<SNIP>
>>Three different stories yesterday and two
>>this morning with the upshot being I didnt go diving today cause they
>>screwed around with me til it was too late to go with anyone else
>
>All dive shops screw up scheduling occasionally, especially around
>the times of port closing and bad weather.  So, while I understand
>how you felt about being screwed by Aldora <BG> (will Giovanni be
>able to make a picture on THAT?), I would not consider the event of
>bad-management in scheduling a "fatal flaw" of Aldora in the overall
>scheme of diving matter.  Not until more consistent faults show up,
>I'll just down rate it from "ONE of the best" to "ONE of the very
>good" because of other known factors.  :-)
>
Well, there have been other things going on the last couple of months. The
dual swamping of a boat, a staff resgination/firing that makes any
internecine warfare here look like patty cake.  I know that things happen
due to weather but all you have to do is be honest about it.  I dont put up
with having my chain yanked for very long.
<SNIP>
>Chuck, Ventura is just putting out some seed-money (chum) to attract
>you to be one of their regular customers.  :-)  I would be interested
>to hear your report about your experience with these two shops.
>
Doesnt seem likely.  Been diving with him regularly for about a year now.
But he will not take fewer than 2 and I dont blame him   At the prices he
charges for what he offers, he would lose money on one and I just have no
desire for that to happen. There are too many other operators in Coz (as you
continually point out) to put one in the hole because you want to be alone
on the boat.

>Back to you lament about a late start that kept you from booking with
>another shop.  HOW LATE was it?  My current favorite, Caballito del
>Caribe NORMALLY starts at 10 am, sometimes later.  Takes a surface
>interval on the beach and gets back in the early afternoon.  There
>are SEVERAL shops that have enough boats and sufficiently flexible
>schedules that I find they can accommodate late starters at just
>about any time of the day.
>
While I could probably have found a way, it was almost 11 and just didnt
seem worh the effort (especailly since I would have had to come back and
removed the DIN adapter and thus lost another 30-45 minutes.)  So I came
back and lounged by the pool and drank XX.

CH