Greetings all!
I have just returned from sunny Cozumel, right into the jaws of a snowstorm here in Massachusetts. Nice welcome home
It was during on diving excursion here that I found out about this board. Seriously. 24 years in the sport (Ok, ok...I took a few years off for good behavior... Erm...more like RL came and snatched me for a bit ) and I am just now crawling out from under my rock! I wish I had known about this site a long time ago as it has come with rave reviews!
I wish I could say that all was wonderful during my trip, but I would be fibbing. I was told by a fellow diver to come on out here and get to know the community, and to find out about a particular dive operation that myself, this fellow diver and my friends were booked with. They will be placing their threads here at some point about their poor experience.
Has anyone ever heard of Dive with Martin out of Cozumel? If so, did any of you have the experience that I describe below? Several of us that went on this dive cancelled all subsequent dives and hooked up with our resort operation called Dressel Divers, a top notch operation and one of the best I have ever gone diving with. We found out later that the nickname for this outfit on the island among dive shops is "DIE with Martin." No wonder....
Anyway, we were rushed on board at the onset, our gear thrown to the deck, and the crew was extremely rude. They did not ask for or even take our certification information, did not give us any documentation (ie. waiver forms, emergency contact info...) to sign and had no dive plan. The dive master asked US what we wanted to do! They did not ask any of us our diving experience or if we had any medical concerns, out side of any ear problems. When one spoke up the dive master said, "Oh, ok." and then told us all to suit up. There were several newly certified divers onboard and none were asked for any of the above.
I was pushed off the dive platform before I was prepared to enter the water...My mask was still on my forehead, there was no air in my BCD and I didn't have the regulator in my mouth. If I were a newbie I probably would have panicked and drowned because the dive master had already taken several that had gone in before me, and others, to the bottom. He did not wait at the surface for a safety check or the signal if we were all ok, or even if the group was together. They didn't even take a roll call or head count when we surfaced.
After the second dive we were rushed back to the hotel dock and literally pushed to disembark. If any of you plan to go diving on the island, steer clear of this operation. I have made a passenger complaint with the agent that booked us and plan on filling out a complaint against this shop with PADI, as they list approval with all the major certification organizations out there.
Well then, I am so sorry to ramble, but I felt that I needed to give the heads up to anyone not familiar with this company or any newbies out there that migh tbe heading out there anytime soon.. They are dangerous to dive with, unprofessional and do not operate as one might think a PADI approved shop would.
On a positive note, Dressal was fantastic and the rest of our dives were awesome! We even got to do some cave diving in the cenotes on the mainland. This is something I recommend to anyone NOT suffering from Claustrophobia It is like diving through liquid glass and swimming on the moon!
Take care and I hope to get to know the community here a bit more in the coming days!
Regards,
Raven
I have just returned from sunny Cozumel, right into the jaws of a snowstorm here in Massachusetts. Nice welcome home
It was during on diving excursion here that I found out about this board. Seriously. 24 years in the sport (Ok, ok...I took a few years off for good behavior... Erm...more like RL came and snatched me for a bit
) and I am just now crawling out from under my rock! I wish I had known about this site a long time ago as it has come with rave reviews!I wish I could say that all was wonderful during my trip, but I would be fibbing. I was told by a fellow diver to come on out here and get to know the community, and to find out about a particular dive operation that myself, this fellow diver and my friends were booked with. They will be placing their threads here at some point about their poor experience.
Has anyone ever heard of Dive with Martin out of Cozumel? If so, did any of you have the experience that I describe below? Several of us that went on this dive cancelled all subsequent dives and hooked up with our resort operation called Dressel Divers, a top notch operation and one of the best I have ever gone diving with. We found out later that the nickname for this outfit on the island among dive shops is "DIE with Martin." No wonder....
Anyway, we were rushed on board at the onset, our gear thrown to the deck, and the crew was extremely rude. They did not ask for or even take our certification information, did not give us any documentation (ie. waiver forms, emergency contact info...) to sign and had no dive plan. The dive master asked US what we wanted to do! They did not ask any of us our diving experience or if we had any medical concerns, out side of any ear problems. When one spoke up the dive master said, "Oh, ok." and then told us all to suit up. There were several newly certified divers onboard and none were asked for any of the above.
I was pushed off the dive platform before I was prepared to enter the water...My mask was still on my forehead, there was no air in my BCD and I didn't have the regulator in my mouth. If I were a newbie I probably would have panicked and drowned because the dive master had already taken several that had gone in before me, and others, to the bottom. He did not wait at the surface for a safety check or the signal if we were all ok, or even if the group was together. They didn't even take a roll call or head count when we surfaced.
After the second dive we were rushed back to the hotel dock and literally pushed to disembark. If any of you plan to go diving on the island, steer clear of this operation. I have made a passenger complaint with the agent that booked us and plan on filling out a complaint against this shop with PADI, as they list approval with all the major certification organizations out there.
Well then, I am so sorry to ramble, but I felt that I needed to give the heads up to anyone not familiar with this company or any newbies out there that migh tbe heading out there anytime soon.. They are dangerous to dive with, unprofessional and do not operate as one might think a PADI approved shop would.
On a positive note, Dressal was fantastic and the rest of our dives were awesome! We even got to do some cave diving in the cenotes on the mainland. This is something I recommend to anyone NOT suffering from Claustrophobia
It is like diving through liquid glass and swimming on the moon!Take care and I hope to get to know the community here a bit more in the coming days!
Regards,
Raven
feature. Hope you enjoy your time here. Click my Username to PM me if I can help...??
