Dive Op Feedback: Chuck and Robbie's OR Ecologic OR Island Divers

[pconsidine007]

Hi all -
Have a quick follow-up regarding Dive ops in Belize.
Have read through several threads and seen positive reviews for all three (above, in subject). That's said, was hoping to get some feedback from the boards from those who have first hand experience. In particular, my wife is a little apprehensive about diving the Blue Hole and would really like to work with an op that is patient and attentive (she has approx. 70 dives logged in total)
Feedback is much appreciated,
Peter

 

[Phohm]

I just spend 5 straight days with Chuck and Robbie's and they are just awesome. That being said they have 4 boats none of which I was told can make it to the Blue Hole, we had to bring along extra fuel cans just to make it to Turneffe Elbow. When i asked Robbie about doing the Blue Hole he recommended Amigos del Mar.

 

[chillyinCanada]

You can book directly with Amigos del Mar for the Blue Hole trip no matter who you are diving with. That said, most often the individual dive ops will book the Blue Hole trip for you and you'll end up on Amigos boat anyway. I'm surprised Robbie told the diver to go and book Amigos on their own. Robbie has always booked his divers for the BH trip with Amigos (in such a circumstance your BH trip gets added to your overall dive bill). Perhaps he has changed that practice for some reason or perhaps Phohm was paying as he dove. The long and the short of it, is you want to end up on Amigos boat, no matter who you are diving with.

 

[jlevine]

I was in San Pedro two months ago and dove the Blue Hole with Ecologic Divers on Ecologic's boat. It was well-organized and we had a great time. I have never dove with Amigos del Mar and cannot comment on them. I am just saying there is another operator that does the Blue Hole and offers a good experience (well, at least when I did it).

You can book directly with Amigos del Mar for the Blue Hole trip no matter who you are diving with. That said, most often the individual dive ops will book the Blue Hole trip for you and you'll end up on Amigos boat anyway. I'm surprised Robbie told the diver to go and book Amigos on their own. Robbie has always booked his divers for the BH trip with Amigos (in such a circumstance your BH trip gets added to your overall dive bill). Perhaps he has changed that practice for some reason or perhaps Phohm was paying as he dove. The long and the short of it, is you want to end up on Amigos boat, no matter who you are diving with.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Fair enough jlevine. I haven't been out with Ecologic. Just saying that the Amigos boat and team are great and most of the shops in town contract out their BH dive to Amigos.

 

[driftwood]

We did dive with Ecologic a couple years ago. Mid way through the trip we switched to Island Divers. The reason was that I got a total BS answer to a safety question from the owner. It may be just me but, I don't like diving a tank with a leaking O ring between the tank and the valve (not the ring between the valve to your reg). BTW, it was a NITROX tank from Amigos del Mar and they just had an employee killed filling a tank.

I think you can tell you which shop I would dive with again.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Amigos fills the majority of tanks for the all the dive shops on the island, especially nitrox. Not sure what is happening right now, since the terrible accident that took dear Hector.

 

[billmosel]

What happened to Hector??

 

[driftwood]

Amigos fills the majority of tanks for the all the dive shops on the island, especially nitrox. Not sure what is happening right now, since the terrible accident that took dear Hector.

I don't blame Eologic for the leaking o ring. That one rests with Amigos. I just didn't like the answer I got from Ian that the leak was the result of temperature changes. Total BS.

 

[chillyinCanada]

driftwood, if you were renting your BCD from Ecologic and it was defective due to poor maintenance, would you blame the BCD manufacturer or would you blame Ecologic? Amigos fills literally HUNDREDs of tanks a day, HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS. Based on your position on this matter, it would seems to me that the shops taking the tanks for their own use should be checking them before handing them out . . .

If you have your own tanks and you take them to be filled, who's responsibility is it to check the O ring on your own tank? Do you get in the water, notice you have a problem and blame the fill op that you chose to fill your tank?

driftwood, it shows that you have over 500 dives. Am I just misunderstanding you?