Mozambique dive trip gone wrong

[Air One]

If you are not prepared to take this risk don't do it.

So, what is your advice ?
What preparation ?
Commando training ? ( Foreign legion for me...)
Writing your will and testament ?
Asking the guy if there is no helicopter around ? ( could be easyer than with a boat...)
If there is none, asking for a surf board and leave the boat 30 seconds before it lands ?
Wearing the Michelin man's corstume ?
Always taking 6 weeks of hollidays for 1 week in Mozambique ? ( in case of...)

I mean, the problem is not really the preparation, it's much more the informations you get before to go.

 

[DandyDon]

This has been an interesting read, comparison of opinions, and all. I did go back and read the lengthy email and it still boils down mostly to Waves Happen, including surprises. Maybe the skipper should have briefed better, but riding such a craft for a beach landing, especially the first day after the boats have been ground for storms - everyone should have been holding on well even if not so instructed.

Hope your wife is healing well...

 

[Theunis]

So, what is your advice ?
What preparation ?
Commando training ? ( Foreign legion for me...)
Writing your will and testament ?
Asking the guy if there is no helicopter around ? ( could be easyer than with a boat...)
If there is none, asking for a surf board and leave the boat 30 seconds before it lands ?
Wearing the Michelin man's corstume ?
Always taking 6 weeks of hollidays for 1 week in Mozambique ? ( in case of...)

I mean, the problem is not really the preparation, it's much more the informations you get before to go.

Sorry, maybe "prepared" was the wrong word and "willing" would have been a better word to use.

 

[jpslim]

Deefstes-

About 2 years ago my wife and I dove most of the entire coast of Moz from Pemba all the way south. We typically did 5-10 dives per stop. With maybe one exception all the landings (especially in the south) were all ram-the-beach style landings. Sounds like yours was particularly bad and really unfortunate. We definitely didn't love the landing style but it seemed that was the common practice for almost all dive operators. Not sure what happened with your situation and clearly such a serious injury suggests something was amiss.

And our visibility was generally good, but not great. Lots of plankton- but that is what attracts the mantas and whalesharks in the south. Glad to hear that everything is back on track. Let me know if you want me to look up the dive shops we went with.

 

[diver 85]

man, off the top of my head I'd say go somewhere/with someone that's heard of looking @ a weather forecast.......hope the xyl recovers fully..........

 

[Deefstes]

If you ever go back, i would love to hear about it. Or other operations in the area.

OK, so we did go back and had a totally different and much more pleasant experience. I posted a few pictures in this thread.

The dive operations were carried out very well. They only found out halfway through the weekend that my wife was the diver who got injured back in September so I don't think their good and friendly treatment was just to not get into our bad books again. After this second visit I think I would recommend their diving to other divers.

Minor gripe, their restaurant service leaves something to be desired but the restaurant is not associated with the dive operations and next time, I will simply take my own food - at least there will be a next time if it is up to me so that's a good thing.

Just another bit of feedback which I don't think I've posted in this thread; After the incident and after no small amount of "arguing" with the resort manager (who, thankfully for the resort is not the resort manager anymore), we were offered a complementary 3 nights, 5 dives trip which is the only reason we went back there. It turns out that this complementary trip secured our goodwill again and I'd happily go back there again as a paying customer.

All's well that ends well.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Wow you :shelli: your own thread (or at least brought it back to life). Way to go .

I am glad that your wife got better and that this trip was less eventful. And it is great that this trip was subsidized like that. Now I am off to look at the pictures.

 

[Jan Kruger]

I am really sorry to hear about your bad fortunes whilst diving at Ponta Malongane.I have dived there several times and always seemed to enjoy it, possibly because we always went as a group.
Recently (Feb 09) we dived at Ponta Du Ouro and i must say the aaattitude of the diving staff was much more customer oriented and friendly and we never had any problems to get them to launch whether we were only 4 or 5 guys diving.Their skippers also seemed to be well experienced.We dived the far out sites easily like Pinnacles and Atlantis ( 40 + metre dives)
I really hope you return to Ponta du Ouro especially since they have some excellent party spots and curios and Dive sites.

 

[Jan Kruger]

I have to add, that of all the coastal dives i have done locally ,the only badish beaching i had, was in Ponta Malongane ,over a period of about 10 years of diving.We dive at the coast either at Sodwana ,Ponta Malongane , Ponta Du Ouro or at Aliwal Shoal and the launches and beachings are always done by inflatable boat. In my opinion the skipper was at fault in your case ,as we have also been diving in treacherous conditions when the ocean was like a washing machine inside and never did our skipper have any problems like yours had.These bad conditions happened while we were at Sodwana which is a much more dangerous and limited launch area than Malongane could ever be.I think they must have gotten rid of that skipper very quickly.You will be amazed when you hear stories at dive shops about certain happenings where skippers fell asleep in the ocean whilst waiting for divers and drifting off the bouy !

Anyway happy and safe diving!

 

[Shasta_man]

Sorry to hear about the wife and the dive conditions. Launching is an interesting experience there.

Haven't read the rest of the thread but when they inevitably say it's her fault, don't believe'em.