What would you do? AITA?

[34109411]

We had a similar situation happen (diver went missing on a live drift, and we all missed the second dive). The dive op offered us all a credit for a free trip in the future, and honored it when I called them a year later to ask if the offer was still good.

euhhh didn't they find him ???

 

[CathyE]

I’d just eat it and hope that the diver is OK.

Hope the diver is Okay? Absolutely! Eat it? Not willingly. If it was a posted policy, I would choose another op.

Eat it, and be glad it wasn’t you that was hurt

See response above. I get that you have an operators perspective.

To promote a culture of safety in the sport, we as divers should never demand a refund if an emergency causes a dive trip to be cut short because we don’t want to disincentivize dive operators from making correct conservative decisions.

If you were the diver having an emergency, you wouldn’t want the dive operator to have to choose between helping you and losing money on the trip.

Very recently, I was on a dive boat when one diver suffered a critical life-threatening emergency (likely CO2 hit). The crew of the boat jumped into action probably saving the diver’s life. The diver is lucky that the crew knew exactly what to do, had the right equipment on board, no panic. One of the guests was a trauma nurse and she stepped right in to help as well.

For those divers on the boat doing a double dip, the second dive was cancelled as the boat hurried home to hand the victim over to waiting first responders.

Not only did it not even cross our minds to ask for a refund, but everyone tipped the boat crew without regard for the missed second dive.

This is the community mindset in diving. We support each other, and the dive operators, or there will be no more diving.

Of course the operator needs to tend to the injured diver, no question. It’s the care for their other customers afterward that is at issue.
The diver is not ‘lucky’ that the boat had the correct equipment and knew how to use it. It is the minimum. If they didn’t, they had no business taking divers out. I will agree he was lucky that there was a nurse on board.
I don’t dive with a ‘community’, I dive with my buddy alone, or with my buddy on a dive boat with strangers. I disagree that there won’t be any more diving if we don’t shut up and take what they give us. There will be no more dive shop if it doesn’t respect all their customers, and then a different one will fill the void.

Well
Any diver can abort a dive at anytime for any reason. And its a medical, I want to be taken care of with priority as well.

I would not expect a refund, although of course would not be happy with it either. Az least I would not ask for it.

As far as the operator is concerned of course its a financial issue for him. Personally I would have tried to give some perks for tje customers, that is some kind of voucher, extra tip ... something that would cover some (all) of the costs of the shop, but would save the customer some money. But that I would not expect.

Maybe you should check your insurance if that may cover it.

My insurance is to cover me in the case of an event. I tried looking at DAN, Dive accident is for the divers medical events/expenses and the travel one mentions airfare and things but doesn’t mention the loss of individual dives due to someone else’s medical event.
This should be a part of the operators insurance coverage.

We all absolutely agree the diver in distress needs to be the priority. A second dive may need to be forfeited. (The time I was on a boat and someone needed a chamber we were able to deliver them to Anthony’s Key with a staff member and then complete our second dive.) If a dive shop will compensate for ‘out of their control’ weather cancellations, why should ‘out of their control’ medical events be treated differently.
A credit is fine, I need acknowledgment that I am innocent of blame and undeserving of losing my paid for dive. Simple.

 

[lexvil]

Looking for advice on what the typical diver would do in this scenario. We booked a two tank dive. We completed one dive and had to miss the second because of a diver in the group who had difficulty breathing and had to be brought back to shore. Would you expect a refund for the second dive you did not complete? Or do you just eat it? Obviously don’t want to be the Ahole since it was because of medical event and we obviously feel terrible what happened to the diver (who is okay btw). But seems standard to get a refund if only completed half the dives through no fault of our own? But also not fault of dive shop either

My question is, what is AITA?

 

[CathyE]

My question is, what is AITA?

A Reddit forum.

 

[lexvil]

A Reddit forum.

Ok then what’s Reddit?





Ok just kidding on that one

 

[James79]

My question is, what is AITA?

Am I The A-hole

 

[danzn16]

I

My question is, what is AITA?

It means “Am I the a-hole?” in the scenario. lol.

 

[lsmike]

Medical emergencies need to be treated with priority.
That being said, I would expect some sort or compromise from the dive operation. Either credits for a future dive or take people back to the dive site if it's near enough to hand the injured diver to the operation/paramedics on land.

 

[Rilelen]

euhhh didn't they find him ???

We did, eventually, although it took a couple hours! Coast Guard and all the other local dive boats were also out looking. Seas had risen because we had a hurricane incoming the next day, and their yellow/green SMB was small and almost invisible in the swell and white caps. A lot of things went wrong that dive, but they were okay in the end.

It’s the only time I’ve ever been on a dive boat where we were asked (by the captain and crew) NOT to tip - the crew were badly shaken, I’m amazed we found them. I truly thought we weren’t going to, and I think they did too.

 

[_john]

I would expect to just eat it. I think the only time I would expect a refund is if the operator canceled for their own convenience. Medical emergency is a hazard of the sport. That's not to say I wouldn't be upset by missing a dive I paid for, but it is what it is.