Would like peoples thoughts on this

[EastEndDiver]

I just copied this from a review on one of the travel websites.I purposely took out any info mentioning names of facilities etc..I would like to hear what the honest opinion is of this "adventure" and what you think of the Instructor who carried it out.

"We used ( Not mentioning the facility) while on a stop in Grand Cayman on the Cruise ship. About us: Two dads (48) two sons (14). Neither of us dads had scuba dived in more than 25 years and the boys had never scuba dived prior to this trip so we signed up for the beginners class. We were picked up promptly from our designating meeting point near the port by (Instructor), who was also our instructor. We spent about 15 minutes on land going over equipment and safety. When then headed in to the beach to about waist deep water where we got to breath under water for the first time. After a few more minutes of reviews we headed down to about ten feet of water where (Instructor) tested us on a few simple maneuvers Once we passed that, we were off through a under water canyon of coral. There were plenty of fish to see including some very large tarpon. (Instructor) then guided through an underwater cave system that was about 30 to 40 yards long that was very cool. The total dive was about 45 minutes or so and we got down to 38 feet.

(Instructor) was very professional and courteous. We felt totally safe the entire time we were there. I highly recommend (Instructor) and (Not mentioning the Facility). "

I changed the persons name to (instructor) and did not mention the name of the facility.

Want some opinions.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I just copied this from a review on one of the travel websites.I purposely took out any info mentioning names of facilities etc..I would like to hear what the honest opinion is of this "adventure" and what you think of the Instructor who carried it out.

"We used ( Not mentioning the facility) while on a stop in Grand Cayman on the Cruise ship. About us: Two dads (48) two sons (14). Neither of us dads had scuba dived in more than 25 years and the boys had never scuba dived prior to this trip so we signed up for the beginners class. We were picked up promptly from our designating meeting point near the port by (Instructor), who was also our instructor. We spent about 15 minutes on land going over equipment and safety. When then headed in to the beach to about waist deep water where we got to breath under water for the first time. After a few more minutes of reviews we headed down to about ten feet of water where (Instructor) tested us on a few simple maneuvers Once we passed that, we were off through a under water canyon of coral. There were plenty of fish to see including some very large tarpon. (Instructor) then guided through an underwater cave system that was about 30 to 40 yards long that was very cool. The total dive was about 45 minutes or so and we got down to 38 feet.

(Instructor) was very professional and courteous. We felt totally safe the entire time we were there. I highly recommend (Instructor) and (Not mentioning the Facility). "

I changed the persons name to (instructor) and did not mention the name of the facility.

Want some opinions.

Not surprising I'm sorry to say. Disgusting but not unfortunately not surprising.

 

[Insta-Gator]

Initially I thought this was going to be some type of "Discover Scuba" in about 10' (assuming this instructor didn't have a pool for confined work.) But when I saw that they went to 38' and stayed under for 45 minutes, I was shocked. As Jim said, it's disgusting and unfortunate. I'm sure the person writing this was happy because he wanted what he wanted and was willing to pay for it. If this instructor had turned them away (for safety reasons) I'm sure this guy would have found someone to take his money.

 

[falcon125]

The instructor was comfortable with the new divers and the divers were comfortable with the instructor.
No lawyers got involved, so sounds like a good time was had by all.

Some people dont need lawyers and certifing agencey's as much as others.
I enjoy being south of the border where the nanny state can't prevent me from doing stupid things and taking the risks that I deem worthy of the experience.

 

[xyrandomyx]

I'm no fan of nanny states either. I believe that people should be allowed to make informed choices about the risks they want to take and what they consider reasonable. I also don't believe that people can be forced to be 'informed' -- there's no cure for willful ignorance.

But, I think a line has been crossed when someone intentionally misleads someone else. Claiming to be a 'certified instructor' and then grossly violating standards for that certification would seem to me to be misleading. The new divers seemed to be blissfully unaware of the risks they were taking. I doubt they would've been happy if things hadn't turned out well for them. I don't think we have enough information to rule out willful ignorance, but I also don't think we can rule out their being misled by a certification from an agency they had some sort of faith in.

 

[fire_diver]

The instructor was comfortable with the new divers and the divers were comfortable with the instructor.
No lawyers got involved, so sounds like a good time was had by all.

Some people dont need lawyers and certifing agencey's as much as others.
I enjoy being south of the border where the nanny state can't prevent me from doing stupid things and taking the risks that I deem worthy of the experience.

There is no way that 4 brand new divers (25 years dry is the same as brand new) have the skills to deal with the situations that could happen on that dive. It was reckless and stupid of the instructor to have done that.

Lawyers only get involved when stupid actions like that turn south. It usually results in a lot of pain for the families, and a lot of money for the lawyers. People wind up jobless, including the dive op owners.

 

[kwinter]

I tend to doubt the "facts" as stated, rather than the instructor.

 

[EastEndDiver]

This is written word for word from a review,I just changed the names of the instructor and the facility.

 

[kwinter]

This is written word for word from a review,I just changed the names of the instructor and the facility.

So what? I'm doubting the facts as written in the original review. A couple of newbies may not know what an "underwater cave" is or how to read a depth gauge. Maybe the facts are correct and the instructor is an ass. Or maybe everyone is quick to jump on the instructor hearing only one side of a story that could be a complete fabrication.

 

[Cave Diver]

So what? I'm doubting the facts as written in the original review. A couple of newbies may not know what an "underwater cave" is or how to read a depth gauge. Maybe the facts are correct and the instructor is an ass. Or maybe everyone is quick to jump on the instructor hearing only one side of a story that could be a complete fabrication.

I'd be willing to bet this occurred at Eden Rock. There are some underwater caves and swim throughs there. Most of which are fairly open and fairly short. The posted depth would be consistent with this location as well. There are also some caves there that are a bit tighter and more complex. Without getting into the new divers in overhead environments discussion, I will say that there is very little in these caves to be able to silt out and many of them have skylights that you can exit through. The biggest issues would be the possibility of a panicky diver and the inability to ascend if there was a problem. Also, the chance of getting cut up swimming through a coral tunnel with brand new buoyancy skills exists as well.