Crusty Russ wrote:

<<snip, snip >>

> One of the guys I was working with sent me this snipped email he
> received from his younger brother who is living in the Bahamas and
> learning to dive.  The shop he did his first dive with is named Bahama
> Divers.  I only mention it so that you will know who to avoid in the
> future.  :-)
>
<< bad experiences snipped to save bandwidth, but concluding with: >>

> ...mooing divers, buzzing boats, leaky rental gear, absent supervison,
> injured divers...just another day in paradise!  :-)
>
Sounds like a real horror story.   BUT . . .

I certified with Bahama Divers in 1995, and have been diving with them
at least once a year since then.  In all that time I have NEVER had an
experience even close to the one described by Russ' client's brother.
Granted that BD's boats are not the newest or the fastest, and they can
resemble cattle boats during the high season, but I have always found
their staff to be very careful with their students and with new divers.
The site described might be on the way to Rose Island, but is more
likely one of the shallow sites on the south side of nearby Athol
Island.  Those sites parallel the entry channel to Nassau Harbor, and
are therefore exposed to the wash of passing boats.  Other than an
occasional potty tourist in a runabout who did not recognize the
diver-down flag, I have never been "buzzed" by any boat while on these
sites.  The cigarette boat operators of Powerboat Adventures do not open
up the throttles until they are well clear of the dive sites.  If the
dive site WAS near Rose Island -- Cannonball, perhaps? --, it is not on
the regular travel lanes for any of the commercial boats.  Perhaps this
obnoxious group of power-boaters were a visiting convention?  (The
ocean-going version of Hell's Angels?)  In any case, hardly the BD
Captain's fault if other boats violated the rules of the road.  There
are, indeed, lots of available reefs off Nassau, but not many that are
shallow enough to be appropriate for first-dive-ers.

Leaky rental BC and reg?  What a surprise!  But 40 minutes of bottom
time with 400 psi left doesn't sound too bad for a "first open-water
dive."  Your air consumption will probably improve as you gain
experience.    B^)

I have no explanation for the neglect of the diver in the water.  Was
she certified, or a student?  Where was her buddy?  The author gets
points, however, for responding well in the emergency situation.  Good
job, and sorry that the rest of the dive didn't meet your expectations.

I'd like to hear BD's side of the story . . .

-Dive safe [\],
-Dave



*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Dave DeBarger
[log in to unmask]

"ASSETS make things possible.  PEOPLE make things happen!"
*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *