Why I don't dive with Dive Paradise.

[underachiever]

Ok I have watched you post about your trip and since I was not there can only wonder why you had the issues you stated you had.

However now is see you are questioning the our choice of dive op's for the invasion?
Is this what it has been about all along??? We choose Dive Paradise and Hotel Cozumel because they delivered 100%.

If you prefer other dive ops please feel free to choose them for you next trip.

And they advertise on SB. Makes business sense to me.

 

[driftin' by]

And they advertise on SB. Makes business sense to me.

Huh, very nice observation. :cool2:

 

[DandyDon]

And they advertise on SB. Makes business sense to me.

I'm very cynical by nature but doubt that matters much in SB does its Invasion. If you were looking for a low cost hotel for a group and a dive Op big enough to take 100-200 divers, where else would you go? It's fortunate that this hotel & Op fits the needs of the Invasion so well as not many could even try to bid. I quit trying to sponsor group trips long ago as it takes 10 times as much patience and diplomacy as I want to have but having the whole group in the same hotel, on the same Op, All Inclusive plan is really needed for that project and it's nice that it works so well.

 

[ff1diver]

Remember no whining in SCUBA!!!!

Go Dive Paradise!!! See you in November!!!!

Since the OP was so vague with his original statement...I believe the OP did exactly what he sat out to do...cause people to post on this thread!!!!!

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

I remember diving with them when I was staying in Fiesta Americana. They got the slowest ex-fishing boats, and with their slow boat, they don't seem to want to go to any of the reefs in the south. It is always a vote and I will always be voting for Palancar, Columbia or Punta Sur, but as soon as someone raises their hand and say Santa Rosa Wall, that becomes the place to go. Also, afternoon dives were captain's choice, which were usually the one closest to the pier.

Also, when the first airhog runs out of air, the whole group goes up.

 

[Darol]

Posted by: Lwang

"They got the slowest ex-fishing boats, and with their slow boat, they don't seem to want to go to any of the reefs in the south. It is always a vote and I will always be voting for Palancar, Columbia or Punta Sur, but as soon as someone raises their hand and say Santa Rosa Wall, that becomes the place to go. Also, afternoon dives were captain's choice, which were usually the one closest to the pier."

"Also, when the first airhog runs out of air, the whole group goes up."

Exactly .... This and numerous other idiosyncrasies with the way they roll. I've seen it turn into a shouting bout on one trip.
Still a good Dive Op for newbees who don't know any better.

 

[ggunn]

Still a good Dive Op for newbees who don't know any better.

Wow. Way to insult a bunch of divers who are neither newbies nor ignorant of the dive ops on Cozumel.

 

[crgravitt]

Why I DO Dive With Dive Paradise - I'm not looking for the cheapest outfit or the fastest boats, and I don't believe they are either of those. What I am looking for is a business that takes its customers needs to heart and offers quality dives with attention to detail and service. Guess what - that's what Dive Paradise has to offer.

I'm not a "newbie" and I was trained by one of the most fastidious instructors I've ever come across. He is a fanatic about doing things the right way and learning to take care of yourself, your gear, and not being a pain in the arse to others on the boat with you. We've been diving with Dive Paradise on 4 multi-week trips now and are going back in December because of the friendships we made with the DMs.

Santos is one DM who goes out of his way to show you the tiny little frog fish you'd have missed if not for him. Or the stone fish that was invisible if you didn't look closely. Or the ray in the distance. Or the turtle behind you. We are the furthest thing from air hogs and are always grouped with similar divers. Once they figure out how long we can stay down, they let us - even to the point that they get cold while we're still enjoying our dive.

There has NEVER been one thing that I would question from a safety standpoint. On a particularly rotten day one diver was adamant about diving Santa Rosa wall. He was relentless and the DM politely tried to explain why that wasn't an appropriate site for the time being due to current. It would have been easy to placate the squeaky wheel but the DM held his ground (forgive my memory but I think it was Emilio) - we went to another site and had a fantastic dive. While we were out we heard over the radio about another dive operator (I'm not naming it here) that went to the wall and had problems rounding up one DM and two customers due to current the same day.

The DMs are the reason we come back. They are like family to us and I would (and do, I suppose) trust my life with any of them. They seem to go out of their way to make sure everybody is having a good day and share their stories. One day Emilio taught us to read the water and identify current - not something he had to do, we were interested and he took the time to help us out.

Ultimately, a diver is responsible for their OWN safety. The DMs aren't there to massage you and feed you hummingbird wings on toast during your sit interval. It's not their job to save you if you do something stupid but I bet they would. They are there to lead groups, point out the cool stuff, and make sure they come home with the same number of folks they left with. I can't say enough good things about Dive Paradise and for the haters, I'd say you're doing the right thing - go somewhere else. I'd rather be on a slow boat without you than have to listen to you complain that you deserve better.

 

[Darol]

Why I DO Dive With Dive Paradise - I'm not looking for the cheapest outfit or the fastest boats, and I don't believe they are either of those. What I am looking for is a business that takes its customers needs to heart and offers quality dives with attention to detail and service. Guess what - that's what Dive Paradise has to offer.

I'm not a "newbie" and I was trained by one of the most fastidious instructors I've ever come across. He is a fanatic about doing things the right way and learning to take care of yourself, your gear, and not being a pain in the arse to others on the boat with you. We've been diving with Dive Paradise on 4 multi-week trips now and are going back in December because of the friendships we made with the DMs.

Santos is one DM who goes out of his way to show you the tiny little frog fish you'd have missed if not for him. Or the stone fish that was invisible if you didn't look closely. Or the ray in the distance. Or the turtle behind you. We are the furthest thing from air hogs and are always grouped with similar divers. Once they figure out how long we can stay down, they let us - even to the point that they get cold while we're still enjoying our dive.

There has NEVER been one thing that I would question from a safety standpoint. On a particularly rotten day one diver was adamant about diving Santa Rosa wall. He was relentless and the DM politely tried to explain why that wasn't an appropriate site for the time being due to current. It would have been easy to placate the squeaky wheel but the DM held his ground (forgive my memory but I think it was Emilio) - we went to another site and had a fantastic dive. While we were out we heard over the radio about another dive operator (I'm not naming it here) that went to the wall and had problems rounding up one DM and two customers due to current the same day.

The DMs are the reason we come back. They are like family to us and I would (and do, I suppose) trust my life with any of them. They seem to go out of their way to make sure everybody is having a good day and share their stories. One day Emilio taught us to read the water and identify current - not something he had to do, we were interested and he took the time to help us out.

Ultimately, a diver is responsible for their OWN safety. The DMs aren't there to massage you and feed you hummingbird wings on toast during your sit interval. It's not their job to save you if you do something stupid but I bet they would. They are there to lead groups, point out the cool stuff, and make sure they come home with the same number of folks they left with. I can't say enough good things about Dive Paradise and for the haters, I'd say you're doing the right thing - go somewhere else. I'd rather be on a slow boat without you than have to listen to you complain that you deserve better.

I don't do cheap, and you will never hear me complain, and I never expect a dive guide to do anything but
babysit divers who have trouble clearing a mask. Sorry, I'm not a hater, and I always do the right thing, and go somewhere else.
I never said anything negative about the DM's at DP, all, or most DM's on Coz treat divers like family. It's the way DP operates.

The point of the original post was just to say, there are much better choices than DP, the other poster who was treated unfairly by SB inspired me to join in and say why I don't care to
use Dive Paradise, sorry it deterioated ....

 

[dmoore19]

I don't do cheap, and you will never hear me complain, on the boat that is, and I never expect a dive guide to do anything but
babysit those twice a year divers who have trouble clearing a mask. Sorry, I'm not a hater, and I always do the right thing, and go somewhere else.
I never said anything negative about the DM's at DP, all, or most DM's on Coz treat divers like family.
It's the way they operate, the people who dive with them that drag all their gear on the dock before their boat is even in sight,
giving everyone else something to fall over, so enjoy your dives, please don't be a hater, and enjoy.....
Why not start your own thread....

I am one of those that dive twice a year because that is what I can do. I think those who are so self absorbed they cannot deal with the majority of folks, those who only get a chance to dive once or twice a year such as yourself truly belong at a different dive op, so for that I thank you. I am glad that you are wealthy enough that cost means nothing to you, congratulations on your success and thanks again for going elsewhere. Frankly I prefer to be with folks who realize they are not any better than others. For a while I thought you were a troll. Now I know your are not. Thanks for clarifying that as well. Have a nice life there in the ivory tower. I was wondering, what dive op do you generally use? I would like to know so that I don't ever run the risk spoiling any or your obviously more valuable time.