Why I will never book dives through a cruise ship..........again

[jar546]

In the past, I never booked through a cruise ship. For a few stupid reasons due to my poor judgement recently, I did and will never do so again. This is what I basically found out the hard way: I broke this down into sections so they can be analyzed.

1) The dive shop never asked anyone for proof of certification.

2) The dive shop never asked anyone about experience level or recent dives.

3) Although they verified everyone had a dive partner, we dove as a group lead by a dive guide that was an instructor (have no idea which agency). I will just refer to him as DM. Diving as a group of 9 creates a problem when people are of different levels of competency.

4) Dive site #1, the DM for the service jumps in first and makes a comment about the current being stronger than usual. We had a moderate chop at best with maybe 2' seas and moderate wind. The captain gets the first 2 divers in the water then the DM decides we are not going to dive on this 50' max depth "wreck". All 3 divers get on board and we move 200 yards to a new location that is going to be a reef. OK, so the current at the surface is slightly less in this area.

5) All divers are told not to touch the bottom or silt things up for everyone else. I am last in and go directly to the 30' depth and hover over the bottom taking pictures immediately. I have to stop taking pictures as 3 of the divers are standing on the bottom send particle clouds everywhere. The current is slight inside this bowl. The DM leads us through a rather large, longer swim through. Since I was paired up with the DM as I was there alone, I started to follow him. Next thing I know I am getting pushed down from someone above me and then I am kicked in the face. I went in #2 in line and came out #5. WTF? Oh did I mention that when we dropped of the back of the boat we went WITH the current?

6) Current on the other side of the the swim through is again, slight but consistent. No surge. The DM decides to now take us over the top of the coral reef to go back into the bowl rather than go around or through the swim through again. But wait? He has to go back through because we are already missing divers. Now he is ready to take us over the coral where the depth is approximately 8-10'. Now we can feel some heavier current. I have split fins on and push through and down back into the bowl. Moderate current in this area, still manageable.

7) Only a few of us and the DM are now back in the bowl. Watching others struggle to make it back in. Next thing I know, everyone is going to the tow line to get back on the boat. We are 15 minutes into the dive, the DM who is my "buddy" takes off and goes directly to the surface. I decided to make my safety stop to keep my computer from yelling at me. I am waiting my turn to surface and get back onto the boat.

8) I look up while waiting my turn from 15' and see the DM dive in and swim very fast away from the boat with just his exposure suit on. OK, someone must be lost or drifted away at the surface. Next thing I see is the captain splashing in above me with just his shorts on. When I surface at the ladder, there are only a few divers and no one is offering to take my camera setup or fins. It is not a xmas tree ladder. While getting someone's attention on our dive boat with no crew on board, I hear the captain who is now out of breath and 50 yards behind the boat yelling for a rope and a float as he is tired and fighting the current with no gear. One of the younger divers eventually gets a float out to the captain, I get on board then assist in getting the portly captain back on the boat.

9) Two of us team up to release the boat from the mooring and allow the captain to reposition to pick up the 2 divers who are waiting with the DM clinging to another mooring ball. After a few throws, we connect and haul in the 2 exhausted divers. At this point the captain says we are done for the day. The DM lets us know that we will only be charged for a single tank dive. Really?

[Codiak]

This type of experience isn't limited to Cruise Lines.
Many group "dm lead" dives turn out just as bad.

I usually find a local dive shop and book a boat where I have the option of hiring a DM if I feel the need.

Where I have to dive with a group... I'm always at the back of the pack where I don't have to worry about the less skilled.

[reo]

Let your cruise line know what happened. The cruise lines are very customer oriented, and if their charter was sub par, they would want to know. They may even refund some of your shore excursion money because of your bad experience.

When I've cruised, I've had a couple of shore excursions where I dived, and I was always asked for my cert card and asked how frequently I dived and when was my last dive. These were at Sint Maarten, Cozumel, and Roatan. All were good, and Roatan was awesome!

Ron

[jar546]

Let your cruise line know what happened. The cruise lines are very customer oriented, and if their charter was sub par, they would want to know. They may even refund some of your shore excursion money because of your bad experience.

When I've cruised, I've had a couple of shore excursions where I dived, and I was always asked for my cert card and asked how frequently I dived and when was my last dive. These were at Sint Maarten, Cozumel, and Roatan. All were good, and Roatan was awesome!

Ron

I filled out a complaint form telling them what happened. It was a different story from the dive operator to the cruise ship. Luckily the man in charge of the excursions was an experienced diver so he completely understood and I got a full refund.

[jar546]

Where I have to dive with a group... I'm always at the back of the pack where I don't have to worry about the less skilled.

Unless you are taking photos

[timetraveler]

I'm sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience. I have been on many cruise ship excursion dives and have never experienced one as bad as yours, but I'm not surprised.

I think that most problems on cruise ship excursions dives come from dangerously out-of practice divers joining the group, and the groups being too large to handle them. On one of my cruise ship dives, a diver panicked and dropped his weight belt, nearly on my buddy's head. On another, we had a diver who not only didn't know how to work his BC, but wore boogie boarding fins. Another dive was a drift dive through Tiputa Pass Rangiroa. Only advanced divers were allowed to sign up, but one must have lied. He was so inexperienced that the DM had to hold his hand the whole time.

All this is to say that I understand why you say you'll never book a cruise ship dive excursion again. But if you cruise, there will likely be times when you're in a really great place to dive and logistics won't allow diving with an outside operator. That's why I continue to book cruise ship dives. They're not ideal, but they're better than going on the shopping tour.

[TSandM]

We did two weeks of diving off a cruise ship in the South Pacific. Some operators were better than others, but nothing was as bad as you describe. But, for the most part, what you're upset about isn't the dive op or the cruise line, but the poor quality of the divers in your group. That can happen to you anywhere that you are required to dive in groups, unless the place is busy enough to make it possible to separate groups by experience level.

[DTm]

This type of experience isn't limited to Cruise Lines.
Many group "dm lead" dives turn out just as bad..

My personal experience is that one’s this bad are rear and I have had some really good DM lead Dives..

I usually find a local dive shop and book a boat where I have the option of hiring a DM if I feel the need.

ME too - except maybe the optional DM - it would be nice if you have the money or a big enough group of your own to have a private boat but that is not always realistic, what works for me is to find an LDS, - find out about their boats - are they big boats where they can have 20 divers on it or are they the 6-pack boat. - Go for the smaller boat. Now find out how they handle more experienced divers - if you are one request to be put with experienced diver.

Where I have to dive with a group... I'm always at the back of the pack where I don't have to worry about the less skilled.

I’m not sure how being the back helps.. In the back they kick up everything and you end up being the watch dog.

We did two weeks of diving off a cruise ship in the South Pacific. Some operators were better than others, but nothing was as bad as you describe. But, for the most part, what you're upset about isn't the dive op or the cruise line, but the poor quality of the divers in your group. That can happen to you anywhere that you are required to dive in groups, unless the place is busy enough to make it possible to separate groups by experience level.

I agree that it could happen can happen anywhere, and it was mostly about poor divers; although the captain leaving the boat is questionable.
But I also think you significantly increase the odds of it happening when you use OPs that have the Cattle Dive Boats - the more people there are; the bigger chance there will be these divers. That is at a cruise ship is - a big cattle boat.
Cruise ships want to keep their excursion group together and often will put restrictions on the Dive OP that even if they did and could separate you they are not allowed.

Whenever possible I try not to use the Cuise line but my own arrangements. How that can come back and bite you... You end up contacting the same out fit the cruise line uses and you're on the same boat with all the ohter divers from th cruise

[Codiak]

Unless you are taking photos

Especially when I'm taking photos.
I don't need photos of fins and bubbles, nor do I need peeps crowding me when I find something interesting.

I Just make sure the DM is aware I will be lagging behind with the group in sight.

[jar546]

I will just listen to my gut feeling next time. Lesson learned. 3 days at port in Bermuda and a half of a dive.