First time Cenote Dive

[Ed Hatfield]

TS&M may have a basis on which to make an informed recommendation. BUT many of the opinions expressed with respect to an operator are based on a 'one time' visit to the area when someone had a good time. If you are on vacation then your view is through 'rose coloured glasses'. I should hope you had a good time but you are in no postion to recommend the dive shop other than to say you were satisfied.

I have tried to dive with as many of the PDC shops as possible and even now I am reluctant to express an opinion because I haven't had the opportunity to dive with them all. As far as I am concerned, if you don't have personal experience with at least 5 or more shops in Playa then your opinion should carry an asterik beside it.

It has gotten to the point where I feel it is necessary to check the profile of the person making the recommendation.

I have also noticed that dive shops in Playa will cater to different demographics and a lot of quality shops get overlooked due to this. Cyan Ha and Tank-Ha are two the most well established dive operations in Playa and yet they are seldom mentioned on SB because they are considered 'Mexican'. They cater to the Spanish speaking customers...go figure...speaking Spanish in Mexico...how novel.

FYI - I have had the pleasure of diving with Dennis and I had a good time. I have also had the pleasure of diving with 5 other DMs in the cenotes and each was equally as competent.

Bottom line - if you want to make a referral you should qualify why you recommend a particular shop and be prepared to give specifics as to 'why' they are better than the other 15+ shops in the area. This is especially important in Playa del Carmen where there are many GOOD options.

If anyone wants an honest an informed opinion then they can PM me and I will be happy to assist.

I will be back in May/June with my wife, kids and grandkids. I will be back in July (18th to 25th) with 3 Scuba buddies on a dedicated dive trip. The dive schedule is still being finalized but we are looking at 2 days cenote (6 tanks), 3 days reef (10 tanks including a night dive) and an off-day to swim with the whale sharks. Once I get the final price and schedule I will be happy to share it. This is not associated with any group or club/shop, just four guys having fun.

 

[TSandM]

Of course! I AM biased. I like Dennis. He'd be my first choice to send friends to. Why shouldn't I post that?

 

[Cmaustin]

Of course! I AM biased. I like Dennis. He'd be my first choice to send friends to. Why shouldn't I post that?

I would have to agree. I don't see how on a public forum why someone should not be able to recommend a business that they believe provided them with a good quality service.

Other businesses customers are just as free and able to post recommendations...

 

[thorndog]

I would have to agree. I don't see how on a public forum why someone should not be able to recommend a business that they believe provided them with a good quality service.

Other businesses customers are just as free and able to post recommendations...

True enough, the whole idea is that people should express their opinions and exchange ideas on these boards. I do have a bit of a problem however with a staff member of Scubaboard consistently recommending the same person or shop no matter who that is. It is a competitive environment and that would seem to be playing favorites. I think Ed seems to agree and he has expressed it quite well. There are a LOT of excellent, highly professional people around here and maybe Dennis is one of them, but lets not hype him up as better than the rest. He's not!! Not the worst and not the best That's my opinion. I suspect if you asked him, he would concur. This area has some of the very best professional and amateur divers in the world.

Ed, I have actually recommended both Cyan Ha and Tankha divers before on here. (Tankha has been sold now by Lothar and Roman has left so we'll see how they do) A number of other Playa shops are reputable but it's pretty hard to recommend them if you haven't been diving there. Like Cozumel, Playa is a bit of a tricky beast.

 

[ae3753]

True enough, the whole idea is that people should express their opinions and exchange ideas on these boards. I do have a bit of a problem however with a staff member of Scubaboard consistently recommending the same person or shop no matter who that is. It is a competitive environment and that would seem to be playing favorites. I think Ed seems to agree and he has expressed it quite well.

Huh?

TSandM is a SB staff member, and I'm thankful for her assistance in making SB work. However, she is also a diver and has every right to make a recommendation on dive operators.

Of course she has favorites, we all do. As Cmaustin wrote, others are free to post recommendations.

There are a LOT of excellent, highly professional people around here and maybe Dennis is one of them, but lets not hype him up as better than the rest. He's not!! Not the worst and not the best That's my opinion. I suspect if you asked him, he would concur. This area has some of the very best professional and amateur divers in the world.

The area has amazing professionals, and I stand by my recommendation of Dennis as a cenote guide. For all new cenote divers, he's my first choice.

 

[paulw]

If you are on vacation then your view is through 'rose coloured glasses'. I should hope you had a good time but you are in no postion to recommend the dive shop other than to say you were satisfied.

if you don't have personal experience with at least 5 or more shops in Playa then your opinion should carry an asterik beside it.

It has gotten to the point where I feel it is necessary to check the profile of the person making the recommendation.


FYI - I have had the pleasure of diving with Dennis and I had a good time. I have also had the pleasure of diving with 5 other DMs in the cenotes and each was equally as competent.

Bottom line - if you want to make a referral you should qualify why you recommend a particular shop and be prepared to give specifics as to 'why' they are better than the other 15+ shops in the area. This is especially important in Playa del Carmen where there are many GOOD options.

If anyone wants an honest an informed opinion then they can PM me and I will be happy to assist.

Well I am probably going to wish I had not opened this bag of stuff up but here goes anyway:

How ignorant of us to think we might be in a "position" to offer an opinion ***
I sure hope my profile passes the " recommendation " approval ***
Bottom line - If someone asks about which cold beer is the best I don't have to qualify why I recommend a particular beer or be prepared to give specifics as to 'why' it is better than the other 15+ beers in the area, I can simply state I really like brand X beer because I have tried it and liked it and it is just that simple.
If I post an opinion it is my honest and informed opinion and you don't need to PM me to get it.

 

[TSandM]

People generally don't ask which operator or guide is the best . . . they ask for a recommendation for a good one. I can say somebody is a good guide, without knowing whether there are any other good guides. If there are many good guides, it's likely a number of people will post to say that they have had good experiences with different ones. I don't see how it invalidates someone's opinion that their guide was good, if they haven't compared them with anyone else.

I've dived with four different guides. Three don't guide for the general public.

 

[Cenote lover]

i was reading your comments i just want to say that if you recomend Dennis Weeks to a friend for cave and cavern courses make sure he gives you something to prove that you pass the course, i know a coupple people that after a year they never recive any certification card eventhough he told them that they pass the course.

 

[TSandM]

Sigh . . . I have to agree with that. I did my Full Cave with Dennis in November, and have yet to get a card. Thank goodness, it hasn't mattered anywhere!

 

[Ed Hatfield]

PaulW - Checked your profile...Rescue Diver with 100 to 200 dives. Your opinion counts.

Cheers! So which is your favorite beer?