Steel tank ops - a comparison between Living Underwater and Aldora

[old gaffer]

Since I have never encountered such a terrible diver before it's hard to say. However, what I can tell you, with the utmost certainty, is that he would have had a private word with the diver. He will try to manage the problem, suggest they need to fiix it or leave is the message. Most assuredly they would not be given their own private boat. I have NEVER been forced to endure an unendurable diver and my request to Aldora to have another diver moved was the very first time I have ever done so.

Jeremy doesn't advertise, doesn't participate on web forums etc. and relies almost exclusively on word of mouth via advanced diver forums. So my experience is that GENERALLY his divers are pretty good. But not all are! He has told me about some dandies! As Boulderjohn mentioned. Much can be mitigated (but not all) and generally enough to my satisfaction since they get sent up earlier. I don't care about swim-throughs, or diving deep or whatever. In fact, I am pretty easy to get along with and will go wherever other divers on the boat want to go or where the DMs THINK they should gol

When I am there for the winter, I don't really care who his other divers are. If he finds he has some bad ones when I am booked then he will contact me and suggest I move. But obviously that doesn't work when people only have a week to dive. Does this answer your questions?

Hey Marg what exactly made this diver so terrible? The last week of May I dove with Aldora and also was a solo diver traveling with my non-diving spouse. on the 4th day of diving the group at lunch was talking about going to the northern reefs and Myself not being a big fan of fast currents and the likely hood of having fast currents on the northern reefs I decided not to join them the next day. The other half of the group opted to do a twilight two tank boat dive the next day so that left me as the only diver without a boat. I got paired up with a couple young ladies that came over on the ferry for a dive day. One had real bad bouyancy skills and both went through there air rather quickly. I had 1500 left at the end of the safety stop. Was a bit dissapointed in that dive but I think they probably had trouble finding a place for me that day, oh and also another first for any dive op that I have dove with they showed up at my hotel pier with none of my gear on board the boat! Had to go back to town to get it. At the time it happened I was steaming mad in the boat (silently) I was certain my gear was already well on its way to the northern reefs on the Felicity. But they had removed it but neglected to get it to the boat I was on.

Despite some hiccups I was pleased overall with Aldora. If I do not dive with them down the road It will be due to the group ascent rule.

Tom

 

[MMM]

Someone else asked the same question earlier in the thread; to avoid re-hashing it, look at post #26.

Hey Marg what exactly made this diver so terrible?

 

[weeezer]

I've been diving with Aldora since they started.....back in the days when they promised to pick up your equipment at the airport. I like the small groups and the fact they keep everyone together (relatively). Aldora's service in, and on, the water is great. Out of the water, not so much. Dave and Memo, stop this nonsense of going to the shop to drop off your equipment and to pay. People are on vacation and don't want to schedule around when your shop may/or may not be open or closed. Or at least arrange for someone to pick up your equipment, or to go pay. Or pick up and pay at the Villa. Other dive ops are giving much better service and are cheaper. Your reservation system for the Villa could use some upgrade as well. When I call to find out what is available, all I get is a recording. What wrong with a calendar based web site website that shows what available by date?

 

[Craig66]

Dave,

Your policies are your policies - and I respect that. I am not here to tell you that you are WRONG for implementing that policy - but which point of mine do you disagree with? Please let me know how you believe I am factually wrong with any point(s) that you disagree with. Like MMM's friend, I cannot find anywhere in my most recent Instructor Manual that requires a DM to even be in the water with certified divers, let alone that a group of certified divers is required to stay together and ascend as a group.

I also wasn't aware that PADI had taken on the solitary role as Scuba police for certified divers. If I am indeed wrong, then I stand corrected - but I don't think so.

A. PADI is not the only training agency - and therefore not the sole authority on how dives are to be conducted
B. No agency governs how dives are led for certified divers, only for students
C. DM's in the water in CZM is a local law, not a rule or standard by any of the certification agencies
D. The PADI Instructor Manual also states that dives are to be conducted in accordance with local regulations and practices

Have to agree with Christi. Have done many dives with Pedro and a boat full of divers with slightly better air consumption than mine. At 60 mins when I was down to 600 psi would notify Pedro and he would shoot his bag and I would ascend up his line staying no more than a foot from his line. He would watch me up the line and I would surface no further than one foot from his SMB. I also had my own SMB should I need it. I refuse to see how me surfacing alone with the SMB right next to me is more risky than 7 divers surfacing at the same time anywhere from 1 to 20 feet from the SMB.

I don't believe my safety was ever compromised and the remaining divers got to get an extra 10 minutes of drive time that they paid for.


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[Mossman]

Have to agree with Christi. Have done many dives with Pedro and a boat full of divers with slightly better air consumption than mine. At 60 mins when I was down to 600 psi would notify Pedro and he would shoot his bag and I would ascend up his line staying no more than a foot from his line. He would watch me up the line and I would surface no further than one foot from his SMB. I also had my own SMB should I need it. I refuse to see how me surfacing alone with the SMB right next to me is more risky than 7 divers surfacing at the same time anywhere from 1 to 20 feet from the SMB.

Well, technically, you ascending alone violates the buddy system so Dave could make that argument. But the argument fails IMO when BUDDY PAIRS ascend before the rest of the group.

(FYI, I too ascend solo with Blue XT-Sea, Living Underwater, and other enlightened ops that don't mandate ascending with a buddy for experienced capable divers; I was just playing devil's advocate to your claim that surfacing solo is no more risky than with a group.)

 

[Craig66]

Well, technically, you ascending alone violates the buddy system so Dave could make that argument. But the argument fails IMO when BUDDY PAIRS ascend before the rest of the group.

(FYI, I too ascend solo with Blue XT-Sea, Living Underwater, and other enlightened ops that don't mandate ascending with a buddy for experienced capable divers; I was just playing devil's advocate to your claim that surfacing solo is no more risky than with a group.)

I have yet to be convinced that surfacing with an iInstabuddy that I met one hour earlier is safer then surfacing alone but that is a whole discussion of itself. For purposes of this thread lets confine it to surfacing as a couple.

Furthermore, knowing that I had the ability to surface without messing up anybody else's dive made my dive less stressful and more relaxing.

I also believe there is more chance that people might, out of embarrassment, not notify the dive master that they are low as that will end everyone's dive. This could possibly lead to am OOA emergency.



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[Mossman]

I have yet to be convinced that surfacing with an iInstabuddy that I met one hour earlier is safer then surfacing alone but that is a whole discussion of itself. For purposes of this thread lets confine it to surfacing as a couple.

Furthermore, knowing that I had the ability to surface without messing up anybody else's dive made my dive less stressful and more relaxing.

I also believe there is more chance that people might, out of embarrassment, not notify the dive master that they are low as that will end everyone's dive. This could possibly lead to am OOA emergency.

I agree with all your points. The only time an instabuddy might be a safer alternative to a solo ascent would be if the instabuddy were trained in in-water CPR and you had a heart attack on the surface. That is rather unlikely. Or maybe a shark or other marine meany attacked you on the surface and your instabuddy could stauch the blood flow or assist you if you passed out from shock. Also unlikely. Well, for that matter, consider any sort of condition that could render you unconscious on the surface, such as a nasty case of DCS or just being so tired and hungover that you feel asleep on the surface while waiting for the boat. But again, these are all pretty rare indeed. More likely the instabuddy would get into trouble and then you'd have the hassle of dealing with him or her and that's no fun at all.

As to your embarrassment point, also consider that Aldora often has the DM share air with the first LOA diver and what could be more embarrassing than that? Besides, in addition to the air-sharing practice being unsafe, what if the DM's reg has cooties?

 

[scubadada]

I agree with all your points. The only time an instabuddy might be a safer alternative to a solo ascent would be if the instabuddy were trained in in-water CPR and you had a heart attack on the surface. That is rather unlikely. Or maybe a shark or other marine meany attacked you on the surface and your instabuddy could stauch the blood flow or assist you if you passed out from shock. Also unlikely. Well, for that matter, consider any sort of condition that could render you unconscious on the surface, such as a nasty case of DCS or just being so tired and hungover that you feel asleep on the surface while waiting for the boat. But again, these are all pretty rare indeed. More likely the instabuddy would get into trouble and then you'd have the hassle of dealing with him or her and that's no fun at all.

As to your embarrassment point, also consider that Aldora often has the DM share air with the first LOA diver and what could be more embarrassing than that? Besides, in addition to the air-sharing practice being unsafe, what if the DM's reg has cooties?

Fortunately, cooties is not Ebola. Personally, I would not share air, and, fortunately, would not be likely to need to.

 

[Craig66]

Fortunately, cooties is not Ebola.

Yet....

---------- Post added August 23rd, 2014 at 05:32 PM ----------

Besides, in addition to the air-sharing practice being unsafe......

Agreed...never fully understood how a safe dive plan can actually involve the planned sharing of air in a non emergent situation. I know the fans will be all over me but never really got that it can be considered a safe prearranged part of the plan. Not saying it can't be done safety but I do believe it is not safe to make it part of a dive plan. Especially since for the most part it is likely to be less experienced divers making use of the shared air.

 

[Skittl1321]

Never mind