Island Divers Hawaii - Oahu

[SexSea!]

What was the DM's name? I only dove once with them and it turned out to be one of their newer DMs. She was great and made the entire experience as good as it could've been despite the boat breaking down between dives. We also use them frequently for gear. My gf once had a problem with the rental gear, they credited our account and apologized for the mistake. I REALLY hope your DM was one of the new guys.

Hey that wasnt by chance on the Nori Z going to China wall with "Ocean" as the DM, was it? We did corsair/koko's i think. Cuz that same thing happened to me and my gf awhile back with IDH. Boat broke down for about 45mins or so. I was the sea sick haole boy blowing chunks at the back of the boat.

 

[sea nmf]

When diving in a location you are not familiar with, sometimes it is helpful to have a "tour guide" and show you stuff you might miss because you don't know to look for it. Other times, it is helpful to stay with the group so you get back to the exit point.

It is all fine and good to be on your own on your own turf. However, I can see the benefit while in an unfamiliar spot of a leader. For example, I'm going to Maui next month. I will rely on kidspot(or Kris, or whomever) to navigate the sites that they are familiar with.

As for lugging your own gear, yes, I agree that I expect to do that. However, if the operation that I paid a bunch of money to had a cart (as the OP stated), I think it would be polite for them to offer it for my use in transporting doubles.

 

[ch0ppersrule]

okay- another 2 cents worth.... I think IDH should have carried your tanks down for you seeing as how you rented them and paid for this service. If I paid $89 or more for a two tank dive that includes tanks/ weight and pick-up service they better carry my tanks to the boat for me. I set up my own gear as I don't like people to touch my stuff. IDH used to have the instructor and a DMT who would not only carry all the gear/tanks but set them up. My hubby did that as a DMT. About the person who said "tell the people to stop peeing in the wetsuits"-- yes, I pee in mine when I absolutely have to, but I also clean it in a simple green solution after EVERY dive and my wetsuit does not smell like urine. I have seen some of the instructors and DM's (from IDH) put only water into the bucket, dip the gear into the water then hang it up to dry. That won't clean the gear or take the smell out.
Lots of people use those wetsuits and pee in them. Yes, the vans are in crappy arse shape and smell bad.
I dive as a club member and bring all my own gear so I carry my own tanks, but if I was paying full price for a dive I would expect my tanks to be brought to the boat for me.
Sorry you had such a crappy time with them.

 

[Kevrumbo]

Next time, talk directly to the Tech Instructor Joakim ("Jo") Hjelm at Island Divers, to set-up your gear right (i.e. Manifolded Isolation Valve Doubles) and probably to buddy-up with as well.

 

[fishb0y]

Sorry to hear about your experience with IDH... When it comes to taking care of us military on the Island, I can't think of a shop that does better.

 

[Universal Diver]

Sorry to hear about your experience. I still haven't gone diving with IDH but know a few of the staff there.

There is a large division between local divers/club divers and the tourist divers. As ChOppersrule said, if you paid the tourist price, there should be service included. I ran a dive shop in Guam for a while and we always carried the tanks and gear. It is something that you pay for. Now on the other hand, if the gear and tanks are the guests, I would ask them if it was okay to carry their stuff for them. The key is communication.

A general rule of life, 'treat others the same way you wished to be treated.' I've got all my own gear but when I'm on vacation, please carry it, but I will set it up.

It definately sounds like you had a new DM/Instructor who needs more experience in the business to understand. In fact, if you tell Matt, I'm sure it would be a learning experience for the new instructor, thus he won't make the mistake again.

As far as the urinal on wheels, wow. I have no comment. kusai! When I worked at a different dive shop in Guam, we had a rusted out Previa van. The windshield wipers didn't work and the back hatch didn't close. We had to rope it down! But, it didn't smell like urine.

The one thing I've learned is that IDH caters a lot to the locals and military. Mainland divers seem to appreciate it more. The other shops that advertise to tourists in the discount booklets cater specifically to resort divers who dive a few times a year when they travel.

Any hoo, my two cents given. As a local, living in Hawai'i, I apologize for your bad experience and hope you come back and dive again.

Chris

 

[ArcticDiver]

Couple comments:
-This is a trip report of my experience. From the posts I suspect ID has a local cadre of loyal and vocal supporters.
-Despite requests to do so I'm not posting the name of this employee because I believe the issue is management, not employee. Plus (remember the tanks and weights?) more than one employee was involved. Was job description and training adequate to properly define the job and to prevent possible biases? In my experience almost all employees will do their very best to do a good job if they are trained right and given the tools.
-I didn't mind schlepping my own gear. I've done so many, many times. But when there was a hand truck there to haul weights and tanks it would have been nice to have been able to put my stuff on there.
-

So, far this has been a great trip. I've met lots of very nice people and hope to meet more. In fact one of the things that makes this experience stand out is that it was so different from everything else I've experienced here.

 

[itch808]

Hey that wasnt by chance on the Nori Z going to China wall with "Ocean" as the DM, was it? We did corsair/koko's i think. Cuz that same thing happened to me and my gf awhile back with IDH. Boat broke down for about 45mins or so. I was the sea sick haole boy blowing chunks at the back of the boat.

Haha, yup! That was the one! I couldn't believe our luck, the first time boat diving with IDH and it breaks down...lol. I remember you guys, mainly cause we have the same name! I think in my life I've only met 2 others with my name including you. I wasn't any better during the breakdown, I took 2 bonines that morning (forgot to take it the night before too) and I could still feel like it comming up. Me and boats don't mix too well. :shakehead

 

[SexSea!]

Ohhhh thats right! My nemesis named Mitch! I remember someones girlfriend totally passed out while we were broke down. She didn't even wake up when I hurled the 3rd time...impressive.

 

[Killjoy]

I got my OW cert with IDH, even purchased most of my gear from them, but since then I have seen their customer service going down hill. I agree, I think it is a managment issue. Ever since they opened the second store, the service at the Hickam store has dwindled. I have been doing most of my diving with an independent dive instructor, so I'm use to caring my own gear (and tanks). But when I can't get a dive in with him, I don't hesitate to call IDH for a boat seat, there still isn't a better shop on the island to dive with. The lack of customer support hasn't stopped me from diving/shopping with them (just the occasional grumble). 99% of the staff is awesome, so even I was surprised to here what happened once you were on the boat. I can't even think of one instructor/DM at IDH that I personally wouldn't dive with.