Is Dive Paradise truly as bad as the reviews?

[NewbieScubyDoo]

Damselfish,

Appreciate your advice. Thank you!

Trip Advisor has never let me down yet, and I use it to travel the world.

And I agree with you about reading between the lines. But the reviews were coming in from several sources. Some review sites, others from travel/vacation sites. That's why I was beginning to be concerned. The accumulation of bad reviews, from many independent sites, was disconcerting to say the least!

When I look into any new potential hotel, dive Op, or trip, I do EXHAUSTING research. Literally hours a day, cross referencing, getting insider information, etc...My friends give me a hard time about it, but they are the first to tell you that they come to me for advise and tell me if I feel good about it (where ever they are going) then they feel immediately at ease, as they know I left no stone unturned.

I initially booked with Hotel Coz/Dive Paradise as I wanted to do a recon trip, as this is my first time diving Coz and didnt want to spend the money until I knew what I wanted when I come back. So the price fit the criteria.

Also, my LDS uses them, so I assumed everything would be ok.

But then a slew of negative reviews (some days, one after another) were rolling in (past several months) and my concerns started to surface (pun intended!)

Hence wanting to get everyone's advise on here!

That's why I value what you have to say, so again, I genuinely thank you!

J.

---------- Post added July 17th, 2013 at 11:10 AM ----------

Thanks Reefhound!

That's why I wanted to take to SB and get a real and accurate "review" of DP.

I trust everyone on here and know if there is any true concern, it will be mentioned!

Appreciate your input, Brother!
J.

---------- Post added July 17th, 2013 at 11:26 AM ----------

Elena,

I completely agree. Thank you!

I understand the "model" in which dive ops use. And of course there are always a few people that will never be satisfied or narcissistic enough to think paying little entitles them to be catered to exclusively and then whine about it (bad reviews) when it doesnt happen.

I was more concerned with the safety issues that seemingly was a constant in all the bad reviews (DM's leaving their group behind, no dive briefings, etc...).

But feeling a lot better after reading everyone's advise and input!

J.

I dive Key Largo a lot! Wondering if I ever "dove" into you one time or another. I will definitely look into your business as I like a more streamlined planning dives. I basically do deep wreck dives as I further my training in Tec diving.

 

[Christi]

newby - I just went and read the reviews you speak of. Although they APPEAR to be from different sources - I still smell something fishy! Several of the reviews make the EXACT same claims - really honestly appears to be a disgruntled person having his friends write reviews - I dunno - somethng just doesn't pass the smell test with me.

Also, I have to disagree with you about relying so heavily on Trip Advisor reviews - ESPECIALLY for dive shops. It can be very misleading - for example there dive ops in the top ten that only have 10 reviews and who don't even own a boat! Dive ops claiminmg to be in business much longer than they have - and those with 100's of reviews during their very short existence is a strong indicator that reviews are solicited and shilled. Same goes for restaurants. Restaurants that are total tourist traps that are in the top ten, etc. Trip Advisor is a good source, but should not be weighted as heavily as you seem to be weighting it. Trip Advisor is a numbers game with ratings based on formulas that really don't make true sense in the real grand scheme! It should merely be placed in the mix!

You are being overly cautious. While DP may not be everyone's cup of tea, they are a solid and reputable shop!

 

[DjDiverDan]

There were many review sites. The biggest (and worst) is Trip Advisor. I been using them for years, and proven themselves to be accurate and trustworthy.

I have never used Trip Advisor for reviews of Dive Ops, but in my experience, the reviews on Trip advisor (at least for restaurants) are NOT accurate, reliable or Trustworthy. The Review System used by Trip Advisor is easily "gamed" by someone with an agenda. A few years ago, a new Restaurant, Danube, opened up on the main road south of the International Pier - at the building identified as the I95 Plaza. After reading several very positive reviews on CozumelmyCozumel.com, I decided to check it out. I had a FANTASTIC meal. The food, service and ambiance were all great. I posted a very positive review on Trip Advisor - there were already a very substantial number of very good reviews there for Danube, which had risen very quickly to one of the top 5 rated restaurants on Cozumel. But, less than a week later, my review, along with ALL of the other positive reviews of Danube, had been deleted. Apparently (according to someone at Trip Advisor), there had been an "anonymous" report of fake reviews of Danube - a report that owners of the Restaurant were soliciting good reviews and posting their own positive reviews under false names. Based solely on this anonymous report (which was completely false, AFAIK, as my own review, and at least 8 others that I know of posted by personal acquaintances, were entirely genuine and unsolicited), Trip Advisor decided to delete ALL positive reviews of Danube. It fell completely off of Trip Advisor's list of recommended restaurants in Cozumel, business dried up, and Cozumel lost a really superb restaurant. I would NEVER trust Trip Advisor reviews for Cozumel restaurants, and I doubt that its reviews of Dive Ops are any more trustworthy.

That having been said, I have only used Dive Paradise once, for the Scuba Board Cozumel Invasion last July. While I prefer smaller, more valet Dive Ops, and don't really like the larger slower boats that Dive Paradise uses, I never once saw any "unsafe" practices or any indication that Dive Paradise would be unsafe to dive with. The Captains and DMs were very competent, observant, and ready to handle any issue that came up. Now it may be that my observations were colored by the fact that it was the Scuba Board Cozumel Invasion; the vast majority, if not all, of the divers were experienced divers with a lot of Cozumel experience. But, based solely on what I saw, I would not hesitate to say - Chill out and don't worry.

 

[mselenaous]

Elena,

I completely agree. Thank you!

I understand the "model" in which dive ops use. And of course there are always a few people that will never be satisfied or narcissistic enough to think paying little entitles them to be catered to exclusively and then whine about it (bad reviews) when it doesnt happen.

I was more concerned with the safety issues that seemingly was a constant in all the bad reviews (DM's leaving their group behind, no dive briefings, etc...).

But feeling a lot better after reading everyone's advise and input!

J.

I dive Key Largo a lot! Wondering if I ever "dove" into you one time or another. I will definitely look into your business as I like a more streamlined planning dives. I basically do deep wreck dives as I further my training in Tec diving.

Small world, maybe we have met on a dive boat. Let me know next time you come to the Keys and maybe share a .
And I don't think you have any worries with Dive Paradise.

 

[Christi]

OK - smell test was right - interesting that the last two negative reviewers of DP - appear to be two separate sources - but both of these same sources left positive reviews for the same time frame for another shop! So at least those two "separate sources" are one in the same or at least were traveling together! That is not a coincidence!

 

[NewbieScubyDoo]

Christi!

Good to hear from you!

Of course, I rely on your advise and wisdom heavily.

Being in the entertainment business, I found Trip Advisor to be a reliable source and utilize them for all my Assistant Directors, Producers and location scouts needs as well as personally. They havent let me down...yet!

Having said that, I have not used them as much for my diving adventures. So I take heed with what you wrote.

I am feeling much better about DP and look forward to whatever may happen!

Let the adventure begin....!

Thanks for your valuable advise!
J.

---------- Post added July 17th, 2013 at 02:01 PM ----------

Thanks Girl!!

smiling!

---------- Post added July 17th, 2013 at 02:04 PM ----------

Dan,

Thanks for your insight!

And I am always chillin' Brother!

Just pays to be prudent!

Appreciate your advise,
J.

---------- Post added July 17th, 2013 at 02:07 PM ----------

Thanks everyone!

I showed this thread to my scuba buddy and all is well!

I will share what happens both during the trip as well as after. Good or bad.

Also...and much more importantly...

I want to thank Scuba board and all of you!

For me, this is what this forum is for. To get honest, real feedback and advice from the people I trust the most. Divers.

Now...about Bonaire....

evil smile!

 

[farsidefan1]

I use trip advisor to check out places but I have found them to be extremely unreliable in rating dive ops. EXTREMELY! It is a great resource but I think most of the divers that post there are total newbies (no offense meant) and sometimes newbies (some newbies, whew, trying to be politically correct is tough) interpret situations as "dangerous" when a divemaster or guide assumes everyone knows how to dive and can be normally responsible. Ie. He/she is guiding 8 divers and a newbie runs low on air 20 minutes into the dive. Well the divemaster might just send you and your buddy back to the boat while continuing the dive, assuming you and your buddy are competent to get to the surface and find the boat on your own. The other choice being to call the dive for everyone. Actually I guess the DM could return to the boat with the newbies and then find the other divers. It would not be a big deal as many of us do our own thing anyway.
Just saying that Trip Advisor is weighted heavily by inexperienced divers which could affect the ratings. In fact I consider it irrelevant when judging dive ops. My .02

 

[Lorenzoid]

Tripadvisor is a general-purpose site for dabblers. If you're really into a subject, whether it's diving, eating, or finding where to stay in some far-off corner of the world, there are much more focused sources of reviews, written by people who are really into the subject, just like you. I use Tripadvisor to get a general feel for a place, but I don't rely on it. For diving, I look here on SB and other dive-centric sources of reviews. For food, I use sites where restaurant nuts hang out. For hotels, Tripadvisor is okay for resort-type and vacation-type hotels, but for business lodging, backpacker/budget travel, and other specialized travel, there are better sources of reviews. It would be great if Tripadvisor and similar general travel sites could be all things to all people, but I don't think that's possible. I would never base a decision solely on what I read on Tripadvisor.

 

[cvchief]

For food, I use sites where restaurant nuts hang out. .

Oh, i wanna go there...

 

[Lorenzoid]

Oh, i wanna go there...

They say the same thing about SB.