Trip report - Splashdown divers (August 6 '06)

[Jamdiver]

Hey all,

Just thought i'd share my wonderful experience with Splashdown Divers a few days back.
First time posting in this subforum let alone starting a thread, so please bear with me .

Headed out with some fellow Scubaboarders on Sunday Joystershell, Missdirected and the Splashdown divers DM (Scubakevdm) were all on the boat.
Was a lovely Florida day, warm sunshine, seas weren't too bad maybe 2-4ft waves..

Splashdown divers boat

1st dive - Casino Ledge? Not exactly sure of the name..
I'd estimate the viz at about 40-50ft.
As you know Sunday was the start of the lobster season so several persons on the boat were lobstering including Joyce..

Dropped down on the reef and we commenced our dive..
Joyce had the flag and was ahead of us lobstering, so Missy and I hung back a bit and looked at all the pretty stuff and there certainly was a huge amount!!

Missdirected

We saw massive schools of grunts, filefish, parrotfish (yum yum), jacks, triggerfish, banded shrimp and god knows what else..

Banded shrimp..

And all while viewing the gorgeous Fort lauderdale reefscape..

Total dive time about 1 hr, water temp maybe 81F or so...,
Joyce caught a bug or two I think..

2nd dive, Horseshoe Reef.... Named due to the fact that the reef is in an interesting semi-lunar shape which is perpendicular to the current usually, so you usually find hundreds/thousands of fish hanging out there who are trying to escape the current!

Vis was a bit better on this dive, current was slightly stronger as was expected at this point. Missy and I spent the better part of the dive 40 minutes just hanging out over the start of the reef..

Massive school of grunts..

We saw even more stuff on this dive... just insane..

Goldentail Moray eel

Arrow Crab

Scrawled filefish

All in all 2 very enjoyable dives and I look forward to doing these dives again..

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Sweet Jam!

 

[LiteHedded]

i think i might be the only one who was less than impressed with splashdown divers...

 

[Jamdiver]

i think i might be the only one who was less than impressed with splashdown divers...

What weren't you 'impressed' with LiteHedded?

 

[Matteo]

nice report and even nicer photos!

 

[SeaYoda]

Great job Jam! I enjoyed the pics. When are you coming up my direction?

 

[LiteHedded]

What weren't you 'impressed' with LiteHedded?

the attitude of some of the people that work there i guess.
poor site briefings on several occasions
and once I was rushed into a second dive after only a 30 minutes surface interval on air I assume because they were trying to get back to the afternoon dives. I should've told them no but I went in and had to come up after not much bottom time.

also my buddy drove down there this weekend (might have been monday) and when he got there she told him "we forgot to call you. we canceled today's trip." for a guy driving from the tampa area that's a pretty big slip up.

i've had some good dives with them but they've kinda rubbed me the wrong way on a couple of occasions
it was also mentioned to me that you didn't necessarily need a nitrox cert to dive nitrox with them

don't flame me too bad. I know everyone loves splashdown!

 

[DEEPLOU]

the attitude of some of the people that work there i guess.
poor site briefings on several occasions
and once I was rushed into a second dive after only a 30 minutes surface interval on air I assume because they were trying to get back to the afternoon dives. I should've told them no but I went in and had to come up after not much bottom time.

also my buddy drove down there this weekend (might have been monday) and when he got there she told him "we forgot to call you. we canceled today's trip." for a guy driving from the tampa area that's a pretty big slip up.


PS: will be down that area for some diving 9/14 to 9/19
i've had some good dives with them but they've kinda rubbed me the wrong way on a couple of occasions
it was also mentioned to me that you didn't necessarily need a nitrox cert to dive nitrox with them

don't flame me too bad. I know everyone loves splashdown!

When I first learned of Boyntan Bch diving (MOther in law bought house abt 20 min from pier) i used Splashdown. The seemed all right, but one day (last time i tried to book w/them) I was on my way to boat at abt 8 in the morning (forget exact time) but half way there my cell goes off, they tell me the others that were scheduled to be on the boat cancelled so they cancelled the trip. NICE TIME TO LET ME KNOW!!!!
It was too late to even try to get anyone else, they all left dock already.
It left bad taste in my mouth. Especially, when I think most operators policy is if you cancel less than 48 hrs ahead you are still responsible for the cost of the trip. So in my mind, they got the money from the group that cancelled but weren't going to go out with just one diver. Heck much more profit from getting paid and not sailing than getting paid and sail for one more ticket.
Whether they made a profit that way, or didn't charge the cancellees, it was rotten to call and say not enough passengers not sailing 45 min prior to scheduled departure.
Weather cancellations are another thing, but that was not the case that day.

Since that day been using Dive Charters Int. who is just down the dock from them. Matter of fact, one day scheduled with him and he had no one else, so he got me on another boat.

 

[Missdirected]

Really nice day spend with a great guy. One question though, where is the pic of the two fish I fell in love with for the day? :sad: Oh and can I see what the banded shrimp photo looks like rotated, pretty please. Very good pics btw.

 

[Missdirected]

Jam, I forgot to say thank you for doing our report