Questions to qualify/evaluate Dive Operators

[paul.mauritz]

Heading to Key West to party, then to Key Largo to dive in November (24 hours in between the partying and the diving). In browsing the forums, I can find recommendations for and/or against most Dive Ops in and around key Largo. I have a "Short List" of 4 Dive Ops that I am getting ready to contact to see if they can accomodate our schedule and dive preferences.

What I am after is a set of qualifying questions that I can ask to rank the Dive Ops. Capt Gary from Conch Republic Divers (On the "Short List") posted some solid questions (I have pasted them below for ease of reference). I am looking for other qualifying questions, and some thoughts on weighting the importance of the questions.

My thinking is that these questions would/should help evaluate Dive Ops in any destination. I searched the forums before posting, but could not find a compiled set of questions - If this has already been done, please send a pointer.

Here is the list from Capt Gary (pasted without permission! - I can't post a URL in my threads yet):

This time of year it can be slow and not all operators have enough divers to warrant a trip out. The dive operator will call other operators and find you a dive, so just be aware of that and ask the question how many divers they have on the boat for your planned trip.
Other questions you might consider are:
1. Gear storage - Do they have a secure place you can leave your gear
2. Does the boat have a working head
3. Where is the boat located in conjunction to the shop.
4. How much time before the dive do I have to check in.
5. Will you go out if you only have two divers
6. What size boats and how many people do they take on them.
7. What are your cancellation policies.
8. Do you work with any hotels to get me a discount (most do)
9. What size tanks do you have available

Other questions that will help evaluate/rank Dive Ops?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Walter]

1. Gear storage - Do they have a secure place you can leave your gear

Not an important feature for me. When it is available, I rarely use it.

2. Does the boat have a working head

It's a nice feature for emergencies.

3. Where is the boat located in conjunction to the shop.

It can be an issue, but often even when they are located far apart, the shop makes it work quite smoothly. On Saba, for example, it's a much better plan to have the shop in town near where people are staying than to be near the boats away from everything.

4. How much time before the dive do I have to check in.

Always good to know.

5. Will you go out if you only have two divers

Always good to know.

6. What size boats and how many people do they take on them.

Avoid cattle boats.

7. What are your cancellation policies.

Not usually an issue, but when it is, it's very important.

8. Do you work with any hotels to get me a discount (most do)

Always good to know.

9. What size tanks do you have available

Can be an issue for some folks.

I'm more interested in things like:

Do you require guided dives? I hate guided dives.

Do you have water on the boat? I can bring my own, but I need to know.

What are your policies regarding depths and times? Do you limit the time on dives? Do you expect folks to be able to plan their own dives?

 

[Ken abucs]

Most of the dive ops in Ket Largo will do well on the following questions, so some of these might be more pertinent when diving other parts of the world.

How much per trip (including fuel surcharges, etc)?
Do they go to the sites you want to see?
Training and experience of staff?
O2, first aid kit onboard?
Age and type of rental gear?
Air quality & testing standards?

 

[Chris Brown Tech]

Hi Paul, I think the list of questions will change depending on where in the world you are diving, the type of diving you want to do and the divers experience level. Also the time of year (season you are diving) For example, new divers are drawn towards 'big shiny' dive operations with big boats where lots of people go, often only to find that they dont get as much help as they would like, and an often disorganised experience. This is not usually the fault if the dive shop or their staff either, its simple math. Often you just cant look after dozens of people as much as you can a smaller group. The time of year comes into play, because in the slow season the big operators have less people and tend to do a better job and their boats are less crowded. Then its not so much of a big deal. In the peak season it can be crazy!

Standards vary massively worldwide, and there are certain parts of the world where I will not get on a commercial boat - even for free

For Key Largo specifically, I would consider the following as relevant important questions:

1) What sites are you going to? Pointless getting a great shop to take you out to their local reef if it is a pile of rubble

2) Does the shop run Coast Guard inspected vessels? We are required to have an annual inspection. The boat will NOT pass if there is anything wrong with it, even trivial issues.

3) Is the dive guided or not? I.e. are you a newbie and want a guide, if not you may not want to go anywhere near these type of mollycoddled dives

4) Do they sound interested in you? do they want you to have fun? If you dont get a good vibe when you call, book elsewhere!

Good luck!