In the past, I never booked through a cruise ship. For a few stupid reasons due to my poor judgement recently, I did and will never do so again. This is what I basically found out the hard way: I broke this down into sections so they can be analyzed.
1) The dive shop never asked anyone for proof of certification.
2) The dive shop never asked anyone about experience level or recent dives.
3) Although they verified everyone had a dive partner, we dove as a group lead by a dive guide that was an instructor (have no idea which agency). I will just refer to him as DM. Diving as a group of 9 creates a problem when people are of different levels of competency.
4) Dive site #1, the DM for the service jumps in first and makes a comment about the current being stronger than usual. We had a moderate chop at best with maybe 2' seas and moderate wind. The captain gets the first 2 divers in the water then the DM decides we are not going to dive on this 50' max depth "wreck". All 3 divers get on board and we move 200 yards to a new location that is going to be a reef. OK, so the current at the surface is slightly less in this area.
5) All divers are told not to touch the bottom or silt things up for everyone else. I am last in and go directly to the 30' depth and hover over the bottom taking pictures immediately. I have to stop taking pictures as 3 of the divers are standing on the bottom send particle clouds everywhere. The current is slight inside this bowl. The DM leads us through a rather large, longer swim through. Since I was paired up with the DM as I was there alone, I started to follow him. Next thing I know I am getting pushed down from someone above me and then I am kicked in the face. I went in #2 in line and came out #5. WTF? Oh did I mention that when we dropped of the back of the boat we went WITH the current?
6) Current on the other side of the the swim through is again, slight but consistent. No surge. The DM decides to now take us over the top of the coral reef to go back into the bowl rather than go around or through the swim through again. But wait? He has to go back through because we are already missing divers. Now he is ready to take us over the coral where the depth is approximately 8-10'. Now we can feel some heavier current. I have split fins on and push through and down back into the bowl. Moderate current in this area, still manageable.
7) Only a few of us and the DM are now back in the bowl. Watching others struggle to make it back in. Next thing I know, everyone is going to the tow line to get back on the boat. We are 15 minutes into the dive, the DM who is my "buddy" takes off and goes directly to the surface. I decided to make my safety stop to keep my computer from yelling at me. I am waiting my turn to surface and get back onto the boat.
8) I look up while waiting my turn from 15' and see the DM dive in and swim very fast away from the boat with just his exposure suit on. OK, someone must be lost or drifted away at the surface. Next thing I see is the captain splashing in above me with just his shorts on. When I surface at the ladder, there are only a few divers and no one is offering to take my camera setup or fins. It is not a xmas tree ladder. While getting someone's attention on our dive boat with no crew on board, I hear the captain who is now out of breath and 50 yards behind the boat yelling for a rope and a float as he is tired and fighting the current with no gear. One of the younger divers eventually gets a float out to the captain, I get on board then assist in getting the portly captain back on the boat.
9) Two of us team up to release the boat from the mooring and allow the captain to reposition to pick up the 2 divers who are waiting with the DM clinging to another mooring ball. After a few throws, we connect and haul in the 2 exhausted divers. At this point the captain says we are done for the day. The DM lets us know that we will only be charged for a single tank dive. Really?
1) The dive shop never asked anyone for proof of certification.
2) The dive shop never asked anyone about experience level or recent dives.
3) Although they verified everyone had a dive partner, we dove as a group lead by a dive guide that was an instructor (have no idea which agency). I will just refer to him as DM. Diving as a group of 9 creates a problem when people are of different levels of competency.
4) Dive site #1, the DM for the service jumps in first and makes a comment about the current being stronger than usual. We had a moderate chop at best with maybe 2' seas and moderate wind. The captain gets the first 2 divers in the water then the DM decides we are not going to dive on this 50' max depth "wreck". All 3 divers get on board and we move 200 yards to a new location that is going to be a reef. OK, so the current at the surface is slightly less in this area.
5) All divers are told not to touch the bottom or silt things up for everyone else. I am last in and go directly to the 30' depth and hover over the bottom taking pictures immediately. I have to stop taking pictures as 3 of the divers are standing on the bottom send particle clouds everywhere. The current is slight inside this bowl. The DM leads us through a rather large, longer swim through. Since I was paired up with the DM as I was there alone, I started to follow him. Next thing I know I am getting pushed down from someone above me and then I am kicked in the face. I went in #2 in line and came out #5. WTF? Oh did I mention that when we dropped of the back of the boat we went WITH the current?
6) Current on the other side of the the swim through is again, slight but consistent. No surge. The DM decides to now take us over the top of the coral reef to go back into the bowl rather than go around or through the swim through again. But wait? He has to go back through because we are already missing divers. Now he is ready to take us over the coral where the depth is approximately 8-10'. Now we can feel some heavier current. I have split fins on and push through and down back into the bowl. Moderate current in this area, still manageable.
7) Only a few of us and the DM are now back in the bowl. Watching others struggle to make it back in. Next thing I know, everyone is going to the tow line to get back on the boat. We are 15 minutes into the dive, the DM who is my "buddy" takes off and goes directly to the surface. I decided to make my safety stop to keep my computer from yelling at me. I am waiting my turn to surface and get back onto the boat.
8) I look up while waiting my turn from 15' and see the DM dive in and swim very fast away from the boat with just his exposure suit on. OK, someone must be lost or drifted away at the surface. Next thing I see is the captain splashing in above me with just his shorts on. When I surface at the ladder, there are only a few divers and no one is offering to take my camera setup or fins. It is not a xmas tree ladder. While getting someone's attention on our dive boat with no crew on board, I hear the captain who is now out of breath and 50 yards behind the boat yelling for a rope and a float as he is tired and fighting the current with no gear. One of the younger divers eventually gets a float out to the captain, I get on board then assist in getting the portly captain back on the boat.
9) Two of us team up to release the boat from the mooring and allow the captain to reposition to pick up the 2 divers who are waiting with the DM clinging to another mooring ball. After a few throws, we connect and haul in the 2 exhausted divers. At this point the captain says we are done for the day. The DM lets us know that we will only be charged for a single tank dive. Really?
