Humpbacks Whales, Shark Rodeos, Monk Seals, Giant Octopuses: Undercurrent 11/2023

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Travel reports from our readers are of great value. As a subscriber, you can access them anytime to help you plan a trip. Occasionally, I pull out a few unique reports to discuss unusual issues or alert you to diving opportunities you may not have considered. Here are a few I think may interest you.

Concierge Diving: Just about every serious dive operator these days cheerfully totes gear and helps people don it, making it easy for them. After all, it's an aging clientele, and they're paying good money. So, it's not hard to understand why Feney Matthews' group (Point Richmond, CA) was disappointed with Bonaire's DIVI Flamingo Beach Resort in April. "Bare-bones help; they make you carry all your dive gear, including weights, on and off the boat each day. The divemasters did very little; some never showed you anything underwater, and there was no help getting on or off the boat or with the tank setup. This type of non-concierge diving is fine for budget or new divers, but for our group, help would have been appreciated." https://tinyurl.com/2xrxz789

I checked DIVI's website. "DIVI has always promoted divers to be self-reliant when setting up or tearing down their dive gear, to maintain dive skills. However, due to COVID-19 concerns, any guest requiring assistance with gear or getting into or out of the water should have a designated "dive buddy."

I understand why divers should set up their own gear, but requiring them to carry all of it on and off the boat or not lending a helping hand to get on to the boat has nothing to do with self-reliance. I'm sure some folks believe that if you can't tote your gear, you shouldn't be diving. However, some divers have disabilities, and many older divers would appreciate a hand and should get one. The way Americans tip these days, a surly dive staff is leaving money on the table....

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