Dive Master Question

[Greek]

All:

I'm new to the board, and figured a forum like this would be a good place for me to voice a concern I have about how AquaWorld in Cancun handled a dive that I completed last week.

I booked my reservation through the AquaWorld Desk at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Cancun. I won't get into the 3-4 errors that preceeded my dive there, but let's just say they are the most unorganized place I've ever dealt with. Once we got on the boat, the dive master explained that there was a strong current, but that we would be doing a drift dive over the wreck site. I was assigned to a group with a buddy, per normal, and was excited to start.

We got into the water with no incident, but once we were down on the bottom, the dive master, who had overshot the wreck site, went to the bottom and started to crawl. I was last in the water and didn’t realize that we had overshot, so by the time I realized that we were supposed to crawl back to the wreck against the current, I was already 50-60 yards down stream. I tried to signal to my group, but no one ever turned around. The current was so strong that it kept carrying me and eventually the divers were out of sight. So, I did what I was trained to do, I surfaced and signalled for the boat. It took the boat almost 20 minutes to see me and honestly, I was scared that they never would.

Once back onboard, I was avoided by all of the instructors and when I tried to confront them, they blamed me for this. PADI dive masters are supposed to be constantly checking out for their group, and the fact that I was left alone without the dive master surfacing to find me was extremely unprofessional and dangerous, given the conditions of that day.

Now, in this situation, am I wrong to be upset with AquaWorld? They refuse to refund me my money and are being very difficult with me.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

No they are not supposed to be checking on you unless you specifically hire one for that purpose. They are tour guides and critter pointer outers only. As a certified diver you alone are responsible for your dive plan and the execution of it. Once you got down and saw the current was too strong for you and that the DM was "crawling" your choice was to follow or abort the dive. The DM is responsible for the group not you alone. Whoever told you the DM is responsible for you outside of a class lied.

 

[Diver0001]

Now, in this situation, am I wrong to be upset with AquaWorld? They refuse to refund me my money and are being very difficult with me.

It sounds like the dive got botched.

As for whether or not the DM and/or the rest of the group should have surfaced with you when you got separated from them, that's a matter of how the dive was organized. Ordinarily a number of "emergency" procedures are covered in the dive briefing and not left up to people's various assumptions and expectations.

It sounds like that's what happened here too. Both you and the dive crew seem to have made assumptions about what to do in the case of a buddy separation and it wasn't discussed prior to the dive. My advice would be to take this as a lesson and remember to ask about it next time if they don't mention it in the briefing.

Dive operators also don't usually refund money for things like this. The best you might be able to get out of them if you make enough noise is a voucher or a discount if you dive with them again.

R..

 

[arkstorm]

This story is par for the course with Aqua World. They are like the big box store of Cozumel/Cancun diving -- huge cattle boats, poor organization, nothing but a hassle.

I'm not surprised by any part of your story.

 

[Greek]

Thanks for your opinions guys, they do help. I will definitely learn from this and never let it happen again. I can tell you that being on the surface for 20 minutes waving frantically for the boat was probably the scariest 20 minutes of my life.

They did offer me a free dive in the future, but I'm not about to put my life in their incapable hands again.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Where was your buddy?
What buddy separation protocol did you agree upon with your buddy during pre-dive planning?
If your buddy didn't surface to look for you and just continued the dive, I'd be extremely upset with him/her. On a side note, it's because of this very scenario that I carry a surface marker tube with me.

With many dive ops that I've used (including the one I used in Cozumel), if a buddy pair gets separated from the DM-led group, the buddy team is on its own and the DM continues to lead the dive. Obviously, current can create/complicate this situation. That being said, if the DM happens to recognize that the separated buddy team is having problems or dealing with an emergency, then he will abort the dive to assist. A buddy team on the surface (where presumably the boat crew can assist) is not necessarily an emergency situation, from the perspective of the DM leading the dive. After all, he is still responsible for guiding the rest of the group.

It's curious that you used the term "blame" to describe how the instructors reacted when you "confronted" them on the boat after the dive. The response they gave you may have been affected by how you approached them and discussed your concerns. There's a difference between asking what your best course of action should be in that scenario and laying blame at the feet of the DM for ruining your dive. In all honesty, your botched dive is a real possibility whenever a group chooses to dive in strong current.

Personally, I don't share your level of expectations of the DM and the dive op. If you have such high expectations of the DM, in particular, you should discuss those expectations with the DM and dive op before signing up for the dive boat. Nevertheless, given your disappointing experience, I would hope that the instructors, DM, and dive op would be a little more understanding of your frustration. On some level, this is a customer service issue. If you aren't feeling respected and valued as a customer, the dive op is probably doing something wrong.

Glad to hear that you're OK. At some point, I think you'll realize that this was a valuable learning experience.

 

[BrianKon]

All:

Once back onboard, I was avoided by all of the instructors and when I tried to confront them, they blamed me for this. PADI dive masters are supposed to be constantly checking out for their group, and the fact that I was left alone without the dive master surfacing to find me was extremely unprofessional and dangerous, given the conditions of that day.

Now, in this situation, am I wrong to be upset with AquaWorld? They refuse to refund me my money and are being very difficult with me.

I think you may be wrong to be upset, I am well aware that people spend lots of money to go on a dive vacation. When paying for a charter you may expect a certain amount of coddling however what your really paying for is a guide.

Your buddy should have surfaced with you, if you did not have a buddy at the onset, you could have certainly made it known before you got in the water. You are responsible for your own safety. If you have never done a drift dive before, you could have reviewed safety considerations prior with the DM.

No problem... you did exactly what you were trained to do in that situation, good for you. I'm guessing you may not have had a safety sausage, whistle, or mirror and had to rely on waving your arms and yelling, which is why you thought they may never see you. If in fact you did have those items...even better for you!

Please understand not all dives are going to be an enjoyable experience, the more you dive the more you will find this to be true. I know your upset, but better to take what you can from the situation so you can limit an experience like that in the future.

If you would like a little more attention (nothing wrong with that) get a private guide, I am sure the extra dollars would be worth it to have a better experience and allow you to gain more experience as well.

good diving to you,

brian

 

[BrianKon]

I would take them up on the dive offer. the way I see it you have a couple options:
1.) Request a different DM and go on a day when the conditions are better
2.) get a voucher for the dive, then sell it to someone for $15 less than the price of the charter. refund solved.

brian

 

[Dirty-Dog]

Thanks for your opinions guys, they do help. I will definitely learn from this and never let it happen again. I can tell you that being on the surface for 20 minutes waving frantically for the boat was probably the scariest 20 minutes of my life.

They did offer me a free dive in the future, but I'm not about to put my life in their incapable hands again.

It's too bad that you had a bad experience. BUT...
As Jim pointed out, they are not responsible for your life or even your dive. YOU are. Why were you waving for the boat? Didn't you have your SMB? Whistle? Mirror? Air Horn? Anything?
Are you looking for a guide, or a babysitter? The DM in a group, especially a large group like the Aquaworld cattle boats, are guides, not babysitters. If you need a babysitter, then you need to hire one.

 

[jar546]

I too am curious as to whether you surfaced yourself or with your buddy. Was it a mutual decision to surface?