Trip Review: Tres Pelicanos (3Ps) & Casa Mexicana

[deepsea21]

It began as a simple report from a member about 3-Ps and moved into discussions of dive masters intentionally engaging in tactics to get clients to blow through their tanks quickly (you know... dive masters/guides wanting to get to those cantinas more quickly)

Well, I can assure everyone that Jorge hasn't won all the Iron Man competitions he has at his age by rushing through diving to get to a Cantina every day. I've personally never seen him drink more than 1 beer when we've had dinner together. I know you didn't have Jorge in mind when you posted this AZT.

Bottom line is if one doesn't like a dive shop for one reason or another, try another. Same goes for accommodations, bars and restaurants. If one doesn't like a DM for one reason or another ask for a different one. After all, there is no shortage of either on the island - not everyone is going to click and not every dive is going to be perfect. I personally don't think 3P's would have developed the almost cult following they have in the relatively short time they've been around (compared to many other dive ops on the island) if the op and its staff weren't delivering a level of service and dive experiences a lot of divers seem to enjoy. Additionally, there are dive sites I personally could care less about but a dive boat is a dive group and some divers prefer different sites than I do. Some like the deeper sites, some like the walls, (some even like that damned fly-over of a dive Paso Del Cedral which I have to endure several times a trip). I don't complain, I just wait for my turn to request a site that I like that they may not particularly like and then they get to endure my selection. If one visits a site they don't particularly care for, or has an experience they didn't particularly care for, there's always tomorrow, Lord willing.

Our group of 8 or so that seems to show up each year at X-mas tends to request Jorge because we like his DM style, personality and he knows our diving style and personalities. Also perhaps because we've just been diving so long together (5 years for me but far longer for others). Not to take anything away from Edgar and Julio are both great in their own respects and with whom we've enjoyed fantastic dive experiences... Not to take anything away from any of the great DM's we've enjoyed over the last 17? years and came to know as friends, many of which have moved on or retired and some of which are still working and with whom we still check in with when we are down just to say hello and catch up.

One thing is certain, there are far more A-hole divers visiting Coz that the DM's have to put up with than A-hole DM's the divers have to put up with yet the DM's show up day in and day out with a smile on their faces when the reality is the last thing they may want to do that day is haul tanks and gear and get wet again... But they do it because it how they make a living.

 

[ggunn]

Seriously, if folks don't see a problem with a thread 'drift' that disparages a specific dive master by name, I'll simply have to respectfully disagree with them. There are quite a few posts here that either directly or indirectly reflect negatively on Jorge. If you don't see it, you might want to lower your 'shield' and re-read what's been posted in this thread as it has 'drifted'.

I do appreciate the original post that was intended to provide a review of a quality Cozumel dive operation. In my opinion, the direction of the 'drift' is unfortunate, but that's just me.

-AZTinman

That's really two discussions. One is about how threads meander as they persist, irrespective of direction. The other is about disparaging posts no matter how they start. They don't have all that much to do with each other. Seeing disparaging posts in thread which has drifted from its original topic is not going to set me off on a crusade against thread drift in general. Put another way, not being adamant against thread drift does not mean that I support slamming anyone; please don't paint me with that brush.

 

[Dan G]

I see no problem with people posting that they had a negative experience with a dive op or DM. As long as it is not framed in personal attacks and is based on a diver's actual first-hand experience, it should be OK. I'd add that others should be able to relate positive experiences about the same DM or op, as long as those rebuttals are not based on personal attacks either.

I do not get why people have to be so tribal or cultish about their preferred DM or op.

 

[AZTinman]

Again, I'll respectfully disagree. It's not two discussions. The meandering (drift) of posts in this thread took a disparaging track and that's my issue.

Rather than continuing to beat the proverbial 'dead horse', I'll just echo what several others have pointed out. If you have issues with a particular Cozumel dive op or feel you are pushed out of your comfortable space by a specific dive master, there's no shortage of dive ops on the island. Find one you're comfortable with.

Personally, I've never had a bad experience with 3Ps and will be diving with them later this year. I doubt I'll be diving with Jorge because I'll book a private dive master to avoid holding back other divers while I pursue underwater photographs.

-AZTinman

 

[uncfnp]

I can't help but wonder if any of you folks who posted this stuff have ever asked Jorge ... having issues with getting cold because he is a tri-athlete with less body fat than most of us?

Yes.

And there is nothing “disparaging” about this simple statement unless you are reading more into it than was said.

 

[deepsea21]

I think this thread has run its course and all have said what they will. I won't be responding anymore here. Those who care to beat a dead horse of a thread into a second death have at it (or do something more productive with your free time).

'Nuf said

 

[sinistar]

Here comes some Necro Thread revival

I really hadn't looked at ScubaBoard much after this review. Like not until tonight (11 months later!). And what do I have in my in box. A message ...11 months old....directly from the owner (Steve) letting me know he took my comments seriously and was already working on some of what I call "the little stuff". As I said, I already rate these guys A- at a minimum and my few hits were really just trivial. So I thought it was awesome to see how seriously he takes even the little stuff. I am hoping to make it back to Cozumel this year and will surely dive with them again...if they will have me He even offered (far to generously) to make it right! I told Steve that there is no need to make it right...it was already awesome. Well, unless he can arrange to see Dolphins or a Sailfish (jealously Julio!)

Wow this thread drifted like crazy. I'm pretty shocked to see some of the comments about Jorge. I love that guy. He was going out of his way to help me find stuff to get on film. I was diving nitrox 100's and never once did I get the sense he was rushing me through a tank as I was almost always the last up except the fantastic last dive which I knew I blew because looking at sharks down at 120ft is just to tempting He stuck out every dive until I was surfacing with 500psi...and that is on 100's, not 80's. Actually me being one of the only ones on the bigger Nitrox tanks that week was probably an added challenge for him, especially staying out of deco on the second dives.

I'm officially bring the tangents back together. Fantastic dive shop. Tremendous people. Wonderful place

 

[manta_man]

Thanks Brad, much appreciated. Get back down here and out of that cold weather.