No Morning Dive After Flight the Day Before with ProDive Mexico?!?

[redacted]

Operator Coralie has joined the chat.
Coralie: Hello
Coralie: How can I help you ?
Visitor: Hi. We arrive the afternoon of the 22nd of August at the Allegro Cozumel and plan to do the morning dive the following day. Is this a problem?
Coralie: Hi, sounds good
Coralie: how many dives would you like to do in total ?
Visitor: Sorry, but you didn't answer my question.
Coralie: We usually ask our divers to start in the afternoon trip since our morning dives are usually deeper
Visitor: I read on one of the dive sites that you don't allow divers to dive the morning dive after their arrival the day before.
Coralie: so on your first diving day we prefer you to start with the afternoon dives and then on the next days you will be more than welcome to join the AM dives
Coralie: this is a safety protocol we have
.

So, what did this response mean? "Coralie: Hi, sounds good"

Bottom line:. It looks like four divers are going to the Allegro for a week of diving and some other dive op will get the $2k they will be spending!!!

 

[kelemvor]

I had the impression from that conversation that Markus never really intended to dive with Prodive in the first place. They seemed willing to accommodate, and he gave them a ration of **** and disconnected. Given that, and the post here, I was kind of wondering if it wasn't a ruse put on by a competitor.

 

[Dan]

So, what did this response mean? "Coralie: Hi, sounds good"

Bottom line:. It looks like four divers are going to the Allegro for a week of diving and some other dive op will get the $2k they will be spending!!!

& more importantly dive safely, we hope.

I hate to see something like this happened: Heidi Uh Oh

 

[Dan]

I had the impression from that conversation that Markus never really intended to dive with Prodive in the first place. They seemed willing to accommodate, and he gave them a ration of **** and disconnected. Given that, and the post here, I was kind of wondering if it wasn't a ruse put on by a competitor.

Mitch H., the OP, you meant.

 

[kelemvor]

Mitch H., the OP, you meant.

Yes.. oops, Sorry Markus!

 

[redacted]

I hate to see something like this happened: Heidi Uh Oh

How does that relate to this incident???

I suspect Mitch had heard about prodive policy and reacted poorly as soon as he realized a run-around had started. It looks like there is only one Cozumeldive op that has such a policy; and it is costing them some business.

BTW, I may be a little biased. This is the same op that presented me a medical questionnaire in spanish, no comprende, and would not accept my nitrox cert card because I was diving air.

It is like a scuba diving barber school.

 

[Dan]

How does that relate to this incident???

I suspect Mitch had heard about prodive policy and reacted poorly as soon as he realized a run-around had started. It looks like there is only one dive op that has such a policy; and it is costing them some business.

He could have enough experience, but what about the level experience of the other 3 or how many other divers in his group? If the DM does not know the level of experience of everyone in his group, would it be safe to let them do a deep dive as their check dive on the first dive?

I wouldn't trust myself or my gears would hold up to do the deep dive as a check dive after a few months not diving. I'd do this in a shallow dive. Basically that's what I'm referring to.

 

[stuartv]

[my emphasis added:]

Our company exists since almost 15 years now and we are operating in more than one country, about a dozen dive centres in total. Our growth is due to our way of operating, always putting safety and customer service first, obviously. In all those years, we have never ever had a fatal dive accident, not a single one

Say what you want. If this statement right here is true, I think that is pretty darn great! Apparently, Markus and his operation is Doing What Works.

 

[ScubaJill]

I suspect Mitch had heard about prodive policy and reacted poorly as soon as he realized a run-around had started. It looks like there is only one dive op that has such a policy; and it is costing them some business.

The more I dive in the Caribbean and the East Coast, the more I come across policies similar to these, particularly for more challenging dives. The business seems to have conducted a cost-benefit analysis and determined that, in most cases, it is important for the diving staff to understand the extent of a diver's skills before a dive. They've probably also accepted that some divers will be put off by this and take their business elsewhere. Based on Markus's comments, it seems like the dive shop has been bamboozled by customers who misrepresent their experience or skill level. Besides, money isn't everything. In this case, the operation prioritizes diver safety.

Overall, I just hate the fact the Mitch was so cavalier with ProDive's reputation. I'm glad Markus spoke up.

 

[kelemvor]

Say what you want. If this statement right here is true, I think that is pretty darn great! Apparently, Markus and his operation is Doing What Works.

I think there must be a good bit of luck involved too. Aren't a lot of diving fatalities caused by unknown medical problems?

I too think other operators have better policies, as I previously stated. However, the fact remains that the OP totally misrepresented what was going on. Disallowing the dive because he needs a checkout has nothing to do with the dive schedule's proximity to his flight. Also, they did offer to accommodate his request in the chat.

and. they wouldn't take AWAP's higher card for a dive that needed a lower cert? That sounds bizarre too. I hope no dm's or instructors show up with only their instructor card.