We had dove in the past with Island ventures. As far as this operation goes, while advertised as no stress diving, these guys were stressed due to issues they were having with one of their boats. On several occassions, they brought their dog on board, which got dog hair all over the equipment, would lick on peoples regs, which turned me off quite a bit. On some trips with them, they went out with only a capt and no other crew. How does ones operation assist a troubled diver or administer O2 let alone safely tie in to mooring balls, when there is only a capt on board? While we are capable and confident in our diving abilities, having the support on board is more comforting.
The dives we made were beautiful. Average temps varied between 74-78 in april. We both dove in 3/2 one piece suits and were quite comfortable. Some dives were canceled due to winds and small craft advisories. But we managed to do 12 of our 16 days of diving. On the last dive we dove with Island ventures, the dog went out with us again. At the end of the dive, oranges were cut up and placed on a board on the raised enginge covered. We chose not to eat the oranges as we saw the dog jumping over the cut oranges. We have nothing against pets, as we have several our selves. I don't take them to work nor should these dive operators. When the dog is on board, on a long leash that wraps around legs, jump on divers in wetsuits, dive gear with sharp claws, the stressfree diving goes overboard. Unless you get a seat at the stern of boat.
One last thing that bothered us a little with Island Ventures, tank fills were short. and the also tend to change the dive sites without telling you until already underway. For example, picking up three snorkelers at the last moment and staying in extremely shallow reefs after being told we were going to some shallow wrecks (City of Washington)