Strange email from Maldives operator

[ayshe]

For a bit of background, I am a new diver. I did my certification in July and have a total of 16 dives (including the 4 training dives). Most of my dives have been here in Oman, but I did take a holiday to Bali and did 6 dives there, which were amazing. They were on the challenging side (drift dives), but we had a fantastic guide who really looked out for us.


We are going to the Maldives in a couple of weeks with the sole intention of diving. I emailed the top 2 of 3 dive shops on the island we are staying on, asking for dive package prices. We are only going for four days, and to make the most of it plan on spending two days diving (3 dives per day). The shops emailed me back, one offering a 6 tanks dive at $210 with the price inclusive of equipment, guide, boat & taxes. The other company offers a 5 dive package (including equipment except wet suit & computer) for 235 US$; we would need wetsuits (7US$/dive) and then there is 12% tax on top. So that's a total of $302.40.


The reviews on TripAdvisor are good for both. The first dive shop did have 2 (of over 130 reviews) that said that they didn't like that the guides tried to take them deeper than they are certified, but this didn't ring any major alarms for me.


So based on the package being the number of dives we wanted, and being cheaper we chose the first dive shop, and I didn't think anything more. I received an email from the second dive shop, following up on my query. I replied and said thanks for the info, but we will dive with someone else as their package suits us better, and it's cheaper.


They then replied with this:


Hi Ayshe,

Nice to hear from you again.

Please chose your dive center carefully, as I am sure that your safety is also one of your big consideration.

You have to be aware that one dive center is currently under a PADI investigation for repeatedly breaching basic safety standards, and that another dive club had a near-fatal drowning accident about 6 months ago.

Have a safe holiday.


I don't really know what to think. Of course as a diver, especially a new, inexperienced one, safety is a huge consideration. That said, my instructor (and every PADI book) makes it very clear that as a diver your safety is your responsibility, and I would have no issues telling a guide what I am and am not comfortable with when we go through the dive plan.


So the point of this whole post really is, what should I think? Surely if there is a center breaching standards and being investigated he should have just told me who they were? Considering there are only 3 dive centers on the island is he implying only his is safe?


Your advice and wisdom would be much appreciated, I am very much looking forward to my trip, and I am aware that diving in the Maldives is mostly drift and current dives, which are a bit more challenging. If anyone has been diving in the Maldives, I would love to hear more.

Thank you!

 

[Zippsy]

I'd ignore the e-mail as they have a vested interest and sound like a-holes. Get the opinions of real diving customers (from here, trip advisor, etc)

 

[Beyond_Diving]

That's not cool... badmouthing another operator (whether true or not), just to get someone's business is a very sleazy tjing to do...

 

[fisheater]

I'd contact PADI and see what they say, ESPECIALLY if the dive shop that emailed you is a PADI-affiliate.

 

[Centrals]

Hi Ayshe,

Nice to hear from you again.

Please chose your dive center carefully, as I am sure that your safety is also one of your big consideration.

You have to be aware that one dive center is currently under a PADI investigation for repeatedly breaching basic safety standards, and that another dive club had a near-fatal drowning accident about 6 months ago.

Have a safe holiday.

I would forward this message to the operator that you had chosen.

 

[ayshe]

So I decided to go with your suggestion, and I emailed PADI. This was the reply I got:

PADI’s Quality Management process is a private one, so we cannot share details of whether or not there is an ongoing investigation with any particular dive center. By the same token, we would not share this information with any other PADI Dive Center either.

You can see how the PADI Quality Management system works here PADI . If we take punitive action against a PADI Dive Center or individual member you can see if here Consumer Alerts Reports | PADI

I would also like to explain that PADI standards and procedures only apply to PADI courses and programs. PADI has no authority over pleasure dives. Certified divers are responsible for themselves and should apply what they learned in their training to pleasure dives, diving within your certification and experience. This may include deciding not to dive if you are not comfortable with any aspect of the dive.

I hope this helps and that you have a great holiday.

So I feel pretty confident now that the dive operator was just hurt that I decided not to go with them. Honestly, I thought I was doing a nice thing giving them some feedback on why we didn't choose them.

Back to looking forward to my trip!

 

[Nasser]

It is certainly possible that the dive center that replied to you and mentioned PADI safety violations, did so to lure you over to them as they do have a vested interest, however, that doen't necessarily mean that what they're saying isn't true either.

In any case, regardless of the dive operator you choose, just make sure to be thoroughly briefed by the operators and DM on the sites they visit and any concerns you may have - don't be faired to ask questions and communicate with them if something doesn't feel right or is beyond your experience level.

On another note, make sure to give yourself the recommended 24hrs surface time after several days of diving before flying.

Cheers.

 

[shmuggy]

I hope that when you get back, you write a trip report so other divers can benefit from what you learn- good or bad.