In progress trip log - LKH - Curacao

[TN Traveler]

I promised several people to let them know how this trip was - so here goes.

Arrived Friday afternoon on American with absolutely no problems. Through immigration/customs in about 40 min, rental car (Hertz) in 20 min and hit Centrum and off to LKH with no effort. Smooth chck-in and in our room and unpacked in time to make Sol Food by 6.

Problems started the next morning when we found the ladder a,nd dive platform at OEW had been damaged/removed. Exit noes had to be made be swimming to the beach and exiting through the coral rubble. Added to that, my wife's BCD started to auto inflate, so with the help of one of the DMs we got it cleaned out. We did a giant stride off the end of the pier (I hit the bottom pretty hard) and when my wife jumped in her primary had a major free flow and lost 700# from the tank. Then when we defended she had a major mask leak that required surfacing to make adjustments. Finally we got the dive in - lots of the usual suspects.

Getting out of the water was a challenge. Since we did not know that we could not exit via ladder at the OEW pier, my wife brought her full foot fins and no booties. Needless to say, exiting through the rubble with a tank on was impossible in bare feet. With this situation, the shore dive to see the coral spawn was aborted.

 

[TN Traveler]

I forgot o say that water temp was 83 deg yesterday.

I am going to start another post with my rant against OEW after my discussions with Bryan this morning about the shore diving situation. But here is the other part of the story. I chose this week because it is Coral Spawning - something I really wanted to see. Made arrangements with OEW for a night dive with them, along with other ScubaBoard members. This morning we were informed that it would not be a boat dive but would be a guided shore dive at OEW. Needless to say, we all cancelled. First I have done enough night dives on the reef that I don't need to pay $50 each for a DM to "guide me.". Second the exit at night on the beach would be treacherous (the reason we did not do it last night). Third, the lodge now has floodlights that total illuminate the reef so the coral will not spawn (doubt you would even need dive lights).

So far as far as the diving, it is a very disappointing trip - if I wanted to haul tanks and fight the exits, I would have gone to Bonaire, the diving is better. But we close LKH and spend a lot more $$$ because of convenience. :depressed:

 

[jdcpa]

I assume the lights are up to deter vandalism.

I don't know anything about the dock and ladder.

We have had nothing but good luck with OEW and particularly with Bryan, even in discussing any issues that we may have had. He has always tried to work with us on any issues.

I am sure he will do his best to accomodate your needs.

Thanks for the water temp update.

 

[Bryan.]

Public Explanation?

Hey TN (Michael) & fellow SBer's!
I am not sure how to start this, but since this has been vented in public, I guess I have to DEFEND MYSELF AND OEW.

The problem is that Michael... you came to me, talked to me and you are still diving w/ us. I am always around... not sure why you needed to do this. If you are interested, come by and have a coffee with me.

So... here it goes with a public update on OEW's current situation.
Shore Diving: As you can see from the attached picture the lower dock was completely destroyed by massive surge resulting from a passing hurricane. This lower dock is replaced at an enormous cost 2-3 times per year. But it is worth it because it adds alot of convenience for our shore divers. However, this time I will not be replacing it. This time I have chose a more permanent solution I hope. Welders will fabricate an extension to the pier similar to a boat diving platform complete w/ steps, a ladder and railings.

Additionally, we have installed an underwater rope leading from the reef to the pier for your convenience aswell.

Here is the underlying problem, this is Curacao.... an island that moves slow, much slower than we are accustomed to in North America so this solution will not be quick because whatever solution we have would not be quick. Therefore I apologize in advance for the temporary inconvenience but our Dive Team is here to assist you with what ever you need.

Boat Diving: As you can see from the attached picture. This was taken about a month ago when the mooring of the Sea Lion was CUT! It landed as you see it and it took 2 days to get it back onto the sea with the help of a barge. Damage was extensive... Engines (w/ only 700 hours), props, shafts, rudders, electrical, etc... I hope to have it working again by Oct.15th. Only two days before that our shop was busted into and 2 weeks before the mooring was cut for the 1st time of the Sea Lion but fortunately I guess the wind was blowing west which allowed myself and another captain to rescue it (with the help of SARS) from 22 miles out in 5 metre(15 foot) swell at 3am returning at 6:30am in time for it to work! What a night! JDCPA was a witness to the beaching... he can tell you how sick I was about all of this!

Good news: The Seahorse is working, the Palavos is awesome, and our new boat arrives on or around the 15th of October too which is a sister boat to the Sea Lion! With the demands of our growth, we have invested to serve you even better!!

Security: I think it is obvious why flood lighting has been installed and why we have spent alot of money on security cameras encompassing all areas of the shop including the moorings and the pier. This investment allows us to sleep and know that we can service you in the morning! Additionally, the flood lights now offer the guests security at night because the pier and the beach is lit, where before it was dark. For night diving, the feedback has been very positive with the exception of the obvious.

Coral spawning: Well, the staff has been out for the last 2 nights and the coral looks like it will pop shortly… running late. Because of the lights, no! The science of refraction looks after that. There is more light than before obviously but instead of it being completely dark on top of the reef there is some ambient light. This is according to the last few night dives our team has done.

Bottom line… anyone of you that know me and know OEW knows that we stand for service, quality and safety. Furthermore, I pride myself in operating a top quality dive business providing you with the best experience on Curacao. This is well documented here on SB and other forums and trip sites. We are not without fault however and there is always that opportunity to screw up… but I think for the most part this is minimal in comparison to the awesome dive experiences provided. WE DO OUR VERY BEST for you… and if we don’t, I want to know so we can correct it immediately. For it to be vented in a public forum does not help anyone.... it only expresses a single opinion and point of view. I am here every day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to make sure you have the best experience possible!

Questions… PM me, call me, email me, or just stop by and have a coffee with me!

Thank you all in advance for your continued support!!

 

[aquajon]

some people are never happy... hate to say this, but you noticed before the dive of no platform, why then did you not ask where the exit was and go check it out.. sucks that you did a giant stride and hit bottom that would have pissed me off also.
we dove in front of All West apts that also has massive lights, you get a little ways out and go left or right and the lights disapper and you're in total darkness. plus makes it easy to come back, keep looking up for the faint glow of the lights and you know to head towards shore...

 

[TN Traveler]

We had a great boat dive on Watamula on Sunday afternoon. Still one of the best reef dives in the Caribbean. Did see a number of HUGE Lionfish.

Huge storm came through at about 2 am Monday - lasted about 4 hrs and knocked out Internet service until now.

We are able to do one shore dive a day since the exit is hard on my wife. As always lots of life on Alice in Wonderland. Saw a 6+ ft moray just swimming around the coral heads and maybe the biggest lobster I have ever seen, just walking along the reef.

Bryan, I was going to start another thread for discussing the problems but since you resounded here, you can now have my full take on things. 1. I never indicated that OEW did not usually provide top notch service, but your discussion with me was nothing more than a bunch of "I'm sorries" and excuses. I find it interesting that you got on the board when you felt it necessary to defend yourself, but you did not get on a couple of weeks ago when the problems occurred to let people know about the situation so the could be prepared for it. I have seen more scalped knees and palms from people getting out of the water after a shore dive than I cared to count. In fact I have been jumping into the water to assist folks coming ashore. At a minimum you could have offered to provide my wife with booties and open heeled fins.

As I told you, I am a Professional Engineer and offered to even help you design and build a temporary exit ladder - probably using pieces left over from the old platform. I would offer to assist in the design of your new platform, pro Bono (might save you from loosing another one).

You have a great and very helpful staff but I am disappointed that shore diving is now a chore and that is extremely difficult/impossible for me to get my video equipment into the water.

Also, this is not just my opinion - Feney, Robin and others will be chiming in now that Internet service is restored.

LKH is still a great vacation/dive location! even after the storm the Viz is great and water temp remains at 83 deg.

More report

 

[TN Traveler]

Don' tell me some folks are never happy - I am making lemonade out of the lemons! We did ask about where to exit but if you know anything about the beach at Playa Kaliki, there is no place where you don't have to exit through several feet of coral rubble on a 2 foot slope. Everyone who does a review of LKH says you need water shoes. My beef is, since the platform was destroyed/removed several weeks ago, if it were made known, we could have brought the proper equipment to make the best of the situation.

Since you don't know me I actually find your comments out. Of line. People who know me will tell you I am easy to make happy and always willing to make the best of any situation. I will do anything I can to help but I do ask for honesty and full disclosure.

I fully understand/appreciate why OEW put in lights and I understand why LKH did since it does make for a beautiful scene from the restaurants, but there is no good way to swim out of the lights. If it were not coral spawning, it would be delightful for a normal night dive .

But the sun is out and it is time for a swim.

some people are never happy... hate to say this, but you noticed before the dive of no platform, why then did you not ask where the exit was and go check it out.. sucks that you did a giant stride and hit bottom that would have pissed me off also.
we dove in front of All West apts that also has massive lights, you get a little ways out and go left or right and the lights disapper and you're in total darkness. plus makes it easy to come back, keep looking up for the faint glow of the lights and you know to head towards shore...

 

[TN Traveler]

IPAD glitch

 

[jdcpa]

TN:

I fully believe you are inconvenienced with the lower dock being out of service. I hate to hear that.

Laying it all out, first and foremost, I consider Bryan a friend, a friend who in my opinion does a great job. Bryan will gladly tell you that I am a happy, laid back guy, but I can also be a pain in the rear as well. I mean well, but sometimes my mouth engages before my brain. I think that happens to too many of us.

I was on the beach a few feet away from Bryan when the tug boat pulled the Sea Lion off the beach. The rescue of the boat had come down to either it comes off in one piece or it does not, that is how bad the situation had gotten. I have no idea how much it cost to get a tug boat up from Willemsted and have it sit at OEW for a few hours while they worked to get the ropes in exactly the right place. A few very knowledgable folks came with the tugboat and I assume they weren't cheap either. That was just the start of the long road to recovery for the Sea Lion. Stress defined.

I would not wear full boot fins in Curacao under any circumstances if I were shore diving. There are already too many rocks around the OEW lower dock as it is. I wouldn't go without boots to All West, Cas Abou or Porto Marie (the latter two have two foot rises on entry and exit) and I consider those easy entry and exit shore dives. The slope at LKH is more like a step rather than an extended slope, kind of a short quick drop.

I have witnessed a number of people entering and exiting down the stairs and not using the lower dock in my trips there. I have yet to see anyone slip or fall, even in less than flat water. With, everyone on yor trip with banged up knees and legs, the wave action must be quite intense at the shore. I am not sure anyone can help that problem.

I know they rent boots and fins at the shop. how much would it cost you to rent them for your wife? Maybe he would be willing to make a concession on the rental. In my experiences, Bryan has always been willing to do whatever he can, so my only guess is that maybe the way he was asked may have influenced his judgment. Sometimes it is not the question you ask, but how you ask it.

I have on occasion walked out in the water without my gear to get four sets of camera gear to my family before I got in the water. Only then did I came back in with my gear on. Yes, that is a pain in the rear, it takes a little extra time but it works. My wife is not going to win an awards for being the worlds strongest woman. Great lady, but I would not ask her to pull the plow if I wanted to grow any crops. Maybe your wife can hold your video gear and you come in the water then.

I am not convinced that I would allow an outsider to engineer a dock for me in spite of your most generous offer. I am not convinced that I would want the liability. How much would I have to spend in manpower costs and minor material costs to get it done, and how long would it take. What is the cost versus the short term benefit? We will both agree that the lumber is not light in weight. Where would you put it to take it apart? I don't know if it will get in the way of the work to be performed soon either. There is a lot to consider in your generous offer.

I really hate that the lower dock is out, I can only assume that it is a royal pain. I do think there is more lemonade to be made than is currently occurring.

I can't speak of the lights and how that may or may not affect your diving.

I commend you for not starting a second thread on this matter.

Have either of you thought about taking a step back, taking a deep breath and then discussing it? Sometimes we get so caught up in defending our own position we lose sight of the fact that the disagreement is over so little.

No flaming intended, hopefully it did not come out that way.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip!! Don't ya know!!!!

 

[TN Traveler]

Actually it does come across as a flame! But I will give you a couple of short responses.

My wife I a petite 5'3" and 120# so hauling gear even with a 63 and 8# is an effort. We talked about gear and if we knew the situation, she has booties and open heeled fins and would have brought them. It would have been nice if the had been offered but I would not ask for them to be comped, but would have accepted if offered.

With the gear situation we have to enter the water with a giant stride (don'y want to make 2 trips over the rubble). It is almost a 5 ft drop to the water and I do not like the idea of dropping video gear that far - we have been lowering the camera using my reel.

I am always open for a discussion about making things better. My wife and I are by nature and profession, prolem solvers. I won't work for free but for 2 glasses of wine and an ice cream Sunday, I think we could offer Bryan a lot of inexpensive suggestions.

I understand OEW has had some setbacks, but most people, including myself, will work with the problem, IF we know about it!

I don't consider Bryan any less of a friend than I did - my upset is lack of info and openess to possible assistance.

Bryan has been accodating and even offered to squeeze me into a boat for a trip, but I refused because I would be unhappy if I had booked the dive early and then found it overcrowded.

As I said there was no need for Bryan to defend OEW as a whole - it in normally a great operation - but my c concern is that even though tis happened weeks ago, there was no attempt to let folks coming down know about it.