Informal Poll- Boat nowhere near after dive

[ScubaPaul]

Something happened today...and I want to know if I am being unreasonable.

We finished the 2nd tank today of an afternoon dive, and upon surfacing, had to wait 5 minutes for the boat to arrive to pick us up ( the dive was Villa Blanca, and I timed how long it took). Before surfacing. I noticed that we spent a good 7 minutes or so on our safety stop, and I figured that the divemaster was simply offgassing (sp), but now, am not so sure.

Now on the previous dive, upon getting on the boat, the captain pointed to the back of the boat where he had a 4 to 5 foot barracude which he had captured while fishing (while we were diving). This bothered me, as I couldn't reconcile how a captain could fish and watch his divers at the same time. Since everybody was fine, I let it go.

During the surface interval, we asked to dive C53 as our second dive, and was told by the DM this would be no problem. When the captain returned, he said no, and we ended up on Villa Blanca. So on to Villa Blanca...and the missing dive boat after surfacing...

Upon returning to my condo and reflecting on the events, I became increasingly frustrated, and I called the owner of the dive op. We've dove with this operator for 4 years, and to be fair to the dive operator, they indicated this had never happened before, wasn't protocol, and were going to suspend the captain for 3 days.

My question is... is this becoming normal behavior here? How does a dive op plan to handle an emergency if the dive boat is nowhere near? Would any of you have complained?

In anticipation of questions related to conditions.. it was a very mild current, great surface conditions, and no other divers in the vicinity..

Paul

 

[ReefHound]

The fact that the dive shop said they will suspend the captain (whether or not they actually do) should tell you clearly that this is not normal or acceptable.

Common sense should tell you this was unsafe and unacceptable. What if your group had had an emergency rescue situation? What if the boat had mechanical trouble while gone?

I would have complained and followed up to see what action was taken. Maybe you should have demanded a refund or credit. Not that your dive wasn't enjoyable but the shop is more likely to correct the problem if it causes them financial pain.

 

[rje634]

In some 20+ dives in Coz the boat has always been right there upon surfacing.
In fact we could always see the boat from our safety stop. This is regardless
of when or where we surfaced. The only time I've ever waited is when the group
didn't come up together.

Look at the positive, at least he didn't hook you!

 

[scubawife]

There is no fishing allowed in the marine park. IF he was fishing then he would have had to leave the park. Fishing in the park with other dive boats around would likely get him reported by at least one captain and/or DM.

Are you divng with the same shop tomorrow? Maybe after they speak to the Captain you will get the whole story. Without all sides - diver, captain, management - making assumptions isn't always the best way to go. And, regardless of how long you've used this particular operator and whether you've been happy with their service in the past or not, if you don't feel comfortable with the explanaition you get or the current service, don't dive with them. There are too many good dive ops in Cozumel to ever feel like you have no option but to dive with one you aren't comfortable with.

 

[ItsBruce]

I don't know which dive op it was and I don't think it would be appropriate for me to recommend a dive op by name. But when I dive, I try to use a dive op who is a member of the SB gang. That should be easy in Coz.

 

[H20Bubbles]

The only time the boat wasn't right there in Cozumel was on a day where there was 3-4' chop on the surface, and it just took some time. We surfaced, sent up our marker, and then another boat captain radioed our boat.

 

[HammerNoMore]

There are a couple of issues here. First the wait:

If you surfaced with the DM then you were among the last to surface. Good operators in Cozumel do not make all of the divers surface together, but instead send them up as their air allows. If you are among the last to surface and the boat has had to pick up one or two other groups, and get them on the boat, then, no a 5 minute wait for the the boat to get to you is not at all inappropriate.

And to be honest, what seems like five minutes bobing in the water is probably more like 2 .

As for the fishing, we'll that's been covered. You can't fish in the marine park, period. I find it difficult to believe that your captain left the marine park while you were diving instead of following the bubbles, that would be a huge safety violation. I also find it difficult to believe that a captain would risk his licence by fishing in the park. The whole thing sounds very fishy to me (no pun intended).

I'm guessing there is more to this story, and no, I'm not making any accusations! Sometimes things get a little lost in translation and I'm hoping that's where the inconsitancies lie.

 

[Jeff Toorish]

I guess it all depends on the norm for a particular area and, perhaps,your expectations. In Florida off Jupiter Island, I have waited for nearly 20 minutes for the boat, and I was with the dive marker so the boat knew exactly where I was all the time. That was a rough dive, and while we were at depth, the waves kicked up pretty dramatically. One diver waited about 40 minutes for the boat to get to him.

That was pretty extreme, but I certainly have been in the water for 8 to ten minutes while the boat was getting other divers aboard. That doesn't seem unreasonable to me, especially if there are several divers in the water.

When divers split up for various activities, and not everyone surfaces at the same time, the wait can be pretty long while the boat goes around to each surfacing diver.

Jeff

 

[scubabum2]

What site were you at on the first dive? Were there other fishermen on the boat other than the DM & the captain? If your 2nd dive dive was on Villa Blanca, perhaps you were up north. I have been on a dive where a couple of people fished going out to & back from Barracuda, but not while we were in the water (to my knowledge).

In regard to waiting in the water, it doesn't happen very often, but it has happened to me maybe 2-3 times in 75 dives within a 12 year period in Coz. Usually its less than 5 minutes, but one time, we were in the water about 20 minutes. We were at Maracaibo, the currents were ripping underneath, and the boat captain somehow lost us and went off in the other direction looking for us at the end of the dive. We had proper safety equipment, so no worries.

 

[nyprrthd]

Whenever we surfaced last week, the boat was reasonably close by, or within yards of the DM's SMB. The only day the captain had trouble was when we surfaced in 4-5 footers at Maracaibo. (I'm a very experienced boater, so yes they were really in the 4 to 5 foot range, with a few swells even higher.) I could see that the captain had no idea we were on the surface, and couldn't see the DM's SMB, so I blasted my Dive Alert. He turned towards the sound, but we were hidden in the trough of another wave. I hit the Dive Alert again (almost piercing my DW's eardrums!), and he was able to spot us, and make it to us quickly.

However, when we were dropped off at the downtown pier one day, there was another dive boat there that had a large barracuda on board. I wonder if it's the same one the OP has told us about, or if this is becoming a bad habit in Cozumel. As another poster said, there are many reputable, dependable dive ops discussed here on SB who I can't imagine would engage in this dangerous and illegal activity.