Blue Hole - Amigos Del Mar - Very Poor

[Jayfarmlaw]

There was some level of screening going on as a former milatary man was denied diving since it would be his first dive of the trip. He and his wife were only allowed to snorkel. I don't know what his c-card level was but he said that Ramon's required you had to have some dives in prior to going to BH.

I Like the idea of advanced OW only, or minimum of 50 dives, but unless people start getting injured and/or killed on these dives on a regular basis, I don't see that happening. In the ops defense, everyone made it back home fine. I don't remember the last time I read about an accident at BH.

I enjoyed Belize, and am glad I went, but unless it was a phenomenal deal I'm not sure I'd go back.

Jay

 

[Ralph Capeling]

At Splash we require divers to be advanced open water or to have done at least 30 dives and to do a check out dive trip with us before we will take them to dive the Blue Hole. Same prerequisites apply to whale shark dives. Max 4 divers per dive master.
Regards
Ralph

 

[bathbiggles1]

At Splash we require divers to be advanced open water or to have done at least 30 dives and to do a check out dive trip with us before we will take them to dive the Blue Hole. Same prerequisites apply to whale shark dives. Max 4 divers per dive master.
Regards
Ralph

Thanks Ralph - that makes perfect sense.

Looking at Amigos Del Mar's schedule on their website, they have a trip every day to the Blue Hole - so I guess it comes down to economics. They have to cut corners to get enough people on the boat - so they do!

In 20 years of diving in 25 countries, I have never had to make a post that highlighted serious safety complaints. Yes I've had a couple of negative experiences and there were one or two questionable decisions by DMs on dives - but from what I saw, AMD are actually so far over the line as to be dangerous. It's all the more surprising that it is a high profile operation at a World famous dive site and it's sad that their behaviour will bring other, better operators into disrepute.

 

[chillyinCanada]

bathbiggles, you did read that Ramon's runs the same way, didn't you? It's not just the one operator.

 

[Dogbowl]

We came back recently from the Belize Aggressor. I made a conscious decision to sit out the Blue Hole, considering I only had 40 dives and wasn’t 100% on a physical level due to an episode of seasickness and vomitting the night before. I had no regrets skipping it but that’s just me. I’m a conservative diver. I can always do the Blue Hole another day.

I sat through the briefing for the Blue Hole and my husband dived it with the group. All the DMs knew we were newer divers and that my husband was going to buddy with one of them if I did not end up diving. We did not have any safety concerns with the way Aggressor handled it. I told my husband to watch his depth and make sure he stayed above 130.

I had a previous experience snorkeling with a shop on Ambergris. I asked about the “flight and dive on the same day” package. Obviously, the DM was defensive about it, saying the flight wasn’t to very high altitudes and it was safe. I wasn’t so convinced and on a previous thread here, it wasn’t clear cut how people felt about it either. Anyway, my sense about diving in Belize, at least with certain shops, is that safety standards are different, something I’m not too comfortable with. It’s a shame that these cowboy shops exist because I’m sure there are reputable shops on Belize whose reputation is tainted by them.

All I can say is, I doubt I’ll ever go back to Belize unless I wanted to do the Aggressor again. Or maybe Huracan.

 

[Edward3c]

Thanks Ralph - that makes perfect sense.

Looking at Amigos Del Mar's schedule on their website, they have a trip every day to the Blue Hole - so I guess it comes down to economics. They have to cut corners to get enough people on the boat - so they do!

In 20 years of diving in 25 countries, I have never had to make a post that highlighted serious safety complaints. Yes I've had a couple of negative experiences and there were one or two questionable decisions by DMs on dives - but from what I saw, AMD are actually so far over the line as to be dangerous. It's all the more surprising that it is a high profile operation at a World famous dive site and it's sad that their behaviour will bring other, better operators into disrepute.

If AMD are that none compliant with the Belizian Recreational Diving Standards then Report then using one, or more, of the contact information here.

I used AMD when they first started, in the mid 90s. Then they were a BSAC operation getting most of their business from the military.

As for the BH most new divers believe what their told by ‘professionals’, and its advertised as a bucket list dive. I did it once in 1979 and not bothered again.

 

[lthomas132]

There was some level of screening going on as a former milatary man was denied diving since it would be his first dive of the trip. He and his wife were only allowed to snorkel. I don't know what his c-card level was but he said that Ramon's required you had to have some dives in prior to going to BH.

I Like the idea of advanced OW only, or minimum of 50 dives, but unless people start getting injured and/or killed on these dives on a regular basis, I don't see that happening. In the ops defense, everyone made it back home fine. I don't remember the last time I read about an accident at BH.

I enjoyed Belize, and am glad I went, but unless it was a phenomenal deal I'm not sure I'd go back.

Jay

I was censored several years ago after reporting a death from diving at the BH. I helped carry a young French lady off the boat onto a gurney at San Pedro. She was overlooked by the dive guide and drifted to >180' before he dragged her up. She was horrible bent, chambered, they medivac'd out that night to Belize City where she died. Here's what's left of the conversation: https://www.scubaboard.com/community/conversations/re-death-in-the-blue-hole.1716213/

 

[Dogbowl]

I was censored several years ago after reporting a death from diving at the BH. I helped carry a young French lady off the boat onto a gurney at San Pedro. She was overlooked by the dive guide and drifted to >180' before he dragged her up. She was horrible bent, chambered, they medivac'd out that night to Belize City where she died. Here's what's left of the conversation: https://www.scubaboard.com/community/conversations/re-death-in-the-blue-hole.1716213/

The link does not work.

 

[lthomas132]

The link does not work.

Things happened there that aren't spoken of, or at least hushed up.
I clicked on it again, worked for me. Here's the jest of it, or what is left:

 

[Downing]

Ah, Peter. For those who weren't around back then, Peter was an ex-pat Brit living on AC. He ran a technical dive shop for a while, and I believe after he closed it he continued to give private lessons. He was a regular here for years, and I'll always remember his very dry British sense of humor. He was such a fountain of knowledge about diving in general and about Belize and AC in particular. Always willing to help. Sadly, he passed away a few years ago before we ever got the chance to meet in person.