OP
Mike
Contributor
Thanks Miguel!
Nice videos also
Nice videos also
Skip diving in Cancun or what?
- Thread starter Mike
- Start date
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OP
Mike
Contributor
Well, unfortunately, we chose to try Always Diving out with Alvaro.
He does have a nice online booking system and did respond to our reservation quickly, however after that, there was nothing great to report.
We arrived as required at his shop at 8:45am for a two tank morning dive. Was told the boat was 20 minutes out and to go have a coffee next door... 30 minutes later, the boat is only 15 minutes away... 30 minutes after that, the boat is 5 minutes away... 20 minutes later...
Boat finally showed at 10:20 am. Found out that we were on a shared boat with divers from another dive operation and this was the typical way that Always Diving runs...I have to say in 15 years of diving I've never dived with a dive operation that shared a boat with another dive operation. I was told of course that it has no effect, everything will be great, since the morning dives they do great advanced dive sites...
Unfortunately was informed on the boat we were going to another mediocre site due to they drop all the divers at the same place and of course there were other divers on board sharing the trip who create the kiss of death which is the dive sites need to be chosen for the lowest common denominator's skills...
Gearing up at the dockside, discovered both our sets of Always Diving's regulators weren't going to work out. Mine the gauges were full of water, my wife's was hissing air out the SPG. Another 15 minutes spent waiting for replacements.
Replacements show up, and damned if I can't figure out how the heck this thing is supposed to go on my tank, after fiddling for a few minutes, I finally figured out the 1st stage was completely assembled backwards with hoses mixed up and was impossible to mount correctly. Handed it over to the DM and she handed it to a mate on board who came to the same conclusion. DM gave me her reg set... and we are off, now getting close to 11:00am departure...
Dive master from another shop starts giving dive briefing as we head out into the channel... informs us that the dive will end at 45 minutes.... I'm like, you've got to be kidding me???
A shared boat
Dive sites dictated by another shop
Badly maintained equipment that no shop I've ever been with would let on the boat
Timed dives, getting back on the boat with 1200-1500 psi in the tank
Mediocre dive sites... circled the same reef twice on the dives since they are so small
Not my cup of tea... nice booking system on line, but that's about it, other than that, just a cluster and nothing but average at best if you're stretching your standards and that's with giving them a big benefit of the doubt.
I felt sorry for the divemaster Ann Loura, she was an independent dive master they brought in since Alvaro was apparently diving cenotes with others that day, she did the best she could to salvage such a mess, but she acted pretty much like this was business as usual..
Maybe a bad day for Always Diving, but definitely a much worse day for us since we were paying for this lousy experience.
dive pro
Contributor
Hey Mike sorry to hear about your experience, Alvaro is a great Instructor, many use shared boats.
If you wish to give Cancun another try, in a PRIVATE experience meaning you both with an Instructor (with other groups apart on board) with new gear and to dive your computer limits or until you reach 700psi, click on the site and shoot me an email.
Actually Reefs here are little walls that when one ends another begins, so no need to "circle" around due to current going south to north, there are many sites.
Happy Diving!
If you wish to give Cancun another try, in a PRIVATE experience meaning you both with an Instructor (with other groups apart on board) with new gear and to dive your computer limits or until you reach 700psi, click on the site and shoot me an email.
Actually Reefs here are little walls that when one ends another begins, so no need to "circle" around due to current going south to north, there are many sites.
Happy Diving!
Drewpy
Contributor
I rented gear in MX once...then ran to a LDS to buy my own!
( no offense meant to the Dive Ops here)
( no offense meant to the Dive Ops here)
OP
Mike
Contributor
I contacted Alvaro about his no questions asked guarantee and asked for a full refund of our diving. He emailed us the next day and refunded our dive costs and offered a free day of diving. He honors his guarantee and his hearts in the right place.
daniel f aleman
Contributor
Dude, it's Mexico, not effin' Disneyland. Bring your own gear, hire a private boat with a dedicated DM, and go dive amongst the whale sharks off Isla.
OP
Mike
Contributor
Thanks. I've dived all over Mexico so well aware of the baseline of the experience. And as awesome as it would be if you could, unfortunately intentional scuba diving with whale sharks in Mexico is illegal. Have snorkeled with them via Isla Mujeres a couple of times and did so again on this last trip.
alwaysdiving
Contributor
Hello Everyone
You are absolutely right Mike, I take full responsability for what happened, indeed, this was one of the most difficult days of my history. I don't want to bore you with the details.
I have a reputation made for over 32 years with more than 20,000 satisfied divers.
I've been obsessed with providing the best service, that is why I have a high level of repetetive divers for so many years.
I feel so bad about what happened with you and your wife and I think the most righteous is the total reimbursement of what you paid, I know perfectly that, that doesn't pay the bad experience, that is why I wanted to invite you to a dive trip for free with me. I hope some day you give me the opportunity to redeem myself with you, and like that, could change your perception about ALWAYSDIVING.
I'm a diver too and I l treat everyone in the same way that I would like to be treated.
Best regards from the paradise to all the community.
bad days happen, but the fact that Always Diving is willing to give a refund for a bad day tells me that most of their days are good days
I am traveling to Cancun in October and would like to do a variety of diving. I have been searching the web trying to find a dive operator that is not a day care dive center and is not a cattle boat. Any suggestions?
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