AquaSafari

[Christi]

Yes. Swam out and back in on the bottom. This happened right where the bottom rises up steeply to the shallow water around the entrance. I think the nav channel is a little farther out than that. He wasn't transitioning the area anyway, he was coming in to drop divers.

Ok, I know exactly where you are referring to. i call that Paradise "wall." It drops from about 10 feet to 15 feet right there. If that is where it happened, then ys, he was oo close into shore.

How could a Mexican National have done anything at all to make this situation safer? Dig a subway tunnel out to the reef? We were on the bottom with a 4' tall flag on the surface.

He couldn't have if it happened where you said it did, but you still miss my point and I really don't want to argue about it...I wasn't there. AGAIN, I am playing Devil's Advocate and simply discussing other possibilities, etc. I am not calling you a liar or anything like that.

I don't have a problem with being wrong in public, so if they come back and apologize, I'll post that on here. I think that no matter what the outcome is, with it all posted here we can all learn something from it.

I agree that everyone can learn from a situation like this; however, I still stand firm on my position. If your intention was to inform people and open a discussion for accident analysis or as a lesson to be learned, you could have done so without the defamatory statements. With that said, it is my perception that you had other motives for posting this.

I didn't go to their shop, mainly because it was 5 pm when we were done and I had things to do. Also, I didn't want them to get into another shouting match with me, the guys on the boat refused to talk nicely with me, who knows how the store workers would act. They might be fine, maybe not.

An email will likely go farther to the top of management that I could by walking into their store (just an uninformed assumption by me here), and might get a better response because they will get a full, detailed description of the whole events in writing, can review that with the involved employees, and the send back a detailed response in writing.

I HIGHLY doubt that the shop staff would have shouted at you. Donna is the shop manager and she is very professional and accommodating. Bill Horn is the owner and is often there in the shop. A phone call would also be appropriate and if you chose e-mail...I still think you should have given them an opportunity to respond and address the situation before posting your attack on the entire operation. I just think this would have been the more mature and responsible way to handle the situation.

 

[tlmainer]

First, I'm sorry this situation happened. If it were me, I would be walking in their shop and asking for the owner/manager. It is real easy for details to get lost/distorted /misread etc on discussion boards. Trying to get the EXACT details/answer you want is not often easy. I would rather look a person in the eye and get a straight answer.
By the way, I dove w/Aqua Safari in Jan. 2007 and the manager that day was a woman who spoke English as well as we do. She was very nice and for all I know she was the owner or co-owner.

 

[Christi]

About being required to dive with a local guide, can you provide an official link to that law? I read AquaSafaris' section about the Marine Park, and they only say that a diver must purchase the $2 bracelet. The Cozumel Reefs National Marine Park The last sentences. That's also all that the sign at Paradise says. I'm not saying your page is wrong, I'd just like to verify it.

Um, it is a FACT and is stated in our marine park permits and other documentation we are given with our permits and credentials.

You can call the Marine Park or go by their offices and ask them as well. The office is located on Calle 4 between Av. 15 and 20 on your right hand side. I am not in my office, so I don't have the phone number handy.

Here is the website for the Marine Park if you can read Spanish. Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas

The marine park director is Robert Cudney and he speaks excellent English.

 

[teknitroxdiver]

Um, it is a FACT and is stated in our marine park permits and other documentation we are given with our permits and credentials.

You can call the Marine Park or go by their offices and ask them as well. The office is located on Calle 4 between Av. 15 and 20 on your right hand side. I am not in my office, so I don't have the phone number handy.

Here is the website for the Marine Park if you can read Spanish. Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas

The marine park director is Robert Cudney and he speaks excellent English.

Thanks, that's all I needed to know. Again, I wasn't saying you were wrong, I just wanted to be sure.

 

[vshearer]

It seems that this discussion has digressed from the captains operation of a vessel to whether the diver had a dive guide with him as allegedly required, and I don't read Spanish so I am still waiting to find that out. However, this is irrelevant. As to whether the captain was intentionally negligent, at the point he backed down on the flag he most certainly was. If in fact this did happen.

Ain't the Internet grand Ma?

 

[Christi]

As to whether the captain was intentionally negligent, at the point he backed down on the flag he most certainly was. If in fact this did happen.

This issue is not nor has it ever been in dispute. If he in fact ran over a dive flag, he was in the wrong.

It seems that this discussion has digressed from the captains operation of a vessel to whether the diver had a dive guide with him as allegedly required, and I don't read Spanish so I am still waiting to find that out. However, this is irrelevant.

It is not allegedly required. It is a fact of life when diving in any protected marine preserve in Mexico. It is not relevant with regards to what th captain did or didn't do, but it is relevant as to why rules are in place...to mitigate/minimize occurrences such as these.

Selective reading is running rampant on this thread today.

 

[teknitroxdiver]

It is not relevant with regards to what th captain did or didn't do, but it is relevant as to why rules are in place...to mitigate/minimize occurrences such as these.

I 100% agree that this is the law. However, I still implore you to tell me how a local guide would have mitigated/minimized this occurrence? I'm just not understanding that.

 

[tlmainer]

I agree. If this truly happened it is very upsetting. However, I will add that it is also noteworthy to see that this thread is called "Aqua Safari is irresponsible" and I think THAT is irresponsible. As Christi noted, Aqua Safari has been in business for many, many years with a good reputation and to say that a business is irresponsible because of the action of 1 employee is not right.
Is every business irresponsible every time an employee screws up? I don't think so. Not as long as the owner/manager seriously addresses the problem. As I posted earlier, If it were me, I would walk into Aqua Safari's office and talk to the manager/owner. They want to protect their reputation and would certainly get to the bottom of the incident.

 

[redacted]

I agree. If this truly happened it is very upsetting. However, I will add that it is also noteworthy to see that this thread is called "Aqua Safari is irresponsible" and I think THAT is irresponsible. As Christi noted, Aqua Safari has been in business for many, many years with a good reputation and to say that a business is irresponsible because of the action of 1 employee is not right.
Is every business irresponsible every time an employee screws up? I don't think so. Not as long as the owner/manager seriously addresses the problem. As I posted earlier, If it were me, I would walk into Aqua Safari's office and talk to the manager/owner. They want to protect their reputation and would certainly get to the bottom of the incident.

I'm looking forward to seeing how responsible they are when they respond to this thread after being given the opportunity.

 

[vshearer]

I found this in reference to the National Marine Parks in Mexico. (From a 2001 article on Cancun) wasn't trying to dispute the accuracy of the statement.

" In addition, the park management
requires a minimum of one guide per ten people in the water and requires that each guide take a
one to two day course in reef ecology and care."

I would suggest the OP take the 1 or 2 day course, then he could attach the guide pass to his flag and perhaps that would avoid the issue.