Resolved: VERY negative experience with Cristal Clear Char ters- Key Largo

[Doc Intrepid]

Bill, I think thats the key point that I take away from this incident.

Hilary has already noted that part of what caused the incident is hers.

The issue at this point (as far as Doc Intrepid is concerned) is no longer an analysis of how the incident came to be, nor which participants played what percentage of roles in its causation.

The primary issue is how the Captain decided to respond once the incident occurred.

What this brings to my mind is --

Older diver suffers heart attack on surface: how would the Captain respond to that?

Diver suffers seizure at depth, brought to surface: how would the Captain respond?

Some other OOA incident involving a panicking diver: how would the Captain respond?

If the guy is so overwrought at the thought that someone messed up on a roll-call or sign-in, that he comes un-glued at a guest in front of the entire boat in an entirely unprofessional manner, what is the probability that he'll respond in a cool, calm, and collected manner to some other sudden inconvenience? Like one involving my potential survival?

Bottom line is that there are too many other options for divers to choose from when planning a dive vacation in the Keys.

Believe it or not, ScubaBoard reaches a fairly high percentage of vacationing recreational divers across the US, and particularly the eastern seaboard.

I won't be using this operation, and I wouldn't recommend that anyone else use them either, based purely on the Captain's response to the incident - I really don't much care how the incident evolved. It's the response to it by the guy in charge that convinces me that my safety will be better looked after by another operation.

FWIW. YMMV.

Doc

 

[daniel f aleman]

The captain yelled at you that way because you are a woman - if he had done that to me...

 

[Tom Winters]

The captain yelled at you that way because you are a woman - if he had done that to me...

Every popular diving destination seems to have a captain or two who kinda defines "meatball". They drift from op to op, so maybe in a few months after Cristal? Clear bounces him off to the next new outfit on the block, their act will improve. Maybe. Some ops never get their act together.
Meatball captains like this jerk couldn't manage shopping cart retrieval at a small Winn-Dixie, but anyone with a lukewarm body temp can become a captain once you have the necessary sea time and the money to take the spoon fed course.
The DM's were slacking off too not to make sure that you were on the manifest. That's the person(s) the "captain" should have directed his ire at.
Long drive to have to put up with nonsense like that.

 

[The Chairman]

I certainly hope we hear from the Charter in question. Sounds as if an apology is in order. I guess I am just spoiled from diving with Captain Gary on the Conch Republic Divers. No needless drama, no pissing contests. It's a "Pools open" kind of charter and I like that.

 

[CBulla]

I'm with Pete... where's side 2 and I've definitely got a Gary and Brent spoiling of a dive boat. I used to dive some other boats that way, but not anymore!

 

[The Chairman]

Yeah, Brent is great and so is Captain Slate. I have dove with a few others, but those have spoiled me. There is only ONE Key Dive Boat that I would avoid, and due to my position on this board, it is not right for me to divulge them.

 

[daniel f aleman]

Largo diving is great, no doubt. But, there is one rule above all on any boat, it is ultimately the Captain's fault. There is an obvious flaw in accounting for divers on that boat, the Captain should have taken the opportunity to learn from the incident (as described above) and treated all aboard to a lesson in boat/diver management. Yelling at a client for fault, me especially will get you Coast Guard, dive agency, and BBB notification.

 

[lynny_lynny]

It is the captain’s responsibility to make sure the manifest is accurate before he leaves port – period. He screwed up and tried to dump the blame on you. Yes, you might have saved some problems by checking in and out with the DM before your shirt run, but that does not relieve the captain of his responsibility. If he would have tried that crap with me I’m afraid I would have told him to tell it to the CG inspector when he arrives to meet the boat – and called them on my cell phone.

DITTO!
Oh and let me add....I would make him cry way before the dirtbag humiliated me publicly....

 

[cinder4320]

I do have to say that I understand why you would leave the boat and run up to the shop. When we were with Silent Divers and had to switch (we were the only ones going out so they transferred us in the pm) to Amoray, it was a totally different operation and process. We boarded the boat and dropped off gear but no one else was staying on the boat so I jumped back off, got a drink, used the bathroom etc. Other people meandered on and off in between too. If their roll call had been arbitrarily called I too might have missed it.

Did you at least get some money back?

Miranda

 

[Scuba-Jay]

Since im a trouble maker (the nice kind) I had looked on the web to try and provide them (the charter company) with a link to the thread, so that they could respond (and thus spice things up, making my life just that tad bit more exciting) but thus far could not find a url....

Jay