Trip report Sep 2014: Palau Aggressor - VERY BAD EXPERIENCE

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

I have been on many dive operations where new divers did things that were out of line such as touching corals and bugging marine life. Most dive operations (even the cheapest dayboats) handle such issues in a manner that is non-condescending. If what the OP describes is true, then this operation has some serious behavior problems.

I am sorry but I do not buy this "MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS" attitude. If I am paying money to be stuck on a tiny little boat with absolute strangers, then the crew members need to be a little more "personable." It is the behavior of the crew that sets the mood/tone for everyone else. No one will pay you money and put up with attitude even if it is directed towards someone else. It spoils the over all atmosphere that we all share on the boat.

In the end, it does not take a lot of effort to keep things pleasant. If mood deteriorates to the level described above then there has to be a better approach to fixing things that "SHUT THE HELL UP, LOOK THE OTHER WAY AND MIND YOUR BUSINESS!"

 

[AggieDiver]

I have to agree with Craig66. I get what flots am is saying about attitude and not letting little things that don't affect you get you upset. However, when you are going on a liveaboard trip, you are quite literally placing your fate for the next week in the hands of a couple of crew members that you don't know. First impressions matter. Making crude comments about other guests and appearing to be distracted by having a GF on board doesn't give a good first impression. Also, when it comes to matters of safety, having a crew member who overreacts in a heated manner to what may be minor things (like touching his computer or inadvertently touching coral) doesn't inspire confidence that you will get a calm and level headed response in the event of a genuine emergency. I agree, you shouldn't touch somebody else's stuff without asking and should stay off the coral. But getting in somebody's face and yelling is not an appropriate response for a first-time incident.

 

[flots am]

In the end, it does not take a lot of effort to keep things pleasant. If mood deteriorates to the level described above then there has to be a better approach to fixing things that "SHUT THE HELL UP, LOOK THE OTHER WAY AND MIND YOUR BUSINESS!"

She didn't like the DM's joke on the bus, didn't like that DM's GF got a free ride, didn't like that the DM wasn't paying enough attention to the guests, didn't like how the DM was blocking someone else's view of the clock, didn't like that the DM yelled at someone for killing coral, didn't like that the DM didn't keep track of everybody's dive times all week.

There's a pattern here, and only one one of these was something that directly effected the OP, yet she complained about them all.

It it were my boat and it was less than a day to shore, I would have gone back to the dock and invited her to leave and issued a refund, rather than ruin the mood for the rest of the guests.

Whining is contagious. It only takes one person to ruin a trip for everybody.

flots.

 

[Zen1300]

When serving in a professional capacity - act professional.

 

[AggieDiver]

Flots am, I am beginning to suspect that either you are trolling or your name is Randy. Surely you can distinguish the difference between how somebody should react to random acts by random strangers that don't affect them versus repeated acts by somebody in a position of leadership on an isolated boat in the middle of nowhere? There are standards of professional conduct and courtesy that are generally expected in the tourism industry. Right at the top of the list is you don't yell at the customer ever, unless you have a damn good reason. Yes, coral protection is a good reason...but not that good. There is no reason at all that you have to yell at somebody the first time you see it happen. Generally if you want somebody to correct a behavior, you start small...maybe ask...then escalate from there. It sounds as though you...I mean Randy...only had one level of escalation and he went straight to yelling in an inappropriate manner. If that is just the way he is...fine...but maybe he should go work as a drill instructor instead of as a provider in the tourism industry. People traveling around the world to spend the week on a liveaboard are spending enough that they shouldn't have to settle for that kind of behavior from the crew of the vessel.

On a land-based excursion, it is a lot easier to just avoid the one guest with a hot temper and ask to be moved to a different boat if it bothers you too much. When the one with a hot temper is one of the two guys you are expected to listen to and dive with every day and you are stuck on a small boat with them, I am not surprised that the OP was really uncomfortable with the situation. It isn't like you have a lot of places to just get up and walk away when you are stuck on a boat with somebody for a week.

 

[kelemvor]

That's why respecting other people's property and space is important.

Especially on a little boat full of strangers in the middle of the ocean.

flots.

You must have linked the wrong page. It doesn't say anything about respecting other people's property, but it does say to share everything. Based on the kindergarten rules, it seems Randy was remiss in not offering to share his computer.



The price quoted by Larry Speaker for a backscatter filter seems to be the price for a whole combo package. The actual filter price on the link listed by Larry Speaker was $19.95. Maybe Monishi lost the whole kit?




Any way you slice it, the guys on this boat sound like real pricks to me. I'd avoid them if I were looking for a a Liveaboard in that part of the world. The response from Agressor is kind of bare minimum and the copout claim that the boats are all independent. Well, that should be something folks keep in mind when the book with agressor. Obviously being a member of the fleet is meaningless and the brand is only advertising scheme. Had I not read the copout I would have chalked this up to a bad crew, or maybe just a crew having a bad week. That response indicates a more profound problem with the Agressor fleet as a business. There are plenty of other livaboards with nothing shady like that going on so as divers we don't have to put up with it. Just book your next trip elsewhere.

I guess based on that post you don't really book with agressor anyway. You book with a random boat that happens to be advertised by agressor....

 

[flots am]

Flots am, I am beginning to suspect that either you are trolling or your name is Randy.

Neither. I've never even been on that side of the planet.

Right at the top of the list is you don't yell at the customer ever, unless you have a damn good reason. Yes, coral protection is a good reason...but not that good.

Sure it is. The damage is permanent and will increase over time.

When the one with a hot temper is one of the two guys you are expected to listen to and dive with every day and you are stuck on a small boat with them, I am not surprised that the OP was really uncomfortable with the situation.

A guest was told to not touch someone else's personal property, and someone else has sounds made at them underwater when destroying coral.

It's not like anybody was on a drunken rampage.

In any case, especially when stuck on a small boat full of strangers, everybody needs to make a special effort to not be overly-sensitive. There's always something that will twist your shorts if you let it.

flots

 

[kelemvor]

A guest was told to not touch someone else's personal property, and someone else has sounds made at them underwater when destroying coral.

It's not like anybody was on a drunken rampage.

In any case, especially when stuck on a small boat full of strangers, everybody needs to make a special effort to not be overly-sensitive. There's always something that will twist your shorts if you let it.

I'm totally on board with them yelling at the guest for touching coral. I'm surprised they didn't make that diver sit out a dive or something. I've read about divers having to sit out a dive for breaking rules on boats before so it wouldn't be without precedent.

All the other stuff sounded really over the top to me. Especially the guy freaking out about someone touching his computer. It didn't sound like the diver took the laptop off to his bunk and started surfing porn with it...

 

[Craig66]

Any way you slice it, the guys on this boat sound like real pricks to me. I'd avoid them if I were looking for a a Liveaboard in that part of the world. The response from Agressor is kind of bare minimum and the copout claim that the boats are all independent. Well, that should be something folks keep in mind when the book with agressor. Obviously being a member of the fleet is meaningless and the brand is only advertising scheme. Had I not read the copout I would have chalked this up to a bad crew, or maybe just a crew having a bad week. That response indicates a more profound problem with the Agressor fleet as a business. There are plenty of other livaboards with nothing shady like that going on so as divers we don't have to put up with it. Just book your next trip elsewhere.

I guess based on that post you don't really book with aggressor anyway. You book with a random boat that happens to be advertised by agressor....

Could not have said it better myself. You definitely get that feeling when you read Mr Speakers comments and based on other incidents and reports I have read over the years this is not a one time occurrence of Aggressor turfing responsibility to its individual owners. This definitely seems to be an actual business model or alternatively by turfing the issue onto a "supposed owner" they can avoid having to deal with it. Either way it is not the way to run a successful business.

 

[Roatan Joe]

I happen to fall on the side of flot am. I really think saying that someone "yelled" at someone else could be perceived differently by different people. I think some people need to grow thicker skins and stop being personally offended at the drop of a hat. The political correctness here in the USA and maybe in other places in the world is over the top. Most of what the OP was complaining about didn't even involve him. Maybe there is more to the story that the OP doesn't know about. Anyway, I almost posted exactly what flot am posted earlier today, but decided I didn't want to have to deal with all the flaming..