To whom it may concern,
Let me be perfectly clear. I will jump into any body of water at any time "to get my SCUBA on." When traveling I am forced to trust the local knowledge of the local dive operators. If you came here to Palm Beach I can tell you by the tide, the date, the time, the current at the sea bouy, and (by peeking over the side) approx. the viz... Then where EXACTLY we should choose to dive to get the best spots with the best viz, current and overall conditions... Plus if there is one cattle boat NOT going out, THEY will tell you which other boat IS going out, and help you get on SOME boat, so you can get in the water SOMEWHERE, SOMEHOW. It's all about the diving, and we are a community of enthusiasts for a sport. I know people have to run a business, but look up the word "schadenfreude" at dictionary dot com, and you will know what to watch out for...
In and around the Catalina Islands of Costa Rica I will be loud and clear in singing my positive praise for "Ralf at Brindisicr.com (diving fishing atvs etcetera)" and "Barbara and Harald at costarica-diving.com" They are friendly and are a true credit to the sport of SCUBA! Choose them any day any time over any one else in Flamingo, costa rica and they will get you in the water for the best dives, that the conditions will allow! SUPER NICE PEOPLE TO DEAL WITH!
I know people have to run a business, but look up the word "schadenfreude" at dictionary dot com, and you will know what to watch out for...
Because I will not ever speak of anyone diving with a place that is attached to a defunct marina and a bar full of monkeys. They might re-open the marina by the next century and the bar might be fine and good, but and I mean a very big BUTT...
In all my travels and dives around the world I have only ever met 2 "divearses" one was in LaPaguerra, Puerto Rico (15,000 fsw wall) and the other was in Flamingo Costa Rica. With regard to Costa Rica though since anyone searching for info about CR is likely to run accross this thread...
I am sure that there are good people and bad people everywhere, and opinions are like arse wholes, everybody has one, and here is why mine was in a pucker in Flamingo Costa Rica...
First of all we were told that we can stay down for only 40 minutes? Come on you have got to be kidding? People who have computers know this is puny amount of time. We are not diving off the Navy Dive Tables anymore... forty minutes is barely enough time to get wet.
On a "sloping wall" we went to maybe ~116fsw and slowly ascended as we circled the pinnacle like stucture. I surfaced after about 47 minutes with ~1400lbs of air left in my tank! Now understand that I was buddied up with another very experienced diver who spoke a language that NO ONE on the boat could understand, including myself. Based on her having brought all her gear all the way from europe, and her listing of the places she has been diving (no language barrier with geographic names obviously) her age, and the number of years she has been diving as shown on her c-card I said, "sure I'll be her buddy." Well on the first dive my buddy ended up with a 5 or 6 minute decompression obligation, I had none. (((I carry one old and one new dive computer whichever one tells me the safest amount of time, is the one I follow))) Apparently the other 3 divers (one a student, and one couple) had been back in the boat for quite a long time. The "Divearse" jumps into the water and gesticulates that we should surface... Myself not having any deco obligation, and having done a proper 3 minute safety stop, I signalled to my buddy to stay put, and I surfaced... I asked the divearse, "is that my buddy down there?" the divearse said "yes" I said, "you buddied me up with her and I am NOT leaving my buddy, she has 5-6 minutes of deco still to do, so I am going back down to keep her safe and accompanied." AM I RIGHT OR WRONG to have insisted on sticking with my buddy? Of course I am (even though I really don't believe in "buddy diving," but that is whole other matter of discussion).
So once we were back on the boat the "divearse" starts chewing out the poor woman, and me by default for staying down too long. EXCUSE ME? I have travelled all the way, carrying all my gear (except tanks and weights), and gone through all the effort and expense to only be allowed a 40 minute dive? %&*$(#*% that. I showed the "divearse" my buddy's gauge showing ~1400lbs of air, and mine ~1400+ lbs of air left. ????
Now I do understand about not getting back in the boat with less than 750-500 lbs as a matter of safety, but this was our first and deepest dive of a multi day trip. I WANT MAXIMUM BOTTOM TIME. That is why I carry a computer (2) in the first place. Now the people who had been on the boat after "huffing and puffing" all their air away in 20 minutes or less is NOT MY PROBLEM. I don't care how green they turn, or how many times they puke during their surface interval, why should I shorten my time in the water, becuase they are "flatlanders?" I believe getting seasick is good practice for it's avoidance in the future. I have fallen off a bicycle and a horse while learning how to ride, same thing with sea sickness right? Practice makes perfect? Or how about slapping on a patch or chewing one of them little pills, prior to going out to sea?
Oh and the coup de grace, for the second dive the "divearse" dumped us all onto like a 40fsw desert, where there was NOTHING to see, maybe a starfish (whee), just a nice surge, and turbid green water. The site is called "sombreros" because apparently it resembles a couple of mexican hats?
Notice that I have NOT named names of the offensive company or the "divearse" ... BUTT
Shouldn't there be a Dive Master to ride herd on all the divers, and shouldn't he/she be the last one out of the water? If there is a STUDENT on his/her check out dive, shouldn't the INSTRUCTOR be dedicated to that person, and not doing "double duty" as both Dive Master, and Dive Instructor? Hmmm....
FINALLY we (my aforementioned buddy too) got to dive with "Ralf at Brindisi" Total difference, he knew where all the sharks and rays were, stayed with us the whole time, and had a positive attitude about getting MAXIMUM BOTTOM TIME... NOW GET THIS what the original "divearse" did not tell us was that deeper off the flat area (on sombreros) is actually an area where the sharks hang out! Ralf knew this, and despite my skepticism at going to the "sombreros" again, he said "Don't worry you will see the sharks there, there is a "stepped ledge" and once we get down deeper (out of the 40fsw churned up desert) you will see... Ralf was right on.
So in conclusion, Thanks to Barbara and Harald, and to Ralf. NO THANKS to the divearse.
Sincerely,
underseahunter
