura]

All the concern and outrage on this topic is fully justified. I laughed my b*tt off. I don't laugh at other's misfortune, but the story rang true and was so well told, that I couldn't help myself. Please accept my sincerest apologies. In general, the dive industry is well run. I only say that because of the insane nature of other 'tourist-type' industries. The bunch running your particular disaster should have their certs and licenses' pulled.
I dive Puget Sound and was in the Midwest last year (Kansas). I stopped by a dive shop and inquired as to local dive trips. When I told them where I usually did my diving, they went 'round eyed' and told me that they didn't have any dives that I would be interested in, unless I wanted to do one as the dive master. No, I didn't go with them.
Keep diving and observe carefully. You will get a 'feel' for how things are run, just watching the hired help. A calm, humble air of confidence and professionalism are pretty good indicators. I have found that worn, but well maintained equipment gives me a good feeling. In my experience, the bad are in the minority. Our sport is satisfaction driven, and the nitwits usually don't last long. Bill.

 

[mcse_jacksonvil]

First of all, let me say that it sucks that your first experience was a lousy one. On that note however, I would like to add that it should be your ambition to ensure that the dive operator and booking agency pay the price for this misfortune.
First: Contact the better business bureau and report all of the agencies/charter operators involved.
Second: Contact the agency through whom you booked this disaster and give them an opportunity to refund your money as well as give you the name of the boat owner/captain. Write the captain directly and tell him exactly what you think of his operation.
Third: Once you have all the names, submit this to as many websites and magazines as possible as a freelance review of their operation.

best of luck to you on your future dives.
-James

 

[coberry7]

How large was the boat you were on that carried 30 divers and crew? Feel free to PM me the name of the operation so that I can see the picture that you mentioned in your opening post. (I know that it is not the boat you dove off of, per your account, but I'd like to see what is advertised.)

Was everyone inexperienced, or did nobody realize that there were not 60 tanks on board this boat?

I am having trouble believing this account. There are several inconsistencies, and simply put, the math does not add up.

Chepar, you have been on this board for a while and have posted over 400 times. As I understand it, this was the 5th and 6th time you went diving??