Puerto Galera/Sabang report

[chip104]

Thanks for the write up Josh. Very poor ettiquette indeed.

 

[bill22]

Thanks Josh... wow is all I can say! As a photographer myself I truly understand... you guys showed a lot of restraint under the circumstances. Hat's off to you!

 

[HomelessDiver]

.....

 

[Babydamulag]

If we EVER do anything like that....someone find me....AND I WILL PERSONALLY MAKE THE CORRECTION ON MY STAFF!!!

 

[Rhoody]

Thanks a lot for the detailed write up. The following is not ment to go in any direction of dive-shops or divers. it's just something what comes into my mind each time I see strange situations around DS and dives...

I did my Pro-training with probably one of the best DS in the PI and worked also long for another quite reputable one. since 1.5 years I am freelancing and some procedures I see in several DS which book me are just shocking.

I see many times the face expression of a deer standing frozen on a lonely road in pitch-black night, facing the fast closer coming bright headlights of a 40-ton-truck when I explain how I will conduct the exit and entry-procedures to the boat-crew and the "experienced" divers.

Many operators in the PI sell you an advanced diver for a dive-master. He/She might have absolute eagle-eyes but couldn't care less about any safety-issues and are absolutely untrained for "what-if" situations.

That "what-if" situation results next to the poorly trained DM/guide also many times from not following the general safety rules which each association worldwide is teaching in the beginner-courses (some may remember strange things like: buddycheck, peer-pressure, hangover-diving, stay hydrated, dive-planning)...

my 2 cent(s)/avos

Rhoody

 

[sonar]

nice post

thanks

Dont wanna know your opinion om my non-english speaking, drunk and weed smoking advanced course trainer than. The guy would take his last hit just before going under so he could blow bubbles with smoke

for the rest a great guy who really took care of us in a great way, once underwater

 

[Antarctic-Adventurer]

OK, I notice the Sb-forum as suggested is a members forum, which kinda contradicts the "free access to information" said, so I will put here, and can delete if there is strong feelings.

The company we used was "Diving with Chot". My travel companion had had some emails with them, and they seemed to suit our needs, a small company, with a reasonable "unlimited diving package". Associated with a small hotel (Sabang Inn) - with whom we had no problems..

Problems would be in three categories: financial, ettiquette and safety. Our group started as an Instructor (me) and a divemaster (my buddy) and later were joined by an advanced diver (details below) and another instructor (a friend). All highly experienced divers.

Financial
This is more "irritation" than anything else. Firstly they miscounted the number of dives we did. My friend was a ble to proove (computer and log book) that they had miscounted and got the correct count. Even though the shop knew I had done the same number of dives as my buddy, they would not change my count as I do not keep a log book, and my computer had died half way through the trip (actually, I killed two computers, and had to borrow my buddies spare - another story!).

Although we had asked them to prepare the bill the day before we were to leave, they only got it together two hours before we were leaving on the boat, and after we settled (sorting out the number of dives took most of that time), we reflected on the total price which seemed n the high side. We later found out (and confirmed) that the shop has retroactively cancelled the unlimited package we had agreed and charged us per dive dive (30, if I recall correctly) as "fun dives". We overpaid by some 150 to 200 US each.

Ettiquette
The divemaster guide who accompanied us on the majority of the dives had a camera, which he took most times on the dives (this also had safety issues - see later). I think you can imagine the irritation of 2 or 3 divers with cameras (my dive buddy is a SERIOUS photographer) waiting in front of a gorgonian sea fan with pigmy seahorses (which he had led us to on request) while the bloody divemaster spends 5 minutes taking snaps while we wait to get a look in!! Several of my (poor effort) photographs have the divemasters camera in them as we "fought" to get close to stuff. Sorry, but when you lead a group with three photographers, one of whom has a Nikon D200 (not me!) leave your farking camera in the shop.

Safety
1. In assigning dive groups, one of the shop staff told an advanced diver on his first dive with the shop to "go hang with those guys" (me and my buddy) during the dive (this was in my earshot, but not with me in the conversation). he then came over and said to me "that diver will hang with you". My buddy was not informed by the shop there would be a third diver in our group, and, am not sure how others assign their dive buddy teams, but I personally don't do it by "you hang with them". Secondly, he assigned an unknown diver to dive with a group consisting of a divemaster and an instructor. Fortunately, the guy turned out to be an excellent diver, and we adopted him into our group for the remaining dives.

2. On one dive though, the dive master guide and the advanced diver were together at the start of the dive (it was one dive I sat out, sick). The divemaster guides camera flooded at depth (there is a shame), and so he left the advanced diver on his own at depth to go back to the boat to take care of his camera. Advanced diver managed to find my buddy and another instructor who were diving as a pair. I have never heard of it being appropriate for a divemaster guide to leave a diver alone at depth. The guide apparently did not enter the water again after taking care of his camera.

3. Entry. I hate back roll enterys. I can do them, but think, as practised in many places (particularly in PG) they are an accident waiting to happen. Indeed in a previous trip, a member of our group took a massive crack on the skull from a later entering diver. One of my abiding images is just as you splash into the water you catch sight of the edge of the boat to see a diver still sitting there! So, the diveguides routine on each and every time was the same: He would say "ready, one two three go". Unfortunately, not one time would he look to see if divers WERE ready. He went, and on three occasions, divers were left sitting on the edge of the boat. one time on my side, and the boat boy had to leap across and grab a diver who was just about to back roll on top of me.

4. Descent. Again, diveguide would say, ready - go. And descend WITHOUT looking to see if anyone was ready!! Every dive. Every time. Every single time we dived with this guide (maybe 25/30 dives) he would descend without bloody checking. On one occasion when he said ready I shouted NO!!. To see him descend anyway. Three photographers can take a couple of minutes after the entry to get things together before descent. other divers not in our group (open water etc) were also left on the surface to sort themselves out.

OK. Those safety issues WERE discussed with the shop owner (Chot). The phrase water off a ducks back leap to mind while I was talking to him.

Lastly, the good side: No time limit on dives. Tank "boy" and boat "boys" were excellent.

No axe. But won't dive with them again. As my dive buddy and I are very experienced divers (he was hitting his 900+ dives while there), all we really need is the tank fills and delivery to the dive site. But others may not be so confident, and it is my opinion that thier dive practices WILL lead to a serious accident one day. So no, I will NOT be "Diving with Chot" again.

Thanks for the report Josh. The behaviour you describe is definitely not acceptable for a dive shop taking care of its customers so appreciate you writing up your experiences here. Hope the dives were good despite everything though...

 

[mtostado]

Just what "type" of diving is Verde Island? I am heading to Puerto Galera in November and plan to cram as much diving as I can into 5 days so having as more options would help. Unless they are well established, wreck dives don't do much for me since that is mostly what is offered here in Hawaii.

 

[CODMAN]

Verde island has a few dive sites. The most renown one, the only one I've been to, is Verde Island Wall. It's basically a vertical stone/coral wall that drops down way way below recreational limits. There are some good currents at certain places so you need to stay close to the wall. The 2 times I dove it, there were mind boggling amounts of fish! My instructor har warned me: "When you enter, you are going to see clouds and clouds of little fish". He was not exagerating. Hit the water and I was litterally inside humiongious clouds of small anthias! It was almost claustrophobic, like being inside a school of anchovies! Anyways... The wall is beautifull and packed with coral, nudibranches, eels, seasnakes... etc... And at a few points, where the current picks up you can see some bigger pelagics such as sweetlips, snappers, trevally... For me, by far the best dive around PG!

Just my 0.02$

Just what "type" of diving is Verde Island? I am heading to Puerto Galera in November and plan to cram as much diving as I can into 5 days so having as more options would help. Unless they are well established, wreck dives don't do much for me since that is mostly what is offered here in Hawaii.

 

[clgsamson]

and there's the pillars of verde......