FrenziedFerret
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Ok, what's the deal with these guys? We used to really like Papa Hog's, but now I'm not so sure.
My wife and I dove with them 4 times before, and used to enjoy the experience. The divemasters were laid back, funny, and generally a happy bunch. They were glad to point out things to us, and seemed to want us to have a good time. The last time we dove with them was not too long after the big hurricane (Wilma?) that really messed up the island. Although their operation was in full swing, and things were basically back to normal, they seemed like a different bunch. Most of the staff had gone to other dive operations, including all of our favorite people. I heard stories of strife between the staff and the management. The new staff were basically just going through the motions, providing the minimum required service. We dove the same damn sites almost every day. The boat captains were not unfriendly, but they clearly weren't enjoying dealing with us. Overall, it was not exactly a bad experience, but not nearly what it used to be. Could anybody please provide some insight, and perhaps confirm or deny if this is still the case?
I'd also really appreciate suggestions about good alternative operations. I read a bunch of other posts, but most were pretty old, and I didn't really get what I was looking for. We are fairly particular about what we want:
Any thoughts would be very much appreciated!
My wife and I dove with them 4 times before, and used to enjoy the experience. The divemasters were laid back, funny, and generally a happy bunch. They were glad to point out things to us, and seemed to want us to have a good time. The last time we dove with them was not too long after the big hurricane (Wilma?) that really messed up the island. Although their operation was in full swing, and things were basically back to normal, they seemed like a different bunch. Most of the staff had gone to other dive operations, including all of our favorite people. I heard stories of strife between the staff and the management. The new staff were basically just going through the motions, providing the minimum required service. We dove the same damn sites almost every day. The boat captains were not unfriendly, but they clearly weren't enjoying dealing with us. Overall, it was not exactly a bad experience, but not nearly what it used to be. Could anybody please provide some insight, and perhaps confirm or deny if this is still the case?
I'd also really appreciate suggestions about good alternative operations. I read a bunch of other posts, but most were pretty old, and I didn't really get what I was looking for. We are fairly particular about what we want:
- small (6-pack) boats
- access to shore dives
- laid-back/fun divemasters
- willing to listen to suggestions on dive sites
- not overbearing/control freak divemasters :no
- long bottom times (assuming our group aren't noobs)
- snacks or water for SI would be nice
Any thoughts would be very much appreciated!
Gordon I think you are already on island time.....only a few more weeks until you are there
Christi has everything you have listed and then some
