Thank You All Who've Helped Us!

[Peter Guy]

I came over to the Islands for a quick vacation to do a little diving and see my parents. This trip became a real treat because I got to meet several SB'rs with whom I've bantered online over the past couple of years.

It was very nice to meet:

Thalassamania -- Now I have a face and voice to go with the words

Halemano -- Very pleasant dive on which he guided us -- even if the viz and currents weren't quite perfect

Sockmonkey -- Although we had dived together at home, now that he lives on the Big Island it was fun to have him show us his new home

Mer -- Sad we didn't get to dive but at least I got to meet one more SB'r

Thanks to all -- now back to home and cold, dark water.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Yes Peter, it's good to have faces and voices to go with the posts. That was a rare dive at Ulua, where two different currents cause two different changes of plan, and the joking around about surf entries was some joke during our surf exit!

Better dives ahead

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

http://www.nwdiveclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=17605

So a friend recently shot me a link to a Northwest Dive Club forum discussion; you know what they say about good deeds and punishment...

Thanks LCF,

Staying in the Kihei area. I like the description of Mike's boat and I love obscure critters. I will call them and Ed Robinson. I my have to book with a couple of operators. I definitely want to do the Hammerhead dive, but surprised they would use 72's on a "advanced" dive with current and a possible 120' depth. I also like the critter expertise of Severns boat and want to dive Lanai. I like the advanced X dive that Robinson puts on Wednesdays. Good to have choices.

On the Mala Pier shore dive. Do you know of a guide or dive buddy? I have used independent dive guides, Dave Sanford on Oahu and Jackson Seay on the Big Island, and have had great experiences. Thanks for the info and I will PM you as the date draws near.

Jesse

No, unfortunately, I don't know of anyone. There's a guy named Shaka Doug who guides shore dives in the Kihei area, and has a reputation as being a really fun person with whom to dive. We did the Mala Pier with a friend who lived in Lahaina, but he now lives on Oahu. One person I would avoid is the guy who goes by halemano on ScubaBoard. I have dived with him. I did not like him and did not think he did a good job of guiding.

Amazing how a couple years seems to make things seem so different.

So, I will answer the odd PM from my cyber dive buddies, but don't expect much more until maybe next leap year... :mooner:

 

[Peter Guy]

HM -- since you brought it up:

OK -- I'll just say it out front -- Halemano was the worst dive guide I've ever had! I do not and will not ever recommend anyone diving with him.

He was:

a. Unresponsive to the two people he was guiding;

b. Left the two people he was "guiding" to the point they couldn't see him;

c. He made an error in judgment that left everyone with a much more difficult exit than should have happened.

It was, and is, my opinion that but for the skill level of the two people being guided, there could have been a significant incident.

So, HM -- no, neither Lynne nor I will ever suggest anyone dive with you.

Is that clear enough?

 

[kdupreez]

halemanō, good thing you didnt reply to that post on NW Dive club with this kind of provocation.. You;d be tossed out of there very quickly..

There is a very clear piece in the TOS that states the number one rule there is (And I quote): "1) Don’t be a dick."

 

[BabyDuck]

you know what they say about good deeds and punishment...

so someone two years ago thanks you nicely and publicly on a board you frequent, puts a more honest account on a board you don't go to two years later, and you have to bring it here and be snarky? i'm failing to see the good deed. why call someone out about something they don't think you did a good job at?

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

OK -- I'll just say it out front -- Halemano was the worst dive guide I've ever had! I do not and will not ever recommend anyone diving with him.

He was:

a. Unresponsive to the two people he was guiding;

b. Left the two people he was "guiding" to the point they couldn't see him;

c. He made an error in judgment that left everyone with a much more difficult exit than should have happened.

It was, and is, my opinion that but for the skill level of the two people being guided, there could have been a significant incident.

So, HM -- no, neither Lynne nor I will ever suggest anyone dive with you.

Is that clear enough?

Here's the fun house not so mirror version, from So-Easy-It's-Hardly-Diving-Maui:

It was a day off for me; the diving conditions sucked; I found Lynne's thread after 7pm Mon; you could only dive Tue day; my error in judgement was saying yes.

I was not "working" as your dive guide; we were SB members hooking up for a dive at a site we all know; I'm now considering liability releases for fun dives; especially for lawyers.

On a day where just diving Ulua, with you two then also dusk diving Ulua ... just diving Ulua was not likely enough of a reason for any of us to bother with diving.

Perhaps I was wrong to think that we agreed on a plan where I show you "neat spots" farther from shore, deeper, beyond the shelter of the reef, well beyond sight of the reef; because on days with marginal near shore conditions, advanced divers often have good to great dives out there. (do I need to underline "often" in the imaginary liability release?)

Perhaps you didn't understand my meaning as we made our miniscule surface swim in the fairly nasty chop, something like; "for this dive, on less choppy days, I'd even maybe surface swim all the way to the end of the reef if everyone else is up to it..." (save the air for the deep part!)

Perhaps because my next words were "... but today we might as well descend here" (we're getting no where on the surface!), in perhaps 12 foot deep water, perhaps 200 yards bee line from the end of the reef... perhaps you two thought we aborted the plan and were now just diving Ulua.

If I'd have thought we were aborting to "just dive Ulua" I would have voted for "just pau hana"

I was skipping Ulua, you seemed to me to not be similarly skipping Ulua; you two seemed to be unresponsive to the necessary urgency of the modified plan.

Were you unable to keep up with me? It felt more like you were just unwilling to increase your pace. Perhaps after mostly full time guiding mostly less than 20 lifetime dives occasional vacation divers for most of 8 years, I wrongly expected you two to be able to move through the water a little quicker.

Were you surprised when I continued out to sea past the reef? Did you think we should head back when we continued beyond the reef? I was carrying a large, obvious dive slate.

Were you surprised when I continued out to sea after the last little rock? I'm sorry, my memory is not precise; what were you and Lynne's certification levels on 2/2/10? When I made the decision to abort the dive, did you think I aborted too late?

Perhaps if you had taken the fairly continual hint to pick up the pace, we would have reached the abort conditions sooner, with more gas!

I am a little foggy; did we all get back to where the flag was tied up? Now all the experienced Ulua divers can picture me writing "Mokapu will be easier" and imagine what the current must have been like for a team including the renowned Rothschild's to chose not to attempt an Ulua landing from an Ulua flag tie up.

Perhaps you were of the opinion I was unable to make an Ulua landing, and only agree to land on Mokapu for my safety? Perhaps if you had taken the fairly continual hint to pick up the pace, we would have reached the flag with all the team members able to make an Ulua landing.

Again I am foggy; did we all have enough air to surface in very shallow water just outside the Mokapu surf line?

And then we all successfully walked right out, with the errant mask quickly rescued. No gear damaged, no injuries, no one even dangerously low on air.

Perhaps you think that in 20 straight months of working that beach 5-7 days a week that I hadn't "landed" that beach more than 20 times, in larger surf, with mostly less than 20 lifetime dives occasional vacation divers.

Perhaps the Rothschild's were actually on a "trust me dive" with the worst dive guide they have ever dived with who seriously endangered their lives.

Did you notice how I graciously refunded your entire remittence, including the pre-dive compass navigation lesson (I understand Lynne navigates better now) and would have surely refused any attempted gratuity.

It was, and is, my opinion that my 60 year old bdb beanniebrew would have easily made that dive, on my shoulder the whole way, with her split fins and 72 cft, then blushingly and modestly declined to reveal how much gas she ended the dive with.

Puuuhleese! We knowingly rolled the dice on a dicy day, "crapping-out" with just a little new knowledge and a colorful story.

Unlike you, I am not writing you off yet. You are still welcome to book my advanced scooter dives, dives no one else is guiding, but this time only after a not so advanced check-out dive to make sure you are up to it.



Edit/addition; some below have missed the sarcasm. This dive ONLY happened because I offered Lynne a free compass lesson after she whined on SB for the umpteenth time about probably not having fulfilled the navigation standards of her first two certifications.

It's pretty easy to refund the cost of a free lesson and a fun dive.

 

[Gdog]

If you were just SB buddies out for a dive, then you say money changed hands.....you were guiding. Cash for services rendered. You stated that that included the navigation course, thereby inferring the same. This reminds me of high school. If someone says something about you you dont like or agree with, the best course is to let it lie. I cant say that I have ever seen this type of callout end up with any positive result. Im sure you are a respected diver in your local community. The OP and wife are respected in their community. I have never met any of you, im just a bit taken back by your approach.
Let it go, halemano. Just my two bits.

 

[Jax]

Wow. You pissed all over yourself in two threads.

Dude, it is one thing to shoot yourself in the foot ... But you aimed AND reloaded!

Tapatalk by Droid

 

[Rogersea]

Strange thread on many levels. I would have handled this via PM.