on Roatan:
Got "rained out" at a resort, we lost three days of diving. The resort gave us vouchers for a free week's stay.
Got "rained in" on another trip. Planes were cancelled for three days. The island's other big resorts guests loaded their own luggage into trucks every day, went to the airport, and then returned to the resort... just to have to pay for another night's lodging. At our resort, they carried our bags every day (until the plane made it in on Tuesday), gave us free loding and food- and free bar tab.
Certain divemasters take great pride in finding critters. Not so much the obvious things that are bigger than a toaster- you start to see that stuff fairly early, even if you are a vacationing diver. I mean the really small stuff. Then, on surface intervals, they explain how they find the interesting stuff. They taught me how to look for the precise niche environment certain creatures always gravitate towards. It's easy to find the environments, then stop- look at the area with care. The rest becomes obvious. Helpful DM's that can explain how and why are
golden.
in Tobago:
The dive briefings would be held on a noisy, windblown dock. The divers present represented five nationalities and 4 languages, but the brief was without diagrams and in broken English.... although the resort held itself out to be the 'international traveler's choice'. There was a lot of foot traffic on this concrete pier- they also ran snorkel trips and had other, more family oriented dive groups. The pier was also kind of scary in that there were unprotected 5/8" threaded rods (bolts) sticking up out of the treadway maybe 2" tall. Yikes.
After three days of diving with this operation in the stiffest of all currents in the Caribbean, we spoke to the DM
before he began the morning briefing and asked...
if it was safe, could be please do certain dives that were known to be really ripping currents. He looked like we were talking dirty about his mom. Without a word, he stormed back up to the office, ten minutes later he came down and said only, "Let's go". In the group, unknown to him, was an editor from dive magazines in the UK and one from Germany.
in the Philippines:
The DM has three of us from a large group in
the big kids group. I sucked air harder than the other two travelers. I told the DM that I would signal him at 1500 and 800. All I asked is that he use his skills and put me under the boat and point at 35fsw when I got down to 150psi.
Try asking them to do that in Cayman.
